Permit Fees Increases, New Bank, Teen Center Expansion On St. Cloud Council Agenda

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud City Council will hold three public hearings Monday night, including the first comprehensive update to building permit fees in nearly two decades.

St. Cloud currently uses the 2015 valuation data table to calculate fees on residential projects, while neighboring cities Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park have moved to the 2025 version.

For a $160,000 single-family home, two-family home, or townhouse, the combined impact would raise permit costs by $917, going from $1,749 to $2,666. For a $500,000 home, the increase would be $4,363, jumping from $4,064 to $8,428. A $1.1 million commercial or industrial project would see its building permit go from $7,188 to $10,725.

Other changes include residential roofing and siding permits going from $60 to $100, combined roofing and siding permits rising from $75 to $200, and plumbing fixture fees increasing from $10.50 to $15 per fixture. The city would also lower its permit refund rate from 80% to 60%.

City staff project the changes would generate roughly $500,000 in additional permit revenue. Community Development Director Matt Glaesman has said the goal is to move closer to full cost recovery and to bring St. Cloud’s rates in line with surrounding cities.

The council will also hold a hearing on a proposed amendment to the Media Services Planned Unit Development that would allow Gate City Bank to build a 7,000 square foot financial institution on the former ISD 742 Media Services block at 115 13th Avenue South.

The plan calls for a 29-space parking lot in the center of the property and a three-lane drive-thru along Division Street. A 2nd phase pad site is shown east of the bank for possible future commercial development, but any project there would require a separate PUD amendment.

The city has agreed to sell the nearly 2-acre property to Gate City Bank for $1.4 million, consistent with a recent appraisal. The Planning Commission recommended approval on a 7-0 vote in April. Staff is recommending several conditions, including modifications to a parking peninsula to add a drive-thru stacking space and additional details on signage and landscaping.

The 3rd hearing involves a request from the Youthset Teen Center to expand its community center operations into unoccupied portions of the building at 1415 5th Street North.

The proposed renovations would convert a high-bay warehouse area into an indoor gymnasium, replace an overhead garage door with a new entryway on the northeast side, and add two changing rooms along the western wall. Additional plans call for a reception area, classrooms, a 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 in April.

All three items would need a simple majority of 4 votes to pass. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. inside city hall.

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