Fargo-Moorhead developments information

[SmileyBoy]

There's some info I have found on several new developments in the exploding city of Fargo-Moorhead that I'd like to show you all and tell you about:

I found some info on a new lifestyle centre (Liberty Square Phase II) currently being built in SW Fargo across the street from another retail centre currently being built (West Pointe Centre). The homepage is here: http://www.cityscapesdevelopment.com/liberty_square2.html

The Phase I homepage is here: http://www.cityscapesdevelopment.com/liberty_square.php There is already a Gander Mountain outdoor store on the site, and foundation work for some outparcels are now starting up.

Liberty Square Phase I and II is kitty-corner from a gigantic new-urbanist commercial and residential development on 45th Street and 32nd Anevue South that is currently known as the "Brandt Development" and is currently undergoing groundbreaking of its first phase. This development will include (among other things) a Marriott Hotel, A Joe's Crab Shack, and a 15+ storey high rise condo tower, among other things. This will be the largest single urban development in the history of North Dakota. More info will be available soon, and I will post that.

Just south of this development on the NE corner of 45th and 32nd is a new retail centre called "The Crossing", of which planned tenants include Starbucks, Pottery Barn and CompUSA. Info can be found here: http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/display.asp?propid=245 Already the residential parts of this development have been completed.

I will also post info on West Point Centre as soon as it becomes available.

There is also three large noteworthy projects in downtown Fargo, one of which is the 400 Broadway redevelopment, where three historic buildings on that block will be restored and have condos built in them on the 2-4 floors, with retail on the first floor. Another project is the Union Storage and Transfer building loft conversions, located near the corner of 10th Street and NP Avenue. The other big project is the Kaye's Printing Building loft conversions on 500 Broadway. I will get some info on here as soon as I can find it.

Downtown Moorhead is currently redeveloping its downtown core, with Phase II of the Sterling Downtown Redevelopment almost completed. A Starbucks will move in very soon, and an Applebee's restaurant is planning on building on the riverfront. Info on one of these phases can be seen here: http://www.konradolson.com/asp/featuredproperty.asp?ID=50 (Click on "View Brochure")

Here's a little info on the new "Town Square" retail center going up on the corner of 13th Avenue South and 25th Street: http://www.fmrealestate.com/commercial/search/index.php?listid=4

Eagle Run Plaza is a commercial/retail element of a gigantic 3,000-unit residential development in West Fargo south of Interstate 94. Already the first phase of the commercial development is completed, and more is currently being built. Here's some info: http://www.propertyresourcesgroup.com/singleprop.asp?ID=132

Woodhaven Plaza is a new-urbanist development on the corner of 40th Avenue South and 42nd Street. It is currently under construction. Here's the page with a link to the .pdf file with info: http://www.konradolson.com/asp/featuredproperty.asp?ID=58

A retail centre in South Moorhead is also being built, Mallard Creek Commons. Info can be found here: http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/display.asp?propid=298 Also in South Moorhead currently being built is a new Menards and a Home Depot on 34th Street and Interstate 94, but I have no online info on that.

There is also a huge development on the corner of 45th Street and 40th Avenue South which is almost complete. Tennants known so far are a Hornbacher's grocery store and two banks (Alerus Financial and First International Bank and Trust). I will probably take some pictures of a lot of these places as they are built.

Another devemopment is a small strip mall called Crossroads Retail Centre on the corner of 34th Street and 13th Avenue South. I'll take a picture of it later on in the future if you want to see it, but it's not really that exciting.

I will be doing an extensive Fargo-Moorhead photo thread with over 100 pictures this spring and posting it on the City Photos forum, and I will have a lot of pics of these new developments as they are worked on.

I will also post in this thread whenever I get more info on new developments, instead of starting a new thread that will sink like a rock within 24 hours.

That's all for now, thanks.

[SmileyBoy]

Alongside Wal-Mart, it looks like Target wans to build on the intersection of I-29 and 52nd Ave. South.

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/target0224%20copy.jpg

Target eyes south Fargo:
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Friday, February 24, 2006

In an abrupt move, the Fargo City Commission on Thursday voted to annex 201 acres of land that Target Corp. has been eyeing as a possible store location, according to the landowner.

The property, in the southwest corner of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South, is kitty-corner from a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Mayor Bruce Furness said Fargo needed to start the annexation process right away to ensure Frontier couldn’t annex the land into its city limits and capture the commercial development.

“We’ve been burned a couple of times, and we don’t want to get burned again,” he said, referring to past annexation battles with West Fargo and Horace.

Fargo Planning Director Jim Gilmour said the city was contacted about a week ago by a development group buying the property.

The land is owned by Comstock Holding Co. LLC of Fargo. Monte Kjos, the company’s chief manager, said he and his business partner, John Clemedtson, have been in discussions with Target Corp. officials for a couple of years.

“We talked to them about three weeks ago,” Kjos said. “All I know is everything is on hold. They’re going to wait until they see what Wal-Mart does.”

Target Corp. spokesman Joshua Thomas said he couldn’t be specific about land the retailer is considering.

“All I can tell you right now is that we’re generally interested in the area, but it’s far too soon to say we’re coming for sure,” he said.

Richard Ward, the real estate agent representing the land buyer, said his client has a purchase agreement to buy 110 acres from Comstock Holding Co. and an option to buy the rest of the parcel.

Ward, of Summit Real Estate in Fargo, would not divulge his client’s name, saying only that the man is from “out of town.” Kjos identified the buyer as White Oaks Trust of Las Vegas.

Ward said it was premature to talk about his client’s plans for the property. He said the annexation “appears to be something that he would have requested at the appropriate time.”

Fargo City Administrator Pat Zavoral said Ward’s client had talked to the city about annexing the land for commercial development.

“Whether he’s dealing with a Wal-Mart or a Target or something else, it’s irrelevant in terms of the services we need to provide and zoning we have to give,” Zavoral said.

Fireworks must move

The 201 acres also includes a 5.6-acre parcel that Starr Fireworks leases on the north side of 52nd Avenue South, in a section of land owned by Fred and Earlyne Hector.

The Hectors have asked the city to amend its growth plan to allow for a 50-acre commercial development, anchored by a Wal-Mart supercenter, in the northeast corner of I-29 and 52nd Avenue South.

Fargo city commissioners are trying to persuade Wal-Mart to locate on the west side of I-29, due to opposition on the east side from Fargo residents and the city of Frontier, which sits just south of the proposed Wal-Mart site.

Wal-Mart spokesman Ryan Horn said Wednesday that the retailer isn’t interested in the site west of I-29, in part because Starr Fireworks is leasing part of the property.

However, with the annexation, Starr Fireworks must relocate because city ordinance bans the sale of fireworks within city limits.

Gilmour said the city made special accommodations for Starr Fireworks by leaving it out of the Hector property annexation five years ago. Starr Fireworks was told at the time that it would have to relocate when the city annexed the land south of 52nd Avenue, he said.

“Eventually, we knew it was coming,” said Dino Alexakos, a manager at Starr Fireworks.

The annexation resolution approved Thursday calls for an Aug. 28 public hearing. Starr Fireworks will be allowed to sell fireworks in its current location for one year after that date, Gilmour said.

Quick decision made

Zavoral said city officials had talked to Ward’s client about annexing the land, and the City Commission originally planned to vote on it during Monday’s meeting.

Zavoral said Thursday’s special meeting was called after learning The Forum planned to publish an article today about Target’s interest in the property.

“Given the history of how communities around Fargo have done pre-emptive annexation, that’s what we have to do,” he said.

Fargo learned through annexation battles with West Fargo and Horace a few years ago that whichever city initiates the annexation process “first in time” has the legal right to bring the land into its city limits, he said.

Furness criticized the process as “backwards,” saying it forces cities to annex property before going through the planning process – meaning nearby communities often don’t receive notice.

“It causes hard feelings as this one likely will, as well, and that’s why it doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

City commissioners approved the annexation in a 4-0 vote. Commissioner John Cosgriff was not at the meeting but later said he supports the move.

Frontier surrounded

Frontier Mayor Tim Jones said a phone call from a reporter Thursday afternoon was the first he’d heard of Fargo’s plans to annex the land across I-29.

“We basically have no control over that situation, and we’re just going to have to deal with it,” he said.

