Hello again midwesterner,
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with your views, once again, on the downtown area. You have some valid points with the Property Value problems. The cause of that isn't simply the size of families in the FM area. It has to do with many things. Many people built large houses (up to the max they could afford) and then when property assesments were done after a few years of not being done, people's houses were worth more, and in turn they needed to pay additional property taxes. It's a similar situation in Valley City. The city didn't do any property assessments for 25 years (something outrageous like that) and then all of the sudden peoples houses were worth almost twice as much as originally assessed. Not a good situation to be in. There is also obviously a demand for housing nationwide. This too lead prices up, including in the valley. There's many issues that cause this. Family size, would be a smaller cause behind the others.
There may be a lower cost to building a home in West Fargo, but that city does't even come close to providing the services that the city of Fargo does. West Fargo does't even have a fulltime Fire Dept. Almost 20,000 people and no fulltime Fire Dept? A majority of the force is volunteer. West Fargo can't even come up with the cash or federal funds to build the I94 overpass at 9th, until 2008(big if) most likely 2009. They also talk about the many millions of dollars it's going to cost each year just to maintain new sewer/water service to all of the new homes being built. Another issue is Sheyenne Street. Once you go south of I94, that road should be 4 laned, with a center lane, at least. The traffic counts out there are ridiculous and driving during the morning or evening rush is something to make you
. Why, because they don't have the money. The only thing they are doing right is the schools and they get that money off of the businesses in Fargo.
I don't hate West Fargo, but if you ask me, that city is simply leeching off of Fargo. That's why no one in West Fargo would ever want the two cities to combine into one super city. They state their taxes and other costs would go up? Why? Probably becuase someone else (citizens of Fargo) is footing the bill so West Fargo people can have it on the cheap.
I'm not impressed either with their Mayor. Anytime all of the cities try to work together and help each other out, West Fargo always backs out (like the central emergency call center), stating it was not worth the money, or their share of the costs are too high and the Mayor always has a stupid smirk on his face. The most important issue for the next 50 years is the source of water for the RRV. We should get it from the Missouri, but once again, the Mayor of West Fargo and it's council members are stating the costs outweigh the benefits. Fargo, Moorhead, Dilworth, all seem to understand it takes money, but not West Fargo.
I see West Fargo's population eventually toppling off around probably 30,000-40,000. Once they have to increase taxes and mill levies to fund the additional needed services of a growing city, some other people will start another city to the west of West Fargo, and feed off of them. At that time Fargo will truely be the Core of the Metropolitan Area, probably hovering around 150,000 people in just Fargo. The city at that point will be more commercial than it was previously. West Fargo will continue to grow as a bedroom community with some commercial, but never on the level of Fargo.
Fargo's downtown will continue to grow and highrise buildings will start popping up downtown with higher-density growth (commercially and residentially) from larger homegrown businesses and businesses that have been lured to the city. It will be the place for those people that don't want to make the ever growing morning and evening commutes and have the urge to live a different flavor of life, other than the typical big-box retailers, chain stores and other types of businesses that have made the outerurban areas of EVERY American city look exactly alike.
These businesses are of course needed for growth and provide services to countless citizens and tax money to the city coffers. So I don't hate them either.
Pretty soon cities will be identified by : "no, that's the one with 3 Walmarts, 2 Home Depots and a Cabela's..."
Finally, in closing midwesterner, I know what downtown FargoMoorhead used to look like in 1997. You can't possibly tell me that it hasn't made a decent 180 degree from then and is only continuing to get better.
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You should take this idea to the next step and patent it. Then maybe when your rich and famous you could remember the F-M forumers and give me and NanoBison and whoever else lives here lots of money!
Anyways, go to the next step. If you really apply yourself to this idea you could totally be a millionare if not a billionare. That's way in the future but it could happen. Good Luck!!!!!!!
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