MENTOR, Minn. — Residents in a small Polk County community are trying to snuff out a proposed business that has stirred up major controversy.
Paperwork has been filed for a cannabis facility near one of the region’s most popular summer destinations, Maple Lake. The proposed cannabis facility would be located along County 12, just outside the city limits of Mentor and about a half mile from the lake.
“Do we really need it right here at the lake?” said Cindy Tyler, who has owned the Oak Cove Resort along Maple Lake for the past 40 years.
Tyler has gathered more than 100 signatures on a petition against the project. Water usage and odor are two of the biggest community concerns.
“Stink like dead skunks. And since we had such a wonderful summer with having all the smoke coming from Canada and that’s over 100 miles away,” Tyler said.
Cody Parr is the man behind the project. His family has owned the land for generations. He is proposing a micro-business cannabis facility that would grow marijuana but not include retail sales. The cannabis facility would bring roughly 20 jobs to the small community of 100 residents.
For the project to move forward, the county must rezone the land from agricultural to commercial. Tyler worries that a cannabis facility could become an eyesore and lower property values in this peaceful summer destination.
“If people are driving by and they see concertina wire around their chain link fence or it stinks when you drive by, they are not going to want to build around here or buy a piece of property around here,” Tyler said.
The Polk County Planning and Zoning Board is expected to vote on the proposed cannabis facility on Friday, Oct. 24. However, the final decision will rest with the Polk County Commission, which will determine whether or not the project can proceed.
A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Cody Parr as the owner of Legends and Murphy’s Pub.
“What makes him so special that he is not going to be opening up a slippery slope and opening up the doors that anybody in the whole county is just going to start saying, ‘Well let’s rezone this little piece of property,’” Tyler said.
As debate continues, residents remain divided. Supporters see the cannabis facility as a potential boost for local employment, while opponents fear environmental and property impacts. The coming vote will determine whether Mentor becomes home to a new cannabis facility or stops it before it starts.
