Mike Nowatzki
The Forum - 06/19/2007

The Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority was granted financing Monday to buy a downtown warehouse recently considered as a site for an emergency homeless shelter and detox center.

City commissioners voted to allow the Housing Authority to use $325,000 from the citys Fannie Mae line of credit to buy the former Cooper Tires warehouse at 414 11th St. N.

The site was considered for the homeless shelter in May, but commissioners decided instead to locate the shelter in a brick building at 1519 1st Ave. S., despite opposition from Jefferson neighborhood residents.

At the same time, the commission directed city staff to work with the Housing Authority to explore buying the Cooper Tires property for future transitional housing for the homeless.

A task force similar to the one that worked on the shelter will be formed to figure out the operational structure and financing for a transitional housing facility, said Housing Authority Executive Director Lynn Fundingsland.

Building it is not such an obstacle; its how are we going to run it long term, he said.

The Housing Authority plans to clear the 35,000-square-foot site and redevelop it within 24 to 36 months for residential use, which will require a zoning change, Fargo Senior Dan Mahli wrote in a memo to the commission.

Fundingsland said the Housing Authority may develop part of the site as mixed-income housing or sell part of it to private developers.

That part of town is ripe for redevelopment, he said, noting North Dakota State Universitys plans to relocate its College of Business, agribusiness and applied economics department and architecture programs to the west side of downtown Fargo.
But Larry Bosma, former owner of the Fargoan hotel on Broadway, said the area is always going to be a warehouse area. He said the Fannie Mae money would be better spent fixing existing public housing, such as the Lashkowitz High Rise.

The repayment term of the $325,000 loan is 36 months.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528