Cannabis center coming to SSP

Cannabis center coming to SSP
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | January 2026

Recreational and medical cannabis retail shops for adults ages 21 and older have popped up statewide in the past year – as close as Eagan, Woodbury and St. Paul – but there’s no dispensary definitively on the horizon for South St. Paul. However, a cannabis cultivation and manufacturing center is seeking to open in 2026, which would supply loads of cannabis flower and other products to shops statewide. The new business is expected to add 15-25 jobs in the community, and the applicant, DW Green Ventures, has already received city zoning approval and is currently finalizing licensing with the state. Once licensed, it will be located at 205 Hardman Ave.

“I think their intention was to get underway with some pretty significant modification to the building that they’re renting,” said South St. Paul City Administrator Ryan Garcia. “I anticipate that construction would at least start in 2026. I don’t know what their timeline is exactly to complete their build out, and whether that means they start operating in 2026 or not.”

The 59,000-square-foot facility is located on a 5-acre lot most recently occupied by Polytek, a manufacturer of specialty polymers. In addition to installing cannabis growing, storage and packaging equipment, a mechanical system will be put in place to mitigate cannabis odors. It’s part of an odor management plan the business was required to submit to the city to ensure that cannabis odors aren’t discernable at the property line. A robust security system is also in the works, including 24/7 video surveillance, controlled access, alarm systems, secure storage areas and indoor dumpsters.

“As far as recreational retail, we haven’t had any serious sort of inquiry or proposals as yet,” said Garcia. “When the planning office established the zoning framework for that type of business, I think it was limited to – I’ll just generically say – ‘down the hill,’ kind of like Concord Street corridor, or maybe within the business park. So there’s only so many vacant storefronts as it is, and it’s even further limited by being somewhat geographically restricted.”

Based on its population, the City of South St. Paul is required by state law to allow at least two cannabis retail shops to open. The city council previously set that as the city’s cap but could allow more in the future if it amends the ordinance. Requiring the shops to be along Concord Street North in mixed-use and industrial zoning districts meets the council’s desire to keep them far from schools, daycares and parks. It should be noted that low-potency gummies, seltzers and other edible products containing THC – the psychoactive chemical in marijuana – were made legal to sell at grocery stores, restaurants, liquor and tobacco stores, and other businesses in 2022. Those sellers must obtain state licensing but do not count toward the city’s two businesses allowed to sell high-potency marijuana.

Under state law, Minnesota residents may legally possess two ounces of marijuana flower in public and two pounds at home; grow up to eight marijuana plants on their property; and use marijuana products in private areas. It is illegal to use marijuana while in a motor vehicle and the penalty for public marijuana use in South St. Paul is a petty misdemeanor. The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management was established in 2023 to regulate the sale of adult-use recreational cannabis.
Federal law differentiates cannabis plants between hemp and marijuana based on the percentage of THC the plant has. Cannabis plants with .3% THC or less are referred to as hemp, and those with higher percentages are identified as marijuana. Minnesota was the 23rd state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana. The first dispensary to open in Minnesota was NativeCare on the Red Lake Reservation in Red Lake.