St. Cloud Demolishing Former School District Media Center for New Development

(KNSI) – The old St. Cloud Area School District Media Center is being demolished to make way for a new building along Division Street.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis says the city signed a letter of intent with a company that plans to build on the site. “It’s a commercial tenant with a financial tenant including some other commercial in the 81,000 square foot area.”

City staff says the financial institution’s name isn’t public right now.

Kleis explained neighbors will learn more about the project when November’s planning commission agenda comes out. “We’ll see as that moves through the process. Learn more about that as it gets to the planning commission and the next few weeks. And then, of course, the opportunity to weigh in [at] both the planning commission and also at the city council meeting before any action is taken.”

In June, the council rejected a proposal to amend a Planned Unit Development that would have allowed the construction of a Holiday gas station. The company offered $1.3 million for the land. About a dozen neighborhood residents spoke against the proposal.

The mayor told KNSI News the letter of intent is for the same dollar amount plus the cost of demolition.

The city bought the land in 2019, and the old Tech High School was renovated into city hall. The media center portion was always intended to be razed and rebuilt as a catalyst site.

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