Metro Sees Building Boom

The landscape of the metro continues to change at a rapid pace thanks to the continued construction boom. There are numerous buildings going up.

The old Union Storage Building on NP Ave. in downtown Fargo is being transformed into a new half residential half commercial site.

“I’m assuming in 2015 we’ll see that one finish and have people moving in,” says Economic Development Senior Vice President John Machacek.

The F-M’s demographic is attracting several builders to the area.

“That kind of 20-29-year-old is our largest demographic group and it accounts for about 20 percent of our population,” Machacek says.

New strip malls like this one on 45th St. South are an example of the recent building boom. But with population increasing and in turn tourism, more hotels are in the works.

“By fall we’ll have more than 5,400 hotel rooms. That’s an increase of 2,000 hotel rooms in about three years,” says Charley Johnson, President and CEO of Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Downtown Fargo has transformed into one of the busiest parts of the valley. And some say Moorhead could be next.

“Moorhead is just ripe for some riverfront development, stuff along Center and 1st Ave. It’s been really exciting to see what this city is going to look like in the next five to ten years,” Machacek says.

And despite many recent and future changes to come, downtown Fargo will continue to be a big draw.

“Downtown here, of course we have a lot of residential projects that are starting up and so more people are living where they’re working and more jobs means more everything else,” says Brandon Medenwald, a downtown employee.

“You walk into most of these stores or shops or restaurants and they’ve kind of kept the old walls and everything and that’s very nice to see,” says Sheldon Steen who often visits from Casselton.

Additional developments in downtown Fargo are estimated to begin once the 2nd St. flood control project is done.