From Church Parking and Christmas Trees to 40 Homes: A St Cloud Parish Lot Faces a Planning Hearing

• Center City Housing proposed a 40-unit apartment building on land belonging to St Anthony’s Catholic Church in St Cloud, Minnesota.
• The site, west of 25th Avenue North, has long served as overflow parking for St Anthony of Padua Church and occasional Christmas tree sales.
• The homes would be for extremely low-income people, including those who were previously homeless or have disabilities.
• The plan required an amendment to the church’s planned unit development, subject to a public hearing.

A church car park in St Cloud, Minnesota, could become permanent housing for people with very low incomes. KDHL reported that the St Cloud Planning Commission would hold a public hearing on a proposal by Center City Housing for the St Anthony’s Catholic Church property.

The proposal is for 40 apartment units on land west of 25th Avenue North. The report said: “The property has long been used as additional off-street parking for St. Anthony of Padua Church.” It added: “Occasionally, it’s also been used to sell Christmas trees.”

The apartments would be for extremely low-income people who were previously homeless or who experience mental health problems, chemical dependency or other disabilities. Center City Housing runs River Heights, a permanent supportive apartment building for single adults in East St Cloud, and the new building would offer the same services. The request was to amend the St Anthony’s Catholic Church planned unit development.

The report noted that the St Cloud City Council had approved a similar Center City Housing project on the former YMCA property on Northway Drive the previous June, but that project was never built. The article did not say whether the church would sell or lease the land.

Church car parks are often the easiest land to build on: flat, cleared and already served by roads. The St Cloud proposal shows how a parish lot used only occasionally could provide permanent homes for some of the most vulnerable people in a city. Jamaican churches with large car parks could look at whether part of that space could be used for housing, perhaps with a charity or housing agency as partner. Such plans need careful planning approval and good management, and congregations should agree terms on parking, ownership and long-term responsibility before they start.

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