West Fargo consultants outline growth-area plan for roughly 8,000 acres opened by FM Diversion

At an open-house presentation, Brian Hardis, a landscape architect with HKGI of Minneapolis, outlined a planning process for roughly 8,000 acres on West Fargo’s west side that will become available for development as the FM Diversion Project is completed.

Hardis said the plan will produce guidance on land use, parks, transportation and infrastructure and assess fiscal implications for phased development over the next 20 to 30 years. “One of the big impetus for this planning effort is a continuation of understanding of the comprehensive plan for the city but recognizing that there's quite a bit of new land that's gonna be available for development based on the new FM Diversion Project,” he said.

The consultants described the work as an addendum to the city’s 2018 comprehensive plan, intended to clarify where mixed-use nodes, employment areas and residential growth might best be located, and how parks and stormwater systems could be integrated. Kevin (identified as a colleague on the project team) said West Fargo’s recent growth informs the work: “the last couple decades for the City Of West Fargo have been defined by pretty explosive growth,” he said, and added the plan aims to be strategic about where the city invests in roads and utilities.

Project materials shown at the open house map a study area that includes the diversion channel, areas south of Interstate 94, land around the fairgrounds and lagoons, and land near the Cheyenne River. The presenters noted the city owns about 600 acres in the lagoon area and that earlier comp-plan ideas identified several mixed-use and employment nodes that the team will re-evaluate.

Organizers described the schedule as an approximately 18-month effort. They said the public survey connected to the project would remain open for three weeks after the meeting, concept alternatives would be presented in the September timeframe and the team expects to return with key recommendations in early 2026. Attendees were invited to review boards at the event, add sticky-note feedback and use an online survey and the project web page to provide input.

Project staff said they have already held stakeholder meetings with City of West Fargo planning and zoning, the city commission and the West Fargo Parks District and will continue to integrate stakeholder and public feedback as concepts are developed.

Materials displayed at the open house included background analyses, potential land-use character for neighborhoods and nodes (ranging from single-family to denser housing and vertical mixed-use), and preliminary considerations for transportation connectivity and park siting. The presenters emphasized that not all of the 8,000 acres is expected to be developed immediately and that early phases would be more prescriptive while later phases would remain flexible.

For further information, project materials and the survey link are posted on the project's page linked from the City of West Fargo website, organizers said.