Fargo-Moorhead developments information

[Only The Lonely..]

Paintballer, http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/8933/339826ke4.jpg That's what it looked like.

WLF, the Crossing is located on the north eastern corner of 32nd Avenue South and 45th Street. It is planned to have a Pottery Barn, a Starbucks, and a Comp USA. Sincebaugh is a housing development about a fourth of a mile north of 40th Avenue South and 45th Street. It's only private building and you must have a colonial style for your house.

Looks good..wish it was in Winnipeg.

Nice work North Dakota.

[Brian77]

"Development in 2006 : $339.6 million. Not too shabby..."

340 million in construction is a great year for Fargo! Congrats!

It is always good to see strong growth numbers for Upper Midwest Cities.

Down here in Sioux Falls, the total for 2006 was 441.8 Million.

Lets hope both cities have another busy year in 2007!!

:cheers:

[SmileyBoy]

dupe post

[SmileyBoy]

"Development in 2006 : $339.6 million. Not too shabby..."

340 million in construction is a great year for Fargo! Congrats!

It is always good to see strong growth numbers for Upper Midwest Cities.

Down here in Sioux Falls, the total for 2006 was 441.8 Million.

Lets hope both cities have another busy year in 2007!!

:cheers:


We were around $516 million in total construction for 2005. I don't know why it dropped so much to around 340 last year.

Hopefully this year will be better. I think it will, with Urban Plains starting to take off...

[F-Misthebest]

http://apps.cityoffargo.com/inspections/planrouting/
I was digging around today and found this neat site. It's about projects that are coming to town and their status. It's neat.

[sodak]

Does that $339 million in building permits include only the city of Fargo, or is that the four city metro?

Sioux Falls' $441 million is only Sioux Falls, and doesn't include the $100 million or so permitted in little towns around it.

[SmileyBoy]

Does that $339 million in building permits include only the city of Fargo, or is that the four city metro?

Sioux Falls' $441 million is only Sioux Falls, and doesn't include the $100 million or so permitted in little towns around it.

I'm pretty sure I counted $340 for the whole 5-city urban area. Which is weird, since in 2005, permits were around $515M for Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo-Dilworth-Horace. Looks like SF is around the same last year as it was in 2005. I think it was in the mid-$400's in 2005 for SF. I don't know why it dropped so much last year for F-M. We were around $70 million more than you guys in 2005. Maybe 2007 will be another huge year for us, with Urban Plains starting to get tenants booked, and the new NDSU basketball arena.

[SmileyBoy]

Fargo Hector International Airport breaks another passenger record - 610,000 passengers for 2006

MONTHLY & ANNUAL STATISTICS - December 2006

ALL-TIME PASSENGER TRAFFIC RECORD SET IN 2006

Total annual passenger enplanements broke the previous record set last year. Total passenger enplanements were 305,218, which is up 10.9%.

Airline passenger traffic in December at Hector International Airport showed an increase as compared to the same month in 2005. In December 2006 the passenger enplanements were 25,524. This is an increase of 0.6% when compared to the December 2005 passenger enplanements of 25,384. Total passenger count for the month was 51,054, which is up 11.0% over the same period last year.

In December 2006, Northwest Airlines operated eight daily flights to Minneapolis with Airbus 319/320, DC-9, and CRJ aircraft. United Express operated four daily flights to Chicago and four daily flights to Denver with the Canadair CRJ aircraft. Delta Connection operated two daily flights to Salt Lake City with the Canadair CRJ aircraft. Allegiant Air operates two-weekly flights to Las Vegas utilizing the 150-seat McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft.

Northwest Airlines had 61% of the market share, United Express at 30% Delta Connection at 4% and Allegiant Air at 5% with a daily average of 1,647 passengers both arriving and departing.

--------------------------Dec-06 Dec- 05 % Change YTD2006 YTD2005 % Change
Total Passengers:---------51,054 50,105 1.9% 609,731 549,209 11.0%
Enplaned Passengers:------25,524 25,384 0.6% 305,218 275,200 10.9%
Deplaned Passengers:------25,530 24,721 3.3% 304,513 274,009 11.1%

From: http://www.fargoairport.com

[sodak]

A new arena for NDSU will be great for Fargo. Long ago, North Dakota was much smarter than South Dakota and placed its two flagship universities, in the two largest towns (at the time). South Dakota picked Vermillion and Brookings. sick.

As for building permits, you may have dropped because there were one or two very large projects in 2005. I don't know that at all, but as an example, in 2005 (in Sioux Falls), ADP had a $60 million project on its own. In 2006, even though the total value of permits was $20M lower, it actually represented a larger number and more diverse pool of building permits.

A couple big projects, like the ones you highlighted, will probably make the difference.

[F-Misthebest]

Fargo board OKs Urban Plains park
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Wednesday, January 10, 2007

A proposed park with a 10-acre recreational water pond and other unique features won approval Tuesday from the Fargo Park Board.

Members voted unanimously to proceed with the 23-acre park in the Urban Plains by Brandt development in southwest Fargo.

By comparison, Island Park near downtown Fargo and Ed Clapp Park along 32nd Avenue South each encompass about 30 acres.

“It’s a pretty significant piece of land,” Fargo Park District Executive Director Roger Gress said.

The board had already accepted a gift of 13 acres from developer Ace Brandt. On Tuesday, they approved a land swap that gives the Fargo Park District another 7 acres and voted to purchase another 3 acres for $1 million.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/970/011020proposed20park20szi1.jpg

The $1 million actually covers improvements Brandt has already made to the park property, said Jim Larson, the district’s finance director.

In total, the park will cost $6 million to develop, with the costs eventually being assessed back to Urban Plains and property owners within the development, Larson said. The district will bond for construction funds up front.

The park, designed by Mike Kuntz of Grand Forks-based ICON Architectural Group in conjunction with Park District staff, will feature a public sand beach along the pond, a waterfall feature, fountains, a sculpture plaza and walking and biking trails.

A stage and an amphitheater will bookend an open lawn bigger than a football field, which could host concerts and festivals, officials said.

“The whole concept is unique to Fargo,” Larson said.

The pond will store stormwater for Urban Plains. Water will pass through a settlement pond and filtration bay on the north end before entering the main pond.

Often referred to as a “city within a city,” Urban Plains is 328 acres bordered by 45th Street on the east, 57th Street on the west, 32nd Avenue South on the south and 26th Avenue on the north.

The park will run north to south the entire length of the development. Excavating has already begun on the pond.

Engineers did extensive soil tests to ensure the pond won’t suffer from crumbling shorelines like those in Bluemont Lakes, Larson said.

Although he voted to proceed, board member Ron Sorvaag said he is still uncomfortable with the project, having first heard about it in October. Sorvaag said he’s concerned about how it will affect the district’s 10-year capital plan and about the cost to the district of maintaining the park.

“There’s no question it’s a great project and there are a lot of amenities,” he said. “But it’s a lot of money.”

The board also voted to install a xeriscape demonstration area in Rabanus Park at 4315 18th Ave. S. Xeriscape refers to water-saving landscaping techniques.


Readers can reach Forum reporter

Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a link for a larger picture of the park. http://www.upfargo.com/press_release/UP_Park.pdf

[NanoBison]

Fargo Hector International Airport breaks another passenger record - 610,000 passengers for 2006

MONTHLY & ANNUAL STATISTICS - December 2006

ALL-TIME PASSENGER TRAFFIC RECORD SET IN 2006

Total annual passenger enplanements broke the previous record set last year. Total passenger enplanements were 305,218, which is up 10.9%.

Airline passenger traffic in December at Hector International Airport showed an increase as compared to the same month in 2005. In December 2006 the passenger enplanements were 25,524. This is an increase of 0.6% when compared to the December 2005 passenger enplanements of 25,384. Total passenger count for the month was 51,054, which is up 11.0% over the same period last year.

In December 2006, Northwest Airlines operated eight daily flights to Minneapolis with Airbus 319/320, DC-9, and CRJ aircraft. United Express operated four daily flights to Chicago and four daily flights to Denver with the Canadair CRJ aircraft. Delta Connection operated two daily flights to Salt Lake City with the Canadair CRJ aircraft. Allegiant Air operates two-weekly flights to Las Vegas utilizing the 150-seat McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft.

Northwest Airlines had 61% of the market share, United Express at 30% Delta Connection at 4% and Allegiant Air at 5% with a daily average of 1,647 passengers both arriving and departing.

--------------------------Dec-06 Dec- 05 % Change YTD2006 YTD2005 % Change
Total Passengers:---------51,054 50,105 1.9% 609,731 549,209 11.0%
Enplaned Passengers:------25,524 25,384 0.6% 305,218 275,200 10.9%
Deplaned Passengers:------25,530 24,721 3.3% 304,513 274,009 11.1%

From: http://www.fargoairport.com

No offense to Grand Forks, but I sure hope they aren't able to lure Frontier into GFK Airport. Good thing is, according to the Forum, were in the running apparently to get them at Hector as well. I think the Denver market is already saturated by United, but who knows, maybe it will drive down prices even more. Just hope GFK loses out on it, because I know ALOT of folks come down here to fly. It's just that convenient.

Now if we could just get one of the current airlines, or a new one to open up something to the east, like Cincinnati, Cleveland, Atlanta, St. Louis, etc...

:tup:

[NanoBison]

I saw the coolest thing today. I was driving on Main Avenue and a vintage trolley drove by me with "Fargo Trolley" written on it. I didn't have enough of a chance though to snap a picture of it. Plus I was driving.... :(

[F-Misthebest]

Grand Junction Restaurant is going to build another location at 3501 25 St S in Fargo.

[F-Misthebest]

Look What I Found!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.fmmetrocog.org/announcements/fmcogdemo.pdf

[NanoBison]

Look What I Found!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.fmmetrocog.org/announcements/fmcogdemo.pdf

Very nice find FM, I would love to see the FM Area hit the 280,000 mark by 2035. That's only 28 years away. There's alot of work that needs to be done before we hit that point though. It's also going to take the continued fuel and energy of people like us on this board, and the leadership we have in the area.

:tup:

[SmileyBoy]

Very nice find FM, I would love to see the FM Area hit the 280,000 mark by 2035. That's only 28 years away. There's alot of work that needs to be done before we hit that point though. It's also going to take the continued fuel and energy of people like us on this board, and the leadership we have in the area.

:tup:

Looks like the 2005 Fargo population was 97,610 and the metro population (2-county - Cass/Clay) was 192,000.

90,000 expected growth in the next 28 years?? AWESOME!!! Almost an increase of 50 percent from 2005-2035!!

Cass County already has almost 137,000 and Clay has over 55,000. Interesting...

I think 282,000 is a good projection to make for 2035, with somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 in the 4-county by 2050 (43 years from now). Moorhead is starting to boom now like it has never boomed before, and West Fargo continues its growth that is unprecedented in the state, so I think 282,000 in the metro (Maybe 315,000 in the 4-county by then) isn't too risky of a prediction. You're looking at about 2025 or so where the Fargo-Moorhead area becomes equal to what Boise, Idaho is today. I've always thought that F-M was a city 20 years in growth behind Boise. There would need to be growth of about 185,000 in the 4-county metro in a 15-year period to reach half a million by 2050. Daunting task, but I think it could happen. FM Metro COG did good work.

