(KNSI) – The second time was the charm for the changes to St. Cloud’s sign ordinance to pass through the city council.
At Monday’s meeting, the group voted 5-0 with one member absent and another abstaining to accept the measure. Community Development Director Matt Glaesman says only a minor tweak to the initial proposal regarding the number of signs permitted was needed to seal the deal. “When it came forward four months ago, it suggested that one could be allowed. That was then sent back to the planning commission, and it become two signs being allowed, and that’s what was approved by the city council tonight.”
Each sign can be a maximum of five square feet. Glaesman notes there are no restrictions on the shape. The ordinance applies to both non-political and political speech outside of campaign season. The only limit to what can be put up is if it is obscene, but even then, Glaesman admits the bar to have something taken down is extremely high.
In the past, St. Cloud has not allowed for any non-commercial signs. Garage sale announcements were okay, but even a placard saying a child had just graduated was technically a violation. City staff will only enforce the measure after a complaint has been submitted.
The matter was one of six public hearings held during the session. The most controversial issue was whether to allow a Planned Unit Development for Phase III of the Bear Ridge neighborhood that would shrink lot sizes and create higher-density housing along Cooper Avenue and 38th Street South.
The council okayed the PUD over the objection of several neighbors. The developer spoke at the meeting. He says it will be the first build on the property since 2008. It applies to about 17 acres of the roughly 100-acre property.
The addition of workforce housing is a priority for the city. On the south end of town, developments like Bear Ridge are expected to be part of a much bigger story by 2040. Glaesman shares, “The utility work that’s coming down from the Calvary Hill Water Tower is really meant to provide enough water pressure we can then extend south of the interstate. So, it’s very real that utilities will cross over, roads will cross over to the point that we can see residential development or commercial development in the next five to 15 years.”
In the four other public hearings, the council approved ending cannabis licensing, as that will be picked up by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, approved the renovation of the old Persian Club into a permanent home for the Iglesia Mision Divina church with about 400 members, and okayed the five-year street reconstruction plan. It tabled a PUD that would allow Legacy Auto Sales to build a new three-stall vehicle repair station.
Neighbors have been concerned about noise outside of regular business hours at the 5th Street North business and clutter on the lot. The owner had committed to hiding away stacks of tires that were strewn about the yard, but failed to do so until very recently. Cars are parked haphazardly two, sometimes three, deep. The council told management it wanted to see a consistent commitment to cleanup before it would permit expansion. Legacy Auto Sales will need to revive the issue and come back in the future.
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