UPDATE: St. Cloud Planning Commission Meeting Canceled

Originally published 5:15 a.m. February 26th, 2024

Updated 10:55 a.m. February 26th, 2024

(KNSI) — The planning commission meeting for Monday afternoon has been canceled.

The meeting was set for 4:00 to wrap up unfinished business from last week. The group heard from over a dozen organizations on federal Community Development Block Grant funds requests. The money will go towards a mix of uses to improve the city’s homeless shelter capacity and affordable housing. The cancellation was “due to unforseen circumstances.”

The next meeting is set for March 4th, 2024.

The planning commission and the city council will then host a work session from 5:00 to 7:00 on the concept of light-touch density. The term was coined by experts at the American Enterprise Institute. The conservative think tank says it includes several types of specialized single-family housing, such as those sitting close together on small lots, homes with extra dwellings attached, duplexes, and more.

The organization is consulting with the city as it looks to revamp downtown by adding permanent housing.

The business district is in a state of transition following the loss of the Herberger’s store in 2018. It was hit with a double whammy when major office tenants like Capital One moved their employees to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company says it is closing its 7th Avenue location in late March.

Mayor Dave Kleis and area lawmakers are currently lobbying for $100 million in funding to help spur the change. They say they will be able to attract as much as a billion dollars in private investment to pull off the transformational plan. It would also add new parks along the Mississippi River and improve walkability between the new points of interest.

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