I drove around today and saw tons of new buildings being built, and I have no idea what most of them are. New strip malls, apartment complexes, etc. I can't even keep up anymore. I have personally observed the city's construction progress since I arrived here in the summer of 2003, and I can honestly say that I'm noticing a lot more projects going up at one time than I saw three and a half years ago. I mean, I can't even keep up with all this stuff. My old blog is useless now, because I couldn't keep up with everything. I think Urban Plains will be the rocket booster for the growth in F-M, IMO. Once that is established, you have four empty square miles in SW Fargo and West Fargo that will be ready to feed off that growth. A new retail corridor, 57th Street, may be the centre of that. Once that overpass is completed over I-94, KABOOM!!!!!

[SmileyBoy]

Check this out:

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/msn%20screen%20grab.jpg
Fargo’s ranking is highlighted on msn.com’s home page in this screen capture Tuesday.

Fargo ‘great’ for job seekers
Craig McEwen, The Forum
Published Wednesday, January 17, 2007

http://www.in-forum.com/gfx/photos/full/0117top%20employment2%20copy.jpg

Fargo and Bismarck have been named the top two cities among 15 chosen by CareerBuilder.com as a “great” place for job seekers.

Fargo took top billing with a 1.5 percent unemployment rate and $32,580 mean annual wage. Bismarck placed second, posting a 1.9 percent unemployment rate and mean wage average of $31,580.

The article by CareerBuilder.com writer Meg Donohue featured 15 cities with unemployment rates below the 4.5 percent national average, based on 2006 figures provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“It confirms what we’ve been hearing and seeing from state business leaders,” said North Dakota Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle.

Efforts to create “great jobs” in North Dakota have tightened the labor market and driven up wages, he said.

Fargo’s ranking is highlighted on msn.com’s home page in this screen capture Tuesday.

“It’s an indication of the healthy nature of our current economy,” said Brian Walters, president of the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation.

“We’ve been ahead of pace in job creation,” he said, producing a local economy that has more opportunities at this point than workers.

Fargo has had the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. for the past three months and consistently during the past two years, Walters said.

“That statistic alone shows that it’s a great market for potential employees,” he said.

“That’s evidence that we can grow the economy even in face of a tight labor market,” Goettle said. “This is a good problem to have from an economic standpoint.”

Fargo has also had income growth exceeding the national average for the past five years and again in 2006, Walters said.

The CareerBuilder.com article listed education, health and social service comprising the largest percentage of the Fargo work force at 22.8 percent.

In Bismarck, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining reflected the highest work force percentage at 32.7 percent.

“We must be doing something right,” said Russ Staiger, president of the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association.

Both cities tend to rank high on several types of lists that are released by various organizations, he said.

“That says a lot about the communities and state and the efforts they are putting forth to make us quality communities,” Staiger said.

It wasn’t long ago, Goettle said, that North Dakota was creating jobs to keep people in the state.

“Now we’ve transitioned to having to bring people in from outside the state,” to fill positions in the existing job market, he said.

[SmileyBoy]

Public gets last look at downtown plan
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Wednesday, January 17, 2007

A performing arts center. New city halls. Only one set of train tracks running through downtown. No more one-way avenues in downtown Fargo.

They’re all possibilities, and they were all on display Tuesday as the public got its last chance to review recommendations for the future of downtown Fargo- Moorhead.

Open houses were held in each city’s downtown to allow citizens to review the latest draft of the Downtown Framework Plan. The plan is an update of similar downtown plans adopted by Moorhead in 2000 and by Fargo in 2002.

The latest draft incorporates input from a steering committee and about 50 people who attended a planning session in Moorhead in October, said Bob Kost of project consultant Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. of Minneapolis.

One theme arising from that session was that people from cities want the two downtowns to feel more seamless and connected, Kost said.

As a result, one recommendation is to enhance the Red River bridges at First Avenue North and NP Avenue/Center Avenue with new railings and streetscape elements. Revamping Fargo’s Main Avenue also would help link it with redevelopment on the Moorhead side, he said.

A final draft of the plan will be presented to city leaders for review next month.

Paul Gleye, chairman of Fargo’s Historic Preservation Commission, was one of about 20 people who had attended the Fargo open house by 1 p.m. Tuesday. Gleye scribbled down notes on a comment sheet as he looked at each recommendation.

“Generally, I think they’re really outstanding because they respect the context and existing historical development and fill around them,” he said.

Fargo Senior Planner Bob Stein said the plan also serves as somewhat of a marketing tool because it removes doubts among developers about the types of land use being considered downtown.

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

Go to http://www.fmmetrocog.org and click on the link at the left. There are a TON of goodies in that file.

[SmileyBoy]

Hold onto your hats, kids... These are some proposals for downtown:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/Rendering4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/Rendering5.jpg

Proposed redevelopment along Main Avenue in Fargo:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/Rendering2.jpg

Proposed redevelopment in DT Moorhead:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/Rendering3.jpg

CHECK THIS SHIT OUT:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/Rendering1.jpg

^^^^^^LOVE THIS!!!!!!^^^^^^

:worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Like that commercial "Things that make ya go Mmmmmm"

[jwmn]

1). I think the article about Fargo being great for job seekers is a little bit bogus. It looks like they based this entirely on Fargo's really low unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is great, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are lots of great job opportunities or that there is little job competition. You have to consider other factors like wages, underemployment, and the number and types of jobs being created. You can have a low unemployment rate but still have a lot of competition for high-paying jobs. I'm not saying Fargo is bad for job seekers. It's getting better. It may be better than other cities of comparable size. But to say it's one of the best cities for job seekers just because of its low unemployment rate isn't very accurate. Most large cities will provide better opportunities for job seekers despite their higher unemployment rates.

2). I really don't like the idea of turning the one-way streets in downtown to two-ways. I drive through downtown everyday on my commute to work, and it's really nice having the one-ways.

3). The other proposals for downtown, however, all look great. I especially like the idea of redeveloping the Mid-America Steel site by replacing it with a mid-rise or high-rise building and green space.

[jwmn]

To expand upon my previous point about Fargo being great for job seekers, the North Dakota Dept of Commerce notes that "this low unemployment rate is deceiving, for North Dakota has a significant amount of underemployed workers.

"For example, Marvin Windows and Doors needed 60 employees for a new facility. The company had to stop accepting applications after 550 people responded....

"North Dakota’s underemployed represent potential workers. They are individuals working in a job well below their skill level or training."
http://www.growingnd.com/index.asp?Section=Detail&PageID=185

A 2006 study by the state of North Dakota shows that 24% of the labor force in the Fargo-Moorhead area consists of potential job seekers. This mostly consists of people who are employed but would like to change jobs.
http://www.ndcommerce.com/wfd/labor-avail/Fargo%20LAS%20%202006.pdf

[F-Misthebest]

I don't even know where to begin!!!! The National advertisement, the great downtown proposals, and the lowest unemployment. Hmmmmmmm... this place is purty good. I was so going to go to the Downtown meeting at the Kassenborg Building in downtown Moorhead, but I was so tired from earlier that Tuesday that I just couldn't go. These renderings for downtown are amazing! The last picture though, looks like mountains in the backround at first but then I relized they were just trees. :) Downtown Fargo-Moorhead is just going to start booming with new jobs, buildings, and a more hip urban look. In the MetroCog document it said that the Moorhead Center Mall was going to get a major facelift as well as building a new mall in the east part of Downtown Moorhead.

With Urban Plains, the downtown improvments, and everything else going on, I believe 2007 will be a huge year for building. Way over $500,000,000. Fargo-Moorhead is so going in a Boise direction (without the mountains of course... and hills). With these improvements the aarea will boom even more than it all ready is.

[NanoBison]

1). I think the article about Fargo being great for job seekers is a little bit bogus. It looks like they based this entirely on Fargo's really low unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is great, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are lots of great job opportunities or that there is little job competition. You have to consider other factors like wages, underemployment, and the number and types of jobs being created. You can have a low unemployment rate but still have a lot of competition for high-paying jobs. I'm not saying Fargo is bad for job seekers. It's getting better. It may be better than other cities of comparable size. But to say it's one of the best cities for job seekers just because of its low unemployment rate isn't very accurate. Most large cities will provide better opportunities for job seekers despite their higher unemployment rates.

Well I wouldn't go as far as to say it's totally bogus, but I can definitely see where you're coming from on the opinions. I still think we have quite a bit of work to do before we get to a really high level of job creation. But, by no means are we struggling. It's just another straw in the hat, to the whole picture of how good it is to be in the FM area right now.

:tup:


2). I really don't like the idea of turning the one-way streets in downtown to two-ways. I drive through downtown everyday on my commute to work, and it's really nice having the one-ways.

I'm partial on it. I can see why they want to do it. It's the old idea of, if we slow things down a little bit, maybe a potential customer will stop in and buy something. Same principal those smaller towns in North Dakota use when you drive through them on the highway.

However, at times I get really annoyed with Broadway, becuase I get stuck in a line that can't move until the line going the other way moves, and it's not to going move until the train passes, which won't be for another 5 minutes. It also stinks getting stuck behind someone who is obviously from out of town and has no idea where they are going. That's why I like NP and 1st. Just change lanes and move ahead of them. I really hope they stick with the one ways. I think they could even extend them all the way out to Highway 10 in Moorhead, if they wanted to.


3). The other proposals for downtown, however, all look great. I especially like the idea of redeveloping the Mid-America Steel site by replacing it with a mid-rise or high-rise building and green space.

I couldn't agree more. Bring on Konrad Olson, his time to shine is now. :banana:

[NanoBison]

Hold onto your hats, kids... These are some proposals for downtown:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/Rendering1.jpg

^^^^^^LOVE THIS!!!!!!^^^^^^

:worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:

I have to say, I am quite impressed with what FMMetroCOG came up with for this framework recommendation. If the city and business leaders are able to see fruition of these plans and recommendations, I see ALOT more people in North Dakota packing up and moving to the big city on the East Coast of the state. It will just be too good to pass up to live somewhere else in the state. I can also see us eventually growing rapidly in the next couple of decades. Especially if the US is supposed to absorb another 100 million in population. We're setting ourselves up for ripe development opportunities. The entire Midwest should literally start to explode in the next 10-20 years. All we need is a LARGE employer (whether brought in or built up from scratch here, like Micron in Boise Idaho) and just watch a cluster of businesses start up and move in. Boom goes the economy. Boom goes the population. Boom goes downtown.

I'm really excited to see what developers announce this Spring as the construction season starts up!

