St. Cloud City Council Approves Apartments for Cooper Avenue and Roosevelt Road

(KNSI) — A new two-building apartment complex will be coming to St. Cloud after the city council gave the go ahead Monday night.

The council voted six to one to rezone 4.5 acres of land at Roosevelt Road and Cooper Avenue from industrial to residential to make way for a three-story, 74-unit apartment building and a four-story, 62-unit building. The 136-unit project will be constructed on top of parking garages across the street from Coborn’s on Cooper. The proposed plan includes changing the entrances from 19 ½ Avenue South and Roosevelt Road to two access points on Cooper Avenue.

The remaining 15 acres of land in the area will be developed later.

Two people living next door to the property spoke against the plan during a public hearing. Jerry Hagemeier spoke to KNSI News moments after the vote. “Disappointed basically, the city does what they want to do. It was shoved down our throats.”

About eight other neighbors in attendance supported him. Hagemeier says he wants to see the area built into single-family homes, like the rest of the neighborhood. “You buy a home and you’re an anchor. You will appreciate living in St. Cloud. But an apartment dweller comes and goes.”

He believes adding more apartments could attract crime to an otherwise quiet area and feels the city already has enough.

Paul Hagen agreed, telling us he thinks the buildings are an eyesore. “The back of my house faces that property. And that’s the last thing I want right now is to have these apartment complexes built and looking into my backyard.”

The project will be built in Councilman Mike Conway’s ward. He is usually a strong proponent of single-family housing but explained to KNSI News he voted for the apartment project because the area has been slated as a potential spot for multifamily housing for years. “It fits with the long-term plans. There’s a grocery store right across the street to provide services. There’s bus transportation, so it’s going to provide a good nucleus for people moving in, hit the ground running and be able to get to jobs and activities.”

If Conway had his way, more single-family homes would be under construction. “Right now, the market is leaning towards multifamily [homes]. And you can’t force property owners to build what I would like to build. They have property rights, and they have the ability to build what’s going to be saleable on their property.”

Councilwoman Carol Lewis was the only no-vote.

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