Road Quality, Redevelopment Plans Headline St. Cloud City Council Meeting

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud City Council will get an update tonight on whether 14 miles of resurfacing work done last year will hold up to its estimated ten year lifespan after complaints from neighbors saying 100 cracks had formed in the roads in only nine months.

The city council postponed assessing roughly $2.3 million in charges to property owners for three major projects: sewer, street, and sidewalk improvements in the Pantown neighborhood; the reconstruction of University Drive; and the resurfacing of about 14 miles of residential streets while they reevaluate the situation. While city staff said some cracking is expected, the volume of cracks has raised questions about the quality and durability of the work.

These projects are part of a broader $15 million infrastructure investment launched under a new assessment policy adopted in 2023. Previously, property owners were charged based on how many feet of their property faced the road. Under the current system, a benefit study determines how much a property’s value is expected to increase from the improvements, and assessments are applied accordingly—regardless of any outside funding the city receives. Homeowners are protected from being charged more than the calculated benefit.

Payments for these assessments wouldn’t begin until 2026.

Also tonight, the council will set dates for three public hearings related to redevelopment and zoning changes. St. Cloud State University is not renewing its lease for the Welcome Center at Coborn’s Plaza on 5th Avenue South. The building owner is requesting a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to convert the 12,000-square-foot space into 16 studio apartments.

A developer is seeking approval to repurpose the former Tim Hortons restaurant, which was originally approved under a PUD for food service use. Any new use — aside from office space or leaving it vacant — requires a new PUD.

The owners of the former Fingerhut building at 14 and 16 McLeland Road near the St. Cloud VA are requesting to rezone the site from I3-Industrial to C5-Commercial. Their plans include building a go-kart track with additional attractions like bowling, simulators, and restaurants.

The city’s Planning Commission has approved all three proposals. Final decisions rest with the city council.

The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.

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