Council debates ABC Liquors mural condition, asks legal to clarify funding and design obligations

Council members reviewed the condition attached to ABC Liquors’ conditional use permit that requires the business to install a mural on the building’s side and discussed several draft designs created by the Osceola Center for the Arts.

Council members said they expected a mural that represented St. Cloud’s identity at the Neptune Road gateway—suggestions included references to the water tower, the city’s military heritage and historical imagery. Some council members said the designs presented by Osceola Center for the Arts did not match the council’s expectations and may have conflicted with the city sign code.

Staff and the city attorney described a likely miscommunication: council records and contract terms indicate ABC was required to install a mural as a condition of the conditional use permit and that the city had not promised to fund that mural. At the same time, Osceola Center for the Arts has received partial payment under a CRA mural program and has designs that were not executed because they conflicted with the sign code.

Council directed the city attorney and planning staff to pursue three steps: (1) confirm whether ABC remains contractually obligated to install a mural under the terms of its conditional use permit; (2) work with ABC and the owner’s attorney on a design that meets city sign code and reflects Saint Cloud gateway themes; and (3) review the CRA contract with Osceola Center for the Arts to determine whether deliverables were met and whether the remaining CRA funds are encumbered.

Next steps: staff will contact ABC and Osceola Center for the Arts, report back on contract obligations and present design options that respond to council feedback.