Fargo-Moorhead developments information

[Reichert]

Okay. I see where you are coming from. But when you say the University Drive Project, are talking about the road construction by University and Main? Because otherwise I do not know what you are talking about.

I think as the metropolitan area continues to grow that eventually we will get an expressway running through/near/around downtown. Or posibbly something like what Bismarck has. I do agree that that would encourage more developers to come downtown. Still, I think in spite of there not being a downtown expressway developers still want to build there. Yes, there will be more skyscrapers around the interstate as well (like the cities), but I do think we will only see growth downtown for a very very long time.

P.S. We have two Ruby Tuesday's. One on 13th Avenue and one on 25th Street.

Yeah the one at University and Main that I found myself driving around when I stayed downtown at the Radisson last month. But at least that one is only temporary.

I'm not sure there ever will be a downtown expressway. It would require ALOT of teardown of existing buildings and there really isn't an easy choice on how to do that. Any plan to build an expressway or freeway into downtown would likely find itself in the courts for YEARS before a single shovel of dirt was turned.

As for Ruby's, I haven't found myself on 25th Street for any reason lately. Even though my old company, Navteq, is right at the corner of 25th and I-94 now.

[F-Misthebest]

Welcome DowntownFargoan!!!!! :D :D It's GREAT to have another Fargoan on the page. I hope that you can put your input onto this great metropolitan area's thread. If you ever have any questions or concerns you can always send a private message to SmileyBoy, Nanobison, or myself. Again, Welcome to the Site!:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

[DowntownFargoan]

Hello to all on the forum! I have been a lurker on and off, on this thread and sometimes cruising off to your varied and interesting blogs.

I am a small business owner who moved my business from West Fargo to Downtown Fargo more than a year ago. I've not been a complete stranger to downtown, having officed here with various small businesses in the 80's and 90's as well.

I've always been drawn to the downtown area. So much so, that my wife and I are the future owners of a condo at The Fargoan. (It's a little scary selling a 5-year old bi-level with a 2-1/2 car garage, adding $25,000 to its selling price, and in return getting 900 sq. ft. and one parking space downtown!)

So, within 1-1/2 years, I've moved my business downtown (and 3 staffers and myself, adding one more this fall), and my wife and I will be moving our home downtown as well!

My staff have each mentioned that they never had a reason to go downtown before, but now they all love it. We eat breakfasts, lunches, coffee, etc. downtown too... while we're only 4 people, that adds probably $40-$80 per day to the coffers of downtown restaurants.

More businesses moving downtown, and this type of commerce will add up in a hurry, and THAT'S how you get large, nationally based restaurants interested in moving to downtown Fargo.

An interesting observation: Moxie Java (coffee joint) smack in the middle of downtown Fargo. I was there this am, and a line stretched from the front counter to the door for the entire hour I was there (around 10 am). It's become a mindblowingly busy little coffee shop all of a sudden. Quite a contrast to even two or three years ago.

One point I'd like to make about The Fargoan project is that there are condo units in that building that have sold for well under $100,000. Two units were in the $112,000 range (each with an underground parking space), and there are currently seven units available ranging in price from $112,900 - $181,000. That's $141 per square foot. The near half-million dollar condo's for sale on NP Avenue are around $180 per square foot (much larger units though).

The units that folks have purchased and modified, of course, have shot up in price due to changes and additions, purchasing storage rooms on the main floor, etc. Now, whether this is "affordable housing" is another point... but given that there are a whole lot more $300,000 condos downtown than $100,000 ones, I think The Fargoan and it's developers need to be given some credit for trying to keep the price in line. (Yes, thanks to a little city help, maybe, depending on the whole TIF shakeout).

Will any condos downtown be as affordable as The Fargoan in the near future? Not in my opinion.

It appears there are still around 3 condos available in the Ford Building (Kaye's) too. Those are in the $200+ per sq. ft. range, I believe? A little more $$ than the Fargoan, but still not completely crazy... yet.

Watching HGTV, and large city lofts and condos selling for $600 - $1000 per square foot blows my mind. Will Fargo ever see that? Doubtful. But, downtown is going to really start hopping here in the next few years, and thanks to all of you visionary optimists for making it happen.

-DowntownFargoan

[DowntownFargoan]

Oh yeah, I forgot this in my first post... sorry.

Last night my production manager worked out at the Y downtown, and there next to him was Kenny G - in town for a concert at the Fargo Theater. Working out by himself. Only in Fargo, my friends, only in Fargo.

[F-Misthebest]

Watching HGTV, and large city lofts and condos selling for $600 - $1000 per square foot blows my mind. Will Fargo ever see that? Doubtful. But, downtown is going to really start hopping here in the next few years, and thanks to all of you visionary optimists for making it happen.

-DowntownFargoan

I do think as Fargo continues grown and prosper, that one day (maybe in 44 years Nano) Fargo will have $600-$1,000.

[SmileyBoy]

Another consequence of Fargo-Moorhead's growth (and better relationships with the younger population in town):

Powerman 5000 is playing at Playmaker's on September 12.

Avenged Sevenfold is playing at Playmakers on the next night, September 13.

These are shows that even Sioux Falls couldn't get.

And welcome, Downtown Fargoan!!:)

You can visit my blog, but it's basically a big faliure right now. Visit Nano's blog also. He's got a lot of good stuff going on there.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not only is Fargo adding excitement, but it's good to see more SSPers from Fargo. Welcome aboard DowntownFargoan. (btw, I can see that moniker becoming DF for brevity's sake ;) ).

[Paintballer1708]

Its good to see more people from Fargo joining the forum.

[DowntownFargoan]

Not only is Fargo adding excitement, but it's good to see more SSPers from Fargo. Welcome aboard DowntownFargoan. (btw, I can see that moniker becoming DF for brevity's sake ;) ).

When someone called me a "DF" I have a little different connotation, but we'll just pretend it really means "Downtown Fargoan". :D :D

[zifnib]

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking here as well for a few months now. But I see this is a good time to say hello.

I too am from Fargo and I work as a software engineer, developing core systems for banks. I also attend NDSU for Computer Science. I also would like to someday become a city planner but I am not sure what classes to take, if thats even possible or not. I am very interested in urban developement which makes the conversations here fun to read.

Zif.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Oh my gosh, another Fargoan. Are you guys (F-M, Smiley, Nano) advertising for new forumers out there? :shrug: :D

Welcome to SSP zifnib.:)

[NanoBison]

Some nice news this morning. Smiley, will be glad to hear :

Work to begin on medical park
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Construction will start within two weeks on the first building in the Urban Plains Medical Park in southwest Fargo, project officials said Tuesday.

The 40,000-square-foot facility – the first of eight buildings planned in the park – will sit just west of 45th Street between 28th and 30th avenues south in the Urban Plains by Brandt development.

No one has signed up to lease or buy space in the$5 million to $6 million building, but independent doctors have expressed interest in a free-standing facility, said Todd Berning of ICON Architectural Group, one of three project partners.

Developer Ace Brandt wants to bring doctors from different fields into the same building but allow them to retain their individuality, Berning said.

“It could be anything from eye doctors to internal medicine to orthopedics, specialties,” he said.

http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/4493/urbanplainscb0.jpg

The contractor finished a similar 108,000-square-foot facility last month in the Aurora Medical Park in Grand Forks, said Mike Dunn, community relations director for Construction Engineers.

Aurora Medical Park’s tenants include the Cancer Center of North Dakota, a foot and ankle clinic, and services for psychiatric care, kidney and hypertension and aesthetic medicine and wellness.

The Urban Plains facility should be ready for occupancy by next spring, Berning said.

“It’s a very aggressive schedule, but we’ve done it before,” he said.

The city of Fargo is installing roads and other infrastructure at the site.

A news release Tuesday from Urban Plains by Brandt said the medical park “may include a major health care facility in future phases.” Berning said that facility won’t be a hospital, but possibly a 24-hour surgery center.

City Commissioner Tim Mahoney, a surgeon at Dakota Clinic/Innovis Health, said city officials recognize the need for medical facilities in the expanding area of southwest Fargo. He said he supports Brandt’s vision of a development where people can live and have access to health care, retail and other daily needs.

“He’s kind of trying to set up a little town in that area. We think that’s a nice concept,” Mahoney said.

Berning said Innovis and MeritCare Health Systems were informed about the medical park plans.

