Fargo planners want early feedback on a new single-family development proposed for 135 32nd Ave. N.E., and they've scheduled an open house for Monday, Nov. 2, to get it (via the City of Fargo). The project, called the 32nd Avenue North Addition, is being brought forward by EagleRidge Development.
The open house runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Meadowlark Room on the second floor of Fargo City Hall, 225 4th St. N. City planning staff and an EagleRidge representative will be on hand to walk through the plans and answer questions, according to the city's Oct. 28 release.
Before anything gets built, the project needs three separate approvals: a subdivision plat, a zone change and an amendment to Fargo's Growth Plan, the city said.
Each does a different job. A plat is the legal map that divides a piece of land into lots, streets and easements. A zone change sets which uses and lot standards apply. The Growth Plan amendment is the big-picture piece, since it changes what the city's long-range planning had in mind for that area. The city singled it out, saying the open house gives residents and property owners a preliminary look at the project, "including the proposed Growth Plan amendment."
A lot isn't public yet. The release doesn't say how many homes are planned, how big the site is, which zoning district is being requested or when the plan will go to a public hearing. The project isn't on the Fargo Planning Commission's Nov. 3 agenda, so it hasn't reached the formal hearing stage. The commission meets the first Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. at City Hall.
The city also noted that a quorum of both the Planning Commission and the City Commission may be present at the open house, so some of the people who will eventually vote on the plan could be in the room.
EagleRidge has more than one plat moving through City Hall right now. The Nov. 3 Planning Commission agenda lists the developer, along with NICD, LLC, on Selkirk Place Seventh Addition at 6700-6788 33rd St. S.
People who can't make the open house can send comments to case planner Donald Kress at DKress@FargoND.gov or 701-241-1474.
Why it matters for Contractors
This one is early. With no lot count, zoning district or hearing date out yet, there's nothing to price or bid. What's useful right now is information, and the open house is the cheapest place to get it.
If you build, frame or run a trade crew in the Fargo-Moorhead area, Monday's meeting is a chance to ask the questions that decide whether this is worth chasing: how many lots, how the work will be phased, when the first homes could start and whether EagleRidge plans to build the homes or sell lots to other builders.
After that, keep an eye on the Planning Commission agendas. When the plat and zone change come up for a hearing, the case file should carry the hard numbers. And with EagleRidge also working through the Selkirk Place plat on the south side, it's a developer worth knowing if you're looking for steady residential work in town.