Downtown St. Cloud is the city’s heart; just a short diversion off Interstate 94 or U.S. Highway 10. The historic district offers unique business, living, and recreational areas, with the iconic Mississippi River running through it, creating a “West End” and “East End.” With a refreshing walkable core along St. Germain St. and prime redevelopment opportunities in the East End, the potential in this lively core, with over 500 businesses in slightly more than a half-square mile, is endless.
Several grant programs are available for Downtown St. Cloud through the City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority.
The City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority (EDA), in participation with
Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation (GSDC) is now accepting applications for
the Main Street Economic Revitalization Program grants. Approximately $500,000 has
been allocated to support business recovery and economic development along the St.
Cloud Downtown Commercial Corridor. The grants are for current or future businesses
for capital improvement projects that accomplish one or more priority objectives.
Priority objectives include:
The maximum award is up to 30% of the eligible project costs, up to $199,000 per
project. The minimum grant award is $50,000 (e.g. total project size of $167,000 or
greater).
Applications will be open April 15, 2025 through June 17, 2025. Grant projects must be
completed by June 30, 2026.
The St. Cloud Downtown Exterior Improvement Grant Program provides incentives to stimulate external, visible investment in Downtown properties. Property and business owners are encouraged to consider improvements incorporating aesthetic, environmental, cultural, and historical elements that enhance downtown character and architecture. These improvements should create a cohesive, attractive environment. The program provides a 50% matching grant for actual design and construction costs up to $10,000 per property, on a pay-for-performance basis. Eligible projects include permanent exterior building and landscape improvements visible from a public right-of-way.
Centered on the St. Germain St. W. corridor, Downtown-West is anchored by the Paramount Arts District and River’s Edge Convention Center. Sixty historic buildings of the St. Cloud Commercial Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places, offer a unique character and sense of place in a walkable setting to thrill history enthusiasts.
Downtown-West is home to a large concentration of business software and application companies, who have taken advantage of St. Cloud’s designation as one of the nation’s “most wired” networks with a tremendous internet backbone capacity with long-haul fiber and diverse paths to the Twin Cities 511 building.
Also centered on St. Germain St. E. but across the Mississippi River, Downtown – East has prime opportunities for redevelopment awaiting within an active neighborhood of businesses and residences, with a mix of industrial land uses including railroads, manufacturing, and service companies.
St. Cloud has created a vision for redevelopment in the “East End”, included in the East End Vision – Small Area Plan.
