What are We Supposed to Do With These “Zombie Buildings” in St. Cloud?

If you happen to drive around St. Cloud, especially on the North side, you will see so many signs for a lease, closed buildings/business, or some variation of an abandoned building. Otherwise known now (according to me) as a "Zombie Building".

There are SO MANY of these types of buildings all over St. Cloud.

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I remember the early 90s, and the St. Cloud Times was booming. I did my college internship there, and it was a great company with lots going on.  Several departments, all running smoothly, and lots of hustle and bustle with the paper still being a relevant news source.

That is just not the case anymore. And it's a little sad. When you drive by the St. Cloud Times building, even with the sign that still says "St Cloud Daily TImes", it looks like the abandoned buildings you would find in some sort of a zombie show like The Walking Dead.  

Around that building are, of course, the abandoned parking lots, Electrolux that is completely abandoned as well.  Not too far away the former Fingerhut buildings that will soon be abandoned, and the list goes on.  These buildings are not small.  So, now what?  Break up the buildings into several other businesses, hope that a larger company will come in and take it over?  Make it into affordable public housing?  What is the answer?

This is a lot of real estate that is right now basically a waste of space in a large area of St. Cloud.  Is the answer to demolish the buildings (at what cost) and make more parks and green space?  There could be a lot of opportunity for...something. Something that might be beneficial for the city.