Osseo City Council To Host July 9 Town Hall on Proposed Cannabis Store

The Osseo City Council will hold a special town hall meeting on Thursday evening, July 9, to hear more public feedback on the city’s planned municipal cannabis dispensary.

The meeting follows public pushback during a June 22 hearing on proposed property tax abatement that would help fund the new store.

The cannabis dispensary has been in the planning stages for several years and is seen by some elected city leaders as an idea to lower city property taxes.

If approved, the cannabis dispensary would be constructed in the city-owned former Osseo Press and News office. The building is undergoing a full-scale remodel and would also house a second tenant, Heavy Rotation Brewing Co., which is planning a move from Brooklyn Park.

Osseo is partnering with Voyageur Cannabis Services, which would manage daily retail operations of the dispensary.

To pay for the project, the Osseo City Council is considering issuing a tax abatement bond valued up $4 million with a 20-year term. City officials expect to use revenue from cannabis sales to pay the bond’s debt service.

However, some residents have raised questions whether the project could cost the city money.

“I know how to read numbers, I know when the math doesn’t add up,” said one resident at the June 22 hearing. “And I can’t make these numbers add up. More concerning, I can’t discern what the city and taxpayers are potentially going to held responsible for if this goes sideways.”

At the June 22 hearing, the Osseo City Council opted to potentially revisit the bond issue at a future meeting.

A look inside the former Osseo Press and News building where the proposed municipal cannabis dispensary would be located.

Town Hall Meeting Details

• Thursday, July 9, at 6 p.m.
• Osseo Community Center (located on main floor of Osseo City Hall)
• 415 Central Ave., Osseo

The town hall will allow the city council to receive public comments, provide project information and answer questions about the project.

Osseo