Plans for municipal cannabis store in Osseo meet pushback at town hall

Some Osseo, Minnesota, residents want leaders to reconsider plans for a municipal cannabis dispensary.

Neighbors spoke for hours at a town hall meeting Thursday night, sharing their concerns.

The project has been in the works for a few years now. Store profits would go back to the city, but residents say they're worried they'll get stuck footing the bill with their property taxes if business is bad.

"Food costs so much, everything costs so much," one resident said. "Don't do this."

"How do you know what we want unless you ask us?" another resident said.

City leaders, though, say finding new streams of revenue is a priority in order to lessen Osseo's reliance on property taxes.

"The purpose of this dispensary is to build an asset for your community, right? All the revenue that will come from this will be put back into your community, put back into the city of Osseo to be used to do new programs, to make changes, positive changes in your community," Lori Johnson with Voyager Cannabis Services said. "That is our goal for the store. And I know some people might find that hard to believe, but that is the truth."  

At Thursday's meeting, there were several alternative options presented for the building in question, including selling it as-is, splitting the building for two tenants and opening a brewery and community center.

Some community members are calling for a survey or a vote.   

"We put a survey up, put it up online, how many people are going to say they couldn't find it? How many people are going to say, 'Oh, well that outcome's not right, somebody voted six times in it,'" Osseo City Council member Nick Torres said. "So while I laud the question, it's absolutely right. Would I follow a survey? Honest answer: no."

If the plan moves forward, the city wants to open the dispensary in November.