St. Cloud City Council to Hear Public Input on Controversial Development Projects, Police Radio Upgrade

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud City Council is holding two public hearings on building projects that drew the ire of some neighbors tonight.

The first is regarding a proposal to allow land recently purchased by Gilleland Chevrolet to be rezoned from residential to commercial. The dealership purchased two single-family homes on 31st Avenue North and plans to bulldoze them to create space to expand its lot and allow for a new mechanic shop. The design calls for St. Cloud to vacate a nearby alley.

Neighbors were concerned that the loss of the alley would affect access to their property. Others complained that the dealership’s employees park on the street instead of a designated area for employee parking. There were other concerns about car alarms going off randomly and the loss of two homes when the area is experiencing a housing shortage.

Gilleland is paying for the project. The Planning Commission approved the rezoning in a 3-2 vote.

Another hearing deals with an industrial real estate company’s proposal to build a private road through a wooded area to link up to Saukview Drive.

Brennan Investment Group is asking for the road to give easier access to a vacant building behind Bluestem/Fingerhut. The Planned Unit Development (PUD) would connect the northern parking lot to planned loading docks directly east of Saukview Drive. The company says loading docks are needed to attract new tenants for the open spaces or entice a buyer for the land at 6250 Ridgewood Road. The paved connection will be 24 feet wide and cut through an environmentally sensitive area. Neighbors are worried about noise and the loss of mature trees.

In 2023, an environmental and development team assessed the property and recommended a route with the least impact on the trees. Under the current proposal, any trees larger than six inches across that are cut down must be replaced with ones at least three inches in diameter. Bluestem/Fingerhut wouldn’t benefit from the project because it has a long-term lease for the spot that wouldn’t be part of the renovation.

The city council’s agenda also includes approving bids for upgrades at Centennial, Haws and 1010 Parks. The money will come from the voter-approved referendum passed in November of 2022.

In the consent agenda, there’s a bid to improve how St. Cloud police officers communicate with each other. The system getting replaced has been in use since 2009 and is at its “end of life.” The new technology is estimated to cost taxpayers $244,612, although $190,000 of that will be covered by a Homeland Security Upgrade grant.

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

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