St. Cloud Council Votes Down Proposed Auto Repair Shop

(KNSI) — A proposed auto repair shop on County Road 4 was unanimously voted down Monday night by the St. Cloud City Council.

Councilman Mike Conway spoke to KNSI News after the vote, saying it’s a great company and a good idea but a bad fit for the mostly residential neighborhood.

“We’ve got the Kwik Trip and then there’s a spot right next to it that is really the last place for St. Cloud to have any neighborhood-oriented commercial development. While the project itself is a worthwhile project it’s just trying to put the wrong business in that spot.”

The lot is located at 1130 County Road 4, just south of County Road 120. The planned unit development agreement when the Kwik Trip was built zoned the property C-2, or Neighborhood Commercial District. An exception would have been needed for an auto repair, and the proposed 11-bay facility was over 7,600 square feet, well above the maximum allowed in C-2.

Conway said the second variance requested would hamper nearby development.

“The original business that’s 72- or 7,600 square feet and then a potential other building that could be built under C-2, but it was 2,400 square feet. Trying to find out what a viable business to go in that spot that would still fit with the rest of the neighborhood. I couldn’t visualize what that would look like.”

Conway says he believes the council must be patient and fill it with the right type of business.

Neighbors also spoke out against the project at the public hearing. The consensus was an investment brokerage, or other company whose line of business is consistent with a residential area is a better fit.

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