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Silver Bay Council, EDA and Planning & Zoning Meet To Discuss Retail Cannabis

A special meeting was held on October 28th between the Silver Bay City Council, the Economic Development Committee, and Planning and Zoning to discuss how the city will handle permitting and licensing of retail cannabis businesses when they are able to begin operations next year.

The Lake County Board is in the process of drafting an ordinance of its own and has asked officials of Silver Bay and other mu­nicipalities to weigh in on what they want to do with regard to permitting and licensing cannabis retailers in their cities.

The question on Silver Bay official’s minds is, do they want the city to be in charge of permitting cannabis businesses or do they want those decisions to fall to the County? These questions continue to be somewhat confusing because details about the permit­ting and licensing of cannabis businesses are still being studied by local officials. City Administrator Lana Fralich indicated that if city administrative staff are to shoulder the responsibility of issuing permits, it will add to an already heavy workload.

State law allows for at least one cannabis retailer per 12,500 residents. Local govern­ments may limit the number of retailers in their jurisdictions as long as this limit (one per 12,500) is met within the county. If this population requirement is not met, Silver Bay officials would not be able to prohibit the establishment of a cannabis retailer with­in city limits. There are currently 10,905 res­idents living in Lake County. Two Harbors officials are also considering their options and apparently have decided to allow for one independent cannabis retailer with the possible option of establishing a municipal cannabis retail business in the future.

If and when cannabis retail comes to Silver Bay, Planning and Zoning will be responsi­ble for determining where retailers will be located. There are some on the City Council who are not in favor of having cannabis sold in Silver Bay. That being said, the Council voted to defer permitting and enforcement to Lake County while retaining local control over what can happen with cannabis retail­ers in Silver Bay. A moratorium on cannabis sales remains in effect through the end of this year.

Rick Evans
Rick Evans
My wife, Marsha Kinzer (a proud DEHS Greyhound, class of ‘77) introduced me to the North Shore on vacation in 2012. It became our regular escape when the stress of our careers in education became overwhelming, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the breathtaking scenery, the nice people, and “salad” containing Jell-o and marshmallows. So you can either blame or thank my loving wife for my being here, because when we needed to choose a retirement hometown, Marsha advocated hard for her beloved Duluth, and here we are, six months later. Yes, this will be my first northern Minnesota winter. Yes, I welcome thoughts and prayers. Government, public policy, and social justice weighed heavily in the curriculums I taught at the high school level over a thirty-eight year career. In addition, we were a laboratory school focused on critical thinking in conjunction with technical and scientific writing. So when I found myself adrift on the great ocean of retirement and spied a raft, I jumped at the chance to take up what I’d left behind…minus the bad teachers’ lounge coffee. My position at the NSJ allows me to combine my passions for government and writing, and it’s helping me to feel less out of touch in new surroundings. When I’m not being “Cubby” (Marsha’s favorite new nickname for this green reporter) I enjoy pointing at eagles and saying, “Look, honey. There’s an eagle.” I’ve had an active side hustle as a professional musician for almost as many years as Charlie Parr. As a guitarist/singer/songwriter, I graced the stages of clubs and festivals around southern Wisconsin, including an appearance on A Prairie Home Companion. Should I even mention A Prairie Home Companion, or am I the only one here old enough to remember what that is? Look! An eagle!
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