Fargo planning commission approves Metro Flood Diversion maintenance site rezoning, OKs several plats; neighbors voice parking concerns near NDSU

FARGO, N.D. — The Fargo Planning Commission on Jan. 7 approved a zone change and subdivision plat for a Metro Flood Diversion Authority maintenance facility and moved forward on multiple minor and major plats across the city, while residents near North Dakota State University pressed the commission for details about parking and future building size.

Commissioners voted to change zoning on a parcel associated with the Metro Flood Diversion project to PI, public and institutional, and to approve the AAB (AAV) addition subdivision plat that establishes a single lot for a future maintenance and operations building. Donald Kress, planner with the Department of Planning and Development, told commissioners a title-review issue about a 33-foot right-of-way dedication for 45th Street had been resolved before the hearing and staff removed that contingency from its recommendation.

Paul Barthel, a consultant for the Metro Flood Diversion Authority, said the site was acquired to support the southern embankment and will host a small office, control room and maintenance shop. "It will be directly connected and directly adjacent" to diversion infrastructure, Barthel said, adding the building pad was elevated as part of the Army Corps project and the driveway will tie into future 45th Street at grade.

Why it matters: The approval clears a procedural land-entitlement step that authorizes a public/institutional use on the site and establishes lot…