Trollwood plays role in spurring development
Kim Winnegge, The Forum
Published Monday, August 11, 2008
Developers are learning from their successes of the recent past.
When S.G. Reinertsen Elementary and Horizon Middle School were built in the early 2000s, Moorhead neighborhoods quickly cropped up in the surrounding area.
As the city prepares for future platting near Trollwood Performing Art School’s new south Moorhead location, developers once again are drawing up plans for future neighborhoods in the area.
Arista Development plans to develop on 370 acres immediately adjacent to the new Trollwood campus, said project coordinator Jeff Schaumann.
The new development, which Schaumann touts as an energy-efficient “conservation community,” may offer a new concept in the area’s housing market.
There are hundreds of lots available in other developments throughout Moorhead, but City Planner Deb Martzahn said she doesn’t expect interest to fade in those when housing construction begins near Trollwood.
Martzahn said the development might project an unnaturally high number of empty lots, but the city has continued to grow each year, creating a need for additional housing units.
According to a January 2008 report gathered from information provided by local developers, there are 1,004 available lots spread out over 19 Moorhead neighborhoods, with prices per lot depending on size and location – anywhere from $7,800 to $134,900.
Those numbers don’t include potential lots in the new Trollwood addition.
“It may seem that we have quite a few lots available right now,” Martzahn said. “As we look at those in terms of our recent growth, it’s not providing that many years of supply into the future. It’s a good idea to anticipate that need into the future.”
And new neighborhoods continue growing in Moorhead, she said.
Tessa Terrace, a neighborhood comprised of single-family dwellings and townhomes, has 41 lots available out of 70, according to the report. The prices per lot in the Tessa Terrace Additions range from $57,600 to $134,900.
“I think our developers are as aware as anybody when more lots are needed and marketable,” Martzahn said.
A November 2007 neighborhood planning study done by consulting firm Bonestroo found housing grew substantially during the past decade and the vast majority of new units added in Moorhead came in new developments of the city.
Moorhead added between 70 and 525 units per year from 1995 through 2007, and has also grown at a faster rate in recent years, the study found.
From 2002 to 2007, the city added 2,523 total housing units, according to numbers provided by Moorhead’s building codes office.
The biggest boom was in 2005, when the city issued 514 building permits, the building codes office said.
As new parks, schools and other recreational amenities pop up around Moorhead, so will residential development surges, said Lisa Vatnsdal, Moorhead’s neighborhood services manager.
In September 2004, Moorhead issued more than 260 building permits, with many of those homes constructed near the city’s new schools.
This year, from Jan. 1 through June 30, 99 single-family housing building permits have been issued in the city. There have also been permits for two townhomes and two multiplex apartments.
The townhomes will be built by Paragon Development at 17th Avenue North. Apartments contracted by Terry Welle Construction will be located at 2411 36th St. S. and 810 41st Ave. S., respectively.
“These are things that a lot of families with school-age children are looking for,” said Vatnsdal, adding that senior-living facilities generally fill in those areas, too.
Gust Johanson, a developer for Evergreen Meadows at 40th Street and 41st Avenue South, has built 27 housing units on the site.
In March, the City Council approved plans to build a Moorhead YMCA in that area.
The $10 million facility would sit next to a 100-acre city park being developed along 40th Avenue South between 20th and 28th streets. The facility could open in 2010 or 2011.
Johanson said he sees the potential YMCA as a welcome addition to the area.
“The YMCA is something that we certainly needed in this neighborhood,” Johanson said. “I think it’s a good neighborhood for it. I’m extremely happy to see the YMCA building where they are.”
“The (new) middle school is probably a drawing point for Horizon Shores as well,” Vatnsdal said.
The Horizon Shores addition has 214 lots in its neighborhood, with 94 lots available, according to the most recent report.
Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead president Bill Blixt said that construction companies and developers are more than happy to help with the cities’ growth.
“We want to accommodate as much as we can,” Blixt said. “It’s a changing world in terms of housing needs.”
Readers can reach Forum reporter Kim Winnegge at (701) 241-5524
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