Cannabis cultivation produces odors.”

Community Development Director John Hinzman

The Hastings Planning Commission opted to table action Monday night on a proposed indoor cannabis cultivation facility on Enterprise Avenue, with commissioners saying they wanted significantly more information before making a recommendation to the Hastings City Council.
The proposed project, submitted by Travis Davison for a business known as Odin’s Garden, would convert an existing 22,000-square-foot office and warehouse building at 2939 Enterprise Ave. into an indoor cannabis cultivation operation.
After nearly an hour of discussion and testimony from neighboring business owners, the commission unanimously voted to postpone action until its next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, due to the Memorial Day holiday. Commissioners cited unanswered questions ranging from odor mitigation and waste handling to the exact legal definition of “cultivation” under city code.
Community Development Director John Hinzman presented the proposal, explaining that indoor cannabis cultivation is allowed in the city’s I-1 Industrial Park zoning district through a special use permit process.
The facility would include up to 5,000 square feet of mature plant canopy divided into five production rooms, along with areas for cloning, drying, curing, trimming, packaging and warehousing. No retail sales would occur at the site, according to the application materials.
The proposal also includes expanding the parking and loading area, erecting a security fence topped with barbed wire and closing one of the existing driveway entrances onto 31st Street.
During his presentation, Hinzman said city staff believed the use generally met zoning requirements, but acknowledged that several operational details still needed clarification.
“Cannabis cultivation produces odors,” Hinzman told commissioners. “Indoor cultivation should limit the odors to the outside.”
He noted the city adopted specific odor regulations within its nuisance ordinance when drafting cannabis regulations and said a preliminary security plan already had been reviewed by Hastings Police Chief Bryan Schafer.
Still, neighboring business owners raised concerns during the public hearing.
Dr. Michael Ahn, owner of Hastings Strength and Conditioning at 2950 Lightburn Court, said he was particularly concerned about odor because children regularly use his nearby business and many activities occur outdoors.
“Our biggest concern is odor and the proximity to our clientele,” Ahn said. “We think it’s a great thing to do. But again, we’ve had some concern because of odor.”
Ahn referenced ongoing complaints surrounding the Prairie Island Indian Community’s outdoor cannabis grow operation near Welch, saying residents and business owners remain sensitive to the issue.
“I think there’s a lot of fear considering the terribleness that people have been enduring with the 316 Tribal growing facility,” he said.
Ahn also questioned whether the proposed operation extended beyond simple cultivation into processing or manufacturing activities, potentially triggering different setback requirements under city code.
Greg Lowe, owner of Lowe’s Auto & Truck Repair adjacent to the proposed facility, also voiced concerns about odor.
“I’m worried about the odor. I work with my doors open all summer,” Lowe said.
Representatives for Odin’s Garden attempted to reassure commissioners and neighbors that odor would be controlled through specialized filtration systems.
Drew Henderson, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said the building would operate under negative air pressure and use industrial activated charcoal filtration systems.
“We definitely understand the odor concerns,” Henderson said. “We plan on having the building with a negative pressure and heavy industrial activated charcoal filtration to mitigate the odors.”
Henderson said he currently operates a similar-sized cannabis cultivation facility in Arkansas and acknowledged there had initially been complaints from neighboring tenants in that building. However, he said those issues were resolved after additional filtration systems were installed.
“We haven’t had any further complaints since then,” Henderson said.
The proposed operation would employ approximately 12 people with normal operating hours planned from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., although employees may occasionally be onsite outside those hours.
Commissioners spent considerable time discussing what activities legally fall under cannabis “cultivation” versus manufacturing or processing. Questions centered on the fact that cannabis flower grown at the facility would eventually be dried, trimmed, packaged and sold to dispensaries.
Commissioner Laura McGrath said she remained uncomfortable with the distinction.
“I think I’m still a little bit confused about what’s cultivation, what’s manufacturing, what’s processing,” McGrath said. “If we don’t have definitions around those and parameters, I think we probably want to look into that a little bit more.”
Hinzman said city staff had consulted with the city attorney and believed activities such as trimming and packaging were “incidental” to cultivation, while extraction or production of edibles would constitute manufacturing and would not be permitted at the site.
Still, commissioners continued pressing for more specificity.
Commissioner Sarah Spaeth said she wanted more details formally included in the written application materials rather than discussed verbally during the meeting.
“I think this is just a very new thing, and I would like a little more information written down,” Spaeth said.
Among the items commissioners requested before reconsidering the proposal were:
• A clearer legal definition of cultivation
• Additional odor mitigation details
• More detailed waste disposal and water reclamation plans
• Staffing and operating hours
• A complete property diagram and site plan
• More detailed information regarding nuisance ordinance enforcement
• Clarification that the proposed chain-link fence would include privacy slats
Commissioners also discussed concerns regarding public notification. While the city mailed notices to property owners within 350 feet as required by code, several nearby business owners said they never received them.
Ultimately, McGrath moved to table the application until the commission’s next meeting, saying additional research and documentation were needed before making a recommendation.
The motion passed unanimously.