The annexation means Fargo will surround Frontier on all four sides. Last month, Fargo annexed the 127 acres of Stanley Township along Frontier’s southern border.

Frontier could try to annex the 201 acres, but it would have had to ask Fargo’s permission because the land lies in Fargo’s zoning jurisdiction, Gilmour said. If Fargo refused to allow the annexation, the matter would go to mediation, he said.

“I don’t think Frontier had any intention of annexing it, but we’re better safe than sorry,” Gilmour said.

Jones said Frontier residents are more concerned about Wal-Mart’s proposed supercenter across 52nd Avenue. He said residents “absolutely” could accept a Wal-Mart store west of I-29.

“Our buffer is the interstate,” he said.

[SmileyBoy]

Here's an article about the new life being brought in to the Main Avenue area in downtown Moorhead in that new redevelopment:

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/20060227kirbys.jpg

Main Street area sees new life
By Craig McEwen, The Forum
Published Monday, February 27, 2006

Life is returning to the former Kirby’s Bar in Moorhead.

Lease signs adorn the 108-year-old Kassenborg building, with three tenants – including Juano’s Restaurant – preparing to move this spring into four spaces on the building’s first floor, said Greg Anderson of HIGHMARK Realty, who is in charge of leasing out the property.

Sterling Companies of Fargo began the $17 million renovation of the corner that rocked – as Kirby’s was known –in April 2005.

Woodlawn Terrace, another Sterling project next door to the south of Kirby’s, has one first-floor retail space left to occupy and half of the 22 second-floor apartments have been rented, said Sterling co-owner Kevin Bartram.

The renovated building is already home to Moxie Java, American Omni Crop Insurance, Edward Jones Investments, Title Resource Network and Woodlawn Dental.

A two-story, 145-space parking ramp is also part of the project.

Juano’s Restaurant is the first to publicly announce that it will open shop in the former Kirby’s landmark.

“We’re going to open a burrito shop similar to the ones on 19th and 32nd Avenue in Fargo,” said Juan Mondragon, owner of Juano’s.

The Moorhead location will be his fourth in Fargo-Moorhead since opening Juano’s Restaurant in downtown Fargo in 1996.

Mondragon branched out in October 2004 by opening a quick-serve grill in the University Town Center strip mall, 1100 19th Ave. N. in Fargo. In December 2005, he opened a similar eatery at 1630 32nd Ave. S. in Fargo.

The quick-service concept has been well-received, Mondragon said. “Being near the two colleges (Concordia and Minnesota State University Moorhead) should work.”

A second tenant has leased space in the building. Details can’t be released yet, Bartram said.

The first two businesses should be operating by April 1, he said.

A third space will contain a “fairly casual” bar and grill capable of serving 90 to 100 customers, he said.

“We have a preliminary design,” Bartram said. The yet-to-be-named bar and grill will serve lunches and evening meals and could possibly be open by June 1, he said.

The only remaining retail space available is in the building’s northwest corner next to Juano’s, he said.

The building’s second floor is being marketed as office space, none of which has been leased due to construction activity on the main floor, Bartram said.

The building will retain some of Kirby’s ambiance.

“It will be non-traditional office space featuring exposed brick and exposed structure,” he said.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I'm glad to see the Fargo metro is doing well. Kind of a forgotten part of the country. I know there's been problems in North Dakota with retaining population, let alone much growth. Seems like the Fargo metro is a bright spot for the state. Can't say I'm real thrilled about the sprawl aspect, but with all the land available out there I guess it's not a major concern for you folks. Thanks for all the info, and I look forward to the spring tour.:)

[SmileyBoy]

Thanks, Ex-Ithacan, I can always count on you to show at least a little interest.:) While there's a lot of sprawl going up on the south, southwest and west parts of the city, it seems to be more hole-filling than anything else. There's large land-gaps in between built-up areas that they're trying to fill. And yes, Fargo/West Fargo is the fastest growing part of the state. Actually it's one of the only two growing areas, the other being around the outskirts of Bismarck. Hopefully we'll get back in the black as far as state population goes real soon.

I'll be doing a photo tour of the whole general city sometime in late April.

[rrskylar]

Passed through Fargo this past summer and was surprised by the amount of retail growth and the general increase in size of the city. Fargo seems to have become a retail hub for an even larger area even encompassing cities like Grand Forks!

[SmileyBoy]

Passed through Fargo this past summer and was surprised by the amount of retail growth and the general increase in size of the city. Fargo seems to have become a retail hub for an even larger area even encompassing cities like Grand Forks!

F-M is on an entirely whole other level than Grand Forks. I see a lot of Manitoba license plates at West Acres on weekends. I have actually struck up conversations with a couple Manitobans at West Acres, and they tell me that they would much rather drive to Fargo to do their American shopping than Grand Forks, because they tell me F-M is a much larger city and has tons more variety of shopping. Plus I've heard that Columbia Mall in GF hasn't been doing too well. F-M is almost 3 times larger than GF, so that helps too.:)

[esquire]

It's regrettable how Fargo-Moorhead has turned its back on the downtown area. I realize that F-M is far from alone in this regard, and my home city is an example. However, I can't think of any other city in the region that has forsaken the central city in such a categorical way. It's particularly galling given that downtown Fargo and Moorhead are nice places in terms of geography and the buildings presently standing there - great buildings like the Courthouse and the Plains Art Museum show that it can be done.

[SmileyBoy]

It's regrettable how Fargo-Moorhead has turned its back on the downtown area. I realize that F-M is far from alone in this regard, and my home city is an example. However, I can't think of any other city in the region that has forsaken the central city in such a categorical way. It's particularly galling given that downtown Fargo and Moorhead are nice places in terms of geography and the buildings presently standing there - great buildings like the Courthouse and the Plains Art Museum show that it can be done.

Downtown Fargo is actually in pretty decent shape. They recently built a new NDSU Downtown campus, where my architecture studio is located, and where I take most of my classes. There's a lot of small businesses that have opened along Broadway, and the area is generally full of cars between 9am and 9pm. They've also recently built several condos and condo conversions and are planning a few more. I've also noticed a pattern of more people walking on the Broadway sidewalks during the day. Also, the formerly dead intersection of Broadway and 1st will see new tenants and rennovations in its two previously-vacant corner buildings. There's also a plan for a 5-story condo-retail building on the corner of Broadway and 2nd. So I think Downtown is headed in the right direction.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Good for Fargo.:yes: :)

[Austinlee]

Good to hear there is new developments! I would like to see that 15 story condo tower... Is it going to be a modern design (glass & steel) or a more traditional, blend-in-with-the-surroundings type of architecture I wonder?

[SmileyBoy]

Good to hear there is new developments! I would like to see that 15 story condo tower... Is it going to be a modern design (glass & steel) or a more traditional, blend-in-with-the-surroundings type of architecture I wonder?

Are you talking about that development from last spring?? The voters turned it down. Apparently the whole project called for a $60 million condo tower/retail centre with a $40 million hockey arena, and the private firm investing in the $60 million portion said that they would cancel the project altogether if the voters turned down the hockey arena portion, which was to be built with public funds. The whole project was marketed very poorly to the citizens, and I think they were pissed that they were not getting enough info from the developers. So they struck it down via referendum. But luck has it that a local developer, Konrad Olson, wants to build a 20-storey hotel/condo tower on the banks of the Red River. It's just a vision right now, but hopefully it will become a tangible plan soon.

On edit: I think you were talking about the tower in the SW Fargo development. All the plans say right now is a 15+ storey senior citizens high rise condo tower. I'm hoping and praying to get more info on the Brandt Development, and soon.

Sorry about the mixup.

[SmileyBoy]

About the development on 45th Street and 40th Ave South: The development is called "The Shoppes At Osgood", right next to the Osgood development. The whole thing is almost finished, and parts of it will open soon. There will be a shitload of road construction around that area this summer.

[SmileyBoy]

I recently found out from the US Census Bureau website that the 4-county Fargo-Moorhead-Wahpeton metro area population is just about at 209,000 people even.

Cass - 131,019
Clay - 53,838
Richland - 17,340
Wilkin - 6,802

Time to update the ol' sigline.:cheers:

[rrskylar]

Smiley; Have you headed for high ground? I hear the flood crest will approach record levels!