(Like it ever stopped for the winter ... :haha:)

p.s. We surpassed 30,000 views a few days ago...Congrats to all on the board who posted... We are also now the largest thread in the Midwestern section, but don't tell the Indy : The Start people.... :haha:

[F-Misthebest]

I just wanted all Fargoans to know that The City of Fargo would like pictures of Fargo for their website. I believe we could give them a lot of our pics that we have taken and posted here. All the pics that are there now (and there's not that many) were all taken by the same guy so lets all do it. Here's the link to the page: http://apps.cityoffargo.com/newsevents.asp?id=1200

[NanoBison]

Oh man, this is going to take some effort, considering I can no longer "search for all previous posts"....

:(

[F-Misthebest]

A little birdie told me that his mom is going to be opening Boston's Restaurant in Fargo. Just something I'd like you to know. :)

[NanoBison]

Did that little Birdie happen to mention where that Bostons may be going?

[zifnib]

I was wondering what kind of demographic is on this site? I think it would be cool to know more about the people who post on these boards...

I am a 24 year old Software Engineer/NDSU Computer Science student. I now think though if I was to redo things I would go into civil engineering so I could be a city planner because I am so interested in this stuff...

[SmileyBoy]

I was wondering what kind of demographic is on this site? I think it would be cool to know more about the people who post on these boards...

I am a 24 year old Software Engineer/NDSU Computer Science student. I now think though if I was to redo things I would go into civil engineering so I could be a city planner because I am so interested in this stuff...

I'm 24 myself, going for my B.F.A. at NDSU. I plan on being either an animator or architectural renderer, but I'm fascinated with urban development.

[NanoBison]

I'm 27, going for a Masters in Computer Science, and work at the NDSU tech park. In my spare time I'm working on side projects that I'm cooking up and will soon unleash onto the world. Don't worry, they're just websites....

[zifnib]

Hey Nano,

Your not by any chance in professor Du's Monday night CSCI 459/659 class this semester are you?

[NanoBison]

Nope, sorry, I haven't had Dr. Du for any classes. In fact, all I have left is writing my paper and defending. No more class work :)

[SmileyBoy]

I was reading in the Forum that in West Fargo, they expect the population of the city to exceed 24,000 people by the time all buildings are complete that have been issued permits (within the next 18 months or so).

25,000 for West Fargo in the 2010 Census now looks like a good possibility.

[NanoBison]

Minot better watch the heck out. West Fargo is on track to over take them in the next decade. Wouldn't that be amazing? 2 of the 4 largest cities in North Dakota are in the FM metro. If W.F. does manage to make it to 25,000 people, I can definitely see the city of Fargo, leveling off, at this time, around 100,000 people. I'm assuming a good chunk of people, that now reside in W.F. originally came from Fargo. I could be wrong though... Perhaps someone should start working on a new suburb to the north of the cities...

[Greco Roman]

Question:

Why isn't there a Grand Forks development thread? I'm curious to know what developments are happening in that city, especially any concering columbia mall.

[SmileyBoy]

Question:

Why isn't there a Grand Forks development thread? I'm curious to know what developments are happening in that city, especially any concering columbia mall.


Because Grand Forks is a city with no hope.:banana:

[Greco Roman]

Because Grand Forks is a city with no hope.:banana:

Somehow I don't believe that. With the recent Canad Inns suits and water park, along with the Aleur (sp?) Centre built a few years ago, along with all the Winnipeg tourists that head down for weekend retreats, I'm sure there is hope for Grand Forks. ;)

[SmileyBoy]

Somehow I don't believe that. With the recent Canad Inns suits and water park, along with the Aleur (sp?) Centre built a few years ago, along with all the Winnipeg tourists that head down for weekend retreats, I'm sure there is hope for Grand Forks. ;)

All the Winnipeg tourists are coming down to Fargo. You should see the number of Manitoba license plates at West Acres Mall here on weekends.

Basically Grand Forks is losing out because it's getting its business stolen away by Fargo-Moorhead.

[SmileyBoy]

BTW guys, Hollister is now open at West Acres.

Remember this list from last year??

Jimmy John's
Bruegger's Bagels
Chipotle
Panera Bread
Dunn Bros. Coffee
Dave & Buster's
CompUSA
Pottery Barn
Dick's Sporting Goods
The Men's Wearhouse
Circuit City
Popeye's Fried Chicken
Marshall's
Hollister
Apple Store
Staples
Romano's Macaroni Grill
Ultimate Electronics
Borders Books
Boston Market
White Castle
Lids
Old Country Buffet
DSW Shoe Warehouse
Costco
Joe's Crab Shack
Houlihan's
Cinnabon
REI
Cabela's
Whole Foods
Noodle's & Company
Jamba Juice
The Sports Authority
Champs Sports
Baskin-Robbins
California Pizza Kitchen
P.F. Chang's
Buca di Beppo
Don Pablo's
Benihana
Sonic
Fuddruckers
Tony Roma's
Stein Mart
Archiver's
Williams Sonoma
Crate & Barrel
Fatburger
Bally's Fitness

2 down, 48 to go.:D

[JoeJoe]

My thoughts on some of the "List of 50" and how they affect F/M...

Chipotle - amazed we don't have one yet, seems to be the next Starbucks...
Dave & Buster's - would be a nice addition to the food selection.
CompUSA - not likely, it's hard to establish locations in BestBuy's backyard.
Dick's Sporting Goods - market may already be over saturated for sporting goods...
Circuit City - yea, another retailer that would have a tough time in BestBuy's backyard.
Popeye's Fried Chicken - excellent chicken, I wish we had one but don't know how well received it would be...
Marshall's - can the metro support ANOTHER department retailer?
Hollister - Thank goodness they're here now, I don't have to drive to Minneapolis to get their clothing anymore
Apple Store - I think Apple would be pleasantly surprised by how well a store would do here, though one of the smaller size ones.
Staples - since we have OfficeMax and Office Depot and other sizable local companies I don't view this one as very likely.
Borders Books - I think the market would support it, surprised we don't have one yet.
Boston Market - this would be a nice addition to the food choices of F/M.
Costco - I'm sure we're on the verge (w/in 5 years) of getting a Costco
Houlihan's - they opened one in Bismarck and it didn't do too well, unfortunately they may extrapolate that onto the entire state.
REI - again, the market maybe over-saturated.
Cabela's - market over-saturation...
Jamba Juice - we NEED at least one location. Downtown and the West Acres area I think would be ripe for a Jamba Juice...
Sonic - sorry ladies and gents, pretty sure we're too far north for this one, the Chicago metro area doesn't even have these.
Bally's Fitness - how bad is this market going to be over-saturated by Snap and 24hr Fitness.

Just my 2 cents. :yes:

[F-Misthebest]

About Boston's, she said she wanted to build it on the southwest corner of 52th Avenue South and 25th Street South.

[SmileyBoy]

About Boston's, she said she wanted to build it on the southwest corner of 52th Avenue South and 25th Street South.

I thought that was a residential zone. Don't you mean 52nd and 45th??

[F-Misthebest]

Nope, it's going to be a strip mall with outlots and one of the outlots is Boston's, hopefully.

[F-Misthebest]

Menards in store for Moorhead
The Forum
Published Friday, February 02, 2007

Plans to build a Menards store on the corner of 52nd Avenue South and Interstate 29 in Fargo were recently scrapped, but across the river construction on Moorhead’s new store continues.

“It will be one of the largest Menards stores, with more than 225,000 feet of covered space including the interior store, interior yard and exterior warehouse,” said Jeff Abbott, spokesman for the Eau Claire, Wis.-based home improvement retailer. Moorhead’s store is projected to open this fall. The store will employ more than 200 people at full strength, Abbott said.

The Moorhead opening will mark the company’s 36th store in Minnesota. Menards also owns North Dakota stores in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Minot. Nationwide, the company, founded in 1960, owns more than 200 stores.

The Moorhead City Council in 2005 approved the sale of 60 acres to Menards at a price of $6.3 million. The city is using profits from the sale to finance parks improvements. The new store, off Interstate 94, was formerly home to the Moorview Soccer Complex.

http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/9787/mrmenardslo5.jpg

[sodak]

Not so quick Smiley... that $100 million dollar development is in the "vision" stages. They haven't even identified what the funding sources will be for it or the time table, even though from the articles I've read it's about a decade, and also it has yet to be approved by any form of city government. I look at this as Sioux Falls' attempt at a CityScapes Project. Let them bask in the glory and excitement of having a project that large proposed for their city.

Then next couple years, we'll see if it actually even pans out. It may. It may not.
QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Developers, mayor agree on $150 million project
Plans include housing, hotel, entertainment

By MELANIE BRANDERT
mbrander@argusleader.com
Published: February 3, 2007
Developers who are trying to revitalize part of downtown with the Uptown at Falls Park project received the green light Friday to buy land.

Craig Lloyd, one of Uptown's partners, and Sioux Falls Mayor Dave Munson signed a preliminary development agreement to allow the $150 million project to move forward.

Munson said the project would create modern housing as well as businesses and entertainment. Its effect will be enormous, the mayor said.

"We can see the vision these people have and what it means to downtown in the 21st century," he said.

The Uptown area runs from Phillips to Main avenues and Second to Fifth streets. Developers are buying city-owned vacant land in the three-block area.

Their vision includes a 12-story hotel, 500 residential units and at least 200,000 square feet of commercial space for offices, retail businesses and restaurants. They are refurbishing existing buildings on Main Avenue, tying them in with the new development on Phillips.

A potential Uptown Archery building, to be done the next two years, will be east of those historical structures. Glass atriums would link buildings over Third and Fourth streets.

North of that, a hotel or apartment building would feature a swimming pool that overlooks Falls Park and a tennis court. That is set for 2009 to 2012.

Farther north, a future site for a hotel, meetings rooms and retail is planned for 2012 to 2015. The structures would have underground parking with 1,700 spaces.

The real estate market - and whomever developers line up for tenants - is expected to drive much of what is built.

City Councilor Kermit Staggers said the project will eliminate an eyesore and create wonderful buildings and opportunities for people to live and develop new businesses.

"When this project is completed, we'll probably have one of the finest downtown or uptown areas of any community in the Midwest," Staggers said. "It's something we can be very proud of."


Seriously, I hope this works out. I also hope that Fargo can put something together like this too. Wasn't there some discussion of some high rises in Fargo? Where do those stand?

[F-Misthebest]

All those projects are just proposed as well but most likely going to go through or some projects very very similar to them. Also a private developer wants to build a high rise hotel on the river. It would be the tallest building in North Dakota, taller then the capitol.

[sodak]

Good. I'd really like to see Fargo and Sioux Falls as twin anchors to thier states economic revivals. I'm stoked to see North Dakota is growing again too.

Hopefully we can show people across the country how great it is to live here.

[NanoBison]

According to the Forum, a developer would like to raze two delapitated houses on the block across from the NDSU Library and then build a three storey structure with retail on the first floor and apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Should be interesting. According to the article the architecture will attempt to flow with NDSU's general building architecture...

Here's the article (http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=156052&section=news)

[Justin_144]

Hmmm interesting...just as I was thinking about that school too

[F-Misthebest]

Dispute may go before lawyers
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Thursday, February 15, 2007

After losing their battle with the Fargo Planning Commission, opponents of a senior housing project that would shrink their neighborhood park said they plan to talk to a lawyer before the matter reaches the City Commission on Feb. 26.