“They’re very well aware of what we’re doing, and if they express interest someday, that’s fine, too,” he said. “They could lease space just like anybody else.”

:tup:

[NanoBison]

Wow, a lot of people coming out and posting! This is great! Welcome everyone! Spread the word about this thread and see how many FM Metropolitan area folks we can get in here!!!

[NanoBison]

p.s. I put two new posts on my blog dealing more with "The Front" and another front I called "The Northern Front". Looking forward to comments and ideas about it! I'll put some more up later tonight.

[F-Misthebest]

Tax boosts library funds
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Fargo’s half-cent library sales tax generated nearly $650,000 more than originally projected, which should take some pressure off the group trying to raise $3 million in private funds for three new libraries, a city official said Tuesday.

City Commissioner Linda Coates, who sits on the Fargo Library Board and chairs its Building Committee, said the additional funds will help offset rising construction costs.

“Every little bit will help,” she said.

The city collected $12.65 million from the voter-approved tax during its 18-month lifespan that ended June 30, city Finance Director Kent Costin said.

The total could increase slightly before the end of the year as tax returns trickle in to the state tax commissioner’s office, he said.


http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7295/0816libraryoc2.jpg


The estimated cost of the new main downtown library and north and south branches is $15.3 million.

On Tuesday, officials announced the membership of the Fargo Public Library Campaign Cabinet, which will try to raise $3 million in private donations to cover the balance of the library costs.

Its 13 members will solicit donations under the theme “Writing a New Chapter.”

Leading the effort is Mark A. Anderson, president and CEO of BlackRidge Financial Inc. and former president and co-founder of Community First Bankshares.

The cabinet is stocked with well-known and well-connected figures, including former Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness, Fargo Planning Commission Chairman John Q. Paulsen and Jan Ulferts Stewart, retired director of the Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation.

“We obviously wanted folks that had a history of being leaders in the community and had experience in philanthropy,” library Director Charles Pace said.

Consultant David Baker of Hodge Cramer & Associates Inc., Dublin, Ohio, recruited the cabinet’s leadership, which in turn recruited the other members, Pace said.

The cabinet has identified a lot of potential donors at varying levels of support, Anderson said. Members will start soliciting donations after their Aug. 29 meeting, he said.

If the fundraising effort falls short, the library may have to postpone some purchases and use existing shelving, furniture and cheaper building materials, Pace said.

Construction of the main library is slated to begin next spring on the site of the existing downtown library. The Northport Branch opened July 13, and work is scheduled to start in October on the south branch in Ed Clapp Park on 32nd Avenue South.

The Library Board and Building Committee are scheduled to vote on the final south branch design and review updated plans for the main library during a public input meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the City Commission chambers at City Hall, 200 3rd St. N.

Other members of the fundraising cabinet are:

- Deb Dawson, a Fargo-based writer and former president and CEO of Dawson Hail Insurance Co.

- Marjorie Haggart, an active library user and Fargo resident since 1950 who has supported numerous community and church activities.

- Prakash Mathew, vice president for student affairs at North Dakota State University and chairman of the Fargo Library Board.

- Steve McLister, general manager of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and a board member of the United Way of Cass-Clay and the Chamber of Commerce of Fargo Moorhead.

- Michael J. Olsen, a Fargo-based communications consultant and former senior director of communications for Microsoft Business Solutions.

- Ryn Pitts, a health-care management consultant and former Library Board chairwoman who serves on the Fargo Dome Authority and NDSU Development Foundation.

- Jerry Topp, managing partner and CEO at Eide Bailly LLP, a regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm.

- Brian Walters, president of the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp.

- Lisa Wheeler, president of The Title Company and a board member for the Pelican Group of Lakes Improvement District in Minnesota.


Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome New Forumers!

For all the readers here's the new library. Also the planned Southpointe Library.
I got the picture Larger. Yahoo!

[F-Misthebest]

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking here as well for a few months now. But I see this is a good time to say hello.

I too am from Fargo and I work as a software engineer, developing core systems for banks. I also attend NDSU for Computer Science. I also would like to someday become a city planner but I am not sure what classes to take, if thats even possible or not. I am very interested in urban developement which makes the conversations here fun to read.

Zif.

Welcome Zifnib. I'm happy that we have another Fargo-Moorhead Forumer on the site. It's really great that we have many new comers. Welcome!!:D :D :cheers: :cheers: :D :D
I hope you can share all your comments and ideas with us and the rest of the Forum! (sorry if that was cheesy, but welcome:))

[NanoBison]

It appears they are changing the look of the new library. THANK GOD!!! The previous design was attrocious. I'm still kept peeved that it isn't going to be absolutely new construction. Still Half and Half. But I'm glad the look changed!!!

[F-Misthebest]

^Amen to that.

[SmileyBoy]

Hey Nano, I'm trying to put a link to your blog from mine, but I have no idea to do that on my Blogger settings. It seems it only let me add links when I started the damn thing. Once I figure it out, I'll do that.

[SmileyBoy]

I updated my blog. I'll do more updates to it once I figure the damn thing out.

[NanoBison]

The way I added it was by actually going into the "Blog Template" and manually adding them. There is no other way around it that I know of. Thanks for keeping the blogging up!

[NanoBison]

I saw that equipment out there working on the Brandt Development today again. I'm thinking that since West Fargo can't come up with their share of the funds for the I-94 / 9th St. overpass, until like 2008/2009/2010, I think the Brandt Development, will be more along the 45th St. Corridor for one or two years. Once that interchange is installed, it should basically explode on all sides.

Now, we have to see if there will be any activity with the Las Vegas Developers...

I'm going to add a list of Current Developments to my Blog in an hour or so. It's be on the right menu side... Let me know guys, if I am missing anything in there...

:tup:

[F-Misthebest]

Now, we have to see if there will be any activity with the Las Vegas Developers...


:tup:

I think, if I'm not mistaken that the city is supposed to decide this month (August) if they want the Las Vegas developer to build. When it comes to this development, I think the City will no doubt put two thumbs up!

[F-Misthebest]

Now looking at the Phillips to Falls thread, I really now think Fargo-Moorhead needs some major development along the banks of the Red River. Of course this would be hard to do because of all the flooding but that is just a reason we need a floodway. I think Winnipeg was very smart with what they did. Making the floodway around the city would not be a bad idea. Also as Fargo continues to grow the floodway would make as a nice river in some rich people's backyards. I would mind that. So we could moderate the (actuall) river's level so it was always at a nive height. This way we could develop a lot more around the river in both Fargo and Moorhead. I think that would be a very smart move on Fargo (or Moorhead's) part. What do you think?

[SmileyBoy]

Now looking at the Phillips to Falls thread, I really now think Fargo-Moorhead needs some major development along the banks of the Red River. Of course this would be hard to do because of all the flooding but that is just a reason we need a floodway. I think Winnipeg was very smart with what they did. Making the floodway around the city would not be a bad idea. Also as Fargo continues to grow the floodway would make as a nice river in some rich people's backyards. I would mind that. So we could moderate the (actuall) river's level so it was always at a nive height. This way we could develop a lot more around the river in both Fargo and Moorhead. I think that would be a very smart move on Fargo (or Moorhead's) part. What do you think?

All I know is we need something big to happen downtown. We actually needed it two or three years ago, so we're bloody overdue.

[F-Misthebest]

Oh God yeah. I see that there (after the restoration of all the old buildings) that downtown will see a major construction BOOM!!

Wow! Page 30. Making progress.

[NanoBison]

Hey guys, I definitely agree. We are LONG overdue. Mr. Konrad Olson should come forward one of these days with a plan for a decent highrise next to the river...

Figured out how to get a freeway to downtown, with MINIMAL destruction of property, on my blog. I'm heading to bed... that photoshoping took WAY longer than I thought it would.

:yes:

[Paintballer1708]

^That would be nice to see a new highrise come to Fargo, esp along the river. I really like the park system along the river you guys had there. Very nice. Hopefully as Fargo grows, it can get more plans for new highrises to match the growth. You dont want it to get too crowded. Im sure Fargo will get smart and grow up instead of out.

[F-Misthebest]

Wow Nano. That interstate plan is Really impressive. I do wonder when it will be (if it will be) when they build the intersate downtown?

