St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals Postpones Decision of a Proposed Daycare at Former Ace Bar Site

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals is postponing deciding on the fate of a proposed daycare in the former Ace Bar & Grill.

The daycare’s applicant, Ahmed Ismail, requested a conditional use permit to allow Mother’s Love Childcare Center to serve up to 100 children and would be located at 423 East St. Germain Street. Any facility with more than 13 kids in a C4 Commercial district requires a CUP. The project would include building a 2,786-square-foot fenced outdoor play area across an alley within the north parking lot.

During a public hearing, business owner Maddie Waseka explained she plans to open a café next door at 417 East St. Germain Street, in the former Dutch Maid Bakery, in September and is concerned if there will be enough space for semi-trucks to go through the alley if a play area is built, and children will be crossing multiple times a day. Marla Waseka owns the next two lots at 413/415 East St. Germain Street and echoed similar concerns. She plans to use her property for retail space.

After the meeting, Community Development Director Matt Glaesman spoke with KNSI News to explain why they are being cautious with this block. “When you bring this many kids at this light-controlled intersection, two major roadways, we’re all concerned about public safety. The applicants provided a site plan and some ideas about how that access might be controlled better. But we really want to be thoughtful and take the month to make sure it’s the best plan possible.”

The daycare has proposed using staff as traffic guards to ensure the children’s safety.

Others who spoke during the public hearing question if the alley goes all the way through and if the city or nearby property owners own the alley. Glaesman says that’s not in dispute. “From Wilson to third, there are public alleys and private easements that cover the entire length of that corridor, some of them are overlapping, but in the end, there are rights to cross that entire block.”

The ZBA will work with all parties to come up with a plan before June’s meeting, when the topic will be taken up again.

The building has been mostly vacant since the restaurant closed on October 31st, 2016. The Ace Bar had been a staple in St. Cloud’s east end since the 1930s. Today, Bob Abel owns the building, which was most recently the site of a failed tribal medical dispensary. Before that, it was the temporary home of the nonprofit Too Much Talent, which moved to a new location.

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