St. Cloud EDA urges housing, downtown reinvestment and industry targeting in Sherburne update
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Summary
A St. Cloud economic development official told the Sherburne County EDA that downtown revitalization, workforce housing and targeted industry recruitment (automation, IT, food and precision manufacturing) are priorities, and invited local input at an April 22 open house on the city’s comp plan.
The St. Cloud economic development director told the Sherburne County Economic Development Authority on April 2 that the city is prioritizing downtown revitalization and workforce housing as it updates its strategic plan.
The presenter, identified in the meeting only by role, said St. Cloud has refocused its priorities under a new mayor and is pushing redevelopment to replace lost office jobs and to create housing for people the city needs to attract. “We have a desperate need for workforce housing in St. Cloud,” the presenter said, adding that downtown plans and catalyst‑site drawings will be shown at a public open house on April 22 at River’s Edge.
Why it matters: St. Cloud cited both the long‑term impacts of Electrolux’s plant closure and post‑pandemic office reductions as drivers for new development strategies. The city is using federal and state grants, private partnerships and local incentives to support infill housing and reuse of historic buildings.
The presenter described a development dashboard that tracks building permits for projects valued at $250,000 or more on an interactive GIS map and said St. Cloud used a federal EDA grant to identify resilient target industries — automation, information technology, food‑related manufacturing and precision manufacturing — as recruitment priorities since the Electrolux closure.
She outlined two bonding requests the city is pursuing this session, including an estimated $6,000,000 request for a riverfront connection to St. Cloud Hospital and a downtown–campus streetscape connection intended to improve pedestrian links and catalyze infill housing and commercial reuse. The presenter also described exterior grant programs (matching grants up to $10,000) and Main Street grants the city has used to support downtown rehabilitation.
Board members asked about efforts to bring remote workers back to offices and about large vacant buildings downtown. The presenter said some employers have successfully brought employees back, cited downtown employers with several hundred staff each, and noted that Capital One’s downtown lease runs through 2028, which affects near‑term reuse plans.
The presentation closed with an invitation for Sherburne EDA members to review redevelopment and city‑owned site materials and to attend the April 22 comp‑plan open house. The presenter said the city will follow up with materials and an RFP schedule for select catalyst sites.
The meeting record shows the presentation ran from the chair’s introduction through an extended Q&A; the presenter represented City of St. Cloud economic development staff and did not give a personal name in the transcript. The EDA did not take action on the presentation itself; it was an informational briefing.