Oh! Under Communites, you forgot Osgood.:) And I didn't know if you wanted to, but would you want to list like all the strip malls too?

Up on University Drive just north of 19th Ave. North there is a new building foundation going up. It's around the same size of the building that is going up on 13th and 9th.

[NanoBison]

Thanks F-Misthebest! It would be expensive (maybe like $100,000,000), but I think it would be worth it, especially as the city grows farth North and North-West. It would have a connection with I-29 and then also go WNW to the area I think the metropolitan area will explode. That freeway could be poisitioned right out that way, since there isn't much out there right now but open prairie. So at this time it would be better then developing it as stuff continues to fill in.

Sure, PM me with any updates to list I may have forgotten. I'm going to go through the last 30 pages and see what I'm missing as well.

[F-Misthebest]

Speaking of Konrad Olson, wasn't he designing a new skyscraper for downtown Fargo? I remember that some pages back. Smiley said something about it being in the idea process. If he does propose it for downtown, I would only hope for the best.

I was dissapointed last year that I was not able to vote on the Cityscapes Development. I wasn't able to because of two reasons though. One: I was not (and still am not) a resident of Fargo. Last year before July I lived in Moorhead but then moved to Horace. Two: I am not old enough to vote for anything. But I will be someday:rolleyes: . It wouldn't have made a difference but oh well. I'm sure how I would have voted though. I'm not certain if Fargo needs more sports arenas. Who knows. I think we don't (especially downtown). I would rather have a sports venue in the more suburban areas of the metro area.

[JoeJoe]

I like that idea NanoBison, very similar to how I-94 feeds into the north side of downtown Minneapolis. You could still have the railway infrastructure that exists there and put this on top. Also you don't want a freeway going through downtown, just accessibility so you don't have to go through a few miles of stop and go traffic just to get to that trendy new 20-30 story condo building you live in. ;)

BTW I'm also another Fargoan who's been reading the forum for the past few weeks - thought I would come out of the wood-work and start contributing when I can. This is post #1 so here I go:

-I can verify that Williston is booming again, my friends that original hail from there visited family back there a few weeks ago and said Williston is booming once more. You can also tell from the additional oil revenue that's helped the states surplus increase, now it's over half a billion dollars.

-Texas Roadhouse looks like it's getting pretty close to opening. I LOVE that place.

-I am also pleased to see Urban Plains breaking ground, all that open ground between Osgood and Amber Valley was starting to make me sad.

-Does anyone know if there are plans to develop more of the land between 45th and 42nd, south of I94 north of 32nd? That emptiness makes me sad too - especially with Eagle Run developing so quickly (with not much in the way of good traffic access, wtf?).

Later.

------
http://www.ijoecool.com
Fargo is to ND like Minneapolis is to MN. Think about it...

[SmileyBoy]

I like that idea NanoBison, very similar to how I-94 feeds into the north side of downtown Minneapolis. You could still have the railway infrastructure that exists there and put this on top. Also you don't want a freeway going through downtown, just accessibility so you don't have to go through a few miles of stop and go traffic just to get to that trendy new 20-30 story condo building you live in. ;)

BTW I'm also another Fargoan who's been reading the forum for the past few weeks - thought I would come out of the wood-work and start contributing when I can. This is post #1 so here I go:

-I can verify that Williston is booming again, my friends that original hail from there visited family back there a few weeks ago and said Williston is booming once more. You can also tell from the additional oil revenue that's helped the states surplus increase, now it's over half a billion dollars.

-Texas Roadhouse looks like it's getting pretty close to opening. I LOVE that place.

-I am also pleased to see Urban Plains breaking ground, all that open ground between Osgood and Amber Valley was starting to make me sad.

-Does anyone know if there are plans to develop more of the land between 45th and 42nd, south of I94 north of 32nd? That emptiness makes me sad too - especially with Eagle Run developing so quickly (with not much in the way of good traffic access, wtf?).

Later.

------
http://www.ijoecool.com
Fargo is to ND like Minneapolis is to MN. Think about it...

Hey JoeJoe, welcome aboard!!:cheers: Good to see the F-M forumers keep coming.

As for that piece of land you were talking about (the one with the abandoned barn and the small forested area that's right next to the huge I-29/I-94 interchange, I believe), that is actually in the process of being sold by Goldmark/Schlossman. They're advertising it as office land, and the link to info is here: http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/display.asp?propid=377 It's called "Clapp Land" for now, and they're looking for a buyer. I bet that if the buyer is smart, they would put a mid-rise or something like that along the interstate/interchange as kind of a "big city" symbol to let people driving in from the east and west and north and south that this is an important business area. Maybe a bank would like to consolidate their head offices and build a 10-story high rise there (although I'd prefer it to be downtown). Maybe a multi-business office tower like Multiband Tower.

[zifnib]

Personally I have always thought that a downtown business loop of I-94 would be very bennificial. In order to do it they would have to divert the railroad to North of Fargo by doing that it would get rid of most the buildings I believe we all agree should be gone, such as the steel supplier on main and the river. After you have diverted all of the railroad to safer tracks north of Fargo then build a loop of I-94 parallel to HWY10 in dilworth where the tracks once were. when you get downtown have the road off the ground right along were the old tracks sat. go under 12th avenue and up to the airport then cross I-29 and go through the industrial parks and connect to I-94 just right near the fair grounds. In fargo alone there could be interchanges at 2nd street, broadway, 10th street, 12th avenue(NDSU exit) 19th avenue(fargodome/ndsu exit), airport, I29, 45th street(horse track/industrial park), fairgrounds, and then connect back to I94.

[F-Misthebest]

Holy smokes! Another Fargoan. Welcome!!!!!!!!! Take that Winnipeg. :)

I was wondering about that land as well. I said in a previous post that I saw the "FOR SALE" sign go down on where that land was. I really hope they can do something about all those trees though. I don't want all the trees to go down. Maybe (even though it's expensive) they transport them to a newer housing devlopment with small wimpy trees. Maybe.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Welcome to SSP JoeJoe. Smiley, did you put an ad in the paper or something? Where the heck are all these Fargoans coming from? ;) :D

[JoeJoe]

Nope, no ad. :haha: I think I first came across the forum after doing a google search on cityscapes or something.

I prefer having a 'feeder' freeway that ends into downtown. Also the railroad is prolly in downtown permanently, for good/worse. Speaking of interstate the new 19th Ave N overpass/exit is going to be pretty big, almost looks like a carbon copy of the 12 Ave N overpass/exit now.

[NanoBison]

Thanks Joe, I agree, the railroads, with all their pull and power in government, probably aren't going to move at all unless we offer to pay for it completely out of our pockets. So I figured the best route was the one I offered in which both rail-lines can mainly stay but we can still have a freeway towards downtown.

I would hope that the Main Avenue lines would be consolidated into the northern lines and that way, "The Front" (see my blog) idea would be easier to accomplish.

JoeJoe, feel free to add a link to my blog on your blog!

p.s. I've driven over the new 19th Ave overpass and it is NICE. Once they get the ramps done, that's what I'll be taking to work from now on...

:tup:

[NanoBison]

Welcome to SSP JoeJoe. Smiley, did you put an ad in the paper or something? Where the heck are all these Fargoans coming from? ;) :D

I may have "accidentally" put a link to my blog, on the Forum website, which also has a link to this site on it.

http://www.in-forum.com/talk/index.cfm?id=1877


he he he ;)

I'm sure though most of the new users are those who mostly just read the posts and are now starting to post comments...

[Paintballer1708]

The Fargo thread is booming and we have some new members. Welcome to the forum all you newcomers. I have never seen the FM thread get so much attention. Its good to see it all. And just to think that its just starting.

[F-Misthebest]

I went to the Convention and Visitors Beauro to pick up some pamphlets and I saw sooo many people there. It was very busy. It was neat to see all the people. They also have a map in there of the United States and the World. They have push pins in all the cities that visitors hav come from. Lots from Europe!!!! Today a man came in from Japan. There was also a couple from Pennsylvania, a family of seven from Manitoba, and a young couple from Tampa.

[F-Misthebest]

Board OKs library design for south Fargo
By Joe Whetham, The Forum
Published Friday, August 18, 2006


A final design and layout plans for the new south branch library were approved Thursday by the Fargo Library Board and Building Committee.

