St. Cloud City Council to Hold Public Hearings on Rezoning and Historic Preservation Updates Monday Night

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud City Council is holding public hearings to gauge residents’ feelings on rezoning land to support single-family homes and upgrades to the Historic Preservation Design Manual.

The first public forum is rezoning 54.8 acres of land from agriculture to residential, allowing for the construction of about 65 homes over the next ten years. The Harvest Creek Development would be located west of 64th Avenue North and south of Northwood Lane. Several speakers asked questions about traffic in the area and had concerns over the condition of nearby roads. The feedback on the project was mostly positive. The planning commission approved the project on April 9th.

The council also has a public hearing on the updates of the Historic Preservation Design Manual.

For the first time in almost 20 years, the city is revamping the manual to preserve downtown’s historic feel and character while supporting its goal of 1,000 new residential units in the next five years. The manual will be updated to promote investment and maintenance of existing neighborhoods. It will consider new technology, materials, and standards for renovating and maintaining its historic buildings.

There are five historic preservation districts in St. Cloud:

Commercial: St. Cloud Commercial Historic District

Residential: Southside Historic District, Pantown Historic District, and Barden Park Historic District

Public Land: Southeast Historic Overlay District

There are also a handful of notable items on the consent agenda. Consent agenda items are passed with one motion at the beginning of a council meeting unless a council member pulls an item for discussion.

The city plans to apply for a grant to identify sources and reduce the amount of PFAS discharged to the Nutrient, Energy, and Water Recover Facility. St. Cloud is seeking a little more than $91,500.

The council may approve a $24 million project to upgrade two forcemains. Staff says they are the most critical part of the city’s wastewater collection infrastructure. The forcemains consist of one 30″ and one 42″ diameter pipe, each over three miles long. They were installed in the 1970s with no access points and carry 98% of the wastewater from St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph, and Waite Park to the treatment facility. St. Cloud is responsible for 52% of project costs, and contract users will pay the remaining 48% through wastewater service charges. Recent inspection showed rapid excessive deterioration, leading to the need for replacement.

Finally, the council is considering a bid for an $8.3 million project to resurface University Drive from County Highway 75/Roosevelt Road to 1st Avenue South. The work includes reconstructing part of Kilian Boulevard to 15th Avenue Southeast.

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

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