[SmileyBoy]

Smiley; Have you headed for high ground? I hear the flood crest will approach record levels!

Right now, we're sitting and waiting. Flood waters are expected to peak this afternoon at 37.5 feet. That's only 2.1 feet below the 1997 flood level. They're saying the worst flooding is occurring around Fargo and at the Red River in Fargo-Moorhead. There's no danger of the city being inundated like Grand Forks was in 1997, but there's a situation going on with homes and a couple of businesses by the river. The news said close to 1,000 people in F-M living within 100 feet of the flooding could be affected. I'm about 3 miles from the river, so I'm safe.:tup:

[Ex-Ithacan]

Geez, I didn't even realize there was a possibility of flooding out that way. We finally got some rain here last night (in the DC area), but we're still over 3" below where we should be for prcipitation for the year. Wacky weather everywhere. Good luck to Fargo on the flooding.

[rrskylar]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ips_rich_content/217-floodapril4.jpg

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Yikes :stunned:

[SmileyBoy]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ips_rich_content/217-floodapril4.jpg

It's really sad that the only decent pictures of Fargo's skyline are pictures during a flood.:yuck:

[SmileyBoy]

Here's a bigger picture from today's paper of Downtown Fargo and the floodwaters:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/DTFargoMinorFlood2006.jpg

[UglymanCometh]

Wow. Does this just affect a park (or flood plain) along the Red River or have the floodwaters spilled over into any neighbourhoods? And how has the Moorhead side fared?

[BigTicket]

Wow. Does this just affect a park (or flood plain) along the Red River or have the floodwaters spilled over into any neighbourhoods? And how has the Moorhead side fared?

Only 2 homes have been lost this year and 75 are in danger of being flooded, so it isn't as if the whole city is in extreme danger or anything. If the river was a couple feet higher then things would be alot different but thankfully the Red has crested at 37.14 ft(2 ft below record flood in 1997), as long as the dikes hold Fargo-Moorhead will be ok. To put this years flood in perspective to 97 Fargo spent $400,000 on flood protection this year and in 97the city spent over $1.2 million. Some outlying towns and farms are still at risk though but it looks like most of the region will be safe this year. Here are some pictures of the flooding in Eastern ND.

Wild Rice River by Perley Minnesota
http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/X00163_92.JPG

Argusville ND, 15 miles from Fargo
http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/X00040_96.JPG

This in Fargo and of course the bridge in normally just a bit wider then the River
http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/walkingbridge.jpg

[Biff]

I was just in Fargo over the weekend. The area around the mall is sure expanding. It is finally reaching across I94. Lots of new restaurants which is nice every time we come down.

The flooding wasn't that bad yet when we were there. I know here in Winnipeg they greatly misjudged the flood forcast and opened the floodway yesterday. We are still experiencing localized flooding in some areas of the city but generally the floodway is keeping us dry. Not so good for the areas outside of the floodway south of Winnipeg - they are fucked. Almost as bad as the flood of the century back in 97 - the flood that shit kicked Grand Forks. It seems that the flooding in the Red River Valley has been getting worse in the last 10 years. I guess that's why they are spending $650 million to expand the floodway.

Good luck to you Smiley!

[MNMike]

hey, thats the nicest pic of fargos skyline I have ever seen.

[SmileyBoy]

Well, flood danger is over. The waters are expected to recede into Moderate Stage later today. In the meantime, there are two more development stories that made the news today. Here they are:

A new $15 million senior living-oriented development is expexted to startb construction this spring:

Better senior living?
By Teri Finneman, The Forum
Published Saturday, April 08, 2006

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/0408Edgewood%20copy1.jpg

Construction is expected to begin this spring in south Fargo on a $15 million senior living facility in a 48-acre development devoted to people ages 50 and older.

Edgewood Development Group in Grand Forks, N.D., is planning to build a one-story 99-unit assisted-living facility connected to a three-story 85-unit independent-living facility at 4440 37th Ave. S.

The future Edgewood Village development will also consist of 34 twin homes, 48 patio homes, 11 single-family homes, a small business district, parks and ponds, said Phil Gisi, chief financial officer and co-owner of Edgewood Development Group.

“This concept is what our company has changed into over the last few years,” Gisi said of the expanded development. “We’re trying to build a neighborhood for really active seniors, or the 50 or better population.”

The development group does feasibility studies on communities across the Upper Midwest and has been eyeing Fargo as a site for many years, Gisi said.

After taking time to build out of state, the company decided to come back to North Dakota and expand more locally, he said.

The Fargo assisted-living and independent-living facility will occupy 13 acres of the development and is expected to be complete by summer 2007.

The facility will employ about 110 people and include a memory care unit for people with Alzheimer’s, Gisi said.

The assisted-living section will be joined to the independent-living building by a commons area that will include a chapel, hair salon, café and 40-seat movie theater, Gisi said.

The theater is set up where residents can bring in their own movies and watch in a nicer setting with popcorn and pop, he said.

Residents’ rooms will be designed like apartments. Assisted-living residents will have studio-size apartments, while independent-living residents will have large two-bedroom apartments, he said.

“It’s almost like a condominium,” Gisi said of the independent-living building. “People can buy their own units if they like, or they can rent them from us. If they need additional services, we can provide that in there also.”

Elsewhere on the property, six twin homes and patio homes are expected to be built by fall, Gisi said. More homes will be built as demand arises.

The patio homes will range from 1,300 to 2,100 square feet, while the twin homes will be about 2,300 square feet, Gisi said. Twin homes with a three-stall garage will be close to 2,800 square feet.

Gisi said Friday he didn’t know a price range for these homes yet, but said they would be competitively priced. The homes will belong to an association. No income guidelines apply.

“Basically, we sell it as an active lifestyle where you can move in and be safe and if you need help, it’s there,” Gisi said.

Edgewood Village will also devote more than 5½ acres to a park that includes an arbor walk and bike paths. Two ponds are also on the development.

Possible businesses for the small commercial area on the site include a bank, coffee shop and pharmacy, Gisi said.

The commitment by Edgewood Development Group to offer a quality living area is evident by the uniqueness of the project, said Alan Dostert, president of EAPC Architects Engineers. The Fargo firm is designing the development.

“This is great. I think it will make for a living environment that will just be tremendous,” Dostert said.

[SmileyBoy]

Wal-Mart finally got the go-ahead to build a Supercenter on the northeast corner of 52nd Avenue South and I-29. A SuperTarget will also be built on the southwest corner.

City staff advise Wal-Mart approval
By Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Saturday, April 08, 2006

Fargo planning staff have recommended the Planning Commission approve a plan that would allow for a Wal-Mart supercenter northeast of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South.

Fred and Earlyne Hector have asked the city to amend its growth plan to increase the amount of commercial property in their parcel from 10 acres to 50 acres.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the request at 9 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall.

Due to strong neighborhood opposition to the proposed Wal-Mart supercenter, city planners prepared three land-use options for the Planning Commission to consider.

City Planning Director Jim Gilmour said the option being recommended by staff would increase the commercial area to roughly 45 acres – more than enough for a Wal-Mart supercenter.

“We looked at the evaluation factors and felt that it was an acceptable request,” he said.

Gilmour said city staff listened closely to residents’ concerns, but a traffic study didn’t show the cut-through traffic that residents feared. Existing residential areas to the east and north would be about a quarter-mile from the supercenter, he said.

Wal-Mart has agreed to follow design standards and to position the store so that the loading dock – which some residents complained would be too noisy and brightly lit – faces I-29 to the west, Gilmour said.

The recommended option also includes a green buffer space between the commercial and residential areas, and some office space would be replaced by green space.

The connection of 32nd Street to 52nd Avenue would meander to limit cut-through traffic, and a roundabout on 32nd Street would slow traffic.

Jay Manley, who lives on 46th Avenue South just north of the Hector land, said no option that puts Wal-Mart northeast of I-29 and 52nd Avenue is acceptable.

Wal-Mart would be landlocked between residential areas, and it makes more sense for the retailer to locate directly across I-29 on land also owned by the Hectors, Manley said.

“It’s not the right area for that kind of store,” he said.

The public hearing has been continued twice since October at the Hectors’ request.

Gilmour said he spoke to the Hectors’ attorney Friday and was told they don’t plan to seek a third continuance.

