Sauk Rapids Council Approves Conditional Use Permit for Rehab Facility

(KNSI) – The Sauk Rapids City Council approved a new Conditional Use Permit for Bridge Recovery LLC and the Journey Home on Monday night.

The CUP has 11 different stipulations, some of which were in the initial 2020 agreement and never fulfilled. City Attorney Ashley Bukowski lists them.

“There were some in place in the 2020 CUP. A requirement that a development agreement be executed, and properly executed at that. And then the general conditions that the Journey Home facility has to follow all the ordinances and other regulations in place within the city.”

A jump in police calls to the rehabilitation facility in 2021 led to the council reexamining the original agreement. It was found that Meridian Health, which operates the building, had never recorded the document with the city as required and it was revoked entirely. Bukowski says for the other conditions there are deadlines with the clauses, but they are mostly a formality.

“So, we did put in some timelines like they would have to submit plans to the development director within a certain amount of months but they’ve already met those deadlines.”

Also already installed or nearing completion is a new perimeter fence and surveillance camera system. A KNSI story previewing the council meeting from the weekend lists all eleven conditions.

City Administrator Ross Olson asked the council to approve a letter from CentraCare to state regulators supporting a new medical school in the area. If the project is given the go-ahead, the first class of doctors would begin studying in 2025.

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