Proposed Low-Income Elm Ridge Apartments Project in St. Cloud Scrapped

Saint Cloud, MN, USA / KNSI

Jan 14, 2026 | 2:44 PM

(KNSI) – A low-income apartment project that drew tongue-lashings from neighbors in St. Cloud is dead.

St. Cloud Community Development Director Matt Glaesman informed the city council and planning commission during a joint work session on Tuesday that Center City Housing’s proposed 40-unit, three-story complex at 1530 Northway Drive is no more.

The proposed Elm Ridge Apartments would have been built on a lot that’s stood vacant since 2017, when the old St. Cloud Area Family YMCA met the wrecking ball. It’s across the street from the new Y. The site has struggled to attract development. A previously approved grocery store also failed to materialize there.

In March 2025, the project was awarded $45,000 from the city’s federal Community Development Block Grant funds. The money is allocated annually to help develop blighted property or create opportunities for people of low to moderate income.

In June, in a four-to-three vote, the city council approved a Planned Unit Development, allowing the commercially zoned property to be used for a residential structure. A Planned Unit Development gives special permission to a property for a use outside of its original purpose.

KNSI News has reached out to Center City Housing seeking an explanation for why the project isn’t moving forward, but hasn’t received a response.

Center City Housing operates two other facilities in St. Cloud using trauma-informed housing models for people with disabilities and addiction issues.

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