Planning Commission Signs Off on Downtown St. Cloud Blueprint

(KNSI) – St. Cloud’s planning commission has signed off on a draft vision for the future of downtown and the Division Street corridor, sending the plans to the city council for final consideration next month.

Commissioners approved the downtown comprehensive plan and a companion Division Street subarea plan on a 5-1 vote Tuesday night, with Commissioner Sabrin Ali casting the lone no vote. The action followed a public hearing that closed out a roughly month-long comment period.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman stressed that the documents are a long-term vision, not a mandate. “The comprehensive plan is a policy document. It’s a vision that tries to draw inspiration from community input and then find people to advance these projects because they are inspired by the vision.”

Not every concept will come to life. Glaesman says comprehensive plans are typically updated every 10 years as community needs evolve. “Any good comprehensive plan is updated every 10 years because the ideas change and some things just proved not to be as viable as we had originally thought. So, 50% is a great batting average for comprehensive planning.”

The drafts were first presented to the public at an open house at the Rivers Edge Convention Center on April 22nd, which drew dozens of residents, business owners, and other stakeholders. The city unveiled 16 renderings laying out a vision for what key sites could become in the years ahead.

Several prominent locations are featured, including the current Stearns County campus downtown, where county offices and courts will eventually vacate once the new Stearns County Justice Center is built. Drawings envision what redevelopment could look like on that eight-to-nine-acre site once the existing buildings come down. Other drawings focus on the Lady Slipper block, the riverfront area near the Rivers Edge Convention Center, and additional locations along the Division Street corridor.

One of the most notable shifts from the city’s last comprehensive plan in 2015 is the emphasis on housing over office space. Glaesman says the post-COVID shift has reshaped the development landscape, with housing now seen as the key to bringing people downtown around the clock, creating an active public realm and making commercial development possible.

Not all of the feedback Tuesday was supportive. David Fremo of Catholic Community Schools told commissioners that much of the land tied to Cathedral High School’s campus is not for sale or available for redevelopment, and he raised concerns about renderings showing apartments built next to the school. Fremo also said neither he nor anyone else with the school was contacted during the planning process.

Glaesman has emphasized throughout the process that the plans do not give the city authority to force any property owner to sell or redevelop. They are policy documents meant to guide conversations with willing property owners, developers, and other stakeholders.

Beyond development sites, the drafts also address parking, streetscape improvements, wayfinding and signage, and the role of arts downtown.

The city council is expected to hold its own public hearing next month before taking a final vote.

The draft downtown plan and the Division Street subarea plan are both available for review on the city’s planning webpage.

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