“If We Can Dream It”: Council Adopts Downtown Plan

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud City Council has signed off on a long-term vision to help guide future development for the next two decades.

The downtown and Division Street corridor comprehensive plan received unanimous approval after a public hearing on Monday night. The draft sets a 20-year horizon. It describes a downtown that by 2045 functions as a year-round regional destination for entertainment, art, history, culture, and riverfront activity while holding onto its historic “Granite City” identity.

Council President Mike Conway spoke with KNSI News just minutes after the vote and framed it as a starting point worth chasing rather than a mandate. “I think it’s exciting. It’s got some opportunities. And it’s outside the box thinking, which is going to be good. It’s a what if. So, if we can dream it, we can do it.”

The plan drew a full day of council attention. Members first reviewed and discussed it during a study session at 4:00 p.m., then took it up formally at their regular meeting at 6:00 p.m., where the public hearing and vote took place. No one spoke during the public hearing.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman says the most notable shift from the city’s 2015 comprehensive plan is the emphasis on housing over office space, and that drawing residents to live downtown is the foundation for everything else the plan hopes to achieve. “Having that activity daytime, nighttime creates that atmosphere that makes the place safer, more vibrant. And economically, you can handle more storefronts, maybe even the grocery store that’s long been talked about in the downtown area. So, I think that’s what’s creating the positive energy.”

He stressed throughout the process that it is a long-term vision, with no authority to force any property owner to sell or redevelop.

The plan covers the downtown core and the Division Street corridor. Six goals anchor the document, ranging from advancing redevelopment and activating both Mississippi riverfronts to expanding housing and prioritizing pedestrians. A set of “big moves” turns those goals into priorities, including reclaiming the Mississippi River as downtown’s “front door,” expanding downtown living, and positioning the area as a regional destination.

Much of the plan centers on the specific properties the city sees as its best chances to add density and activity. The document identifies 18 redevelopment sites totaling roughly 73 acres, split into 13 “opportunity sites” and five “catalyst sites,” the latter described as priority projects meant to set the standard for design and intensity downtown.

The 13 opportunity sites are the former St. Cloud Tech High School campus (8.1 acres); the Swan/St. Mary’s lot (2.3 acres); the Division Street and 7th Avenue S site (0.7 acres); the Simonson Lumber site (1.8 acres); the North Railroad site (1.7 acres); the former Press Bar site; the Riverboat lot; the Northeast Riverbank site (2.6 acres); the East St. Germain site (2.3 acres); the Simonson Lumber East site (12.6 acres); the Recycling Center site (nearly 10 acres); the Highway 23 and Lincoln Avenue SE site (5.7 acres); and the former Herberger’s site (1.2 acres). The plan does not list acreages for the former Press Bar and Riverboat lot sites.

The five catalyst sites are the Stearns County campus (10.2 acres); the Northwest Riverfront (2.6 acres); the East Riverbank (3.6 acres); the Lady Slipper site (2 acres); and the Kelly Inn site (6 acres).

With the plan adopted, Glaesman says the city’s attention turns to putting it into motion. On the public side, he says officials will have to prioritize which investments are the most impactful and the most financially feasible. On the private side, he says the city has already been showing developers the plan and can now return to those parties to gauge who is ready to step forward on projects.

The draft downtown plan and the Division Street plan are both available for review by clicking here.

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