St. Cloud Invites You To Shape Its Downtown Future

On April 22 the City of St. Cloud will be hosting an open house from 4-7pm at the Rivers Edge Convention Center to examine the direction the downtown area should go.  This event will be an opportunity for the public to see the drawings put together by the city of what the downtown could look like in the future.  St. Cloud Community Development Director Matt Glaesman joined me on WJON.  He says they've reached the point where the discussions they've had with staff and residents have turned into images and the images will be on display on April 22.

Reason for the Open House

Glaesman says the images will be published on the city's website in advance of the open house.  Those in attendance at the open house can weigh in on whether they like what has been put together or they don't.  Glaesman says this is an opportunity for residents to voice their opinions.  He says the city is not formally considering the document yet with planned hearings from the planning commission and city council.  Glaesman expects those hearings to happen sometime in May, June or July.  He says housing is the key to downtown vitality with the drawings illustrate plans for all areas of downtown St. Cloud including the Stearns County Jail and Courthouse sites and the East End.

Housing Downtown

Glaesman says every downtown is different and the plan for what St. Cloud will be doing it different too.  He says the residential options available in St. Cloud's downtown plan could include many different types of housing which would include townhomes, apartments and condos.  Glaesman expects the price point to also vary.

New Land Use Request

Glaesman says spring time is when land use entitlement requests start picking up.  He says the planning commission will be reviewing a new housing request at their meeting in April.  Glaesman says at this time it looks like one request but it could be two.  He says this is an example of projects that are tentatively planning to advance in 2026.

Other Locations With Growth

The Zoning Board of Appeals will be looking at the new Stearns County Justice Center building at their meeting on April 21.  The County Road 74 corridor on the southside of St. Cloud is where additional residential properties are being built.  Other locations that could see residential growth on the south side of St. Cloud include 40th Street and 33rd Street.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Matt Glaesman, click below.