The Planning Commission capped a 2½-hour public hearing Wednesday by voting unanimously in favor of a zoning change that would allow the Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority to build a 39-unit senior housing complex behind New Horizons Manor, 2525 Broadway.

The Housing Authority owns the land, but it has been treated as part of Friendship Park for more than 30 years.

Deb Nordby, whose home borders the south edge of the park, said she will consult an attorney about whether residents have any rights to the land because it’s been used as a public park for so long.

More than 100 citizens packed a City Hall meeting room to speak for and against the housing project.

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/438/021520friendship20park2bb6.jpg

Maureen Splettstaszer said she and her husband wouldn’t have moved into their house at the southeast corner of the park in October had they known about the project.

“I am not against elderly housing. I am against the loss of green space,” she said.

Karen Moore, whose parents are retired, spoke in favor of the project, as did New Horizons Manor resident Virginia Hanson, 94.

“Someday we will have a plot of grass to sleep in, but now we need it to live in,” Hanson said.

Historical records show the Housing Authority always intended to use the land for housing, Fargo Senior Planner Jim Hinderaker said.

Opponents had suggested the Housing Authority swap land with the Fargo Park District to move the housing project to Yunker Farm. But Hinderaker said a 1974 land-use covenant states that the Park District must forever use Yunker Farm “for public park and recreational use and for that purpose only.”

Abandoned restaurant sites along Broadway that also were suggested as alternative sites already are reserved by private developers, he said.

Splettstaszer, who has a 2-year-old daughter, said the housing complex would split the park and obstruct parents’ views of their children.

“A setup like this is an opportune place for a child molester or a child abductor because they have easy road access and they can get a child out of that park in no time,” she said.

Project opponent Roger Finch went a step further, referring to a 59-year-old homeless man who recently pleaded guilty to molesting an autistic boy in a St. Paul park.

“If this housing project goes through, this man could conceivably be living right next to our park,” he said.

Fundingsland said the Housing Authority refuses to house sex offenders. Planning Commission Chairman John Q. Paulsen said he didn’t follow Finch’s rationale.

“With all due respect, I have a hard time concluding that age or low-income housing increases the propensity for child molestation,” he said.

The senior housing complex would accept residents ages 55 and older with an income range of about $13,650 to $27,300, Fundingsland said.

Fundingsland and other supporters said the site is ideal because of its proximity to the Northport Shopping Center and a clinic, and because of the opportunity to share services with New Horizons Manor.

Because at least 20 percent of the property owners within 300 feet of the site are protesting the zoning request, it will require approval by four of the five city commissioners.


Readers can reach Forum reporter

Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528

[F-Misthebest]

Arena plans uncovered
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Friday, February 16, 2007

Developers have been tight-lipped about next week’s news conference to announce a major hockey complex in south Fargo, and with good reason: They still don’t know exactly what they’ll be announcing.

Documents obtained Thursday by The Forum through an open records request and verified by a project official help to shed some more light on the Urban Plains Center and Tournament Facility.

Representatives of Urban Plains by Brandt plan to unveil the project during a news conference Thursday.

However, the facility’s tenants – including possibly a United States Hockey League Junior A hockey team – haven’t been nailed down. Wrinkles such as financing and who will own and operate the facility also still have to be ironed out.

“Things change every day,” said Todd Berning, development director for Icon Architectural Group, a partner in Urban Plains.


http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4396/0216arenaoutzs9.jpghttp://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9900/0216insidearenato7.jpg

Urban Plains’ Web site says a groundbreaking for the facility will take place in spring 2007, and that it is scheduled to open in fall 2009, but Berning said officials hope to push the opening up to November 2008.

The $34 million facility – a $20 million main arena plus four additional ice sheets – will host Fargo youth hockey, high school hockey for Fargo Public Schools and Shanley High School, and, developers hope, the USHL team, according to Berning, who confirmed the documents obtained Thursday, including a list of “quick facts” about the facility.

The main arena will seat 4,500 for hockey and 5,000 for major high school basketball games. Forty suites also are for sale in the main arena.

The total cost of the project is $42 million, which includes the land being donated by developer Ace Brandt.

According to Berning and the fact sheet:

- The center may eventually host ice shows, exhibition hockey games and basketball tournaments – but no concerts.

“There’s no time, and we don’t want to get into that risky business,” Berning said.

- It will employ the equivalent of 40 full-time workers.

- The center will be a public facility open for anyone to use, but Fargo Public Schools, Shanley High School, the USHL team and youth hockey will get scheduling priority.

A public charitable nonprofit foundation will oversee the construction and financing of the center and own it, while a separate company may be set up to manage the facility, Berning said.

Fargo Public Schools and the Fargo Park District will likely have representatives on each board but no financial stake in the center’s construction, officials said Thursday.

“We have no capital in this thing at all,” said Dan Huffman, assistant superintendent of Fargo Public Schools.

Boys and girls hockey teams from Fargo North, Fargo South and the planned third high school in far south Fargo will rent the facility on an hourly basis, Huffman said.

As a fundraising tool, Fargo youth hockey teams will sell passes good for entrance into all hockey events at the center, with the exception of tournaments and USHL games, Huffman and Berning said.

The center will save the park district from having to spend $1.2 million to $6.5 million to renovate the John E. Carlson Coliseum in north Fargo, said Roger Gress, district executive director.

“This is going to take it off the roll of the taxpayer and put it in the hands of private enterprise, and God bless them if they can make it work,” Gress said.

Public financing may still play a role in the facility. Minutes from a Jan. 18 meeting with school, park and hockey officials indicate that Urban Plains officials plan to contact the city to discuss tax-increment financing options for the center.

“It’s an idea for infrastructure,” Berning said.

Often described as a city-within-a-city, Urban Plains by Brandt is a 328-acre development bordered by 45th Street on the east, 57th Street on the west, 32nd Avenue South on the south and 26th Avenue on the north.

An early budget prepared for the Urban Plains Center in December indicated it will be financed largely with bonds, which will be paid back with revenue from rental fees, concessions, sales of suites and club seats, merchandise sales and advertising.

Another document prepared in December indicated the center will need a waiver on property taxes and special assessments.

Urban Plains officials have been reluctant to release details to the media before Thursday’s news conference.

Berning said Urban Plains officials don’t want to release details that are continually changing. They also want to make a big splash at the news conference, he said.

“It’s about marketing and creating excitement, that’s all,” he said.

“We need to move forward one way or another, and I hope it all works out next week,” he added.


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

[F-Misthebest]

Wal-Mart plans 2nd in Fargo
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Friday, February 16, 2007

Wal-Mart has an agreement to buy land for a second Supercenter in south Fargo, a company spokesman said Thursday.

Ryan Horn, community affairs manager for Wal-Mart, confirmed that the retail giant has a purchase agreement with Las Vegas-based developer Larry Scheffler.

Scheffler said the store will sit on about 25 acres in the southwest corner of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South, in his 277-acre development known as The District at the Lakes.

“We’re very excited. They’re the No. 1 retailer in the world, of course. It’s our premier location,” he said.

Horn declined to discuss details about the site. He said Wal-Mart hopes to make an announcement soon about the Supercenter but doesn’t want to rush the process.

“Obviously, there are sensitive neighbors around there, so we want to make sure we get everything right,” he said.

Neighborhood opposition was a factor in the Fargo Planning Commission’s decision last April to deny a change to the city’s growth plan that would have allowed Wal-Mart to build a supercenter northeast of I-29 and 52nd Avenue South.

Wal-Mart later terminated its purchase agreement with landowners Fred and Earlyne Hector.

Fargo Planning Director Jim Gilmour said Scheffler’s site is a good place for large-scale retail development because it’s along major streets and there isn’t existing housing in the immediate area.

Scheffler has asked the city to approve a preliminary plat of the land and extend utilities and a paved road to the site. The Planning Commission could hear his requests as early as April 11, Senior Planner Jim Hinderaker said.

Scheffler said he also will ask the city to widen 52nd Avenue from I-29 to 45th Street in 2008 to coincide with the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s interchange reconstruction project. City Engineer Mark Bittner said the city’s Finance Committee will consider the milelong widening project, estimated to cost$5 million to $6 million, including utilities.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter will have a brick facade and won’t look like a typical Wal-Mart store, said Scheffler, who is working with an architect on design standards for The District.

“It’s not their typical blue box with a white stripe on it,” he said. “They’ve taken a major leap forward on design.”

Horn said the south Fargo area is a fast-growing market.

“It’s still a neighborhood that is very under-retailed,” he said, adding that retail development in that area will boost the tax base for the city and Fargo School District.

Scheffler’s development is bordered by I-29 on the east, 45th Street on the west and 52nd Avenue on the north.

The Barnesville, Minn., native plans to create an upscale neighborhood and shopping center with up to three big-box retail stores on the east and west sides, 300 to 400 housing units, a lifestyle center, restaurants and offices beside man-made lakes.


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

[F-Misthebest]

UP Center glance
The Forum
Published Friday, February 16, 2007

Cost: $34 million, or $42 million with land

Number of seats: 5,000 (basketball, volleyball); 4,500 (hockey); 2,200 and 3,500 for other events.

Suites: 40

Club seats: 300

Tenants: Fargo Youth hockey, Fargo Public Schools and Shanley High School

Who else: Will be a public facility with scheduling priority for schools, the Junior hockey tenant and the Fargo Youth Hockey clubs

Employees: Expected to employ approximately 40 full-time

Land: To be donated by the developer Ace Brandt

Slated to open: November 2008

For more information:

[F-Misthebest]

Buildings crop up on Plains
The Forum
Published Saturday, February 17, 2007

A proposed $34 million hockey complex would easily be the largest building in Urban Plains by Brandt, but it certainly won’t be the first.

The “city within a city” in southwest Fargo is quickly taking shape.

Work is expected to wrap up in April on a 40,000-square-foot building that will be the first phase of the Urban Plains Medical Park. To the south, structural steel is being erected for an office building.

“I think people are seeing that it’s finally becoming a reality out there,” said Blake Nybakken, Urban Plains spokesman.

Brothers Ace Brandt and Tyler Brandt first presented plans for a major development to city planners in January 2003.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5522/021720urban20plains20cozx0.jpg

Back then, they were planning a 640-acre commercial, retail and housing development between 45th and 57th streets and divided by 32nd Avenue South.

Urban Plains consists of Ace Brandt’s

328 acres north of 32nd Avenue. When finished, it will feature businesses, retail shops, restaurants, condos and townhouses, the medical park and a recreational park, all connected by walkways.

“It’s considered a walkable community,” Nybakken said. “Within just that half-section, we’re going to have over 13 miles of walking trails.”

Construction on the first retail tenant, Taco Bell, is expected to start this spring, Nybakken said. Discussions are under way with other restaurants, as well, he said.

Work also will likely start this spring on a “lifestyle center” retail mall, he said.

The number of housing units in the development will depend on the size and types of housing built, Nybakken said, adding that the plans don’t include single-family homes.

