SCSU Wants City to Rezone Selke Field for Multi-Use Family

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- St. Cloud State University is asking the city of St. Cloud to rezone its property known as Selke Field.

The St. Cloud Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the matter during its meeting on Tuesday night.

The 16.5 acres of land is in southeast St. Cloud just north of Unversity Drive.

The property has been residentially zoned since the adoption of the first zoning ordinance and map in 1955. The zoning map and ordinance were updated in 1970 to the current R2, Single Family and Two-Family Residential District. SCSU is asking for the rezoning of R5, General Multi-Family Residential District.

city of St. Cloud

According to city documents, Selke Field was established in 1931 by the St. Cloud State Teachers College (St. Cloud State University).

The property was significantly improved as part of the New Deal federal construction projects between 1933 and 1941. Selke Field was encircled by a granite wall that varies in height between 8 and 11 feet in height in 1936-1937 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project.

Selke Field became SCSU’s primary outdoor sports venue in 1937. The Sports Field was renamed Selke Field in 1946 after George Selke a former president of St. Cloud State University. Selke Field has been the home for SCSU women’s softball and club teams for rugby, lacrosse, and ultimate frisbee.

In its application, SCSU says,