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FARGO — Over half of Fargo’s plans for downtown are in progress or complete, according to goals outlined by the city’s consultant for the Downtown InFocus Master Plan .
The announcement was made by the plan’s consultant, Interface Studio, during an informational meeting about the plan held at Fargo City Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
The city rehired Interface Studio to present an update on the status of Fargo’s downtown master plan, five years after its adaptation. This allows the city and community to learn about how the plan’s implementation process is going and discuss any potential barriers the plan may face, according to Nicole Crutchfield, Fargo’s director of planning & development.
Scott Page, principal at Interface Studio, said great downtowns don’t happen by accident. It takes great planning and excellent local implementation to build a vibrant downtown, he said.
While the plan’s goals have all been broached on various levels, there is still more work to be done, Page said, noting that 52% of the goals are in progress or complete.
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The plan’s seven goals include growing as a neighborhood, prospering as a business center, thriving as a destination, serving as a model for inclusive growth and development, diversifying means of transportation, creating smart parking options and linking green spaces.
At this point in the process Page says the focus is on understanding what has been implemented and investigating what hasn’t to gain a greater understanding of why it hasn’t been done yet.
“Does it need more resources, does it need more people looking at it, does it need more coordination?” Page said.
Creating more public spaces along Broadway was a priority in the plan five years ago that Page sees as an ongoing opportunity to create public space all along the area to give visitors a place to rest.
“There’s a lot of people coming to downtown Fargo for different reasons,” Page said.
Expanding programming and events outwards from Broadway would be a good thing for off-Broadway businesses, Page said, identifying Second Ave, Civic Plaza and the former Mid America Steel site by the Red River as potential locations.
Going forward, Page suggests that streets be redeveloped in a “street hierarchy” with some streets close to downtown prioritizing a pleasing aesthetic and others intended for loading and garbage pickup.
A conversation that should continue, Page said, is bringing more trees, bike lanes and parking to downtown Fargo.
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In this vein he mentioned a future goal that would involve creating an urban greenway alongside the railroads that go through Fargo. This would eventually connect to an existing trail network, Page said, to further enhance downtown.
City Hall Plaza, Page said, is another area outlined in the plan that is yet to be fully addressed. The first option in the plan was building a stage where programming could be held, a need currently being met by Broadway Square, Page said.
The second option was to create a “land bridge” to foster a connection between City Hall Plaza and the Red River. The City Commission is currently exploring this idea through the proposed Second Street Pedestrian Bridge project.
Highlighting recent achievements in downtown over the last five years, Page underlined Broadway Square and the construction of 800 new housing units with over $300 million in private investment.
Page noted that downtown’s population has not grown as much as other parts of Fargo in recent decades. He said it’s more difficult to build downtown because there is less land available than elsewhere in the city. Most of the land still to be developed downtown consists of surface parking lots and the former Mid America Steel property.
“We need to think about what it’s like to build in an area where there’s less and less land to build on,” Page said.
The former Mid America Steel site is part of the plan’s goal to merge downtown Fargo with downtown Moorhead. This site has many challenges, Page said, because of the money it will take to get this former industrial site ready for redevelopment.
“The future of this site will mean a lot to the future of downtown Fargo and the region as a whole,” Page said.
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Downtown’s growth over the last five years has brought new challenges, Page said. Five years ago their priority was bringing more people downtown. The growing pains associated with accomplishing that goal have included quality of life issues like finding a good home in the area and the perception of crime downtown .
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney asked Page who would be responsible for creating the next steps in the downtown planning process. Page suggested that a dedicated organization — well staffed and well resourced — can manage the process. It’s a model that has worked well for other towns big and small, he said. The organization should collaborate extensively with the city and grow larger as downtown Fargo grows.
Although Page didn’t elaborate as to who specifically would make up the organization, Page said now is the time to identify those roles.
“The planning department has a lot on their plate,” Page said. “This is the opportunity for us to step back … come together as a community and figure out the best way to put the resources behind it.”
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