Minneapolis Planning Commission Advances Plan for Cannabis Training College in Near North

The Minneapolis Planning Commission has recommended approval of a comprehensive plan amendment that would clear the way for a nonprofit cannabis workforce training program to operate in the Near North neighborhood, moving the proposal one step closer to a final vote by the City Council. At its Tuesday meeting, the commission advanced a change to the land-use guidance for 1914 Washington Ave. N., a property best known for housing Bar Brava, a wine bar. The amendment shifts the site’s designation from Corridor Mixed-Use to Production Mixed-Use, a change needed to allow cannabis cultivation activities as part of a training program operated by the Minnesota Cannabis College.

Planning documents indicate the program would occupy two apartments above the bar. A second-floor unit would be used as classroom space, while a third-floor apartment would serve as a hands-on cannabis cultivation training area for students.

The Minnesota Cannabis College is a nonprofit organization focused on preparing individuals for jobs in the state’s emerging legal marijuana industry. According to a project description submitted by property owner and college board member Dan Rice, the program prioritizes those who were “wrongfully prosecuted during Cannabis prohibition or come from areas that were wrongfully prosecuted.”

Training cycles outlined in the proposal include a 12-week cannabis cultivation technician track and a five-week budtender program.

The organization recently received a $250,000 workforce development grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development through the state’s CanTrain initiative, designed to prepare Minnesotans for employment in the legal marijuana market.

“Legal adult-use cannabis is an exciting new industry for Minnesota businesses and workers, and DEED’s job is to make sure they have an accessible on-ramp,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said when the grant was announced.

With the Planning Commission’s recommendation now complete, the amendment heads to the Minneapolis City Council for final consideration.