Shape The Vision For St. Cloud’s Downtown At Upcoming Workshop

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Community members can help plan a vision for the future of downtown St. Cloud. The city is hosting a Downtown Visioning Workshop on Tuesday, September 30th.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman says they'll focus on specific locations for redevelopment opportunities.

It's going to be that chance where we can hopefully, as a whole across the community, come out and say this is a site, we're certainly intentionally going to talk about the Stearns County facility that is being relocated as part of the Justice Center project, that's one of those that we intentionally want to talk about.

The visioning workshop is part of the city's comprehensive plan update. He says a lot has changed since the last time they updated the plan.

We want to take a look at those sites that have already been identified and might have a different direction now, post-COVID.  But also talk about some sites that we haven't talked about before.  How do we re-engage the river?

Glaesman says participants will sit at tables of six to eight people with maps and markers and pitch ideas for specific sites.

Get our free mobile app

Glaesman says the ideas that come out of the workshop will be used to help improve the downtown.

And then the consultant team is going to take the best ideas and model them.  So when we ask the state, or the federal government, or local stakeholders for some funds or a partnership to advance these ideas, there is an inspirational drawing that can show why they should be a part of the project.

It will run from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the River's Edge Convention Center. Attendees should plan to stay for the whole two hours. Pre-registration is preferred.