More Information as Plans for St. Cloud Business Improvement District Move Forward

(KNSI) – More information is coming out on how the St. Cloud Business Improvement District will be organized.

On Monday, the first significant obstacle to forming the BID was cleared when the city council gave its approval to create the special assessment zone. The district would be paid for through fees placed on commercial property owners and pledged sponsorships from area residents, companies, and nonprofit groups. How much downtown businesses would pay and the district’s boundaries will be set during a public hearing in front of the council on October 7th. Between now and then, people have the opportunity to issue written comments to the city.

St. Cloud Downtown Task Force Chairman Greg Windfeldt spoke with KNSI and explained if approved at that meeting, a local board and non-profit would be set up to control the money. “The board has to be made up of the property owners in the district. So the property owners will have a major say in the budget and how much and what happens and everything like that.”

Organizers say around $750,000 in private donations from companies outside of the proposed BID district have already been raised. The goal of forming the special zone is to have ambassadors clean and beautify the city’s core during the day and then work as security and help people get around at night. The workers will be managed by a third-party company called Block by Block.

Winfeldt believes the extra presence will help the city reach its goal of bringing more energy to downtown. “The biggest thing you’re trying to do is create occupancy downtown. Get people to visit downtown [and] to live downtown. That will spur more businesses, more entertainment, more development and then, it’s kind of a perpetuating cycle.”

He says changes won’t transform everything overnight, but having those ambassadors seven days a week will go a long way to changing downtown’s tone and perception.

If plans clear their final hurdle in October, the BID would be in place for five years, with the budget and assessments approved annually by the city council.

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