“We’re probably going to start a condo project on the north end this spring or summer,” he said.

One of the most impressive features of Urban Plains could be a 23-acre park running north and south through the center of the development.

The park will feature a

10-acre recreational pond with a filtration system, a public sand beach, waterfall feature, fountains, a sculpture plaza, walking and biking trails, a stage and an amphitheater.

The pond is being excavated and should be a functional body of water by the end of this year, Nybakken said.

Last week, the Fargo Park Board authorized the sale of $1.09 million in bonds to finance the first phase of the park. The overall park will be built in four phases and take three years to complete at a cost of about $6 million, said Jim Larson, finance director for the Fargo Park District.

“It’s an exciting project,” he said.

Urban Plains officials have said they hope to start construction on the Urban Plains Center and Tournament Facility this spring and have it open by November 2008. Plans call for a main arena that will seat 4,500 people for hockey and four additional ice sheets.

Nybakken said the developers have received a lot of interest in buying condos or buying land to move businesses into Urban Plains.

“I think the consensus is that this is going to be a nice development and a good addition to the city of Fargo,” he said.


Readers can reach Forum reporter

Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528

[Ex-Ithacan]

That hockey complex looks great. Impressive for a city Fargo's size.

[SmileyBoy]

Hey, they're gonna build a Taco Bell there!! ;)

Great for the arena too. I think F-M can support an AHL franchise at that arena once the Winnipeg Jets come back. I made some comments about it in the In-Forum discussion.

I've been busy working on a project, which is why I haven't posted here lately. But I'm still interested in all the news going on. There's also a lot of stuff going on in the city that it seems futile to keep up with it all. I think the reason Grand Forks Guy can keep up with his Grand Forks blog is because there's almost nothing happening up there, so it's easier to pay attention and not get overwhelmed.:haha:

Urban Plains is starting to take shape, and the arena will be built soon. It's awesome to see a wealthy guy like Ace Brandt step up and do some positive things for his city. Kudos to him.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hey Smiley, I was wondering what happened to you. Top Secret Project, eh?

[sodak]

Very cool hockey arena. I'm jealous of Fargo and its ability to build event centers and areans. Sioux Falls just can't seem to get its act together on those things. Our arena is only 6,500 seats and was built in the 1960s.

How did Fargo get the Fargodome built? Does anyone know?

[sodak]

Very cool hockey arena. I'm jealous of Fargo and its ability to build event centers and areans. Sioux Falls just can't seem to get its act together on those things. Our arena is only 6,500 seats and was built in the 1960s.

How did Fargo get the Fargodome built? Does anyone know?

[SmileyBoy]

Very cool hockey arena. I'm jealous of Fargo and its ability to build event centers and areans. Sioux Falls just can't seem to get its act together on those things. Our arena is only 6,500 seats and was built in the 1960s.

How did Fargo get the Fargodome built? Does anyone know?

The Fargodome got built in the early 90's mainly because of Bison football. Dacotah Field was becoming unfit for human habitation and was reeking of piss and rotten whiskey. The city of Fargo decided to build a new indoor stadium for the Bison across the street from the old stadium, and also make it basically the main convention center and arena for the city. This way, they were able to convince the taxpayers to contribute not necessarily towards a new Bison stadium, but a much-needed civic facility. There were no big-name concerts coming to the city at all at the time, which fueled the need.

What was built was essentially a football stadium, but can also be configured in other ways for conventions, trade shows, concerts, etc. Further renovations in 2002 and 2006 added additional conference space and new football facilities for the Bison. A 7,000-seat basketball arena is expected to be built connected to the west side of the stadium hopefully in 2008. I then hope by 2009 we will have all the bases covered as far as sports facilties go in this city.

I also hope by that time Sioux Falls can have its new events center built. The reason is that big name music acts can then have a legitimate reason to have one leg of their big tours go through the I-29 corridor (Fargo and Sioux Falls) if there are awesome facilities located in both cities.

[F-Misthebest]

I was just in Sioux Falls last weekend and it seems to being doing well. I went down to 69th Street to see all that development and that stuff is really schnazy. I went to the Falls and they were frozen, and our rapids in Fargo don't freeze so that boggled my mind but oh well. The new building downtown that is being built looks really nice. Go mid-sized, I-29, midwestern cities.:tup: ;)

[NanoBison]

Does anyone know if the UrbanPlains by Brandt has been officially halved? It was originally 640 acres. Are they only developing the first now and then later the second half? Or has the entire project been scaled down to the 328 acres reported in the paper? Hmmmmm..........

I hope it's this half first, then the second half later, depending on demand....

[F-Misthebest]

I'm pretty sure they're going to develop south of 32nd as well. I just have a feeling that I remember seeing that somewhere. And that half will be more single family homes.

[SmileyBoy]

I heard that the south half will start once the north half is complete. Apparently enough return has to be made on the first half of the investment before the second half can start. This is also contingent on 32nd Ave South west of 45th Street becoming paved and 4-laned. If this doesn't happen soon, the project may suffer.

[NanoBison]

I could also see that this would be highly contingent on getting that 9th Ave Overpass and Interstate Ramps installed pronto, otherwise, all the traffic of this development is going to be funneled through 32nd Ave and 45th St. Having two interstate access points for this development will definitely be a boon. I'm hoping this entire project is done in the next 10 years... that would be nice.

[F-Misthebest]

My thoughts on some of the "List of 50" and how they affect F/M...

Chipotle - amazed we don't have one yet, seems to be the next Starbucks...
Dave & Buster's - would be a nice addition to the food selection.
CompUSA - not likely, it's hard to establish locations in BestBuy's backyard.
Dick's Sporting Goods - market may already be over saturated for sporting goods...
Circuit City - yea, another retailer that would have a tough time in BestBuy's backyard.
Popeye's Fried Chicken - excellent chicken, I wish we had one but don't know how well received it would be...
Marshall's - can the metro support ANOTHER department retailer?
Hollister - Thank goodness they're here now, I don't have to drive to Minneapolis to get their clothing anymore
Apple Store - I think Apple would be pleasantly surprised by how well a store would do here, though one of the smaller size ones.
Staples - since we have OfficeMax and Office Depot and other sizable local companies I don't view this one as very likely.
Borders Books - I think the market would support it, surprised we don't have one yet.
Boston Market - this would be a nice addition to the food choices of F/M.
Costco - I'm sure we're on the verge (w/in 5 years) of getting a Costco
Houlihan's - they opened one in Bismarck and it didn't do too well, unfortunately they may extrapolate that onto the entire state.
REI - again, the market maybe over-saturated.
Cabela's - market over-saturation...
Jamba Juice - we NEED at least one location. Downtown and the West Acres area I think would be ripe for a Jamba Juice...
Sonic - sorry ladies and gents, pretty sure we're too far north for this one, the Chicago metro area doesn't even have these.
Bally's Fitness - how bad is this market going to be over-saturated by Snap and 24hr Fitness.

Just my 2 cents. :yes:

Hey Sioux Falls has one and I'm sure we are on the list of their next locations. Sioux Falls also has Champs(it's okay) and Chevy's(never eaten there). We need a Panera as well, Red Robin, Macaroni Grill, and a Carrabba's (we won't get that but we can always hope). I do think though with the District at the Lakes shopping complex and Urban Plains that we will see many new businesses all over the place.

The new Santa Lucia next to the Timerland Steakhouse is almost complete. Also the Pizza Hut near there that closed is now sold, it doesn't say what it's going to be. Maybe a Starbucks. ;) The new strip mall on the corner's of 25th Street and 13th Ave has many new tenats including, Blockbuster, Entree's, Starbucks, Taco Del Mar, and Extreme Pita. All of those except for Blockbuster have to do with food, that's why any new restaurant (local or chain) would do great! Saying that there is something in the area that I personally don't think we have enough is and that is good locally owned restaurants. I was in Sioux Falls and we ate at this restaurant near Augustana called Spezia. It's my favorite place there and I've been there now four times and it's locally owned. I don't want Fargo to just be chains, which it's not, but, I want to see more locally owned eateries open up.

[NanoBison]

*double post* - 15 minutes to post on the server? Jeeeesshh.... The actual post down below...

[NanoBison]

Business park plans revealed (http://www.in-forum.com/Business/articles/157250)
Craig McEwen, The Forum
Published Wednesday, February 21, 2007

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8476/hectorrenderinghf6.jpg

A new north Fargo business park is being established in the former Fargo Hector Airport terminal.

The Municipal Airport Authority on Tuesday announced plans for Hector Airport Business Park. The project includes renovating the former 27,000-square-foot east terminal and landscaping work. There is potential for additional buildings.

Click Title To Read More...

[F-Misthebest]

In need of repair
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Thursday, February 22, 2007

The downtown Fargo High Rise, home to nearly 250 low-income elderly and disabled people, needs at least a $12 million overhaul, the city’s top housing official said Wednesday.

Fargo’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority is trying to decide whether to do needed repairs to the building – officially know as the Lashkowitz High Rise – or sell it and use the proceeds to build housing elsewhere for tenants, said Lynn Fundingsland, executive director of the housing authority.

Either route will require tenants to relocate, at least temporarily if not permanently, he said.

“Because of all the relocation costs and whatnot, it might be cheaper to sell it than fix it,” he said.

Fargo developer Jim Roers is among several private developers and real estate agents who have expressed interest, Fundingsland said.

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/9562/highriseqy0.jpg

Roers declined to comment Wednesday, but several officials involved in recent meetings with him said his company is proposing a riverfront development project on the block, which is bordered by Second Street, Fourth Street and Main Avenue.

“They are looking at a potential exciting additional project for the downtown area,” said Dave Anderson, president of the Downtown Community Partnership.

Mayor Dennis Walaker said Roers presented city officials with a concept that involved the entire block.

“He did come and talk to us, and it was just a concept of his that he was thinking of, a grand idea for that whole area down there,” Walaker said. “To get all these people all excited about relocation and all that, there’s a lot of work that’s gone to be done before that’s considered.”

City Engineer Mark Bittner said the city would be interested in working with Roers to incorporate flood control into the riverfront project, should it materialize.

Fundingsland said the housing authority isn’t ready to make a commitment about the building’s future.

Built in 1970, the high-rise is Fargo’s second-tallest building – 8 feet shorter than the

207-foot Radisson Tower.

The sewer and water pipes are rotting throughout the building, Fundingsland said.

“In 2005, we had over $20,000 in plumbing bills, so that was kind of a wake-up call,” he said.

The housing authority hired an architect to do a capital-needs assessment for all of its housing facilities. Completed in January, the report says nearly $7.5 million in improvements are needed at the high-rise, including new plumbing and light fixtures, appliances, air handling systems and windows. The high-rise has an assessed value of $7.6 million.

Inflation, developers’ fees and other “soft costs” could push the total for repairs and remodeling to $12 million or more, Fundingsland said.

The rotting sewer lines run the height of the 22-story building and would require

60 tenants to relocate for three to four months at a time during construction, he said.

