WINONA, Minn. – The Winona City Council unanimously approved a zoning change for a subdivision development on the far southern reaches of the bluffs out on Garvin Heights Road. The project would comprise 73 single-family houses and duplexes to be called Saint Croix Heights. The name harkens to the premium men’s sweater line St. Croix Knits created by Winona entrepreneur Bernhard Brenner, founder of Knitcraft. He’s the prime partner in the company ProGro Leasing, which sought the zoning change. The rezoning changes the parcel from a low density residential to a low-to-medium density residential. Can construction start soon? No, said Progro’s design engineer, Brian Wodele. Months may be needed to design engineering plans for further city review, he said. Issues include whether utilities, storm sewers and roads are financially feasible in the area’s bedrock. The area is now farmland. Earlier plans included less housing density on the site, but they were scrapped because infrastructure support costs would have made housing too expensive.
St. Croix Heights. Adjacent to existing Meadows and Crestview subdivisions. Among issues: More automobile commuter traffic on narrow, kink-curved and accident-plagued County Highway 44 up a coulee from Highway 61 and Huff Street.