The Hastings Planning Commission meets Tuesday night at City Hall with one major item dominating the agenda —
the continued review of a special use permit request for an indoor cannabis cultivation facility proposed for 2939 Enterprise Avenue.
The business, known as Odin’s Garden, would operate inside an existing 22-thousand square foot industrial building in the city’s Industrial Park district. The proposal was first heard earlier this month, when commissioners voted six-to-one to table the decision and request additional information from the applicant, Travis Davison.
At that earlier meeting, residents and neighboring business owners raised several concerns, including odor, wastewater handling, trucking activity, fencing, and the possibility of future operations extending beyond cannabis cultivation.
Tuesday’s meeting will not reopen the formal public hearing, but commissioners are expected to allow additional public comment before continuing deliberations.
According to city documents, Odin’s Garden plans to employ between six and fourteen workers, primarily during daytime weekday hours. The company says no retail sales would occur at the site. Operations would include growing, harvesting, drying, curing, packaging, and secure storage of cannabis products before transport to licensed buyers.
Commissioners had specifically asked the applicant to provide a more detailed operational breakdown, along with updated plans for security, waste removal, and odor mitigation.
Odor concerns have become one of the central issues surrounding the proposal.
Residents living near the Glendale Heights neighborhood, along with nearby businesses, expressed worries about persistent cannabis smells affecting surrounding properties and quality of life. Others voiced concerns about emissions, wastewater, pesticide use, and possible impacts on nearby businesses, including HSC CrossFit and other industrial park tenants.
At the May 18 City Council meeting, additional residents spoke during public comment, voicing concerns about odor drifting into nearby residential areas and fears about vandalism connected to the operation.
In response, the applicant Travis Davison, submitted a detailed odor control plan describing a “defense-in-depth” system designed to prevent detectable odors from leaving the property.
According to the plan, all cultivation and storage rooms would be fully sealed inside the building envelope, with the structure maintained under negative air pressure. That means air would flow inward rather than outward whenever doors are opened, helping prevent untreated odors from escaping.
The company, Odin’s Garden, also plans to use industrial activated carbon filtration systems to scrub all exhaust air before expelling. Backup vapor-phase neutralization systems would chemically eliminate remaining odor compounds, similar to systems used in landfill and food-processing operations.
Davison says loading and unloading activities would occur entirely indoors, with transfers limited to only a few trucks per week. Company representatives also state they are willing to expand filtration capacity if odor problems are detected after operations begin.
To address visual concerns, the applicant is also exploring alternatives to traditional chain-link fencing by adding exterior privacy screening around the site.
The property itself is currently zoned Industrial Park, and city staff note that indoor cannabis cultivation is an allowed use through the special permit process under Hastings zoning regulations. The city’s comprehensive plan also identifies the area for industrial use.
Planning commissioners are expected to continue discussion Tuesday evening before deciding whether to approve, deny, or further delay the special use permit request.
The Tuesday meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Hastings City Hall Council Chambers.
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