TLDR: Burnsville Planning Commission said yes to a new cannabis store at 1100 Riverwood Drive on Monday night. The store will be 280 feet from Burnsville High School. They'll grow, make, and sell cannabis products with security cameras, ID checks, and odor control systems. The high school principal showed up to talk about student safety. Burnsville City Council makes the final decision on February 3rd.
If you're a Burnsville resident who wants to know about decisions like this before they happen, that's why we created South Metro Scoop. We read the meeting notes, watch the sessions, and send you the important stuff twice a week. No digging through Facebook groups or city websites—just simple updates about what's happening in your community.
On Monday, January 12th, Burnsville's planning commission unanimously voted to approve a cannabis store at 1100 Riverwood Drive. The business is called Great Northern Greens LLC. You can watch the full meeting on YouTube if you want to see exactly what was said.
This isn't just a regular store. According to the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, it's what's called a "micro business." That means they'll do everything in one place: grow the plants, make products like edibles and lotions, and sell them to customers.
The store will take up 3,500 square feet in a building that has other businesses too. The front part will be the store where you buy things. The middle section will be where they make products. The back will be where they grow cannabis plants.
Hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week. They'll have 8 to 10 employees working there.
This is one of the first cannabis stores approved in Burnsville since Minnesota made recreational cannabis legal in 2023. But it's not final yet—Burnsville City Council still has to vote on February 3rd.
The proposed store at 1100 Riverwood Drive is about 280 feet from Burnsville High School's property line. That's less than the length of a football field.
Here's the thing: Minnesota law says cities can require cannabis stores to be at least 1,000 feet away from schools. But cities don't have to do this—it's optional.
Burnsville City Council decided in 2024 not to create these distance rules. They passed something called Ordinance 1619 that lets cannabis stores open anywhere the zoning allows, without special distance requirements from schools.
According to the League of Minnesota Cities, each city gets to decide this for themselves. Some cities require big distances from schools. Burnsville chose not to.
Burnsville High School Principal Jesus Sandoval came to Monday's meeting to speak. He represents almost 2,000 students in grades 9-12, ages 14 to 18.
Sandoval told the planning commission that "safety and security of our school community continues to be a high priority." He wasn't there to say the store shouldn't be approved. Instead, he asked for strong security measures.
He specifically wants:
Sandoval mentioned that students are often outside for gym class, sports practice, and walking between buildings. He wants to make sure the store doesn't create problems for the school.
City staff actually met with the school district before this public meeting. That way, everyone could talk about concerns ahead of time.
The approval comes with nine specific conditions. Several focus on security and how the business operates.
The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management already requires certain security measures for all cannabis businesses. But cities can add extra rules.
Here's what Great Northern Greens has to do:
Security cameras: They need 24/7 HD video surveillance at all doors and access points.
ID checks: Employees will check IDs before people even walk in the door, not just when they buy something. You must be 21 or older. No exceptions, even if you're with someone over 21.
Smell control: They'll use carbon filters and special air pressure systems in the growing and manufacturing areas. They have to do regular maintenance on these systems.
Everything stays inside: All growing, making, and selling happens indoors. Nothing can be stored outside.
State compliance: If they break Minnesota's cannabis laws, the city can shut them down.
These rules address some worries that came up at a neighborhood meeting back in April 2025. People were concerned about smells, screening, and traffic.
Patrick Reynolds introduced himself at the meeting along with his business partner Rachel Teal. Reynolds has a personal connection to Burnsville—he grew up here, went to Burnsville High School, and both his parents were teachers. One of them taught in the Burnsville school district.
When Principal Sandoval talked about his safety concerns, Reynolds responded directly: "I respect everything that the principal said. We intend to be good neighbors and good partners and in it for the long run."
Great Northern Greens got preliminary approval from the state back in May or June 2025. According to state rules, they have 18 months from that date to find a location and finish all the requirements to get their final license.
