Renaissance Zone: More Harm than Good?

As of Tuesday, the state of North Dakota approved to expand the Renaissance Zone.

City Commissioners held a meeting to celebrate the success of the program but one commissioner thinks it has run its course.

On the corner of 6th Avenue North and Broadway sits Josie’s Corner Café & Bake Shop, it’s a small business in downtown Fargo.

“There’s a place downtown for big places and there’s a place downtown for small shops. We’re a small shop. And we love being a small shop. So we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully do it well,” says owner Tracy Walvatne.

Walvatne opened Josie’s in 2004 and says the success of her café wouldn’t be possible without the Renaissance Zone.

She still recalls when downtown Fargo was scary and forgotten.

Walvatne adds, “Honestly, this has been a godsend to give to the city of Fargo because no town is healthy if the core is not healthy.”

This is just one the businesses that have benefitted from the Renaissance Zone.

Fargo City commissioners are planning for more success stories with their latest approval to expand up to 49 blocks.

“We have other areas that need developing in our downtown area. Some people say renaissance zone is over, it’s just beginning. It’s kind of in the middle of it right now. And what we’re seeing is that we think it will upgrade expansion,” says Mayor Tim Mahoney of Fargo.

Mayor Mahoney, Commissioners Dave Piepkorn, and Mike Williams are supporting the new expansion, saying the program has helped put Fargo on the map and lower the mill levy, property tax rate and bring up property value downtown.

But one city commissioner thinks the Renaissance Zone has done its job and will only hurt downtown and the city in the long run.

Tony Gehrig wrote an email responding to the celebration and says he is fighting for equal rights for taxpayers.

“If the average taxpayer knew that their property taxes are higher because we’re giving incentives to some, they’d be wholly against it. The majority of people don’t know that. Don’t take my word for it; ask Ben Hushka, our city assessor. We have a baseline. We had 22 million dollars taken through property taxes,” says Gehrig.

He says these incentives hurt schools, parks, the county, and airport.

Gehrig thinks it’s time this comes to an end whereas his colleagues disagree and say they’re just getting started.

City commissioners did say they are looking to redevelop surface parking as part of their growth.