The 15,000-square-foot building in Ed Clapp Park on 32nd Avenue South is part of a $15.3 million effort to enhance Fargo’s library system.

Construction on the south branch library is expected to start in October and last up to 18 months.

The city’s lease on Southpointe, the current south branch site at 3051 25th St. S., expires in March 2007. A provision will allow the city to lease the site on a monthly basis until the new south branch is finished.

“We’re very pleased the way it came together,” library Director Charles Pace said. “We’re excited that the projects are moving forward.”

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/183/081820south20library20copymu3.jpg

The first of three new city libraries opened last month in north Fargo. Construction on the Northport branch library on Broadway began in late March. The leased space contains 12,900 items, including 9,300 children’s titles that mostly came from the retirement of the bookmobile.

About 300 patrons visit the north library daily, Pace told Library Board members Thursday.

Construction on a new $11.5 main library to replace the existing downtown library is expected to start in April and will take about 18 months.

Fargo voters approved an 18-month, half-cent sales tax to fund the projects. The tax, which expired June 30, generated $12.65 million – nearly $650,000 more than projected.

Fargo city officials recently announced the membership of a 13-member Fargo Library Campaign Cabinet, which will try to raise $3 million to cover the remaining library costs.

The south branch will be three times larger than its predecessor, Library Board member Prakash Mathew said. Design features include a largely glass exterior, including clear story lighting, “so the daylight is just going to flood through the reading rooms,” project architect Richard Moorhead said.

The high-tech glass shades 32 percent more sunlight than typical glass. “It’s not your grandfather’s Oldsmobile,” Moorhead said.

Project plans also call for 150 parking spots, which will be shared by the Park District and a proposed senior center adjacent to the library.

Moorhead also discussed designating an area on the library site for educational community gardens.

“There was so much excitement with the north branch opening,” Mathew said. “I anticipate there will be even more when the south branch opens. We know that the (south branch library) will be well-used.”


Readers can reach Forum reporter Joe Whetham at (701) 241-5557

[F-Misthebest]

Is anyone out there?

[F-Misthebest]

I still dont get what makes Fargo hip? I mean the chains here are the same all over, they have two bars for the primarily software engineers to hang out at, but thats doesnt make the town hip. Please tell what you think makes Fargo hip?

Remember him? He was fun wasn't he. :)

[NanoBison]

Hello All!

I'm heading out to Philadelphia at 8:00am this morning for a computing conference. I won't be back until Wednesday night. I'll be online though (it's a computing conference doh....)

[F-Misthebest]

Have Fun!

[F-Misthebest]

I am eagerly awaiting your next blog post. :) Well I'm off to bed.

[Paintballer1708]

Hey, your coming to Pennsylvania!! I think you will have a great time. Philly is a great city. My brother lives there. I love it. Plenty to do and many things to see. Hope you have a good time, Nano.

[F-Misthebest]

I was driving around town today and saw some things that I would like to share with you. Urban Plains is really working hard on getting those roads in. I'm glad they are working! The Crossing looks like it should begin construction soon. I really hope it's nice (which by the looks of the diagrams, it is). The widening of 40th Ave. South looks like it's taking longer then it's supposed to take. If I was Osgood Hornbacher's I would be pretty upset right now. The structure on the corner of 13th Ave. and 9th Street looks almost completed. I do not know what it is though. It may be an Arby's? More retail? Offices? I don't know. The small Bank of the West across from Target on 13th is being remodled. And the Western State Bank strip mall next to Target looks very interesting. Many arches and this one cylinder structure in front that I have know clue about what it possibly could be. Smiley?

Nano, I hope you got to Pennsylvania all right.:)

[F-Misthebest]

I drove by it a couple of weeks ago and forgot to tell you about it. The Scheel's Center for the Arts is coming along quite nicely. Can't wait until it's done.:)

[F-Misthebest]

I check this map of the area all the time. It is so cool: http://www.novoprint.com/Fargo/zoom.html .

Jeez no ones been on for ever.

[Paintballer1708]

^That is a cool map, but it is kinda of blurry. I was trying to read some of the sites i saw on the map and couldnt quite read it clearly.

[F-Misthebest]

^Well it takes a little time to load and get crystal clear.

[F-Misthebest]

Fargo households are shrinking
By Patrick Springer, The Forum
Published Monday, August 21, 2006

A small and shrinking number underlies part of the building boom of apartments and condominiums in Fargo: falling average household and family sizes, new census figures show.

The decline in persons per household from 2000 to 2005 was so sharp, in fact, that it accounts for almost 2,500 new housing units in Fargo, according to calculations by demographer Richard Rathge, director of the North Dakota State Data Center.

After all, if there are fewer people in a household, but the same number of people, they need to be spread among more housing units.

“It’s going to take a whole lot of those to make up for the change in household composition,” he added, referring to the big apartment complexes rising in south Fargo.

Average family size fell5.4 percent, to 2.77 from 2.91, and average household size dropped 4.8 percent, to 2.08 from 2.2, during the period. Those decreases don’t sound like much but add up when applied across a city with an estimated population of 90,934.


http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9891/20060821psfgocensusqn1.jpg

It’s rather sizable,” Rathge said of the reduction in average family and household size, both manifestations of the graying population and other well-established trends, such as delayed marriage and child rearing.

City officials acknowledge the continued drop in household size but maintain that Fargo has added more than enough new housing units to keep pace with fewer people per household.

Building permit figures indicate the city has added 6,441 housing units since 2000, including almost 1,600 homes, more than 1,000 twinhomes and almost 3,600 apartment units.

The most recent census estimate for Fargo’s population as of July 1, 2005, revised earlier this month, was increased to 90,934 from 90,672, a gain of 262. City and state officials have argued the Census Bureau consistently underestimates state and local populations.

“There’s 6,000 more housing units,” said Jim Gilmour, Fargo’s planning director. “How can there be only 200 more people?”

Based on housing gains, he believes Fargo’s population probably has grown to between 93,000 and 95,000. “We clearly have grown,” he said.

But Rathge and Neal Eriksmoen, president of Appraisal Services Inc., which performs quarterly apartment vacancy surveys for metro Fargo-Moorhead, caution that vacancy rates must be taken into account when assessing population increases associated with housing gains.

The last census figures reflecting vacancy rate in Fargo was 4.7 percent in 2000, a rate that corresponded to Eriksmoen’s surveys at the time. His surveys, however, count only apartment occupancy rates, not homes.

Nonetheless, applying Fargo’s recent apartment vacancy rate of more than8 percent, Eriksmoen estimates 3,825 units lie vacant in Fargo, while cautioning it’s an exercise in speculation.

Nonetheless, subtracting Rathge’s calculation that 2,495 additional units were required to accommodate shrinking household and family size, suggests a net gain of 300 occupied housing units due to increased population in Fargo from the 6,617 new units since 2000, Eriksmoen said.

There are concerns that Fargo’s housing market is overstocked, Eriksmoen said. “We have been building more supply than there is demand.”

Gilmour said the latest estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey use a different method than decennial census counts, so he is cautious about drawing early conclusions. This is the first year of annual census figures from the surveys, which are only done in cities with at least 65,000 people.

Still, Gilmour agrees household size is an important figure for planners to watch. A city with a housing supply that is growing more rapidly than the population can make it more difficult to pay for an increasing demand for services. For example, a street with two houses costs just as much to plow snow as a street with four houses, Gilmour said.

Using the just-released 2005 census survey data as a baseline, city planners will be better equipped to monitor trends.

“We’re going to look more closely,” Gilmour said.


Other census indicators for Fargo:

- The city is gradually becoming less white as ethnic diversity continues to grow. In 2005, 94.1 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, compared to 94.2 in 2000. Hispanic or Latino was the next largest ethnicity at 1.7 percent, up from 1.3 percent in 2000.

- In the 2000 census, males and females each accounted for 50 percent of Fargo's population. In 2005, the balance seems to have tipped in favor of males, 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent females.

- A caveat: The census surveys don’t cover residents in group housing settings, such as dormitories or nursing homes.




Readers can reach Forum reporter Patrick Springer at (701) 241-5522
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well I'm glad the city is arguing that we are bigger then the Census is making us out to be. I just can't wait until the 2010 Census comes out and were at 110,000 in the city alone. I just can't believe that the city is losing people. It's just kind of absurd. Oh well, we'll just have to wait.

