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Fargo presenters show community-led redevelopment options for shuttered school sites; board hears land-trust and development-authority ideas
Summary
Consultants presented findings from five months of public engagement about potential long‑term reuse of four Fargo Public Schools sites. Residents voiced concern about “fear of the unknown,” preference for community spaces and access, and at least one neighborhood speaker urged repurposing the Hawthorne site as employee childcare.
Consultants hired by Fargo Public Schools summarized five months of community engagement on potential long‑term redevelopment of four elementary and middle‑school sites, telling the Board of Education the work showed broad public interest in preserving community benefit and more transparent, strategic communication about future steps.
The presentation, led by staff from Confluence, Folkways and Pros Consulting, outlined how the team collected sentiment through 92 online surveys, 32 individual stakeholder interviews, five neighborhood workshops and four school visits. Laura from Confluence said the project’s goal was to “start with values” and then pair what residents care about with demographic and planning analyses when imagining future uses for sites such as Hawthorne, Clara Barton, Madison, Roosevelt and Ben Franklin.
The consultants said recurring themes were a “fear of the unknown,” strong attachment to existing school locations, and the risk that losing a school could erode a neighborhood’s sense of community. The report listed possible reuse concepts that reflect those concerns: reservable community space, improved green space and connectivity to parks, after‑school programming, and attainable housing integrated with public benefit uses.
Consultants also presented governance and finance tools beyond a simple sale to a private developer. They urged the district to consider holding land in a public land trust and using long‑term leases to preserve public benefit, and suggested exploring a joint redevelopment authority that could work with the school district, Fargo Parks and the city to negotiate projects that prioritize community outcomes. The presenters cited the locally established Cass Clay Land Trust as an example of an entity created to preserve affordable housing outcomes.
Board members asked about practical next steps and community reaction. Board member Robin noted the potential for nonprofit and grant funding to support affordable projects. Board member Ally and others praised the “land trust” idea as a mechanism to retain public control of outcomes. Superintendent Gandhi and trustees discussed how neighborhood association infrastructure and socioeconomic differences affected participation; the consultants said Hawthorne had the highest engagement and that Madison produced the most intense opposition to changing school use.
During public comment, Heather Johnson, who said she participates in Clara Barton Hawthorne neighborhood groups but was speaking for herself, described how the long‑range facilities planning process changed her view and urged repurposing the Hawthorne site for employees. “I am an advocate for the Hawthorne site to be repurposed as a Fargo Public Schools employee childcare center offering wraparound care services,” she said, noting the site’s location adjacent to district offices and that repurposing existing infrastructure could address local childcare shortages.
Johnson also provided district cost figures from the long‑range facilities process to explain her change of view. She said, referring to district data, that per‑student costs in 2022–23 were roughly $8,542 at Bennett Elementary (enrollment 666), $8,438 at Centennial (enrollment 562), $14,986 at Clara Barton (enrollment 162) and $9,210 at Hawthorne (enrollment 184). She said those figures informed her support for merging Clara Barton and Hawthorne campuses and for reusing Hawthorne for childcare rather than housing.
Consultants emphasized their findings are “thought experiments” intended to reflect community sentiment and planning context, not firm development proposals. They recommended the district continue structured, strategic public engagement—especially in neighborhoods with lower participation—coordinate with the city’s land‑development code rewrite and explore partnership models such as land trusts or a redevelopment authority to secure public benefits.
The board did not take action on redevelopment; trustees discussed the report and thanked the presenters. Several members suggested additional outreach and coordination with Fargo Parks and other partners as next steps.