Under the Planning Department’s bylaws, landowners requesting a land-use change may be granted a maximum of three continuances, said Senior Planner Jim Hinderaker.

[F-Misthebest]

I am so excited that the SuperTarget and SuperWal-Mart are going in. :D

[F-Misthebest]

I live in Horace so with these new stores going in the value of my house is going to go up!!!!!!

[SmileyBoy]

Oh, SNAP!!! We have another FM forumer!!! Welcome, F-Misthebest!!!:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

You live in Horace, you say?? That's cool. That town is growing like crazy, and last time I checked it was almost completely connected to WF. I consider it part of the urban area.

I'm a student at NDSU, btw.

[SmileyBoy]

Also, I just want to inform that I will be taking pics for a Fargo photo thread either later this week or early next week. I've got all of my schoolwork out of the way for now, so I'll be able to free up a day to do that.

[rrskylar]

SmileyBoy will no longer be using "Only the Lonely" as his official theme song from this day forward!;)

[Ex-Ithacan]

^LOL. Hey Smiley, can a Fargo meet be far off?;)

[SmileyBoy]

^LOL. Hey Smiley, can a Fargo meet be far off?;)

Hey, you never know. According to the thread in Skybar, there are around 24 SSP forumers living in Winnipeg, and Winnipeg is close to 4 times the size of F-M, so by that ratio, there should be at least 6 or 7 of us.:shrug:

[SmileyBoy]

BIG FUCKING NEWS!!! I was just reading the local paper, and now Menards wants to build a THIRD store in the F-M area on the intersection of 52nd Avenue South and I-29 where the Wal-Mart Supercenter and SuperTarget are planned to be built!!! This will make the intersection of I-29 and 52nd a MAJOR commercial area.

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http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/retail0411%20copy.jpg

South Fargo has new suitor
By Teri Finneman, The Forum
Published Tuesday, April 11, 2006

What does Menards have in common with Wal-Mart and Target?

Other than being big-box retailers, all are clamoring to build at the intersection of Fargo’s 52nd Avenue South and Interstate 29.

Menards representatives recently met with city planners to discuss their interest in property north of 52nd Avenue and west of I-29.

Wal-Mart is working through the planning process for land east across the interstate to build a supercenter.

Owners of land south of 52nd and west of I-29 have said they’ve been in talks with Target, but the real estate broker for the potential buyer won’t reveal who is interested in the land or for what purpose.

The Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menards is also planning a new store in Moorhead north of Interstate 94 and west of Main Avenue at the site of a current soccer complex. It could open by spring 2007.

The approximately 160 acres Menards inquired about in Fargo belong to Fred and Earlyne Hector, said Jim Gilmour, Fargo planning director.

Menards is eyeing the same piece of land some Fargo city leaders have been pushing Wal-Mart to pursue since neighbors east of the interstate protested.

Fargo Senior Planner Jim Hinderaker said Menards told city officials the company has an option to buy the Hector land north of 52nd Avenue and west of the I-29.

Neither the Hectors nor Menards have submitted any applications to the city regarding the land, Hinderaker said.

When reached by phone Monday, Earlyne Hector declined to comment.

However, Marv Prochaska, vice president of real estate for Menards, confirmed Monday the company does have the property under a contract to purchase and is in the process of developing a plan.

“It’s going to be throughout the summer. We will be working on it,” Prochaska said.

Menards is interested in 150 acres, with a large portion to be retail commercial, he said. Some will also be mixed-use residential. The city’s growth plan allows for about 30 acres of commercial development on the property.

The company also wants to create a buffer between the planned residential areas west of 42nd Street South, Prochaska said.

Growth in Fargo-Moorhead drove Menards’ decision to pursue another new store, Prochaska said. The retailer’s current area store is at 1300 13th Ave. E. in West Fargo.

“Every time you turn around, it’s something new growing,” Prochaska said of the area. “The demand appears to be there. We’re kind of hoping to fill that demand.”

The proximity of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter also influenced the decision for Menards, he said.

“Us being a big retailer, Wal-Mart being a big retailer will bring people here to shop,” Prochaska said.

Fargo City Commissioner Dr. Tim Mahoney said Monday he was aware of Menards’ interest in buying land in south Fargo.

The interest explains why the Hectors didn’t want to move the Wal-Mart Supercenter to the west side of I-29, he said.

The Fargo Planning Commission will have a public hearing on the Wal-Mart issue at 9 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall.

[F-Misthebest]

That's is AMAZINGLY GREAT News! That would be wonderful to put in Menards! I think that they should build a Macaroni Grill and a Red Robin down south by the SuperTarget and the Wal-Mart Supercenter! If you go to southpointepavillions.com ( its a wonderful mall in Lincoln, Nebraska ) and see what else should go in Fargo. I think that Fargo is ready for a mall like this!:D

[F-Misthebest]

I'm sorry. The website is www.southpointeshopping.com. Sorry!!!!!!:)

[F-Misthebest]

Hey SmileyBoy, you should draw some pics of Fargo buildings on skyscraperpage.com! That would be cool!

[SmileyBoy]

Hey SmileyBoy, you should draw some pics of Fargo buildings on skyscraperpage.com! That would be cool!

Hey there, I've been busy all morning. In response to your asking if I have submitted any drawings, I learned that I don't have the correct software to do a diagram drawing, because doing that with MS Paint would be almost impossible. One has to be able to make the pics very small, something like 1 meter per pixle, or something like that, I forgot.

In response to your ideas on the development on 52nd, I personally hope they can eventually make it into a commercial area with mostly upper-scale, unique businesses to Fargo-Moorhead. For example, some of the restaurants I invision being built at that intersection are Chipotle, Popeye's Fried Chicken, Breugger's Bagels, Jimmy John's, PF Chang's, California Pizza Kitchen, Boston Market, Romano's Macaroni Grill, Fuddruckers, etc. I know that not all of those will be built, but it would be nice if some of these were.

BTW, I agree on Red Robin. Ever been to the one in Plymouth, MN?? REALLY good burgers.

[F-Misthebest]

I have not been to the one in Plymouth but I have been to the one in Lincoln, Nebraska. And I know. Their burgers are the best!!!! I always get the bleu cheese burger.

[F-Misthebest]

:D This is really exciting news about the 52nd Ave. South area. I'm wondering where you are getting all this information on these cities though. I know most of it is from the Fargo-Moorhead Forum newspaper but the things that are not found in the paper, how do you know about them?

[F-Misthebest]

Sorry if I'm bothering you too much but, I have one last question for now. Where did you find the population of Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo, and the metro. area? And sorry again but, what about Dilworth's population?

[BigTicket]

Oh, SNAP!!! We have another FM forumer!!! Welcome, F-Misthebest!!!:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

You live in Horace, you say?? That's cool. That town is growing like crazy, and last time I checked it was almost completely connected to WF. I consider it part of the urban area.

I'm a student at NDSU, btw.

You can add another FM forumer to the list. I live in North Fargo and have been in Fargo for over 20 years, so I have seen a lot of the Growth. The growth just keeps on getting crazier, I never would have thought that there would be three Menards stores in FM but it looks like it will be that way soon. Another development not mentioned in this forum that I have seen is the new scheels all-sports store. This not your ordinary sports store since it is going to to be the biggest one in the world and I can't wait until it opens this summer. Also Microsoft recently decided to expand their Fargo campus and it looks like they will add 100+ employees and two or three new buildings.

[dennis]

Way to go Fargo. Growing both economically and forumly.

[F-Misthebest]

It is great news that the Fargo-Moorhead area is growing extremely fast! In 2004 Fargo alone in the city was 91,048 and two years later it is 102,254! It grew 12,000 people in two years! That's pretty fast if you ask me. Also Moorhead in 2004 was 33,390 and now its 38,346. Again I think that's very fast for a town like Moorhead. I hope that Romano's Macaroni Grill, Red Robin, and Carraba's move in soon. I'm sure the first one of those three that we will get first is Red Robin. Then the Macaroni Grill then Carraba's but I don't think Carraba's will come in for a while. I also hope that they build an upscale mall in south Fargo probably on 52nd Avenue. I also hope another Best Buy moves into Moorhead. I'm very excited that Home Depot and Menards are going into Moorhead. I'm interested to find out what two restaurants are moving into the Mallard Creek Commons in south Moorhead. In the Shoppes at Osgood Development at the intersection of 40th Ave. South and 45th Street South, a salon has moved in and the sign on Hornbacher's Grocery Store has gone up. I hope a Panera goes into the Shoppes at Osgood as well. I also cannot wait for the Libery Square Part 1 goes up and the Libery Square Part 2 gets finished to see what shops go in. I'm interested to see if a Hollister moves into the area also. Lincoln, Nebraska has one as well as a Banana Republic and they're only a little bigger in size. They have about 235,000 people.