The last sentence that I bolded also makes me upset. Because Fargo alone has a lot of dormitories at NDSU with real people in them. I wish they would count them but I can see why they won't. We do have a good number of Nursing homes too.

I wish the Census would go by the annual city estimates instead. 102,254 is good. But at least they said we gained 262 people. :)

[Ex-Ithacan]

I agree, cool map. Guess I'll have to check it out completely (but that will probably take me a while). Thanks for the link F-M.

[F-Misthebest]

Well I'm back and by the looks of it no one else is.

I have some news. Risteranto Isabella and the Sidestreet Grill and Pub's owners live in my neighboorhood apparently. So they had some exciting news about the future. I guess the are going into move from the Howard Johnson's Hotel and into a more decent location I think. This location is near Broadway on NP Avenue in the old PD's On First. Good news for them.

They also are going to be opening a restaurant in Horace (where I live). It is going to be a BBQ Restaurant and a Grill and Pub. It will be located on Sheyenne Street near the Stone Point Center.

Microsoft is closing their Call Center in India. This is because when people call the Microsoft Call Center, it is hard to understand the workers. No offense to any of our Indian readers out there.:) So Microsoft is going to build it in Fargo. The jobs' salaries will all be over $50,000 and will employ many new people. I'm proud of Microsoft and Fargo. They are in the process of closing the Call Center in India now. I know this because I am friends with a Microsoft employee who told me.

Where IS EVERYONE?

[Ex-Ithacan]

Welcome back F-M. Geez, does the development news ever stop for Fargo?;)

[F-Misthebest]

No it doesn't. :)

[F-Misthebest]

New schools in Fargo open today
By Helmut Schmidt, The Forum
Published Thursday, August 24, 2006

Fargo’s two newest schools look like gifts ready to be unwrapped. Now it’s time to see how happy the kids will be to learn (and play) in them.

Kennedy Elementary and Carl Ben Eielson Middle School open today, as do most of the public and private schools in Fargo and West Fargo.

“There’s still a few things that need to be done, but 99 percent of the things we need to be done are done,” said Carl Ben Principal Brad Larson. Now he wants the halls at 1601 13th Ave. S. packed with students.

“It breathes life into the building. You don’t have a school until you get kids in here,” he said.

The middle school will have 900 students in grades five through eight. Three sections of fifth-graders will be at Carl Ben this year because there was not enough room at Jefferson Elementary.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6034/20060823pencilsuz9.jpg

With site work, the building cost $19.3 million. The classrooms are grouped in “pods,” with classes such as science, math, social studies and language arts taught in one area. The set-up drew good reviews from students and parents at the school Wednesday.

“It’s nice how they have the rooms structured, where the classes are so close together,” said Allyssa Beyer, 12, who is starting seventh grade.

Nick Harrie, 12, another seventh-grader, would rather be golfing than in school. He didn’t like the middle school’s lockers and layout, but he felt he’d be in good company. “I have, like, my three best friends in my pod,” he said.

Kennedy Elementary won’t open at capacity but won’t be far from it, said Principal Maggie Mitzel. The school has four classes of students in kindergarten through third grade, which are on the first floor. There are three sections apiece in grades four and five on the second floor.

The school at 4401 42nd St. S. has a gym that can be blocked off from the rest of the school for community activities, two playgrounds, and television monitors in each classroom. With site work, it cost about $9.7 million. Some costs are shared with the Fargo Park District. It has open common areas for each grade and lots of windows.

“The whole building is just so beautiful and just so functional,” Mitzel said.

Community open houses for both buildings are tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17.

Fargo school officials expect to see 10,750 to 10,800 students districtwide today, down slightly from last year.

The School District saw major changes over the summer with 356 of its 870 teachers moving to different schools as it changed to a new grade configuration.

All elementary schools now teach kindergarten to grade five. Ben Franklin, Carl Ben Eielson and Discovery middle schools teach grades six to eight. The high schools teach grades nine to 12.

North High School got a $1.86 million 10-classroom addition to house its ninth-graders.

For now, southside ninth-graders will attend South Campus II (the former Agassiz Middle School building) to begin their high school experience. South High will teach grades 10 to 12 until a third high school – which is planned for 2011 – is built.

The former southside kindergarten center is now the Eagles Center for preschool handicapped children.


Readers can reach Forum reporter Helmut Schmidt at (701) 241-5583

[NanoBison]

I am back from my KDD Computing Conference in Philly!!! I'll post a bit about it (some negatives and some positives) more tonight when I get home from work...

FMisthebest, where did you hear about the Microsoft Call Center? Do you have any news on it or can you verify it will be built. That would be an awesome addition to the Microsoft campus in Fargo. It would also provide a nice job for my sister, who is just starting college...

[Paintballer1708]

Hope you had a good trip, Nano. Philly is an awesome city.

[Ex-Ithacan]

OK, if everyone is back, your assignment is to have a meet and show us some pics from said meet. Of course should any of your SSP team be captured, the forum will disavow any knowledge of your membership. Good luck.

[F-Misthebest]

I am back from my KDD Computing Conference in Philly!!! I'll post a bit about it (some negatives and some positives) more tonight when I get home from work...

FMisthebest, where did you hear about the Microsoft Call Center? Do you have any news on it or can you verify it will be built. That would be an awesome addition to the Microsoft campus in Fargo. It would also provide a nice job for my sister, who is just starting college...

My step-dad works for the Air National Gaurd Base in North Fargo. His job is fixing computers. There is a technical name for it but I don't remember what it is. He has friends that work with Microsoft and his friend told him about what was happening in the company. So that is how I know.

Welcome Back. It has been very very slow with only me around. And Smiley hasn't been on for ever. Maybe he went on another trip or something like that.:shrug:

[F-Misthebest]

http://cmsimg.argusleader.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DF&Date=20060822&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=608220338&Ref=AR&Profile=1001&MaxW=628&MaxH=450&title=1&DsRadius=5

Why the HECK! can't downtown Fargo do this. If you did't notice in the picture, this is proposed for the city of Sioux Falls.

[NanoBison]

FMisthebest, I completely agree. I don't know why downtown Fargo couldn't have something like that. I don't know why it isn't even in the "proposal" stages... Can you post a link to the article describing that development?

[NanoBison]

My Trip To Philly

We landed at Philadelphia on Saturday around 4:30pm. The ground crew had managed to point 10 planes, from each direction (40 total) all facing each other. Needless to say, we got in line and finally made it to the tarmac 45 minutes later. Got on the "Subway", which I will admit was much cleaner than the blue line in Chicago, but at least twice as much to ride ($5.50 one way). We get at the hotel. Loews Philadelphia is pretty decent. Has an incredible view at the top, called "The Terrace" on the 33rd floor. We decided to grab a bite to eat. There are 3 times as many crazies/peddlers per street in Philly than there are in Chicago. On the way to Dunkin Doughnuts on Market Street, we witnessed a homeless lady pull her pants down and do a #1 and #2 on the sidewalk. I guess if you have to go, you have to go. (If anybody remembers, I also witnessed a lady peeing into a plastic bag on the Blue Line in Chicago...apparently I seem to attract this type of individuals).

The historic parts of Philadelphia were absolutely beautiful and well kept. The statues and landmarks were all incredibly preserved and well kept. Philly itself is a very old city and I was very impressed with all of the architecture and the City Hall, and Masonic Temple (lots of intricate detail). Overall, I'd say the city has a LOT of history and is very diverse. However, the work-ethic of everyone outside of the hotel was appaling. Even one of the customers behind me at one of the establishments we ate at demanded to speak with the manager. Unfortunately he got the "I am the manager" routine. There were a bunch of F' this and F' that exchanged and the customer walked out and I listened to the manager walk away saying stupid m*****f*****, F this and F that. Aside from that Philly was a nice city, but I was certainly glad to step off the plane at Fargo. They definitely though have a bad crime and drug problem downtown, especially on the weekends when everything was closed and nobody normal was downtown. Here are some pics....



