St. Cloud plans ramp — and perhaps a ballroom too
It could be more than just a place to park cars; it could change the entire feel of the east end of downtown.
But how big of a change the next phase of the River's Edge Convention Center will be is up for debate.
The city is planning to build a parking ramp across Fifth Avenue and is considering whether to add an expansion to the convention center at the same time.
The expansion would be a ballroom on the northeast corner of St. Germain Street and Fifth Avenue, an area that is a parking lot. The parking ramp will be in the empty lot at Fifth Avenue and First Street North and be elevated across Fifth Avenue.
The St. Cloud City Council heard Monday about preliminary design plans for the parking ramp. No vote was taken. The state has given the city $11.56 million in bonding funds for the project.
The council talked about how best to use those dollars. A 400-stall parking ramp could cost $7.86 million, said Murray Mack of HMA Architects.
An addition could cost about $11.55 million.
But those costs are only estimates, and what all can be done won't be known until the city asks builders for bids on the project, he said. The city will go out for bids for the parking ramp and have the ballroom addition as an option, or alternate.
The city expects to get bids early next year and wants to start construction in May. It will take about a year to do construction.
Council members expressed some reluctance to committing to adding ballroom space. They asked to see whether adding a ballroom would add revenue, and city staff said they would put together a report outlining what kind of revenue it would bring in.
"I'd hate to give it extra space and have it not be utilized," council member Jeff Johnson said.
Others said there's a need for a high-end ballroom in the St. Cloud area to be available for weddings or proms.
"There's no high-end ballroom in St. Cloud," council member John Libert said. "I think it could produce income."
On Monday, there was also a dedication for the parking ramp. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said the convention center expansion has already been "a shot in the arm" for downtown. He said the downtown vacancy rate is 4 percent, the lowest it's been in decades.
Follow Kari Petrie on Twitter @karipetrie or contact her at 255-8765.
Reported by: SCTimes.com
But how big of a change the next phase of the River's Edge Convention Center will be is up for debate.
The city is planning to build a parking ramp across Fifth Avenue and is considering whether to add an expansion to the convention center at the same time.
The expansion would be a ballroom on the northeast corner of St. Germain Street and Fifth Avenue, an area that is a parking lot. The parking ramp will be in the empty lot at Fifth Avenue and First Street North and be elevated across Fifth Avenue.
The St. Cloud City Council heard Monday about preliminary design plans for the parking ramp. No vote was taken. The state has given the city $11.56 million in bonding funds for the project.
The council talked about how best to use those dollars. A 400-stall parking ramp could cost $7.86 million, said Murray Mack of HMA Architects.
An addition could cost about $11.55 million.
But those costs are only estimates, and what all can be done won't be known until the city asks builders for bids on the project, he said. The city will go out for bids for the parking ramp and have the ballroom addition as an option, or alternate.
The city expects to get bids early next year and wants to start construction in May. It will take about a year to do construction.
Council members expressed some reluctance to committing to adding ballroom space. They asked to see whether adding a ballroom would add revenue, and city staff said they would put together a report outlining what kind of revenue it would bring in.
"I'd hate to give it extra space and have it not be utilized," council member Jeff Johnson said.
Others said there's a need for a high-end ballroom in the St. Cloud area to be available for weddings or proms.
"There's no high-end ballroom in St. Cloud," council member John Libert said. "I think it could produce income."
On Monday, there was also a dedication for the parking ramp. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said the convention center expansion has already been "a shot in the arm" for downtown. He said the downtown vacancy rate is 4 percent, the lowest it's been in decades.
Follow Kari Petrie on Twitter @karipetrie or contact her at 255-8765.
Reported by: SCTimes.com