To accommodate that process, the housing authority would reserve units as they become vacant during the year prior to construction to create enough vacancies for the relocated tenants, Fundingsland said. Last year, 67 of the building’s 248 units had tenant turnover, he said.

However, keeping those units vacant also would mean less revenue for the housing authority, he said.

Selling the high-rise would require approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fundingsland said, adding HUD won’t allow a sale without a solid plan to relocate tenants to other public housing.

“The people we have there are on fixed income, so they really don’t have a lot of options,” he said.

The housing authority can’t promise to sell to a certain developer, Fundingsland said, adding any sale would have to go through a request-for-proposals process.

Proceeds from a sale would probably be enough to replace the high-rise units with new housing projects, although finding locations could be a challenge, Fundingsland said.

One benefit of building new housing is that it would provide separate accommodations for tenants over age 62 and younger disabled tenants, whose lifestyles aren’t always compatible, he said.

Sandra Schimelpfenig, 48, who lives on the 21st floor, said she hopes the housing authority fixes the building and maintains it as low-income public housing.

“It’s on the bus route and it’s in a good area and my fishing spot’s right across the street there,” she said, pointing to the Red River. “I think a lot of people would miss living here.”

Rick Klienschmidt, 59, said he loves the view of the river from his apartment and likes the food service, the prompt maintenance personnel and the fact that he’s within walking distance of the bus station.

“The place has a lot of advantages and you meet a lot of different people here. I’ve made a lot of friends,” he said.

The housing authority doesn’t have the money to fix the high-rise, Fundingsland said. It would have to pair up with a private partner that could take advantage of a federal low-income housing tax credit program.

The high-rise would be under private ownership for 15 years, but the housing authority would manage the building.

The tax credit program will be used to finance the planned remodeling of New Horizons Manor in north Fargo next year, Fundingsland said. Estimated at $5 million to $6 million, the project is slated to start in September 2008.

The housing authority would like to tackle the high-rise project the following year, but it will take a lot of planning in advance, he said.

“Anything we do, the tenants come first,” he said.


About the Lashkowitz High Rise

- The 22-story building at 101 2nd St. S. was built in 1970.

- At 199 feet tall, it’s the second-tallest building in Fargo – 8 feet shorter than the Radisson Tower.

- It has 248 low-income apartment units; 244 units are currently occupied.

- Sixty-seven units had tenant turnover in 2006.

- To be eligible to live in the high-rise, tenants must earn no more than 30 percent of the area’s median income and be age 62 or older or disabled. About one-third of the tenants are age 62 or older.

Source: Lynn Fundingsland, Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority executive director; city of Fargo


Readers can reach Forum reporter

Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528

[F-Misthebest]

Panda-monium hits Fargo zoo
Helmut Schmidt, The Forum
Published Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Red River Zoo is turning itself into the panda love shack on the Plains.

On Wednesday, zookeepers happily scrambled to pick up a pair of red pandas shipped to Fargo from Japan.

The red-and-white raccoon look-alikes arrived on a Northwest Airlines jet an hour early at Hector International Airport. With a herd of TV crews descending on the panda pop stars it was, for a while, panda-monium.

“They’re here! They’re here!” said zoo Executive Director Paula Grimestad. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

The $40,000 cost to buy and ship the pandas from two Japanese zoos was picked up by an anonymous donor, zoo officials said.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6944/x00078912wn9.jpg

It was a two-year process to get the pandas, Grimestad said. The 20-month-old pandas are a male named Yukiko (which means snow child), and a female named Shan Tou (mountain top).

As part of the Species Survival Plan – think of it as a dating service for endangered animals – the Red River Zoo has four of its own pandas on loan to zoos in Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn.; Battle Creek, Mich.; and New York City. All have been paired, but no cubs produced yet.

Grimestad said there are 47 pandas in the U.S., but many are aging. There are 16 breeding pairs.

The zoo has two pandas on loan from the Cincinnati Zoo. Keepers hoped they would get amorous around Valentine’s Day. However, they won’t know if Chang Tan and Jiao Mei were more than buddies until June or July when Jiao Mei would be expected to give birth. A third panda, a male named Rusty on loan from Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, is next up for the panda version of “Blind Date.”

The zoo is bringing in a female from Cincinnati. That would give the Red River Zoo the largest breeding population in the U.S.

The pandas are kept in their own breeding facility, built with funds from the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Center. However, pandas aren’t the only species for which the zoo plays matchmaker.

The zoo has successfully bred two other endangered species.

Two Sichuan takin calves and two Persian onager foals have been born in Fargo, Grimestad said.

“For a small zoo, we’re really successful with our breeding programs,” Grimestad said. But the animals with the biggest success doing the wild thing in Fargo are Russian red squirrels.

The Red River Zoo received three of the creatures from another zoo several years ago. Now, the zoo has 27 squirrels and is farming them out.

“They did really well here,” Grimestad said.


Readers can reach Forum reporter

Helmut Schmidt at (701) 241-5583

[BigTicket]

The new hockey arena sounds like its going to get done and Fargo will get a USHL team as well. The arena looks very nice, here is a link to a video of it...

http://juniorhockey.blogspot.com/2007/02/fargo-official-sorta.html

Now if the city and NDSU can build the other arena addition to the Dome we will be set for arena's.

[F-Misthebest]

Blais named hockey coach
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Friday, February 23, 2007

Dean Blais, who led the University of North Dakota hockey team to two national titles in 10 years, has a five-year contract to coach a United States Hockey League expansion team in a new $34 million arena in Fargo, officials announced Thursday.

Standing at center ice and surrounded by hundreds of squirt hockey players and fans at John E. Carlson Coliseum in Fargo, Blais said he will be the new coach and general manager of the Fargo franchise starting July 1.

“I’m as excited about this as any other job,” he said.

USHL Commissioner Gino Gasparini said developer Ace Brandt applied for USHL membership Feb. 16, and the application is now in process.

“And I foresee that membership being a success,” Gasparini told the crowd. He later told reporters he couldn’t put a timetable on when a franchise might be announced.

Urban Plains officials used a drop-down video screen to officially unveil renderings of the Urban Plains Center and Tournament Center, which will cost $44 million including land.

It will feature five ice sheets, including a main arena that will seat 5,000 for hockey and 6,000 for basketball and volleyball. The main users will be Fargo youth hockey, Fargo Public Schools and Shanley hockey, and the USHL team.

Project partners said the facility also will draw more tournaments to Fargo.

“This facility is going to be just a boon for your community and certainly a boon for hockey in this area,” Gasparini said.

The UP Center will sit on 15 acres just north of 32nd Avenue South at about 51st Street in Urban Plains by Brandt, a 328-acre development touted as “a city within a city.”

The USHL team will host about 30 regular-season home games per year, with the possibility of playoff games, a news release stated.

Blais said he “just wanted to get behind the bench again” and wasn’t interested in returning to college coaching.

A native of International Falls, Minn., Blais coached at UND from 1994 to 2004, winning national titles in 1997 and 2000. He joined the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets in June 2004, serving as an associate coach through the 2005-06 season. He is now director of player development. He said he will serve out the remainder of his contract, which expires June 30.

Blais said his new contract gives him an out, but added he doesn’t believe he’ll need it.

If everything goes as planned, construction on the arena will start this spring and wrap up in fall 2008, according to a project fact sheet.

Those involved in the project expressed confidence they can accomplish a list of five things that must happen before ground is broken:

E Each of the four Fargo youth hockey groups needs to sell about $75,000 worth of season tickets to high school games. The tickets will be sold in place of other fundraisers such as pizza sales, said Al Hintz, representing Fargo Flyers youth hockey.

E The facility’s 40 luxury suites must be sold. Twenty have been sold so far, costing $17,000 to $27,500 per year, said Mike Hartel, a Fargo Youth Hockey Association board member.

E Three-hundred club seats must be sold at $1,000 apiece.

E Eighty percent of the advertising must be sold.

E Bonds must be secured “through various authorities.”

UP Center will be financed with tax-free revenue bonds, said Todd Berning, development director for Icon Architectural Group, a partner in Urban Plains. The city, school district and park district won’t be involved in the bonding, he said.

The schools will rent the facility and, with the USHL team and other users and events, provide sources of revenue to pay off the bonds.

“That’s why we have Dean Blais sitting here,” Berning said. “He helps that revenue stream be very solid.”

The Metro Sports Foundation – made up of Fargo Youth hockey groups, Fargo Public Schools and Shanley and the Fargo Park District – will own the facility.

It’s unclear what a USHL franchise, a Tier 1 junior team, would mean for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets, a Tier 2 team that plays its home games at the Coliseum. Randy Nielsen, general manager of the Jets, said the team will be playing in Fargo next season.

“They still have a lot of hoops to go through,” he said of the UP Center proponents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's the Hockey Arena Video
Just Copy and paste the link in the web address bar

mms://media01.i29.net/rivertowns/upcentervid.wmv

[sodak]

A USHL team is good news. The Stampede in Sioux Falls are a lot of fun to watch.

To be honest I'm pretty surprised Fargo doesn't already have one considering its in the heart of hockey country. It's surprising that cities like Lincoln, Cedar Rapids and even Des Moines have a team while Fargo doesn't.

Am I right in thinking that Fargo used to have a USHL team?

[F-Misthebest]

Tax may be dome option
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Saturday, February 24, 2007

Fargo voters could be asked to approve a tax to fund a Fargodome addition if the dome sales tax doesn’t generate enough money to support the project.

Dome Authority President Marilyn Guy said that’s just one option being considered as officials anxiously await the results of a long-range capital improvement plan for the dome.

The plan, which hasn’t been updated since 1995, will identify the dome’s maintenance needs over the next 50 years.

The Dome Authority and City Commission are tentatively scheduled to get their first look at the plan Friday.

They’re particularly interested in how much sales tax money will be left over after putting enough in escrow to meet the dome’s future needs.



ome officials hope to have at least $15 million in escrow when the half-cent dome sales tax expires Dec. 31, 2008. A separate sales tax surplus fund is projected to have $8 million to $10 million by that time.

Guy said earlier projections of $21 million between the two funds could grow to as much as $29 million based on updated projections.

That would make it more likely that the dome could fund its share of an addition that would host North Dakota State University basketball, mid-sized concerts and other events, she said.

However, if the excess sales tax isn’t sufficient to cover both the dome’s future needs and an addition, officials must look at other funding options or scrap the project, Guy said.

“It all depends on what happens with that (capital improvement plan),” she said.

In a Jan. 17 e-mail to fellow Dome Authority member Ryn Pitts, Guy referred to a Jan. 15 City Commission meeting during which Commissioner Mike Williams suggested a public referendum could be held to decide whether a dome expansion was the best use for the excess sales tax.

“I don’t think that Mike will successfully carry his argument into a referendum to the city to vote on the expansion, but I think the cost may cause us to have to go to the citizens to raise a tax to finance it,” Guy wrote.

The Forum obtained the e-mail through an open records request that sought documents related to the proposed Urban Plains Center and Tournament Facility in southwest Fargo.