George Washington Outside Independence Hall
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1452/indphallwashlw4.jpg

The ACTUAL chair Washington Sat While They Did Constitution and Declaration of Independence
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/1969/indphallwashchairjy1.jpg

The Liberty Bell (Pass and Stow). That Lady was a Good Story Teller.
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8093/libertybelluu3.jpg

Philadelphia City Hall (Monstrous Structure)
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/4333/philcityhallfh9.jpg

Downtown Philly
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8554/downtownskylinemc4.jpg

Downtown Philly from "The Terrace", 33rd Floor at Loews Hotel
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3740/downtownskyline01mv0.jpg

Looking Out From Downtown At Night
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5687/phildowntownnightjk5.jpg


That's enough for now, since this is afterall a FARGO thread. Don't expect to see a Philly gallery anytime soon, since I have about 480 pics to go through and clean up in Photoshop first.


Ok, back on to discussing Fargo/Moorhead... :tup:

[Paintballer1708]

Awesome photos, Nano. Philly is such an awesome city. I go there everytime i visit my brother, he lives in the suburbs (Norristown). Its a shame that you had to see that with the homeless people downtown. Of course your going to have problems like that with a city of over 1.5 million though. Do you have any photos of the Comcast Center? And about Philly's transportation. It is very clean, but it is expensive. They are making even better plans to link the airport with downtown. The airport can get very crowded as the main concourses are not very wide, and a big city like Philly has a busy airport.

Now about my photos on Fargo. I think they might have gotten deleted. I have not viewed my camera in awhile, i have been busy at work, lol i usually get on here when im at work. So i will have to check. Hopefully they didnt. Glad to hear you had a good time in Philly though.

[NanoBison]

Nope I didn't get to the Comcast center. I mainly stayed around the Hotel and Liberty Bell/Independence Hall Area. The reason for the traffic jam on the airport runway was that they only had 1 taxiway open for EVERY flight going in and coming out of Philly. I knew I would see homeless people and peddlers downtown, but they were out in numbers, three to four times as many as in Chicago, at least of what I saw. Even a block away from our hotel, a crazy person decided to walk through a glass window of the Aramark building... here's a pic with the cop cars blocking it off...

3 of Philly's Finest On The Scene (Notice Yellow Police Tape)
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8977/aramarkke2.jpg

:koko:

[SmileyBoy]

Sorry I've been away for so long. If I told you what I was up to, I'd have to kill you. But seriously, I've just been adjusting to the new school year and all that. I've made some intriguing observations about a couple of construction sites in the past week:

1) That site along 13th Ave in West Fargo west of Pioneer Center is being excavated into what I think might be another mini mall. Construction will obviously last for a while.

2) Urban Plains is starting to get dug up pretty good now. Roads are being carved out, and it looks like foundation work may begin soon.

3) Starbucks' 7th F-M location will be in the new Town Square retail centre on the corner of 13th and 25th.

4) The chances I have given for a Popeye's Fried Chicken being currently built on the corner of 13th and 9th in West Fargo have gone up from 1% to 10%. The structural work of the building is almost complete, and surprisingly, the same colour scheme that is used for new Popeye's Fried Chicken franchises is being painted on the exterior. This will definitely be a two-part restaurant, but it will not be in the same interior area (like a TCBY/Little Caesar's). It is separated from the inside. There are drive-thru windows carved out on the east and west walls. I can't WAIT to see what ends up there, because it DEFINITELY won't be another TCBY/Little Caesar's or a Subway.

5) A little more construction downtown, this time an expansion to the Old Broadway on the west side of the building. Why the leaders of the city can't visualize something on the level of what Sioux Falls is doing is beyond me. This city always promotes itself as being progressive and cutting-edge. Now it's time to put our money where our mouths are. Let's build something downtown that's NOT another historical renovation!!!

[SmileyBoy]

http://cmsimg.argusleader.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DF&Date=20060822&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=608220338&Ref=AR&Profile=1001&MaxW=628&MaxH=450&title=1&DsRadius=5

Why the HECK! can't downtown Fargo do this. If you did't notice in the picture, this is proposed for the city of Sioux Falls.

Heads too far up the asses, my friend. I even notice this type of lack of vision from people in the NDSU architecture department, of all places.

[SmileyBoy]

I dug up this little gem off the web. It's the new 2007 digital map of Fargo (within city limits only.) Look at all the sprawly-sprawl down south. Urban Plains Version 1.0 is also included.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/2007Fargo.jpg

[F-Misthebest]

I really would like to see a huge skyscraper go downtown. I think if we do do a floodway around the city, I think a great location for the skyscraper would be the city hall parking lot. Even if a floodway does not happen it would be still a great location. I would build it on the Library side so the Radisson people still has a great view of the Red River.

I'm glad you had a great time in Philidelphia, Nano! Great photos as well.

I went to Valleyfair this last Saturday (yesterday) and as I was there I really relized that I think a smaller Amuesment Park in Fargo would do well. I mean it would be great for Fargoans to get out and walk around the park. There could be a few rollercoasters, some sort of Power Tower, and many other Amusement Park rides. They could make some hills and and landscape it nicely. Put mature trees in. Have some sort of Thunder Canyon. I just think Fargo would be ready for this and many other attractions such as, a waterpark, aquarium, a Science Museum of North Dakota, and finally a Performing Arts Center.

[Paintballer1708]

^You mean you dont have a water park or an aquarium in Fargo? I never really thought about that when i was there. Very suprising.

[Wolfmanfromsufu]

Here's the only link I can think of for the Uptown At Falls Park development. It has all the concept pics, but no official website has been announced
http://dev.argusleader.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DF&Date=20060821&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=821002&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=2
If someone knows of a official site, post it.

[NanoBison]

Thanks for the link wolfman. Here's the link for the actual article on the development. It's apparently in the planning stages and it looks like it may take them about 10 years to accomplish it. However, there is a LONG checklist of things that need to fall into place before it would take off. Here's the article :

http://dev.argusleader.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/NEWS/608220338&SearchID=73255174856230

Potential Final Cost : $100 million +++

Does this figure sound familiar to a development in Fargo that bombed? It looks though like private developers are planning on funding this and I couldn't find anything about a proposed tax or vote by the citizens....

It would really chap my ass if Sioux Fall's downtown explodes faster than ours. Especially with the college population we have. Perhaps we need to get working on that downtown freeway system (http://fargo2050.blogspot.com/2006/08/downtown-freeway-system.html) I proposed earlier...

:tup:

The thing that really ruffles my feathers....

"We all feel that Sioux Falls is going to be the next major hub between Minneapolis and Denver," Curtis said. "Sioux Falls is just going to explode."

(You may want to look north 256 miles before making comments like that...)

:whip:Sioux Falls

[NanoBison]

Has anyone heard on the Roer(?) Development for University and 19th Ave? I haven't seen alot of news on it recently. I know Applebee's is moving in next to the Airport Hilton, but that area NE of Univ. and 19th needs some work. It could turn out to be a very nice development when it's finished.

I also saw quite a bit of earth moving machinery at Urban Plains. That development is coming along nicely. I'm sure once Spring rolls around again near April 2007 that area will explode with construction.

[NanoBison]

p.s. I haven't been on much becuase I've been getting back into the jive of things with school, as I'm sure many of you are too...

[F-Misthebest]

That's cool that there is going to be another Applebees up there. North Fargo needs some work. Try to really make north Fargo, well, a south Fargo. Try to get more businesses, build a nice mall, big box, restaurants, huge housing developments, golf courses, hotels, etc. This is all down the road but hopefully some day.

Now Nano, we don't want to be rude to Sioux Falls even though I personally think Fargo is way better. :) But seriously, I don't think there should be a conflict between the equally beautiful cities.

[F-Misthebest]

Oh yeah! There has been a lot of interesting articles in the Fargo-Moorhead Forum (our newspaper) about the area. Fargo forumers read them.

[F-Misthebest]

The Scheels Center for the Performing Arts is coming along quite nicley. Many of the walls are up and the plans look beautiful.

[F-Misthebest]

You know in downtown next to the river plaza, where they tore up all the dirt, well it's going to be an amphitheater. I think that that is good to develop more along the river. :) I'll post the Forum article later.

[F-Misthebest]

You know in downtown next to the river plaza, where they tore up all the dirt, well it's going to be an amphitheater. I think that that is good to develop more along the river. :)

Here's the Forum article:

‘Great Meadow’ takes shape by Red River
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Monday, August 28, 2006

The latest and “greatest” phase of Fargo’s Riverfront Development Master Plan is taking shape along the Red River.

Construction crews are busy grading the Great Meadow, a 2-acre oval of green space at the foot of the Main Avenue Bridge and Second Street South.

