After years of sitting idle, a long-vacant district lot on the edge of downtown St. Cloud is finally getting a new life. Gate City Bank has secured city approval to build a roughly 7,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar branch at 115 13th Avenue South, complete with a drive-thru and a central parking area on the nearly two-acre site.
The project turns the former ISD 742 Media Services property into one of the first major private redevelopment efforts along this stretch of the downtown core, a spot city leaders have been eyeing as a key link between Lake George, the library, and the rest of downtown.
City Council signed off unanimously Monday night. Gate City Bank Senior Vice President Jay Krabbenhoft told KNSI he was "very excited about our presence here in St. Cloud," and pointed to the lot's proximity to the library, Lake George and city hall as a major draw. He said crews will begin leveling the lot and laying grass seed soon as part of the initial site work. The planning commission had already backed the project on a 7-0 vote in April.
Official approvals and zoning
According to municipal records, the council's action amends the Media Services Planned Unit Development and authorizes the city to execute documents to sell 115 13th Avenue South. The PUD rezoning and associated development plan were adopted to allow commercial reuse of the former school district site, and the latest vote cleared permit-level hurdles for demolition and new construction. The legal framework for the change is laid out in City of St. Cloud proceedings and the city's development ordinance.
Plan details and site layout
The approved concept calls for a single-story 7,000-square-foot bank, a 29-space parking lot in the center of the property and a three-lane drive-thru along Division Street, with a potential second-phase commercial pad on the east side of the site, as reported by KNSI. The city has agreed to sell the nearly two-acre parcel to Gate City for $1.4 million, a figure KNSI notes is consistent with a recent appraisal.
City staff recommended several conditions during review, including requirements tied to signage, landscaping and drive-thru stacking, all aimed at keeping traffic and aesthetics in check as the project moves forward.
Gate City already in the neighborhood
Gate City is not exactly a stranger to the St. Cloud market. The bank already operates smaller spoke locations inside Coborn's and Cash Wise grocery stores around the area and is pitching the new downtown branch as a deeper investment in the community. Gate City Bank highlights those in-store branches and local lending programs on its website.
Next steps and timeline
An opening date for the new branch is still to be determined. The project must clear final engineering, permitting and all conditions tied to the PUD amendment before construction can officially begin. The city's PUD language requires specific review and conditions for new drive-thru services and for any demolition or construction over 6,000 square feet, which gives staff and the council room to refine site circulation and landscaping details before issuing final permits. Ordinance No. 2868 spells out the rules that will govern the redevelopment.
For downtown residents and businesses, the Gate City project is an early test of whether private development can bring more day-to-day activity to Division Street and the Lake George area, a corner city leaders have described as a gateway to downtown. It is one piece of a broader push to draw investment into the core, with city development materials putting downtown revitalization front and center while staff continue technical reviews and neighbors watch to see how this high-profile site takes shape. Develop St. Cloud frames the wider effort to boost downtown vibrancy.
