St. Cloud City Council Prepares for Input on Building Projects, Potentially Setting the Stage for February Public Hearings

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud City Council Monday night could set public hearings for three building projects, including one that garnered grumblings from neighbors.

The council’s consent agenda says the hearings could be set for February 12th for items that have previously passed the planning commission.

The first would be for a plan to turn a blighted area into a community center in the 1400 block of 5th Street North. The center would be run by the nonprofit Too Much Talent. Too Much Talent provides after-school tutoring, plus activities like dance, sports, and physical fitness.

The site is a former industrial building. With 14,000 square feet, the organization says it has more than enough space to house the 40 children in its program. Neighbors were divided during a planning commission meeting earlier this month. Some spoke in support and hailed the center’s possible arrival as a needed asset to support kids.

Other neighbors are concerned with the logistics of operating a center in that space. The lot has room for an outdoor playground but parking for only eight vehicles. Others testified the area sees a lot of drug use and homeless individuals, plus there are nearby halfway houses, including homes for recently released sex offenders.

The plan was approved unanimously by the planning commission. There is a purchase agreement to buy the building, should it get support from the city council.

The council could also set a public hearing on February 12th for a new drug treatment facility to move into the old First United Methodist Church building in the 300 block of 5th Avenue South. The building has been vacant for nearly a decade. It is proposed to have 48 beds and feature inpatient and outpatient care.

The idea comes from the developers behind the St. Cloud Live project. It is the final piece of a roughly $120 million development. Brian Schoenborn told the planning commission when the whole thing started, he never envisioned he would be proposing a drug treatment facility. Schoenborn says the inspiration for the facility was the death of Mack Motzko, who was killed in a crash in July of 2021 by a driver who was under the influence. Schoenborn was Motzko’s godfather.

Finally, the St. Cloud Christian School is considering adding a new 22,703 square-foot wing onto its building, spread across three stories. The lot is currently zoned R2-Residential and within code. The expansion would require a variance for the location of off-street parking spots within the required setback from the property line. It would also violate the maximum lot coverage and floor area ratio standards.

St. Cloud Christian School Interim Development Director Bill Corcoran emailed KNSI News to say the project is in an exploratory phase. They are evaluating multiple options and want to ensure all are viable by getting the city’s approval before officials decide on the path forward.

Items on a consent agenda are considered routine and usually passed with one motion. However, individual council members can remove a proposal for discussion or to ask questions.

The meeting gets underway at 6:00 p.m. at city hall.

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