St. Cloud City Council to Weigh $4.1 Million Pan Park Bid Monday

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud City Council has a full agenda Monday night, including a multi-million dollar street project bid, a proposed overhaul of building permit fees, and two redevelopment requests on the former Tech High School block.

The regular meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

The Council will consider awarding a roughly $4.1 million contract to LaTour Construction Inc. of Maple Lake for Phase 5 of the Pan Park Neighborhood Improvements. The low bid of $4,147,304.56 came in about 30% under the Engineer’s construction estimate of nearly $5.96 million. Six bids were opened on April 8th, ranging up to $5.79 million.
The project covers 29th and 28th Avenue North from 10th to 12th Street North, 26th and 27th Avenue North from 11th to 12th Street North, and 10th and 11th Street North between 29th and 27th Avenue North. It continues neighborhood revitalization work done in 2018, 2019, 2024, and 2025.

Total project cost is estimated at $5.45 million. Preliminary assessments account for about 33.5%, leaving a net city cost of roughly $3.62 million, to be funded through utility revenue and general bond proceeds.

Staff is also asking for an exemption from the city noise ordinance to allow nighttime and weekend construction to reduce traffic impacts.

The Council is expected to schedule a May 4th public hearing on a comprehensive update to building permit fees. The city last adopted a broad increase to building permit related fees more than 15 years ago, and last updated the Building Valuation Data table in 2015.

The proposal would adopt the 2025 International Code Council valuation table, already in use by Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park, and raise fees across electrical, plumbing, sign, building, HVAC, and miscellaneous permit categories.

For a $160,000 single-family, two-family, or townhouse structure, the combined impact would be an increase of $917, from $1,749 to $2,666. For a $500,000 residential structure, the increase would be $4,363, from $4,064 to $8,428. A $1.1 million commercial or industrial building permit would rise from $7,188 to $10,725.

The city projects roughly $500,000 in additional annual permit revenue based on recent volume.

The Council is set to schedule a May 4th public hearing on a Planned Unit Development amendment that would allow Gate City Bank to build a 7,000 square foot financial institution at 115 13th Avenue South, on the western half of the former ISD742 Media Services block.

The site plan calls for 29 off-street parking spaces and a three-lane drive on the north side of the building parallel to Division Street. A second phase is shown but would require a separate PUD amendment. The city and Gate City Bank have a six-month letter of intent to sell the property for $1.4 million, consistent with a recent appraisal. The Planning Commission recommended approval 7-0 on April 14th.

A second PUD amendment heading to a May 4th public hearing would allow an expansion of the community center function inside the existing building at 1415 5th Street North. Proposed renovations include converting an overhead garage door into a new entryway, turning the high-bay warehouse area into an indoor gymnasium, adding two changing rooms, and creating a reception area, classrooms, dance studio, dining area, art and salon space, a gaming lab, and a possible coffee shop in a later phase. The Planning Commission recommended approval 6-0.

The Council is also set to approve the appointment of Bill Malinen to the Planning Commission through April 30th, 2029, and Bob Johnson to the RSVP Advisory Council through December 31st, 2029.

Two public hearings are scheduled Monday night. At 6:15 p.m., the Council will hear an ordinance amending Ordinance Number 988, originally adopted in February of 1980, relating to the Housing and Redevelopment Authority’s authority to carry out single-family and multifamily housing programs. At 6:25 p.m., the Council will hear an ordinance amending the section of city code governing the St. Cloud Citizens’ Review Board.

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