[F-Misthebest]

Oh and SmileyBoy, I'm looking forward to see the pictures you are taking of the area!

[F-Misthebest]

Another idea for the 52nd Avenue is an upscale movies theatre. Again Lincoln, Nebraska and Omaha, Nebraska have the nicest movies theatres ever! They're called the Douglas theatres and I think Fargo needs to open an extremely nice movie theatre that takes checks and credit cards. They need to have other food besides popcorn like hotdogs and slices of pizza or a personal size pizza. We could put the CEC theatres out of business and all the theatres could be nice like the Douglas theatres. I think Fargo-Moorhead is also ready to have an upscale Dinner Theatre that puts on like two good shows a year that run for a month and a half. When the city of Fargo voted on the CityScapes Plaza most of the population said they would rather have an area for theatre instead of another sports arena. About 34% I think voted for a theatre space. That was the highest percentage of people who voted for one thing.

[SmileyBoy]

Hey everyone, I'm sorry I haven't replied sooner, I've been really busy. Anyway, it's great to see a 3ed F-M forumer on board!! Welcome, BigTicket!!:banana:

As far as new news goes, I'm afraid the city Planning and Zoning Commission has rejected the plan for rezoning for a new Wal-Mart SuperCenter on the corner of 52nd and I-29. While I'm not too disappointed at the fact that Wal-Mart itself won't be built there, I'm really concerned that this will make Menards and Target rethink their proposals on building on the other side of the interstate. I hope that it won't be the case.

I noticed that F-Misthebest brought up the population of Fargo. 90,599 was the 2000 population of the city, not the 2004 estimate, or anything like that. I got the number of 102,254 as a July 2005 estimate from City Hall. You can't find it online, or anything. Which means the city grew by almost 12,000 in a little over 5 years. And I got the Moorhead number from their web site.

And I truly believe that with all of the new retail centres being built in F-M, that we will see a huge influx soon of unique businesses coming to the city. My advice is to just read the Forum regularly, because they usually have those kinds of stories.

Anyway, I'll hopefully be back with some more news!!

[SmileyBoy]

F-Misthebest, you were also talking about the ideas of having a Hollister and a Banana Republic in the city. I think that's a great idea, and it makes me wonder why we haven't had them already. West Acres is a big enough mall (130+ stores) to have something like that. Those kind of things would have to go into West Acres, as I believe Hollister is a mall-exclusive store, and Banana Republic won't build in any suburban development that's not a shopping centre. I would also like to see a Cinnabon open up in West Acres as well. It's amazing to see how much different of a place West Acres is nowadays compared to when I was a kid back in the 80's. Back then, I remember that West Acres and Target were at the end of the line driving west on 13th Ave., and you had to travel through 2 1/2 miles of barren field to get to West Fargo. It's a completely different story now.

[F-Misthebest]

SmileyBoy, I thought you said earlier that the SuperTarget and Wal-Mart Supercenter got the go ahead to build both of them. What changed?:shrug:

[SmileyBoy]

SmileyBoy, I thought you said earlier that the SuperTarget and Wal-Mart Supercenter got the go ahead to build both of them. What changed?:shrug:

Target still apparently wants to buy the land that the city annexed on that intersection, but as far as I know, the proccess isn't complete yet. I'm hoping that Target will still want to build there. Wal-Mart wanted to build on the (now rejected) intersection, because land owners Fred and Earlyne Hector wanted to sell the land to Wal-Mart, but in order to build a Supercenter there, they would need at least 40-45 acres of zoned commercial on that plot of land, but only 15 acres were zoned commercial. The Planning Commission rejected the proposal, so now it looks like Wal-Mart won't build there. Maybe they might consider building somwehere else in South Fargo, like near the intersection of 40th Ave. and 45th St., or somewhere along 32nd Ave. west of 45th St. We'll see what happens.

[F-Misthebest]

I still hope that they will build the SuperTarget on the southside of 52nd Ave. In my personal opinion, if I was the Target guy I would definetly by the land now that you won't have competion (Wal-Mart). So I would still build there. If Target goes in then that will increase growth down on 52nd. I don't think the Wal-Mart Supercenter would have increased upscale growth but it probably would have still have made other businesses to move in. I'm excited to find out what is going to happen with the Menards as well. Oh! When do you think you'll be posting the new pics of Fargo-Moorhead? I believe you said late this week or early next week, but I'm just wondering if you still plan on taking photos early this week. I also would like to know the address of the new urbanist development in North Dakota. You know the one with Joe's Crab Shack, the Marriot Hotel, and the condo skyscraper that will be 15+ stories. Thanks

[araman0]

SmileyBoy, do you know have a recent figure on Fargo's Urban Area population? I noticed that in 2000 it was aroung 142,000, but am guessing that it has grown by a substantial amount in the last 6 years judging from the 2 city's population growth.
Also, sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but do you know how far along the CityScapes Plaza developement is in the planning stages? Thanks in advance.

[SmileyBoy]

SmileyBoy, do you know have a recent figure on Fargo's Urban Area population? I noticed that in 2000 it was aroung 142,000, but am guessing that it has grown by a substantial amount in the last 6 years judging from the 2 city's population growth.
Also, sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but do you know how far along the CityScapes Plaza developement is in the planning stages? Thanks in advance.

Hey there. The F-M urban area population (as noted in my sig line) is around 168,000 as of July 2005. As for the Cityscapes development, it was put to a referendum by the voters last May, and the voters rejected it. I explained it in full detail in another post I made earlier this thread. I don't want to get into the details now, as they were pretty complex. Right now at the site, there's a lot more renovations going on to the existing buildings. Hopefully there will be some more buildings put in place to fill in the gaps on that block.

[araman0]

Thanks for the response. That is an amazing and consistent 3.7% annual growth rate for the urban area since 2000. Sorry for not keeping up with this thread and missing that news, but it looks like Fargo is doing very well economically and will more than likely get something put in that spot soon. As the demographic in Fargo changes rapidly, a similar vote might have a better outcome next time.

[SmileyBoy]

Looks like there will be a new strip mall going up in Horace, of all places. it's called Stone Pointe Plaza, and it looks like it'll be built very soon.

http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/images/06-222_1.jpg

Where it's going to go:

http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/images/06-222_2.jpg

Construction pic as of March:

http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/images/06-222_3.jpg

Here's the link to some info: http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/display.asp?propid=260

[SmileyBoy]

Here's a few more pics:

Mallard Creek Commons site plan:

http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/images/05-379_1.jpg

Mallard Creek Commons rendering:

http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/images/05-378_1.jpg

The Crossing:

http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/images/05-219_1.jpg

[F-Misthebest]

That's great to know about the Stone Ridge Plaza. I drive by it almost every day to get home so I'm glad to know that it is going to look very nice. Right now it's not the nicest looking place, but eventually it will look good. I'm sort of mad at who ever decided to build the Eagle Run Plaza shops. They're building the mega strip mall on part at a time and the decided to build one part when the know only one business is going to go in. For example, the one that is under construction now. A daycare has moved in and that's it! They hadn't even finished putting in shops for the first one.

On a different note, I'm glad to see that the Shoppes at Osgood are almost completed. I actually drove to the Hornbacher's to go in because I thought it was open because there were people inside and there were cars in the parking lot. I was wrong. The cars were all the workers and construction people. Maybe a Bradea or a Caribou Coffee would look nice.

[NanoBison]

Hello Smiley,

I'm another Fargoan!

I read you mentioned that Konrad Olson is thinking about building a 20+ story hotel/office/condo tower on the river front. Do you have ANY information on that, or could you elaborate some more.

