St. Cloud Planning Commission to Discuss New Fire Station and 2025 Comprehensive Plan Thursday

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud Planning Commission will consider two major items at its Thursday meeting: the design and site plan for the new Fire Station 6 and an update on the city’s comprehensive plan.

The two story fire station is slated for construction at the intersection of 33rd Street South and County Road 74. It features a 24-foot-high vehicle bay with dark gray granite panels and aluminum cladding with a five-story regional training tower that will be located between the main building and the south property line. Fire officials say the tower will expand regional training capabilities. The station will include 52 parking spaces for public access west of the building and 24 spaces on the south side for staff.

The site formerly housed a car salvage yard, vehicle repair business and other commercial operations. The city acquired the land during the Highway 15 interchange construction. Three environmentally sensitive areas exist on or near the proposed site, including a high-priority granite rock outcrop that provides unique habitat for brittle prickly pear cactus, rusty woodsia fern and other rare plants. Five wetlands were also identified on the property during a 2020 platting process.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman is recommending approval of the project.

The commission will also hold a work session with the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee to discuss downtown opportunity sites identified during a public workshop on September 30th.

The 2025 Comprehensive Plan update is progressing through a timeline that spans from spring 2025 to spring 2026. Draft plan open houses are scheduled for January and February 2026, followed by adoption hearings in March and April 2026. Thursday’s meeting will focus on selecting downtown opportunity sites that the consulting team will detail and model in future drafts.

The meeting begins Thursday, November 13th, at 6:00 p.m. inside St. Cloud City Hall.

___