Brainerd City planning panel approves St. Francis master plan and forwards rezoning and Ninth Street vacation to council

The Brainerd City Planning Commission voted to approve a package of land‑use requests from St. Francis Catholic Church and School on North 10th Street, including preliminary and final plats, rezoning 14 parcels from Traditional Neighborhood 1 (TN1) to Public/Semi‑Public (PSP), and conditional‑use permits to allow residential use in a new rectory and creation of a parcel under one acre. The approval also included a condition requiring a development agreement and a city council consideration of a proposed vacation of North Ninth Street between Ivy and Juniper.

The vote follows staff recommendations and a presentation from Director Cranbeck outlining that the proposal would consolidate parcels, create a campus between school and church, allow future school and church expansion, and replace three older single‑family homes with a new rectory. Director Cranbeck told commissioners that staff found both supporting policies (neighborhood schools and community investments) and policies raising concerns about the loss of housing stock.

At the public hearing, trustee and finance‑council chair Jenny Kudson said the rectory is intended to provide private spaces and guest quarters for priests and occasional visitors, and that St. Francis has been in the community for more than a century. “We are looking to move forward with that hopefully this year,” Kudson said, describing school growth and plans that could eventually expand the school beyond grade 8. Architect Erica Marcusen presented the site master plan and said the applicants view the street vacation as central to the proposed layout: “You can see by the master plan that the street vacation is key to the success of this master plan,” she said, describing preserved playgrounds, a potential tot lot, underground stormwater retention, diagonal parking on Ivy, and a bus inset on 8th Street for parent queuing.

Commissioners pressed the applicants on several points, including whether the three houses slated for demolition currently produce property tax revenue (Kudson said two are rentals and do pay some taxes), how the applicants evaluated rehabilitating the houses, where parking and snow storage would be located, and whether the pedestrian connections and bus inset would remain public. The city engineer noted that a utility easement would be retained and that no immediate large‑scale utility replacements were identified, though some water configurations may need attention in the future.

Several commissioners expressed reservation about losing housing and about removing a public right‑of‑way. One committee member said, “I’ve seen the north side just get eroded, house by house,” and said losing a continuous Ninth Street corridor risks altering neighborhood character. Applicants and supporters responded that vacating Ninth Street would bring safety benefits, help preserve a publicly used ball field and playground, and create public walking spaces and parking configurations that reduce curb impacts on nearby streets. Carla Cuden, St. Francis director of admissions and advancement, added that the school draws families from a broad area and brings economic and community benefits: “We pull from not only the Brainerd area but a 45‑mile radius,” she said.

After debate, the commission approved the motion to recommend approval of the plats, rezoning to PSP, and conditional use permits with the stated conditions (development agreement and approval of the vacation) and forwarded the rezoning for first reading at city council on June 2; final reading and associated approvals (plats, CUPs, vacation) are scheduled for council consideration on June 16.

What happens next: the Planning Commission’s approval is a recommendation; the rezoning requires city council action. Staff will draft a development agreement, maintain required utility easements, and the council will consider the full package in June. The commission record notes the housing trade‑off and several conditions intended to preserve public access and infrastructure.