Gilleland Chevrolet Expansion Stalls After Unanimous Council Vote

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud City Council is telling a car dealership to pump the brakes on a proposed expansion project.

The council voted 7-0 to table a decision on allowing Gilleland Chevrolet to rezone two residential lots from R-2 residential to C-5 commercial to allow for more parking and a new mechanic shop.

Five neighbors spoke against the project, with many claiming they’ve had difficulty with Gilleland’s workers parking on the street in front of their homes despite having ample parking. The neighbors also voiced concern over flooding in the area due to the dealership’s snowpack melting on the land. There were other concerns about car alarms going off randomly.

Alexis Rajdl lives next to the dealership and tells KNSI News she is satisfied with the decision. “I feel like we’re finally being heard for the first time. All of their points really hit home. We should not be the ones inconvenienced. It’s not our job to fix it. And I feel like there’s finally some accountability on the table. So it feels really good.”

One of the biggest issues was no communication from the dealership. The council highly recommended officials with Gilleland meet with the dozen neighbors who live just north of the dealership. Rajdl thinks that could be a great first step in the right direction. “I’m hoping, at the very least, we can have a conversation that has not been on the table at this point. And we are open to change and understand that needs to happen, but with no communication, that makes it pretty impossible.”

Gilleland told KNSI News that they are weighing all their options.

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