Downtown Fargo is awesome. It's getting better every year. It would be great to see another tall building added to the skyline in the future! I heard though we have a height restriction on downtown buildings due to the FAA and jetliners flying close by downtown on their approach to the airport. I thought I remembered reading something about it in the Forum when the Radisson developers were talking about the height of that building (there's a myth it is actually taller than the state capitol building and law prevents ANY new building from being built taller, which of course is balogna). Anyways, they said they built it just short of the airspace limit for that approach-way.

Any comments?

[F-Misthebest]

BIG NEWS! The Hornbacher's in southwest Fargo in the Shops at Osgood opens today!

[SmileyBoy]

Hello Smiley,

I'm another Fargoan!

I read you mentioned that Konrad Olson is thinking about building a 20+ story hotel/office/condo tower on the river front. Do you have ANY information on that, or could you elaborate some more.

Downtown Fargo is awesome. It's getting better every year. It would be great to see another tall building added to the skyline in the future! I heard though we have a height restriction on downtown buildings due to the FAA and jetliners flying close by downtown on their approach to the airport. I thought I remembered reading something about it in the Forum when the Radisson developers were talking about the height of that building (there's a myth it is actually taller than the state capitol building and law prevents ANY new building from being built taller, which of course is balogna). Anyways, they said they built it just short of the airspace limit for that approach-way.

Any comments?

NanoBison?? You have got to be kidding me!! Are you on the Bisonville message board?? I'm "TheBisonator" over on that board!! If you've ever seen me talk about my architecture interest over on Bisonville, you'd see that this board is a natural fit for me.;)

Anyway, about that Konrad Olson vision, all I know is that he wants to build something like that on the riverfront, but I don't know if it goes farther than that. I read in the Forum that the height limit for downtown Fargo (at least back in 1985) is the 207 feet tall that the Radisson Hotel is, because of FAA regulations. But I'm not sure if that's the complete case. At least you can go as high as 242 feet in North Dakota (State Capitol height). If it takes a personal appointment with Konrad, I would get more info if I could.

[SmileyBoy]

BIG NEWS! The Hornbacher's in southwest Fargo in the Shops at Osgood opens today!

I was there yesterday. Gate City Bank and a post office also opened up there. Also to come are a Caribou Coffee, Extreme Pita, Jaz Hair Salon and the Property Resources Group offices.

[SmileyBoy]

I got some more news on downtown loft conversions: I saw on the news earlier this week that planning was underway on the Union Storage and Transfer lost conversions. It will be 56 loft-style apartments for low to middle-income renters. I'm not sure though when construction will start.

Also, I was at the NDSU Downtown campus, when I saw a flyer for new loft construction at Bristol Place on the 400 block of Broadway. It's 5 storeys tall, and is currently under construction. I did not even know this project existed. I'm gonna have to go over there sometime and check it out.

[NanoBison]

I can't remember if it's already been mentioned but here is another development Terry Stroh is working on. Looks like those units are going fast :

http://www.tlstroh.com/fargoan.htm

[NanoBison]

In terms of the Konrad Olson idea for a tower, I think it would be great if he could pull it off. What I'd really like to see in downtown is our first 30+ floors tower. I think it is very doable as long as it was mixed use. Get another decent hotel (aside from the Radisson and Ramada) (maybe say a Marriott, Westin, or something along those lines) and that can occupy the first 20 floors. It would have a spacious gathering place/conference center as well. The next 5 or so floors could be private condos and lofts. The remaining 5-10 floors could be for prime office space. I know we have many businesses in the Metro area that could fill that space. Heck we could probably lure some decent firms from Minneapolis, Denver or Chicago, if the price was right and they received some sort of corporate tax relief. Imagine a branch of Lockheed Martin, IBM, or some other large corporation occupying that space!!! Anyways, I'd like to see the building have a very professional look to it. If at the same time it could take into account the older styles of the other buildings that would be great too. I'm sure at that point we'd have to fight the FAA on building height restrictions, but I think it would definitely be worth it.

The other thought I have always had, was that they should take the lot that the ABC Adult Bookstore and FPS Products is on and put another 20+ building for low and middle income families. There's been alot of gruff lately since that section of the market is never being filled and the Fargo Housing Authority waiting lists for assistance continue to grow and grow. The block is directly across from the Bus station, so that's another plus for those tenants. The first couple of floors could also be retail as well.

My third wish is to someday get a NICE performing arts center downtown. I think the spot occupied by Mid-America Steel would be perfect (just need to insulate the building enough so you can't hear the trains). I picture a $50-$150 million dollar building that would take anyones breathe away.

Imagine what downtown Fargo-Moorhead would look like at that point!!!
If we get enough people downtown, it will become quite a lively place!!!

I've got tons of other ideas I would always like to see Fargo do, especially downtown. I'll post them in weeks to come (Once school is finished up for the semester).

[NanoBison]

I think sometime this summer, if I get a new digital camera, I'll do a little tour like Smiley did and show the city when it's really nice, so those with the East Coast and West Coast Bias can see what a nice city it really is. Then they can go bite it.

[F-Misthebest]

Hello Smiley,

I'm another Fargoan!

I read you mentioned that Konrad Olson is thinking about building a 20+ story hotel/office/condo tower on the river front. Do you have ANY information on that, or could you elaborate some more.

Downtown Fargo is awesome. It's getting better every year. It would be great to see another tall building added to the skyline in the future! I heard though we have a height restriction on downtown buildings due to the FAA and jetliners flying close by downtown on their approach to the airport. I thought I remembered reading something about it in the Forum when the Radisson developers were talking about the height of that building (there's a myth it is actually taller than the state capitol building and law prevents ANY new building from being built taller, which of course is balogna). Anyways, they said they built it just short of the airspace limit for that approach-way.

Any comments?


WELCOME!!!!!!!!! I am soo happy to have another Fargo-Moorhead forumer on here! If you have any news feel completely free to share it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

[F-Misthebest]

Has anyone ever been to www.emporis.com before?

[Reichert]

I've been to Emporis before, and it still lists the now defunct CityScapes Plaza project on its buildings list for Fargo as "proposed". It needs to be moved to the "never built" category.

[F-Misthebest]

I've been to Emporis before, and it still lists the now defunct CityScapes Plaza project on its buildings list for Fargo as "proposed". It needs to be moved to the "never built" category.


You're telling me. I liked the building but I don't think we need a whole other arena just yet. I think we need a nice theatre house

[Paintballer1708]

Ya emporis is a good site. If you go to Cleveland you will see the 1,300 foot Ameritrust tower that was never built. Welcome to the forum. By the way they really need to update the Cleveland part on emporis. They have crappy photos of Cleveland.

[Paintballer1708]

Whoops sorry the 1,197 foot Ameritrust tower.

[F-Misthebest]

I personally have an idea for downtown Fargo as well. I origanally wanted this skyscraper to be on the Fargo Cineama Grill block but since there is all that renovation, it wouldn't make sense to take it down. Anyways, I imagine a 30+ storey glass skyscraper with a department store as well. That's kind of hard to think of so I will go into detail. The east half of the block would be set aside for a department store such as Von Maur. This building would be brick and sort of similar to the new buildings in downtown Moorhead except this departement store would be all one brick type and well, bigger. I would either have this building be two or three storeys. I know that it would be hard to manage a department store downtown but once it is there I think people will go to it.

On the west half side of the block I would have a dinner theatre, a Northstar Coffee and an upscale restaurant on the first floor. As I said on another post that most Fargoans want some sort of theatre arts venue instead of another sports arena. The dinner theatre would take up a couple floors for sound and all but that could be not a problem. On top of the dinner theatre, restaurant and coffe shop, I would put the glass skyscraper starting with another 9 storeys of retail. The next 15 storeys would be some offices. As Nanobison said it would be cool to have some big company like IBM come in. The final 5 storeys would be luxury condominums. The top floor would be the penthouse. This building would have underground parking. Its just an idea and I would like people's feedback so please reply.:)

[SmileyBoy]

A developer wants to build a new development on 19th Ave. NORTH, kitty-corner to the Fargodome, and across the street from the NDSU campus.

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/0505development.jpg

Developer targets 19th Ave. N.
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Friday, May 05, 2006

A developer will approach the Fargo City Commission on Monday to gauge support for a redevelopment project at the northeast corner of 19th Avenue North and University Drive.