Concrete was poured Friday for steps leading from the bridge promenade to the meadow. A 10-foot-wide bike trail with decorative edging will surround the meadow and link it to the metro trail system.

“It’ll kind of define the space a little bit better than it has been,” said Bill Mahar, an assistant city planner and member of the Riverfront Development Committee that proposed the meadow.

A lack of funding forced the city to postpone the $300,000 project until this year instead of completing it with the Main Avenue Bridge replacement in 2004.


http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/8494/20060828mngreatmeadowls0.jpgMichael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor Fargo’s Great Meadow, as seen from the roof of the Fargo High Rise, is under construction Friday southeast of Main Avenue and Second Street. The two-acre field is expected to host cultural events.




The meadow will serve as a space for events such as small concerts or art displays, and for general public uses such as picnics, Mahar said.

Wildflowers and native grasses will be planted in the area between the meadow and the Red River, said Fargo Civil Engineer Kristy Schmidt, the project engineer. The city planted 300 trees last spring around the meadow and along the bridge connecting Fargo and Moorhead.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the meadow is planned this fall, although the grass won’t be planted until next spring, Mahar said.

“It’s another nice piece of the riverfront plan. It really finishes off that Main Avenue portion,” he said.

Mahar said he hopes to begin serious discussion with city officials next month about the next piece of the 2003 riverfront plan – the Dike East/Midtown Dam area. The original plan called for stepped concrete improvements along the riverbank to make it more accessible, and a festival/concert area, possibly including an amphitheater.

Another phase of the plan will start next summer, when the city builds a bike trail through the land between the BNSF Railway railroad bridge and Lower Terrace North. The land, just west of Oak Grove Park and home to community gardens, will be developed into a city park.

Two other major pieces of the riverfront plan – the area just east of City Hall and the Mid-America Steel site – have been slower to develop.

A consultant is currently replacing the 2002 Downtown Fargo Redevelopment Framework Plan with a combined plan for Fargo and Moorhead. The results should give city officials a better idea of what residents and downtown businesses would like to see in the riverfront areas, City Commissioner Mike Williams said.


Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought that this was a very great! I'm glad to see that Fargo-Moorhead is continuing to utilize the Red River. I really have an idea about what Fargo-Moorhead can do to make use of this beautiful river that we have running through the cities. I would want to have the riverwalk going along both the sides of the river just like St. Paul. Maybe Nano you could think of more ideas about the riverwalk and make a photoshop picture of this. I think you could really do something nice.

[F-Misthebest]

I know it's lame that I'm the only one that's posting but Nano, I have not heard of anything lately about the Roer Development. I really hope they do it though. It needs to really be developed though.

I remember a couple of pages back that we were talking about the Woodhaven development and why they didn't build this downtown. I hope someday possibly in the city hall parking lot that they could be a Woodhaven sort of thing there. I think it could have a Starbucks, a parking garage, P.F. Changs, and some nice retail stores like those that we wanted to have in "The Front" plan.

[Paintballer1708]

I really think you guys should consider putting Fargo in the city compilations area. That way more people could see it. Just an idea.

[SmileyBoy]

I really think you guys should consider putting Fargo in the city compilations area. That way more people could see it. Just an idea.

I would if I could, but the problem is that I couldn't find enough decent web information on all the projects. I could for a couple things, but there's basically nothing on the web for a lot of the retail developments. It's all been by real-life observation.

[zifnib]

What would a group of people such as ourselves have to do to propose ideas to the city planners? I think we should formalize up what we think should happen downtown and have someone present it to the the city planners committee... If we could write up a report on the benifits and costs of some of our more realistic ideas maybe one thing would lead to another and we could make something happen. It really cant be that hard to get a proposal together and present it. Rather than just throwing out ideas all day that never get noticed we can show the city that we really mean business and let them consider our ideas. Any thoughts on this?

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ It's the developers (the money guys) you gotta convince. I think for civic improvments, it's fine to approach the city, but when it gets down to building something, the big bucks are needed.

[F-Misthebest]

I've been thinking about more things that Fargo could have to make it a better place to live. I've been thinking about North Fargo a lot lately to make it a more livable place. Besides putting a mall, big box retailers, office buildings, and many other sort of jobs. I would like to see many wealthy people living up there. What I would like to see is a large 50 acre lake up there. It could be a deep lake that with the dirt that they dug the lake with the builders could use that dirt to make man made hills all around the lake. It could have many mansions around the lake and could be called "Hillview Estates." Jut an idea but I have to go and so later I will elabortate on it.

[zifnib]

You know its normally just a group of people that come up with ideas for the city. Then they get bids on how much it will cost. Other times they are stumped so they ask developers to give proposals and there bid for a given area. I know a lot of people on here are probably pretty decent at making maps or manipulating a map or satelite image to show how our plans could work. Put in lots of detail so it looks like we know what we are doing to a point and then include estimated time and costs then if someone presents the idea to the council and they like it they will ask for developers to give bids on your idea. One thing could easily lead to another and poof, our ideas become reality. And if they dont automatically work we still have put that seed of our idea in the backs of there minds and maybe down the road things will happen. But right now it seams like no one on the council has even our greatest ideas or even knows about them. The cross town interstate the lake with expensive houses and at least one public beach/park(like Detroit Lakes, MN) with a public landing these are great ideas they really are and I think we should let the right people know of these ideas.

[F-Misthebest]

Here's where I think the Lake could be:

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/36/litchfieldmallandlakeeg0.jpg

First of all, The Litchfield Mall would be the size or a little larger then West Acres. It would have high end stores such as, Williams Sonoma, abercrombie, Hollister, Banana Republic, with stores like a Cinabon as well. There would be many strip malls and pad restaurants like, Chipoltle, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Jack in the Box, and the Cracker Barrel. This area of town would be a major retail center.

The Hillview lake would have (as I said earlier) many hills and mature trees already planted. I would sugest Pine Trees because they are year round and beautiful. Also there would be many deciduous trees. The beautifully landscape 4 lane Drive around the lake would be amazing. There would be the old time black street lights in the median alongside the trees. The street lights would be like the ones in downtown. This area would have many mansions like the Enkjer (pronounced like anchor) Mansion in the south Fargo housing development of Rose Creek. Here is the picture:
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9594/enkjermansionzj2.jpg

Anyways, this would be one of the "Ritzy" areas of town. The other would be the southwest plan that I have. I'll explain that plan area. I think this area would boost the population immensly and would encourage more growth up north. I would like your feedback.

In this area in southwest Fargo, they have started to dig up dirt and looks like they are getting ready to put in water pipes and roads. It looks interesting.
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7892/southwestdevelpmentrx2.jpg

[F-Misthebest]

^ Sorry for my poor computer drawing skills. :)

[F-Misthebest]

Zoning extends in south
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Saturday, September 02, 2006

Fargo city commissioners took a quick vote Friday to expand the city’s future growth area to the south, while preparing for a possible challenge to similar action being taken by Horace.

During a special meeting that lasted less than 5 minutes, commissioners voted unanimously to extend the city’s zoning jurisdiction, or extraterritorial area, half a mile to the south to 112th Avenue South.

With the action, Fargo’s ET area now reaches 4 miles beyond city limits as state law allows.

The Horace City Council, which annexed about 3,000 acres into city limits in July, also is in the process of extending its ET area by one mile to the southeast and west, as allowed under state law.

Fargo officials say that violates a 10-year agreement signed in 1998 in which the two cities’ mayors agreed that Horace’s ET area wouldn’t grow beyond a 3½-by-two-mile rectangle around the city.



http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8886/0902horaceannexcolorhi9.jpg



Horace City Attorney Jonathan Garaas has called that agreement “meaningless” because Horace’s city limits have changed and Fargo never asserted its ET rights over the land Horace is trying to claim.

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said Friday’s 8 a.m. special meeting was called in part to ensure Fargo wrapped up its ET extension before challenging Horace’s action. Walaker said he sent a letter of protest to Horace Mayor John Goerger, but the City Commission hasn’t decided whether to take legal action.

“We’re still in the talking stage,” he said.

After Friday’s special meeting, Walaker met with Goerger at the Sheyenne Bar in Horace.

