NORTH MANKATO — The North Mankato City Council at its Monday meeting will consider a conditional-use permit application that would allow Craft Bud Ventures to open a cannabis retail store at 422 Belgrade Ave.
Craft Bud Ventures has received preliminary license approval from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, meeting a key requirement for local permitting, according to city documents. The permit request marks what would be the city’s second — following Cornflower Blue in July — and final cannabis retail license allowed under current regulations.
City ordinances permit cannabis retail in the central business district through the conditional-use process, which enables the city to impose operational requirements on applicants. The proposed site meets buffer-distance standards set by ordinance, including minimum distances from schools, day care centers, parks, treatment facilities and other cannabis retailers.
If approved, the business would be required to follow specific conditions, including restrictions on on-site consumption, prohibition of product sampling and a ban on vending-machine sales. All cannabis products would need to be sold in child-resistant packaging with proper labeling.
Business hours would follow existing city rules, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays.
Craft Bud Ventures plans to sell state-approved cannabis products, including flower, cartridges, concentrates, edibles and paraphernalia, according to a proposal sent to the city. The business proposal also outlines security measures such as 24/7 surveillance and alarm systems, as well as odor control protocols.
The building owner, Corey Brunton of C&C Property Group, told the city he has executed a lease agreement with the tenant, contingent on city approval of the permit. The property, known as the Belgrade Business Center, has received verbal confirmation of support from several neighboring tenants, according to Brunton.
The City Planning Commission has recommended approval of the application, subject to compliance with licensing requirements and ongoing notification to the city regarding any complaints filed against the business.
Not all community feedback, however, has been supportive. In a letter to Community Development Director Michael Fischer, North Mankato resident Kevin Draper expressed concern about the potential for increased nuisance reports, traffic safety issues and residential property value impacts.
“I appreciate the economic and legal considerations that the council must weigh, and I ask only that those considerations be balanced against the potential negative effects as well as the risk to the special character and community of Belgrade Ave., Wheeler Park, and the residential area near our downtown,” Draper wrote.
The council meeting is 7 p.m. Monday at the North Mankato Municipal Building.