The store will sell:
There are limits on how much you can buy at one time. Reynolds said it's typically about one ounce of flower per visit, but the exact limits are set by state law.
In the manufacturing section, they'll make edibles, concentrates, and topicals. In the growing area, they'll cultivate cannabis plants.
Everything they grow at this location can only be sold at this location. They can't send products to other stores.
All products have to meet Minnesota's testing and labeling requirements. The state checks for things like how strong the products are and makes sure packaging doesn't appeal to kids.
Burnsville took a more relaxed approach than many neighboring cities.
When Minnesota legalized cannabis in 2023, cities had until January 1, 2025, to make local rules. Burnsville decided not to:
Other South Metro cities made different choices:
Saint Paul: Cannabis stores must be at least 300 feet from schools (except downtown).
Cottage Grove: Requires 1,000 feet between cannabis stores and schools.
Eagan: Cannabis stores must be 350 feet apart from each other, but no distance rules from schools.
Some Minnesota cities tried to ban cannabis businesses completely. According to a MinnPost article from September 2025, about 20 cities have rules that might break state law. But the state cannabis office can't force cities to follow the rules—only lawsuits can do that.
Monday's planning commission vote sends this to Burnsville City Council. They'll vote on February 3rd, 2026. That's the final local approval needed.
At the city council meeting, regular people can speak during the public comment section. You can go in person or join on Zoom. Most Dakota County city council meetings let you participate either way.
If city council says yes, Great Northern Greens still has more to do:
The approval expires one year after city council votes, unless they request a building permit or ask for more time. Since they got preliminary state approval in May-June 2025 and have 18 months total, the timing should work out if council approves on February 3rd.
As many as want to open. Burnsville didn't put a cap on the number of cannabis stores.
Minnesota law says cities can limit stores to one per 12,500 residents. But this is optional, not required.
Burnsville has about 64,000 people. If they'd used the state's maximum cap, they could have about five stores. But since they didn't set any cap, there's technically no limit.
Other South Metro cities made different choices. Some used the one-per-12,500 rule. Others created even stricter limits. Some, like Burnsville, chose no limit at all.
State legislators have said this creates a "patchwork"—every city has different rules, which makes it confusing.
A few things came up that weren't totally clear:
Timing: One commissioner asked about the state's 18-month deadline versus the city's one-year permit expiration. Staff said applicants can ask for extensions, but exactly how state and local timelines work together wasn't fully explained.
Kids inside the store: Can someone under 21 go into the store if they're with an adult? Staff thought the answer was no, but they weren't 100% sure. Minnesota law says you have to be 21 to buy cannabis, but whether minors can enter the building at all (like how kids can go into liquor stores with parents in some states) wasn't clarified.
Garbage and waste: What happens to leftover plant material and soil? The applicant said retail won't create much waste. For growing, they might need to throw away soil and old plants. Staff noted that state law has rules about cannabis waste—it has to be stored inside and disposed of securely—but detailed plans would come later during the building permit review.
This decision affects real things in your community:
If you live near Riverwood Drive: You'll have a cannabis store in your neighborhood.
If your kids go to Burnsville High School: There will be a cannabis business 280 feet from campus.
Property values: New businesses can affect home values, though it's hard to predict exactly how.
Traffic: More customers means more cars in the area.
Community character: Some people worry about how cannabis businesses fit into suburban neighborhoods.
Here's something important: Only six people attended Monday's meeting. Five were commissioners. One was the principal. No regular residents showed up to the public hearing.
The meeting was publicly announced. Anyone could have attended or commented. But most people probably didn't know it was happening.
This is exactly why we started South Metro Scoop. By the time something reaches the planning commission with a recommendation to approve, a lot of work has already happened. The best time to weigh in is earlier in the process—or at the city council meeting where the final vote happens.
If you're concerned about this store, you can still speak up at the February 3rd city council meeting.
If you're frustrated about finding out too late, that's the problem we solve. We track these meetings so you know what's coming before the votes happen.
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