Fergus Falls, MN – On Monday June 3rd, the Fergus Falls City Council will be conducting the first reading of an ordinance that would bar cannabis retailers from the downtown area.
Ordinance 58 amends the zoning laws of B-6 and I-1 zones to allow the sale of cannabis under certain restrictions.
The type of zone that most of downtown falls under, B-3 zones, will not be changing to allow sales of cannabis.
Members of the City Council heavily debated the topic at the March 27th Committee of the Whole meeting.
Council Member Scott Rachels had said, “My goal, I think, was to not see it in our downtown. I’ve been in a few towns just recently where it’s on their main street. I just think it clutters it up. I don’t think it needs to be on Main Street.”
In regards to the potential distances from parks and daycares, Council Member Tom Rufer also said at that meeting, “What are we afraid of? Is the Boogey Man going to come and grab our kids? If the Boogey Man is stoned, he’s probably more interested in going to Holiday to get Doritos.”
Something that kept popping up in that discussion was the difference between a dispensary being placed downtown and the Liquor Store that is already there.
Fergus Falls Community Development Manager Klara Beck said, “It is being looked at a little bit differently than liquor or a liquor store, just based on how new it is and how little we know about the effects of it on the community at this point.”
At that Committee of the Whole meeting, it was suggested that the Planning Commission should become involved, allowing a larger public hearing to be had, so people could have their concerns about the zoning heard, however no public hearing was held, and the Planning Commission’s recommendation of allowing cannabis retailers downtown was not taken up by the Council.
One of the biggest concerns about barring cannabis sales from downtown is how that effects the businesses selling CBD or THC in that area already.
Luckily for those businesses and their consumer, Beck says that these new zoning laws do not include the hemp products that they are currently allowed to sell.
If they wanted to expand their product lineup to full cannabis products, this ordinance would require them to move, however Beck emphasized that the Council can always revisit these laws in the future and decide to update or change them as they receive feedback from the community.