Roers Development Inc. of Fargo is asking the city to create a tax-increment financing (TIF) district to help develop the land, kitty-corner from the Fargodome, into an office, commercial and college housing area.

President Jim Roers said his proposed project would boost the combined value of the properties from $854,900 to more than $14 million.

In a letter to commissioners, Roers said his company has options to buy seven privately owned properties, totaling 2.74 acres, for the project.

Roers declined to identify the properties in an interview Thursday, saying he’s still finalizing the option agreements and wants to get a feel for whether the commission would support a TIF district before releasing details about the project.

“That area of town has seen great retail growth and great retail opportunity, as well as always had need for student housing, and that’s why we saw the opportunity there,” he said.

In his letter to commissioners, Roers said the property within the proposed TIF district “is in dire need of redevelopment,” given its proximity to North Dakota State University, the Fargodome, Hector International Airport and the North Dakota Air National Guard base, as well as NDSU’s Research and Technology Park and the Fargo Skills and Technology Center.

“The corner of 19th Avenue North and University is a gateway to the city, one of the first intersections viewed by visitors to the city coming from the airport,” he wrote.

The properties targeted for redevelopment currently have a combined assessed value of $854,900, generating less than $30,000 in property taxes annually, Roers wrote.

“Our preliminary analysis indicates a post-redevelopment value in excess of $14 million, which would generate more than $300,000 annually in taxes,” he wrote.

Revenue generated by the TIF district would be used to assist with the costs of demolition, business relocation and infrastructure costs, Roers wrote.

Cities typically create TIF districts in blighted or underdeveloped areas. The revenue comes from the additional taxes captured on the property as its taxable value increases with redevelopment.

City Commissioner Linda Coates, who has spoken with the developer about the project, said TIF districts are a touchy issue right now.

“We’re all trying to accomplish the goal of lowering, or at least not raising, the level of property taxes,” she said. “And because TIFs are based on increasing property taxes over time and capturing that increment, it makes the future of TIFs kind of fuzzy.”

Still, Coates said she favors studying a TIF for Roers’ project, adding it may have to be a modified version of the current TIF structure.

“I think it looks like a terrific development,” she said. “I think it would be a real boost to both that area of north Fargo and to the NDSU community.”

[SmileyBoy]

I personally have an idea for downtown Fargo as well. I origanally wanted this skyscraper to be on the Fargo Cineama Grill block but since there is all that renovation, it wouldn't make sense to take it down. Anyways, I imagine a 30+ storey glass skyscraper with a department store as well. That's kind of hard to think of so I will go into detail. The east half of the block would be set aside for a department store such as Von Maur. This building would be brick and sort of similar to the new buildings in downtown Moorhead except this departement store would be all one brick type and well, bigger. I would either have this building be two or three storeys. I know that it would be hard to manage a department store downtown but once it is there I think people will go to it.

On the west half side of the block I would have a dinner theatre, a Northstar Coffee and an upscale restaurant on the first floor. As I said on another post that most Fargoans want some sort of theatre arts venue instead of another sports arena. The dinner theatre would take up a couple floors for sound and all but that could be not a problem. On top of the dinner theatre, restaurant and coffe shop, I would put the glass skyscraper starting with another 9 storeys of retail. The next 15 storeys would be some offices. As Nanobison said it would be cool to have some big company like IBM come in. The final 5 storeys would be luxury condominums. The top floor would be the penthouse. This building would have underground parking. Its just an idea and I would like people's feedback so please reply.:)

Someone get me a towel, I'm drooling over here!!!:slob:

[F-Misthebest]

Someone get me a towel, I'm drooling over here!!!:slob:

Thanks.

I also found out that Fargo-Moorhead Wahpeton area is ranked as 179 in population. This is at www.demographia.com under the U.S. Metro Areas as an icon in the upper right hand corner. Sioux Falls is 180 and Chico, California is 178.

Oh. And finally, the prime real-estate on 42nd Ave. South, I-29, & I-94 has gone on the market. I guess that farmer finally caved in and I'm sure this area will boom faster then a bomb.:uhh: uh ya. bomb.

[SmileyBoy]

I saw on KVLY news that some Las Vegas developers want to build another huge development, this time on the corner of 52nd Ave. south and I-29, where the SuperTarget is supposed to be.

Here's a recap of what was said:

http://www.kvlytv11.com/artman/publish/article_201.shtml

[F-Misthebest]

I saw that on the news last night as well but I saw it on KX4 instead. I saw that it was supposed be where the Super Target is suppposed to be and I thought that was strange, but oh well. It said that it would have some big box retailers in it and so maybe the Super Target would be incorperated. The developer is supposed to buy some of the land by the end of the week.

Oh. I can get some more information on the "Brandt Development" because it turns out I am friends with Ace's daughter. So I will post new information as soon as possible.:)

[NanoBison]

Now this is what I'm talking about. Two MAJOR projects going up in Fargo, both over 250 acres!!! If anyone finds anything more out on this, please post it ASAP!

Here is two links to the Brandt Development I know of :

http://www.brandtholdings.com/realestate.html

http://www.urbanplainsbybrandt.com/

Looks pretty impressive.

[NanoBison]

Other bit of news I heard when listening in on the information session for the new Microsoft positions. The gentlemen who runs the Fargo Microsoft site said they are VERY close on announcing a 3rd building for the south Fargo campus. He said the market of Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area allows them to pay the highest wages in the area and at the same time do business much cheaper than in Silicon Valley, Redmond, San Francisco or Seattle. Hence, there has been a decent amount of interest from other groups on the Redmond Campus of moving positions out to Fargo, just because it's cheaper and we have the same talented people they are looking for.

Finally, someone asked about expansion, (the 3rd building announcement was part of that), but the gentlemen went on to say that Microsoft is very committed to Fargo and the "Master Plan" for the campus is to have 5-6 buildings on campus within the next several years. (My estimates would put the total number of jobs from Microsoft at that point above the 2,000 mark). So needless to say, it's more good news for the region!


So when are we going to seriously start building some taller buildings downtown??? I'm talking 30+ floors. (We'll fight the FFA on the flight plans if we need to...)

[MetroJunkie BJR]

I always used to say, "Hey, at least it's better than living in Fargo!" when referring to my hometown area, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA. By that comment I meant, at least we're not 100s of miles from major cities if one needed to get away.

OK, so after reading these posts about the exploding Fargo area, all of a sudden, I'm really, really envious of all the development occuring there.

In 5 minutes, my perception of Fargo has changed completely! Wow, I had no idea things were that hoppin' out there on the Plains.

[NanoBison]

Yes, they certainly are. (In a few places).

[F-Misthebest]

I know personally lots of people who have been like "oh ya Fargo, no one lives there." I have changed their idea of Fargo drastically. They now have considered Fargo-Moorhead as a place that they want to visit very soon. I told them to go to www.fargomoorhead.com to find out all the attractions and they were actually very impressed.

[SmileyBoy]

Now this is what I'm talking about. Two MAJOR projects going up in Fargo, both over 250 acres!!! If anyone finds anything more out on this, please post it ASAP!

Here is two links to the Brandt Development I know of :

http://www.brandtholdings.com/realestate.html

http://www.urbanplainsbybrandt.com/

Looks pretty impressive.

Check out the list of possible retailer candidates they're trying to lure to the development!!

(Franchises that I REALLY would like to see in the development I've put in bold)

Beall's
Belk
Bergners
Bon Marche
Bon Ton
Borders Books
Boscov
Burdine's
Burlington Coat Factory
Carson Pirie Scott
Circuit City
Copeland's Sports
Dave & Busters
Dillard's
Elder-Beerman
Emporium
Famous Barr
Filene's
Foley's
Galyans (Now Dick's Sporting Goods)
Gart Bros.
Gottschalks
Great Indoors
Hecht's
Joe Brand
Kaye Home Furnishings
Lazarus Home Store
Lord & Taylor
Macy's
McRae's
Meire & Frank
Mervyn's
Neiman Marcus
Nordstrom
Parisian
Proffitt's
Rich's
Robinsons-May
Rosa's Home Store
Ross Dress for Less
Saks Fifth Avenue
Sports Authority
Stage
Stein Mart
Strawbridge and Clothiers
The Jones Store
Von Maur
Wicke's Furniture
Younkers

Obviously, only a selected amount of these chains would eventually be in the development, but just LOOK at the list!!! we're talking about department stores, here!!!

