St. Cloud ZBA Approves Midtown Square Mall Daycare

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals has given unanimous approval for a daycare to open in the Midtown Square Mall instead of a building on the east end.

Senior Community Planner Dave Broxmeyer filled KNSI News in on why Mothers Love Childcare Center decided to find a new space after getting approved for a different location over the summer. “This applicant actually came to us and we approved, the ZBA approved a previous conditional use permit for the former Ace Bar location. That real estate deal fell apart.”

Broxmeyer says the property is in receivership, which means it is under the control of an independent third party appointed by a court or a creditor. This usually happens when the owner has defaulted on their mortgage or a loan, and there is a legal dispute over the property’s management or ownership.

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. It was most recently the site of a failed tribal medical dispensary, and before that, it was the temporary home of the nonprofit Too Much Talent, which moved to a new location.

After the deal collapsed, the operators began a search and were able to find Suite 107 open in the mall. The 6,000-square-foot space will require an additional 2,700-square-foot playground in part of the mall’s parking lot.

The board had a few recommendations to address some of the concerns, given its proximity to moving vehicles. Broxmeyer explained that it includes a fence around the play area, a fire lane to make space for emergency vehicles, and “would include what are known as bollards. They’re poles mounted in the ground that would hopefully prohibit or reduce any kind of impact should a vehicle run into that fenced area.”

The daycare would house 91 children, serving newborns to 12-year-olds. The facility plans to open in the spring of 2026.

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