Mayor Dennis Walaker, who initially proposed the 7,000- to 8,000-seat dome addition in September, said Friday he’d like to see the cost split among the city-owned dome, NDSU and private donors.

“There has been no talk that I have been involved with dealing with a sales tax for the dome (addition),” he said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter

Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528

[NanoBison]

Unfortunately, I don't think the tax-payers of Fargo will support more sales tax expenditures, until the Library Construction One, Fargodome Original, both expire. Especially with as much as people moan about property taxes and the fact that it would mostly likely need the super-majority of 60% to pass. I'm all for it, but it would be a very difficult sell. The city is saturated with many anti-NDSU folks who seem to hold back alot of potential progress in town. Fortunately, we have enough developers who are willing to front their money many times to get most projects done...

[F-Misthebest]

Zoning dispute could land Fargo, Horace in mediation
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The Horace City Council may launch a counterattack tonight against action taken by Fargo leaders Monday to extend Fargo’s zoning control by three miles to the south.

“It will be addressed,” Horace Mayor John Goerger said Tuesday.

The Horace Council was already scheduled to gather at 7 p.m. today at the Horace Senior Center for a community meeting about extending asphalt roads to newly annexed areas.

In a last-minute addition to its meeting agenda Monday, the Fargo City Commission voted unanimously to extend the city’s extraterritorial (ET) area, or zoning jurisdiction, by three miles to the south and west – including up to the southern boundary of Horace.

Horace City Attorney Jonathan Garaas cried foul, saying Fargo’s proposed ET area overlaps an ET extension already in process by Horace.

The Horace Council agreed in September to postpone its extension at the request of Fargo leaders who said they wanted to work out a growth agreement between the cities.

In light of Fargo’s action Monday, Goerger said he believes Horace should finalize its ET extension now.

If the two cities approve overlapping ET areas and can’t resolve the dispute, state law requires them to settle the matter through mediation and, if necessary, an administrative law judge.

Goerger indicated he believes Horace has established its ET rights in the area.

Fargo officials contend Horace has violated the terms of a 1998 ET agreement between the cities. If a judge agrees, Horace’s ET extension would be invalid, Fargo Planning Director Jim Gilmour said.

Fargo wants zoning authority over the area because part of the proposed Southside Flood Control Project will be built there. Fargo must finish its ET extension before Aug. 1 to avoid possible ET restrictions being considered by the state Legislature, Gilmour said.

Under current state law, Fargo and other cities of 25,000 or more may extend their zoning regulations four miles beyond city limits.

An amended version of House Bill 1321 would restrict that authority to two miles for cities of 10,000 or more. However, the bill wouldn’t affect ET areas already established.

The House approved the amended bill 53-37 on Feb. 14. It now goes to the Senate.


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

[F-Misthebest]

Wow has today been a snowy day or what! My goodness though, it was so beautiful. The snow falling at a slight angle, the branches covered in snow, and lots of people outside enjoying themselves. Sure, some people died furthur out west but it was nice here. Still in the 30's.

[NanoBison]

Yep, traffic was awful this morning driving to work. Saw two cars in the ditch, within 1 mile of each other.

Other good news, according to the forum, they are going to scrap the idea of attempting to reuse parts of the old library and just simply tear the darn thing down and build a new one from scratch.... geeesssh, who would have figured. Even if this is engineers fudging their numbers to get their way, I'm sure a heck glad they did it. Now we will finally get the library we were promised.

:tup:

Not sure if I'd vote for Linda Coates for re-election after this whole fandangle with the library project which she is chairing. I just hope it's not up to her to get our city a performing arts center or design it...

:yuck:

At least Smiley should be happy with the news...

Library Bids Top Budget (http://www.in-forum.com/News/articles/158069)

[skate342]

Fargoans:

I have a request for photos! Have any of you done Fargo photo threads? would love a link if you've got it.

[F-Misthebest]

Hectors seeking 70 acres rezoned
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Saturday, March 03, 2007

A piece of farmland in south Fargo that Menards scrapped as a potential store site is back in the hands of city planners.

Landowners Fred and Earlyne Hector have asked the city to rezone for commercial development 70 acres of the 149-acre site in the northwest corner of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South.

The request is inconsistent with the city’s long-range growth plan, and city planning staff will likely recommend it be denied, Fargo Senior Planner Jim Hinderaker said Friday.

However, the Hectors’ attorney contends the growth plan has no legal teeth.

In a Feb. 14 letter to Hinderaker, attorney Jonathan Garaas wrote that he has been unable to find any ordinance or resolution adopting the growth plan as “the law of the land.” He also referred to comments made in 2001 by city leaders who approved the growth plan, to make the case that it shouldn’t be used as a zoning document.

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9636/030320hector20land20copnb0.jpg


“Clearly, ‘staff’ is using the cited document as a blockade, when the Fargo City Commission obviously never intended an obstruction to exist,” Garaas wrote.

The growth plan calls for roughly 45 to 50 commercial acres along I-29 and 52nd Avenue in the southeast corner of the parcel, Hinderaker said.

The Hectors’ zoning request would put 70 commercial acres closer to the middle of the parcel – about 500 feet from 52nd Avenue and 600 feet from the nearest property owners to the west and north.

“The area that we’re talking about is really different than what the growth plan is showing for commercial,” Hinderaker said.

Neighboring residents argued that point when they opposed Menards’ attempt to amend the growth plan to roughly double the amount of commercial space at the site.

The Fargo Planning Commission voted in October to deny Menards’ request. Menards withdrew the request before it reached the City Commission and terminated its purchase agreement with the Hectors.

The 600-foot separation distances in the Hectors’ rezoning request could mean that neighboring property owners won’t be notified of the proposed change, Hinderaker said. The city’s Land Development Code requires the Planning Department to notify property owners within

300 feet of the subject property for rezoning applications.

Garaas said the 600-foot setbacks are “part of the sound fiscal and responsible actions on the part of the Hectors.”

“They’re looking out for the best interest of the community and the proper use of this land,” he said.

A hearing on the request is tentatively scheduled for

April 11, Hinderaker said.

The Hectors recently petitioned the city to de-annex a 118-acre parcel in the northeast corner of the interchange, accusing the Planning Commission of “snob zoning” in the petition.

Wal-Mart terminated a purchase agreement for the parcel after the Planning Commission voted in April to deny a growth plan amendment in the face of significant public opposition.


Readers can reach Forum reporter

Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528

[F-Misthebest]

Well it's been a slow couple of weeks lately. There's some projects going up, RDO, U-Motors, Urban Plains Center, that office building off of 25th Street, the downtown Moorhead buildings and some other buildings. Clearly, no one else has any news. :)

[F-Misthebest]

Developers buy Park East Apartments, plan condos
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Friday, March 09, 2007

Two Fargo developers have purchased the Park East apartment complex and plan to erect 50 riverfront condos on the site, which could become part of a larger development on the block.

Developer Jim Roers said the 122-unit Park East apartments at 1 2nd St. S. won’t be demolished, and in fact will undergo exterior remodeling to match the high-end condos.

Park East residents won’t have to relocate, he added.

Roers said he and developer Larry Nygaard completed their purchase of the building Wednesday from Minot-based Investors Real Estate Trust.

The existing Park East garages along Second Street will be razed and replaced with underground parking that will support three to four stories of condos, Roers said.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/8452/9hiriseblockxr9.jpg

Roers said he is talking with Fargo city officials about possibly incorporating a floodwall or some other type of flood-control structure into the project.

The site is prone to Red River flooding. In 1997, floodwaters nearly reached the roof of the Park East garages.

The city has installed a temporary earthen dike on Second Street during eight flood events since 1969, including last spring.

Last May, city commissioners asked the Army Corps of Engineers to study a permanent floodwall to protect downtown Fargo.

“This whole project can help deal with that situation in an aesthetic and cost-effective way,” Roers said.

City Planning Director Jim Gilmour said further study is needed on the site’s soil stability, but the combination of additional housing downtown and permanent flood protection is attractive.

“Wherever there’s an opportunity to do away with temporary measures, it makes sense,” he said.

Roers said he may ask the city to set up a tax-increment financing district for the project. He declined to address recent comments by city and downtown officials that he is planning a larger development on the block.

Roers acknowledged he has had conversations with Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Lynn Fundingsland about the Lashkowitz High Rise, but said he hasn’t talked to the Housing Authority’s board of directors about it.

Fundingsland recently said the 22-story high rise needs at least a $12 million overhaul because of rotting sewer lines and other age-related problems. He said the Housing Authority is trying to decide whether to fix the building or sell it and use the proceeds to build new low-income housing for seniors and the disabled.

Roers said construction on the condos could begin by next fall.

Roers also plans to demolish six buildings at the northeast corner of 19th Avenue North and University Drive to make room for a four-story retail, office and apartment complex and a gas station. City leaders approved a $1.4 million tax- increment financing package for that project in November.

[F-Misthebest]

Alum excited for big plans at Trollwood
Mila Koumpilova, The Forum
Published Wednesday, March 14, 2007

During his years as a New York performer, Matt Thibedeau stopped by Trollwood Performing Arts School on Christmas visits home. As he climbed the snow-covered stage and faced an imaginary audience, he relived his six summers at the school back in the 1980s and ’90s.

When he returned to teach last summer, Thibedeau looked at drawings of the new Trollwood amphitheatre, with its state-of-the-art acoustics, shielded stage and comfier 3,000 seating spots. Despite his attachment to Trollwood as he knew it, he was thrilled.

“I think this new space will be amazing,” Thibedeau said Tuesday. “It’s going to change everything.”

Indeed, as they await the May groundbreaking for Trollwood’s new south Moorhead campus, founders expect the move to overhaul the school’s offering and reach. Thibedeau’s successors will have a wider range of creative outlets – not just in the summer, but year-round for the first time in the school’s almost 30-year history.

Granted, not all facets of founders’ ambitious vision will be in place at the proposed 2009 unveiling. Executive Director Vicki Chepulis shows off two sketches: a version bustling with facilities from student housing to organic gardens – for down the road, as funding allows – and a pared-down one to begin with.

“There’s the dream, and there’s the first part of the dream,” Chepulis said. “It will all happen one day. It will just happen in phases.”

From the get-go, Trollwood’s spacious new 70-acre grounds and extensive indoor facilities will extend activities beyond the current two-and-a-half-month summer window. There will be much more to do – from new classes in video production, music and dance to two or three additional theater productions, opening up more roles on stage.

“It’s illogical that when we have this much expertise and experience at Trollwood, we only instruct kids there three months out of the year,” said Moorhead High School drama teacher Rebecca Meyer-Larson, who added that 50 to 60 of her students take part in Trollwood classes and productions each summer.

Eventually, Chepulis said, the school will veer from its theater focus even more boldly. Planned projects include an ecology study center by the Red River, organic gardens and a kitchen where video buffs can tape a healthy cooking show. The school aims to serve four times the roughly 500 current students per year by 2009 .

Enrollment at the school has been steady in recent years, Chepulis said, but school backers are confident attendee ranks will swell to match the expansion. Interest in the arts among area young people is growing, and new activities will attract fresh faces to the campus.

