Fargo-Moorhead developments information

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.


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.

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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!

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

[SmileyBoy]

Originally Posted by 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!

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]

Originally Posted by F-Misthebest

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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...