St. Cloud EDA Could Pick Developer Wednesday for Lot Near City Hall, Lake George

(KNSI) – St. Cloud’s Economic Development Authority could choose a developer Wednesday for the empty lot between St. Cloud City Hall and Lake George, or it could start the search over.

According to the meeting agenda, the board can pick one of the two companies that applied and begin working out a plan with it. It could also pick neither and seek new applicants, using a recent study of downtown rental housing as added information for developers.

The board put off a decision last month on the 3.27-acre site at 1201 7th Street South. Economic Development Director Cathy Mehelich said at the time that board members wanted to hear directly from both companies about their plans, their experience and any financial help they would expect from the city. The agenda says city staff have also interviewed both developers.

Torborg Builders of St. Cloud is proposing two market-rate apartment buildings with more than 110 units. Its proposal does not ask for public assistance.

Minneapolis-based Doyenne Development is pitching 71 homes plus a restaurant and entertainment building overlooking the lake. The company says its project would need city help, such as tax increment financing, and additional funding on top of that. It has not yet lined up a commercial tenant, and Mehelich has said the city’s vision for the site has been residential, so that part of the plan would take more work.

Picking a developer would not lock in a design. The EDA’s choice would go to the mayor’s office as a recommendation to sign a letter of intent, giving the city and that developer six months of exclusive talks to shape a plan and see whether the numbers work. The site would also need to be rezoned.

The lot has been vacant since 2023, when the city tore down two wings of the former Tech High School. The corner along Division Street is not part of the deal, since the city has already approved a Gate City Bank there.

The rental study found demand for at least 500 to 600 more units downtown, including market-rate apartments and both affordable and market-rate housing for active adults. It ranked the north city hall lot among the top sites for redevelopment and suggested it would be a strong fit for market-rate active adult housing.

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