Proposed Daycare Aims to Transform Former Ace Bar Site on St. Cloud’s East Side

(KNSI) – A new daycare could set up shop in the former Ace Bar & Grill on St. Cloud’s east side.

The St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals has set a public hearing for Tuesday on changing a conditional use permit to allow Mother’s Love Childcare Center to take care of 100 children on the property. The daycare’s applicant, Ahmed Ismail, says the center would be open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. According to city records, the area is zoned commercial, but any daycare in that zone with more than 13 kids requires a conditional use permit.

The project would include building a 2,786-square-foot fenced outdoor play area within the north parking lot. Nearby Raymond and Spalt Parks could also serve the center.

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. Today, Bob Abel owns the building, which was most recently the site of a failed tribal medical dispensary. Before that, it was the temporary home of the nonprofit Too Much Talent, which moved to a new location.

The zoning board of appeals will meet on May 20th at 6:00 p.m. inside St. Cloud City Hall.

___