Site work for a conference / convention center in Fargo, North Dakota. Conceptual plans call for site work for a conference / convention center.

https://www.inforum.com/news/fargo/aa-1 Scoring now begins after the third and final round of Fargo Convention Center proposals The Fargo Convention Center Committee heard the last of nine proposals for the facility. FARGO — Representatives of the last three of nine proposals submitted for a new $40 million convention center in Fargo explained on Friday, Sept. 5, why their project should be selected. The projects had a hearing at Fargo City Hall in front of the Convention Center Committee, made up of city commissioners and community and business leaders The final round featured proposals near the West Acres mall — on the current site of Savers thrift store and on the former site of Noridian Administrative Services. A third proposal would use vacant land in far southwest Fargo. The first three proposals were presented to the committee on Aug. 22 and the second round Aug. 29. Charley Johnson, committee chair and soon to retire president and CEO of Visit Fargo-Moorhead, said the proposal order was drawn out of a hat. The convention center, estimated to cost up to $41 million to build, will be financed by a 3% increase in the city lodging tax approved by Fargo voters in November, in effect for 25 years. All proposals have plans for ballrooms, meeting and exhibit space, hotels, food and beverage options and parking. A presentation by Twin Cities-based Hempel Real Estate pitched the Savers site at 1623 38th St. SW., where an approximate 113,800 square-foot convention center and 200-room hotel would go up southeast of West Acres. Rick McKelvey, senior vice president of development at Hempel, touted the makeup of his team, saying every member has lived or worked in Fargo at some point. .“It gives us a very unique perspective, kind of from an insider and outsider perspective of what makes Fargo special,” he said. Terry Stroh of Stroh Architects in Fargo said pre-function space would wrap around three sides of the convention center, and an outdoor plaza would sit east of the building. “It’s unique. It's fun. It would allow exterior exhibition space,” Stroh said. McKelvey said due to the speculative nature of convention centers and hotels, they sometimes require tax increment financing, or TIF, to succeed. A TIF is a public financing tool that uses future tax growth from a development project to fund its costs. Jim Gilmour, Fargo’s strategic planning director, later said only the proposed Savers and Brewhalla sites would likely meet criteria for a TIF due to deterioration or lack of infrastructure. A proposed convention site in downtown Fargo is already part of a TIF district, Gilmour said. Hempel Real Estate pitched a second West Acres area site, this one replacing the old Noridian building at 901 40th St. S., about two blocks north of the mall. The proposal includes an approximate 110,000 square-foot convention center and 172-room, six-story hotel. The site itself is smaller than the Savers site, McKelvey said. While it does have space for convention center expansion, he said it does not offer additional land parcels for future development. However, there are many hotels, restaurants and other businesses nearby. “That will be a nice lift economically, to distribute that to the immediate surrounding area,” he said. Amy Wagamon of Tushie Montgomery Architects said if this project moves to the next round, she'll work closely with the city and Stroh Architects to reflect Fargo’s identity through references to historical landmarks, locally sourced materials or regional architectural styles. Christianson Cos. of Fargo pitched the ninth and final proposal, for the southwest corner of 52nd Avenue and 45th Street South. The company would build a 73,600 square-foot convention center and 128-room hotel with 450 parking spaces in phase one, with the possibility of doubling the convention center space and parking. Architect Michael Winters said their convention center proposal is a one-story design, eliminating the need for stairs, elevators and escalators. It would be incorporated into “Lake Fargo,” a large storm water retention project and nature park directly west of the site, under construction by the city and the Fargo Park District. Joe Raso, president and CEO of Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp., asked for confirmation that Christianson Cos. was offering only phase one initially, because $40 million won’t cover everything desired for the project. “I’ll just be brutally honest here that when the other teams get into phase two, they're going to have a cost issue,” Winters said. He added that with the square footage provided in phase one, their proposal for the convention center could still handle 94% of the events. Committee members now use an online scoring system to rate their preferences out of the nine proposals. After several rounds of discussion about the results, Johnson said the committee will narrow the field to three or four, and those finalists will be invited back for more detailed presentations. The committee would then recommend a proposal to the Fargo City Commission, which will make the final decision, possibly by early 2026, he said previously. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://www.inforum.com/news/fargo/9-developers-throw-hat-in-the-ring-for-fargos-new-convention-center 9 developers throw hat in the ring for Fargo's new Convention Center The city received bids from private developers — including The Fargodome — to be considered as the builders, designers and operators of the city of Fargo's new convention center. FARGO — A total of nine private developers — including The Fargodome — have submitted proposals to be considered as the builders, designers and operators of the city of Fargo's new convention center. The bids came in response to a city-issued request for proposals. When completed, this public-private partnership will entail the city of Fargo financing the convention center and the selected private developer financing the private development next door. The bidders are: RLE Architecture Interiors Christianson Companies and Addendum Enclave Mutchler Bartram Architects EAPC Architects Engineers Hempel Real Estate: 901 40th St. Hempel Real Estate: 1623 38th St. SW Delta Hotel by Marriott Fargo Garfield Public Private LLC The bids will be considered by the city's Convention Center Project Committee. The winning proposal will be sent to the Fargo City Commission for a final decision. A potential price tag for the convention center/hotel complex has been identified as between $40 million and $45 million. Fargo residents approved the project in November by voting to increase the city’s lodging tax from 3% to 6% , to be in place for 25 years. Lodging tax proceeds are projected to generate $37 to $41 million for land costs, site preparation, construction, furniture, fixtures and equipment. The city will reserve some of those proceeds for potential operating losses, debt service reserves and future capital expenditures. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://govmarketnews.com/fargo-seeks-p3-for-41m-convention-center-development/ The city of Fargo, North Dakota, is looking for a public-private partnership (P3) to build an up-to-$41 million convention center and nearby private development. Applicants have until Aug. 7, 2025, to place a submission. A majority of the convention center will be dedicated to an exhibit hall, covering 40,000 square feet. The hall will include movable walls, durable wall and floor finishes, rigging points, lights, signs, decorations and in-floor utility boxes. In addition, plans feature an attached 20,000-square-foot ballroom attached to the exhibit hall that can be separated with soundproof air walls. The project will include between 7,500 and 8,800 square feet of space for meetings, including six divisions and a boardroom. The developer will install a 6,000-square-foot kitchen as part of the convention center. The layout features three loading docks – one at ground level and two at truck height – providing ease of access to the exhibit hall. Additional space allocations include 20,000 square feet evenly split between storage and pre-function areas. The project will include service corridors, vertical and horizontal circulation, administrative offices and public restrooms. The current design ensures there will be ample power access in the exhibit hall, ideally spaced every 20 inches. The convention center will also have adequate parking both on-site and adjacent to the venue. The city anticipates that the development will be supported by an upcoming adjacent or connected full-service hotel. The hotel will contain between 150 and 200 rooms. The city has not yet released a timetable for when construction will begin. ---------------------- The City of Fargo, ND, invites written proposals for the development, design, construction, and operation of a convention center and adjacent private development to be located in the City of Fargo. This will be a public-private partnership with the City financing the convention center and the private developer financing the adjacent private development. Questions Due Date: Jul 11th 2025, 4:00 PM CDT Online Portal The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time.