But founders also plan to recruit youth beyond Fargo-Moorhead, turning the school into a regional presence. Residential facilities for visiting students are set to go up within five years of the opening.

“Ten years from now, we’ll be a very different program. We’ll be what we are today, only able to help more kids discover their inner geniuses,” Chepulis says.

The organization also hopes to lure community members outside its regular preteen and teenage crowd. Founders will try to attract national music acts and visiting dance and theater shows to share the new amphitheater with student productions.

They hope to host corporate retreats in the slower fall and winter months as well as art classes for parents and seniors. And, they hope people will just come and hang out in the park, where areas for reflection will dot the surrounding woods.

“It sounds amazing; I think the opportunities will be endless,” said actress and Trollwood alumna Becky Gulsvig, who recalled fleeing to Ben Franklin Junior High when rain interrupted outdoor rehearsals. Gulsvig, now in rehearsal for her second Broadway musical, credits Trollwood with her success.

Gulsvig’s father, Kris, serves on the TPAS Coordinating Council and its FutureBuilders fundraising taskforce.


Trollwood to host info meeting

Trollwood Performing Arts school will hold an informational meeting at 7:15 p.m. March 27 at the Discovery Middle School theater.

Students and their parents or guardians can get information on upcoming summer programs, which include a week of intense stringed instrument practice and performance, various theatrical classes and the main stage musical “Thoroughly Modern Mille,” staged July 12-14, 18-22 and 24-29.

For more information, call (701) 241-4799.


Highlights of plan

- Seating for 3,000

- State-of-the-art acoustics

in amphitheater

- A meadow made of native short grass and wildflower plantings

- An enchanted forest made

up of native deciduous trees

- A pre-performance gathering area

- A ravine designed to protect the park from floodwaters and

a pond to serve as an onsite water retention area

- A pedestrian bridge across the Red River.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's so many pictures on the in-forum web page but it's in a slide show format and I don't know how to let you see them.

[F-Misthebest]

More saying ‘you betcha’ to Fargo life
Craig McEwen, The Forum
Published Saturday, March 17, 2007

Fargo is ranked as one of the 10 best affordable places to live and work, according to an online story posted Friday on MSN.

“More people are saying ‘you betcha’ to Fargo, the largest city in North Dakota,” says MSN writer Melinda Fulmer.

The story, based on data provided by Bert Sperling of Sperling’s Best Places, notes that Fargo unemployment is the lowest in the country at

2.6 percent, and its central location is turning the city into a leading air-cargo hub.

The cost of living is low, with a median January home price of $162,800, the article states. It also cites local college amenities, a strong economy and a classic mid-America downtown mix of buildings, businesses and parks.

http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/4955/0317fargobest2br9.jpg

“The secret’s out,” said Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker. “It just confirms what most of us who live here understand.”

Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of Fargo’s Hector International Airport, said, “I think we have a lot of potential to become more of a player in air cargo.”

That’s because of continued growth in the local manufacturing sector, he said.

United Parcel Service and DHL, formerly Airborne Express, provide air cargo service to Fargo’s Hector International Airport, he said.

[F-Misthebest]

Another Taco Del Mar is going to be built on 19th Avenue north up in the strip mall by the new Bremer Bank. www.tacodelmar.com

[F-Misthebest]

Did the Fargo forumers all die in the blizzard a couple of weeks ago or what? Where did you guys go?

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Geez F-M, you may be the only one left. :shrug:

Don't worry, I'll keep checking the posts every once in a while. btw, thanks for posting more feel good stuff for the city above. :)

[JoeJoe]

I still check in, but haven't seen a reason to post. A few things though...

1) The old Banner Health building on 17th Ave S is being renovated for Eide Bailey, just found that out and thought some people here would like to know that as well.

2) US Bank has sold the parcel of land directly to the east of their Service Center on 17th Ave S, the empty land between them and the Ramada Plaza hotel. Not sure what developer/realtor bought it.

[Doc]

Just want to give a shout out and let you all know I appreciate the work you have been doing posting here.

[F-Misthebest]

^ Well welcome. Are you from Fargo-Moorhead as well?

[F-Misthebest]

Vision of botanic beauty
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum
Published Monday, March 19, 2007

The first major piece of a multimillion-dollar botanic gardens project will soon sprout at Yunker Farm in north Fargo.

Construction is scheduled to start on a 1,200-square-foot greenhouse as soon as the ground thaws, said Vern Hunter, president of the Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society.

Over the next 30 years, the group hopes to complement the greenhouse with an arboretum, botanic garden and $10 million glass conservatory on 52 acres of Fargo Park District land at Yunker Farm.

“It’s a long-term plan, but we’re going to make big progress this summer,” said Lisa Brown, a member of the society’s board of directors.

The botanic gardens will sit east of University Drive between 28th and 32nd avenues north, wrapping around the east and north sides of Yunker Farm.

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/523/0319botanicgardenjv2.jpg
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8205/0319botanicrendersmr9.jpg
The greenhouse, which will be built next to the Children’s Museum at Yunker Farm, will feature areas for growing and potting plants, and a classroom for educational programs.

Construction should take about a month, Hunter said.

When the greenhouse is finished, work will begin on a torii – a symbolic gateway that marks the entrance to Shinto shrines or other sacred places in Japan, according to Encyclopedia Britannica – that will serve as the south entrance to the Japanese stroll garden. The Fargo Park Board approved the gate’s construction Tuesday.

The colorful gate along 28th Avenue North will be unique to the region, Hunter said. The Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau donated $6,725 for its construction.

“I think once this is under way and we show some success, it will be an effective tourist destination,” said Maurice Degrugillier, a Botanic Society board member.

The glass conservatory also would be the first of its kind in North Dakota, similar to those at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg and at St. Paul’s Como Park Zoo. The climate-controlled structure would foster exotic plant species and flowering gardens year-round and also provide an attractive setting for community gatherings.

“It would be the highlight of the entire gardens,” Hunter said.

The overall vision will take a long time to realize, but the Botanic Garden Society has shown it can be patient.

The group was established in 1998 by North Dakota State University horticulturist Chiwon Lee and local green thumbs who wanted to enrich and promote the community through plants. Its original goal was to establish a conservatory, botanic garden and arboretum in the F-M area.

Last year, the group finally secured a site for the projects by reaching an agreement with the Park District for the Yunker Farm land.

The cost of the overall project will depend on the group’s fundraising success, Hunter said.

“It could run $15 million easily,” he said.

Finances are a concern, he added, because the Botanic Garden Society relies solely on philanthropic sources. To generate revenue, admission fees may be charged for entering the conservatory area and Japanese garden, he said.

The dog park just north of Yunker Farm will eventually need to be moved to make room for the botanic gardens, Hunter said, adding that it will be at least a few years before that happens.

Society officials are working with the Park District to identify an alternative dog park site.

“My guess is it will probably be north of where it is now,” said Roger Gress, Park District executive director.

This summer, the society also plans to expand a nursery that was started last fall and plant a donated collection of gladiolus bulbs.

The society plans a neighborhood gathering at Yunker Farm to inform surrounding residents of its plans, Degrugillier said.

[SmileyBoy]

Check out my new thread in this forum.

187,001 in Cass and Clay counties (MSA)

210,523 in Cass, Clay, Richland and Wilkin counties (CSA)

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

[SmileyBoy]

I haven't been on this forum lately, because I've been real busy. Projects and so forth. You know how that goes...

[F-Misthebest]

Signs of growth continue in N.D.
Patrick Springer, The Forum
Published Thursday, March 22, 2007

Fifteen North Dakota counties gained people according to new census estimates showing the Fargo and Bismarck areas continue to be the state’s population magnets.

Cass County, home to Fargo and West Fargo, kept its perch at the top of the list of growth counties with a gain of 2,070, or an increase of 1.6 percent, U.S. Census Bureau estimates show.

But Burleigh County and neighboring Morton County together added 1,740 people, another indication that Bismarck-Mandan continues to ride a growth wave exhibited by its mushrooming retail sector.

Burleigh County grew by 1,484, or 2 percent, while Morton County added 256, a rise of 1 percent.

Elsewhere among North Dakota’s top urban centers, Grand Forks County, which was devastated by the 1997 Red River Valley flood, picked up 225 residents last year, according to the estimates.

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6196/0322poplossgainem1.jpg

“Grand Forks seems to be stabilizing and increasing,” said demographer Richard Rathge, director of the North Dakota State Data Center. Grand Forks County’s population dipped the year before, but that might have been an anomaly, he said.

Ward County, anchored by Minot, lost 436, a dip of 0.8 percent, and most rural areas of the state continue to struggle with out-migration and an increasingly elderly population.

For Rathge, the most important message of the latest county estimates is the fact that 15 counties posted population gains, a sign of broader growth.

“I view that as a very strong sign that economic development is starting to show positive results,” he said.

Eleven of the 15 counties that added people had positive in-migration, a sign the state is enticing more people, Rathge said. Births outnumbered deaths in more counties, resulting in what demographers call a natural increase in population.

“That’s up significantly,” he said. “There’s some good signs kind of across the board.”

Many of the counties in the plus column were in western North Dakota’s oil patch, which has been buoyed by sustained high oil prices. Williams County, home to Williston, led a string of modest population gains among western counties with 186.

“It has ripple effects across the state,” Rathge said of the booming energy sector in the west. “We’re starting to see that. As that continues, we should see more positive signs in the future.”

Bismarck-Mandan, in particular, has benefited by increased economic activity in western North Dakota because the cites comprise the shopping hub for the central and western regions, said Kevin Iverson, a research analyst for Job Service North Dakota and a member of the state census committee.

In the 1990s, he said, “The western counties were really suffering, so it’s good to see that positive trend.”

But Foster County in east-central North Dakota and Sargent County in southeast North Dakota, both rural manufacturing and farming centers, also showed modest gains. Foster County includes Carrington, home of the Dakota Growers Pasta plant. Gwinner, in Sargent County, has a Bobcat plant.

In the future, as demand rises for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, the location of plants in more rural communities should spark economic growth in new areas, Rathge said.

In Minnesota, Clay County gained 760, or 1.4 percent, while Becker County added 347 and Otter Tail County grew by 235, according to the census estimates. Norman County declined by 153 and Wilkin County lost 118.

[SmileyBoy]

Read in the Forum today that The Pita Pit is opening a 2nd F-M location downtown on Broadway. It said 204 Broadway, so it's either right next door to Renny's Parlour, or replacing it. Nice to see a chain moving into downtown, because it's kind of stupid having the place be 99 percent Mom and Pop businesses.

[F-Misthebest]

It's actually replacing the Renny's Parlour.

[SmileyBoy]

It's actually replacing the Renny's Parlour.

I drove by the former Renny's Parlour today. I forgot in my memory exactly how big the retail space was. It covers a good portion of the NW 2nd/Broadway corner. It looks like a great location for a Pita Pit. I suppose trading Renny's Parlour for The Pita Pit is a good trade.

[F-Misthebest]

Yeah, just maybe. ;)