[SmileyBoy]

More information now out on the new 'Town Center" retail shops. Tenants will include a Starbucks, Extreme Pita, a new Blockbuster Video, and other yet-to-be-determined franchises.

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/20060511eastel.jpg
This drawing shows the east elevation of The Shops at Town Center. The two retail buildings will be located at 13th Avenue and 25th Street South in Fargo. Special to The Forum

A Grand Forks, N.D., family business that operates more than a dozen regional Blockbuster Video outlets is building a new strip mall in south Fargo.

Called The Shops at Town Center, the mall plat will consist of two new retail buildings at 13th Avenue and 25th Street South where the former U.S. Bank building is being demolished.

A 10,400-square-foot retail building will have six tenants, including Extreme Pita and Blockbuster Video, said Mark Richman, leasing agent for Coldwell Banker Commercial First Realty-Encore, Fargo.

The current adjacent Blockbuster Video store, at 2300 13th Ave. S., will be demolished and relocated as a 4,000-square-foot tenant of the building that is designed to hold four more businesses, Richman said.

A second 4,000-square-foot building will have a Starbucks Coffee Co. outlet and two other food-related tenants, Richman said. He and fellow Coldwell agent Don Siverson have been hired to lease mall space.

Grand Forks-based North Central Management, which operates Midwestern Blockbuster Video and Palm Beach Tan stores, is developing the project. The company is owned and operated by Jay Seeger of Grand Forks and sons Kevin Seeger of Minneapolis and Grant Seeger of Phoenix.

“We acquired the parcel of land from U.S. Bank in December 2004 with the intent to build a strip center,” said Kevin Seeger. “It’s a tremendous location for retailers.”

The Shops at Town Center is projected to open this fall. “We’re very excited about it,” Jay Seeger said.

[F-Misthebest]

That looks like a very neat strip mall. Its crazy how many Starbuck's are going in. The Crossing is going to have one, downtown Moorhead, and the Urban Plains development. Not to mention the one on 32nd, Barnes & Noble, University, and the one in the newly remodled Target on 13th. I think its crazy how many ther are and how many are coming in as well. I think fantastic that there is going to be one in Downtown Moorhead. I hope with the one in Moorhead won't take business away from the two Atomic Coffee's, Babb's, and the Moxi Java's.

I really want some new buildings to be buit downtown. When I really concentrate on downtown there is a lot of vacant lots. I hate how many stupid parking lots. We need some new parking garages. I do want another skyscraper downtown really badly. Both in Fargo and Moorhead. But oh well. We can only hope for new buildings I guess. Oh and Smiley, where is that five story condo highrise being built on Broadway. I would like to know the address for that. Thanks! :)

[F-Misthebest]

Well, in downtown Fargo the windows are coming back in the Historic Ford Building for the new condos to be put in. The new Babb's Coffee on Main is going to open tomorrow (Monday) and they're really working hard on renovation of the Fargo Cinema Grill block.

I read in the paper yesterday that the movie theatre, West Acres is going to build a three story I-MAX addition making the theatre, West Acres 15. I remember when it was called West Acres 12.

What frustrates me about downtown is that the Great Northern building will just not sell. It's been a lot of things and I just think they should give up and put the Amtrak station back in that building. The building that it's in now is just plain ugly so they should turn that space into a "Railroad Plaza" or something like that. It's just an idea in my head and now on the internet.:koko:

[NanoBison]

Please tell me when you said "rennovation of the Fargo Cinema Grill Block", you were talking about the building on the corner of Broadway and not the Cinema Grill. That building is an eyesore that should be torn down and replaced with a 20+ storey tower.

[F-Misthebest]

Please tell me when you said "rennovation of the Fargo Cinema Grill Block", you were talking about the building on the corner of Broadway and not the Cinema Grill. That building is an eyesore that should be torn down and replaced with a 20+ storey tower.

Ya, ya, ya. When I said the "renovation of the Fargo Cinema Grill Block" I meant the older buildings on Broadway and 1st. I completley agree about the Fargo Cinema Grill they should tear it down and build a highrise in its place.

[SmileyBoy]

A few years ago there was talk of razing the old Cinema Grill and replacing it with a 16-storey condo high-rise tower. This was before the Cityscapes proposal, back in 2003, I believe. The sign for "Cityscapes Plaza - Coming in 2005" is still up on that site, though. I wonder what Cityscapes will eventually do with the land they own on that block. I believe they own the western part of that block. They're going to want to do something with that property in any case.

[NanoBison]

A 16 storey tower? That would have been taller than the 11 stories Cityscapes was shooting for. They should have built that instead. Also, I noticed that the work is now in full force to get those rail-road crossings in place to silence the train whistles. Once those things go silent, I see a building boom in downtown, especially residential.

Some of those streets though need to be resurfaced.

[F-Misthebest]

Pmmmmph! I don't even remember that 16 storey idea. I wonder why? Oh well. Anyways I love Fargo-Moorhead so okay.

[F-Misthebest]

I found out that the F-M area is approaching the population of 245,000 people. Pardon my french but Holy Crap. That's more then one third of North Dakota's population. O MY GOSH! I AM UNBELIEVEABLY HAPPY ABOUT THIS!

[BigTicket]

I found out that the F-M area is approaching the population of 245,000 people. Pardon my french but Holy Crap. That's more then one third of North Dakota's population. O MY GOSH! I AM UNBELIEVEABLY HAPPY ABOUT THIS!

Where did you hear this? Last I head Fargo-Moorhead was at 209,000. Is this an estimation of the Metro's population?

[SmileyBoy]

I found out that the F-M area is approaching the population of 245,000 people. Pardon my french but Holy Crap. That's more then one third of North Dakota's population. O MY GOSH! I AM UNBELIEVEABLY HAPPY ABOUT THIS!

Yeah, I'd like to know whare you heard this also. I'm doubtful if it's that much. It could be approaching 215,000 right now sure, but 245,000???

[NanoBison]

That looks like the figure they are throwing around in talking about "only" the city of Fargo's population will be by 2050. They are using that number as a rough estimate of how many people will need water services and how to plan for them by attempting to draw water from the Missouri River through a pipeline or canal system. By that year I'll be 71 years old. If only Fargo has a population of approx. 250,000 by that year (2.4 times it's current size), I'm sure the Metro area will have a population approaching 390,000 if the city continues to grow at that rate and then you take 2.4 times the other populations in the current Metro (average out WF is faster grow, Moorhead is slower). That's an unbelievable number in terms of a North Dakota city. F-Misthebest, can you verify your source of that information. I'd love to hear its correct, but I'm thinking the 210,000 is currently the correct population of the 4 county CMSA.

[F-Misthebest]

I found that this population of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area that we were approaching 245,000 was from a friend who keeps up on the population stats of Fargo. I believe that the population she said was around 243,000. This was an estimate for May 1st, 2006 and I can certainly ask her where she found this estimate from. This is for the four county population. I am sorry for posting an estimate but this is just what I heard. In the future I will be sure to know the exact population. I am sorry. I am completly sorry.

[SmileyBoy]

I found that this population of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area that we were approaching 245,000 was from a friend at the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau. I believe that the population she said was around 243,000. This was an estimate for May 1st, 2006 and I can certainly ask her where she found this estimate from. This is for the four county population. I am sorry for posting an estimate but this is just what I heard. In the future I will be sure to know the exact population. I am sorry. I am completly sorry.

You're serious?? Someone in the Convention Bureau?? I was wondering if you're able to provide me their email address, or confirm this further, otherwise I'd REALLY like to be in contact with them!!

If you could maybe PM me any contact information, I could ask them myself for some more info on that.:)

[F-Misthebest]

I don't think this particular woman does not want me to give away that information of hers. I can still ask her though. Do you believe that the metro area is close to 243,000? Just wondering.

[SmileyBoy]

I don't think this particular woman does not want me to give away that information of hers. I can still ask her though. Do you believe that the metro area is close to 243,000? Just wondering.

I'll say this - It's hard for me to believe a LOT of things about this city that have occurred in the past 3-4 years...:banana: :banana: :banana: