St. Cloud Planning Commission Rejects Selke Field Rezoning Proposal

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Planning Commission voted 5-0 to reject a request to rezone Selke Field on Tuesday night.

St. Cloud State University wanted to change the property from R-2 to R-5, which would have allowed for up to 350-plus apartments at the southeast St. Cloud park. Chair Marty Czech says he didn’t like the idea for several reasons, including as a former student at the school.

“At what point are they going to realize that you can’t make cuts and attract students? When you reduce the services or the quality of the amenities, the education, and the options, you’re going to continue to lose students.”

SCSU officials stressed that they don’t have firm plans to sell the property or what development there would look like. However, the school will begin its long-term planning cycle soon and wanted flexibility for the roughly 16-acre site.

Czech said he didn’t think it was fair to rezone a property adjacent to single-family neighborhoods on three sides. He says they bought their homes with the expectation that their block would look similar for the foreseeable future. Czech believes the commission must respect homeowner property rights in that regard.

Dozens of people spoke against the idea, but Czech doesn’t believe the overflow crowd in opposition to the measure was the deciding factor for the group.

“It’s really hard to go against the comprehensive plan. That’s something that was put together over a number of years with a lot of public input, and it’s the guiding document for the city and how we’re going to grow.”

The St. Cloud Comprehensive Plan lists Selke Field in the ‘Parks and Open Space’ category. Czech says that is different from other projects that received a lot of opposition, like the apartment complex approved for the lot across Cooper Avenue from Coborn’s.

Other members expressed concern over the historic granite wall that circles the fields. It was a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression. The unique feature means any changes to the location would need to be approved by the Heritage Preservation Commission. Most felt that something as expansive as new apartment complexes would require removing a large section of the stone perimeter.

A final concern for planning commission members was if the city could take control of the property, either through a donation of the land or buying it outright. Members praised the idea of having the property as a greenspace open to the community.

One reason SCSU is considering possibly selling Selke Field is declining usage. The varsity softball team moved on campus this year, playing all its games at Husky Stadium. One group that still leases Selke is the Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association.

Assistant Director of Coaching Emily Willaert says losing Selke would impact her organization and force them to push out users of other city parks. “It’s really common for people to gather at any place with a playground. And then they also use those fields for pickup soccer games. You have people out there throwing frisbees around. Our parks actually get really great use. If we rent a space, we then displace those people who aren’t renting the field and using it for what they’re meant to be used for, which is community parks.”

She tells KNSI the group has a year-round connection with SCSU. The varsity women’s soccer team helps to coach some of the squads. That makes using Selke a natural fit. Willaert adds that other premier area facilities are unavailable during the busy summer season.

“Once we’re able to get outside, it’s a really good alternative to using [District] 742 fields, as they’re trying to rest them for their athletes and keep their fields in good condition.”

Roughly 1,500 kids play in the youth soccer association, and many need financial assistance to participate. Selke is a more affordable option for the group than Whitney Park. If the group had to relocate there, the cost it would have to charge to break even would price many athletes out.

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