By Anne Holzman

The city of Lauderdale has commissioned a market study for a possible municipal cannabis dispensary at 2430 Larpenteur Ave.

City Administrator Heather Butkowski told the city council at its July 15 meeting that the owners of the site had approached the city about selling their property.

At its August 14, meeting, the council unanimously authorized the study, which will be conducted by consultant Point7 Group.

The goal of the study is to analyze the market for cannabis products at that location and determine the viability of such a business.

The city would likely own the property but hire a private entity to manage it. “It (the study)’ll speak to the viability of any cannabis shop, not just municipal,” Butkowski noted at the August meeting.

Discussion during the meeting included concerns about contributing to undesirable behavior, which some council members said they’d heard from residents. Mayor Mary Gaasch said that unlike regulating alcohol, cities have no right to control whether a commercial property owner chooses to open a cannabis business.

“There will be a dispensary here. The question is whether we benefit from it,” Gaasch said.

The council’s discussion also touched on the increasing cost of public safety and the desire to keep property taxes in check.

“We’re coming to a point with the budget and public safety that we might have to make some hard choices,” Council Member Jeff Dains said.

The small lot has the former Rosehill Service garage on it, which went out of business in 2006. Neighboring businesses FinnSisu and SuperUSA have also expressed interest in acquiring the lot for storage or parking. 

Anne Holzman is a freelance writer who covers Lauderdale government news for the Bugle.