Walaker said they discussed several options to avoid legal action, including one that would set 57th Street South as the ET boundary between the cities, insuring Fargo’s unimpeded growth to the south. In another option, Fargo would release its claim to Stanley Township Section 6 in exchange for Section 5.

Fargo is headed to mediation with landowners on the two sections, which divide West Fargo and Horace. Fargo wants to annex the land, but the landowners would rather be part of Horace.


Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know I live in Horace but they're being butts about this. I wish Fargo could just annex Horace and they would be okay with it.

I know of three stores that are going into the retail section at Urban Plains. They are Nike, SONY, and Edie Bauer. I found this information out from www.upfargo.com in the General Brochure. Here's the link: http://www.urbanplainsbybrandt.com/pdf/GeneralBrochure.pdf

[F-Misthebest]

I was driving around town today and saw some developments. Across the street from the Giant Panda there is going to be a new strip mall going up and is called Retail Mall. In Moorhead by Horizon Shores there is a billboard on the interstate that says "Menards SuperStore Coming Soon. Outlots Available." The new Walgreens in Moorhead is completley done and is very neat. The Osco Drug Strip Mall in Moorhead has a new tenat, not the best but it's another Dollar Store. The Bank of the West in that parking lot is looking like it's almost done. Also, the Retail Strip mall on 34th Street and 12th Avenue in Moorhead is under construction and looks nice. In Moorhead there is also a new tenat in the Moorhead Industrial Park. There are two new buildings being built on the south end of the interstate on 42nd Avenue. Urban Plains is coming along nicely.

[F-Misthebest]

Well, I'm going to the cities for Sunday and Monday. That means I won't be posting anything. That also means that this thread is going to go to the second page of Midwestern States.:) But serioiusly, to keep this thread alive, people who just view it, should post a comment or question just for the sake of the thread.

[NanoBison]

Don't worry FM, I'm taking some more pictures this weekend, once I get some new batteries in my camera. I'll post something on my blog later as well...

:tup:

[NanoBison]

In terms of new restaurants in the area, I just noticed that Sioux Falls has a Champps, and we don't. What the hell is up with that? I thought the FM area constantly ranks like #1 or #2 in the nation to open up a restaurant. Does anyone know if there are plans to open one up here? That would be a great place to chill after the Bison FB or BB games....

:tup:

[SmileyBoy]

In terms of new restaurants in the area, I just noticed that Sioux Falls has a Champps, and we don't. What the hell is up with that? I thought the FM area constantly ranks like #1 or #2 in the nation to open up a restaurant. Does anyone know if there are plans to open one up here? That would be a great place to chill after the Bison FB or BB games....

:tup:

Champp's is the most overrated, bland restaurant chain in the US. Their menu is the most boring thing you will ever see. Now as for something SF has that we don't, I'd say Guitar Center is the one thing I wish Fargo had. You'd think with Fargo being such a young, rock music-oriented city, that we would have one. I saw the Guitar center when I was driving through SF last month, and I got pissed.

[NanoBison]

Hey Smiley, did you have a bad experience at a Champps? I've eaten at two of the Cities locations and they weren't THAT bad... Anyways, there are a few restaurants like that here, but I wouldn't block them from being built becuase it adds to the list of choices for everyone else in the metropolitan area to eat at.

:shrug:

[NanoBison]

Menards seeks more land in Fargo
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Wednesday, September 06, 2006

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/149/0906menardslocatorha2.jpg

The developer of Fargo’s Woodhaven neighborhood wants Menards to remodel its plans for a major development project next door, arguing it’s too much retail for the residential area.

Menards has asked the city to amend its long-range growth plan to expand the amount of commercial/office space from roughly 50 acres to 100 acres in the northwest corner of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South.

“It’s a significant change,” Fargo Senior Planner Jim Hinderaker said.

Menards’ conceptual plan calls for 86 acres of commercial development on the east side of the 149-acre site, including a Menards store and another big-box retailer, two midsized retail stores, a strip mall and restaurants.

Next to Woodhaven, the plan calls for 25 acres of homes around two ponds, plus a midsized retail store along 52nd Avenue.
Graphic: proposed expansion
Woodhaven developer Steve Stoner said the city shouldn’t expand the commercial area beyond what already exists in the growth plan. He said a major retail project doesn’t fit with the residential area or with Microsoft Business Solutions and the new Kennedy Elementary to the north.

Stoner said the development is better suited for the south side of 52nd Avenue.

“It’s not that we’re against commercial,” he said. “We just don’t need it right up against Microsoft and our housing development.”

Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menards has a contract to buy the property from landowners Fred and Earlyne Hector.

Scott Nuttelman, the Menards real estate associate who filed the growth plan request, said Menards may have to adjust its plan based on feedback from planning commissioners and city commissioners.

“At this point, everything besides the Menards store is conceptual,” he said.

It takes a lot of money to develop a site, Nuttelman said. Fargo’s growth has driven up land prices, and commercial property is more valuable than residential and generates more customer traffic for Menards, he said.

Stoner said Menards could run into neighborhood opposition similar to what Wal-Mart faced northeast of I-29 and 52nd Avenue. In that case, the Planning Commission voted 8-0 in April to deny the Hectors’ request to expand the amount of commercial area on their land from 10 acres to 50 acres to make room for a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Stoner noted that Menards is proposing an even greater deviation from the growth plan that homeowners relied on when choosing to live in Woodhaven.

“We’ve got houses closer to the area that they’re talking about putting commercial in than the east side ever did,” he said. “What’s good for one side (of I-29) is good for the other, right?”

The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider Menards’ request Oct. 11.

In response to concerns raised by city commissioners, Hinderaker has tentatively scheduled an informational meeting for 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at Kennedy Elementary to update Woodhaven and Osgood residents about developments in their neighborhoods.



-------------------------------

I'm kind of iffy on this news, sure I love to see more development for Fargo, however, I would probably agree with the WoodHaven development, that the Menards should go on the southern side of 52nd Ave S. Otherwise, the Microsoft campus would be surrounded by lower end retail. It's already unfortunate to drive by the campus and see the aluminum-sided buildings directly north of it. I'd prefer no more go up dirctly south of it...

Hopefully Microsoft will just step in and buy that parcel of land for future expansion from the Hectors. The Hectors need to stopping whoring out their land to anyone wanting to make a buck. I realize they have every right to do so, but doesn't it make you cringe thinking a Minards will be right next to Microsoft? That's almost as bad as Sheppard Arena right across from IACC and Electrical Engineering on NDSU's campus. (The first $1 million I make, I'm donating to NDSU to tear that Mofo down.)

:tup:

[NanoBison]

Horace postpones vote on ET area
By Joe Whetham, The Forum
Published Wednesday, September 06, 2006


The Horace City Council on Tuesday postponed a final vote to extend the city’s extraterritorial area, pledging to work with Fargo officials on boundaries for future growth.

The City Council voted in early July to begin the process of extending its ET area by one mile to the southeast and west.

Fargo city commissioners protested last month, claiming the action violates an agreement signed in 1998 between the cities.

The mayors of Horace and Fargo agreed in 1998 that Horace’s ET area wouldn’t grow beyond a 3½-by-2-mile rectangle around the city.

In response to the Horace council’s action in July, Fargo commissioners voted Friday to extend the city’s extraterritorial area a half mile to the south to 112th Avenue South. With the action, Fargo’s ET area now reaches four miles beyond city limits.

The cities’ mayors recently met to discuss ways to avoid legal action, including one that would set 57th Street South as the ET boundary between the cities.

Horace City Attorney Jonathan Geraas said there is a strong indication the cities will reach a resolution soon.

“It would put to bed issues like mediation and annexation,” he said. “It will be very consistent” to what people in Horace want.

Horace Mayor John Goerger said an agreement between the cities should be reached before a special Sept. 18 Horace City Council meeting. He would not elaborate on specifics of the agreement Tuesday night.

“Hopefully by the council tabling this ET request, it shows our good faith in reaching an agreement,” Goerger said.

Horace City Council member Terry Heiden agreed.

“We don’t gain anything by doing this,” he said.



------------------------------

No offense to Horace, but they don't have the city resources to offer larger developments. Fargo and West Fargo should be given most of the rights to develop the remaining land. It shouldn't be tied up by these little towns full of many people trying to avoid the costs of having a house, by making others in the bigger cities pay for it. Hence why I'm still pissed at Horace for their last land grab.

:whip:Horace