Fri, Jul 21st, 2023 - 1:45pm
December 17, 2019 - 6:16pm | By Chris Larson
A ceremony will be held on December 18, 2019, from noon to 1 p.m. to celebrate the ground-breaking of a new mixed-use parking garage on the corner of Fourth Avenue North and Broadway in Downtown Fargo.
The Mercantile project represents a public-private partnership between the City of Fargo, Kilbourne Group and Tom and Kari Smith, owners of the historic Great Northern Depot adjacent to the site. The first phase of the project is a City-owned six-story parking garage of 369 spaces to be added to the City’s public parking supply.
The garage will be wrapped on all sides with mixed-use and residential private development. Plans for the six-story, mixed-use portion of the project, to be built by Kilbourne Group, include space for a Fargo Police Department substation, a parking office, public restrooms, approximately 100 apartments for rent and 16,922 square feet of ground floor commercial space. Smith intends to add nine owner-occupied housing units, to be called The Great Northern Block, to the North side of the project.
The project has been labeled Mercantile, in homage to the four-story brick structure which was built in 1909 for Fargo Mercantile Co., a wholesale grocer. Designed by the Hancock Brothers and constructed by C.H. Johnson & Co., the building was demolished in 1966. The Goodyear Service Center was constructed in 1968 and served the downtown community for 48 years before closing in 2016.
“Downtown is the vibrant core of our community and it continues to grow and evolve,” said Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney. “It’s a regional epicenter for the arts, entertainment and commerce. We are creating an active city center built around thriving downtown businesses and beautiful, natural features. All of this is possible due to strong partnerships between the City, our businesses and our community organizations.”
“As the caretakers of the historic Great Northern Depot, we are excited to be a part of this development and to create a building, a community, that will benefit from and enhance the area around the new parking garage,” said Tom Smith, developer of the owner-occupied residences. “We will honor the history and significance of the Depot and The Great Northern Block, and its homeowners will become a part of the fabric of downtown Fargo.”
“The Mercantile project will add to downtown Fargo’s parking supply and create entirely new experiences downtown that are uniquely Fargo,” said Kilbourne Group President Mike Allmendinger. “This infill project replaces a surface parking lot of 85 stalls with a 369-stall garage to support residents, restaurants, retail customers and office workers. The 400 Block of Broadway is lined with strong, established retail and we are excited to contribute to this already vibrant area. Our goal of filling in this corner is to increase walkability and activate the area even more by injecting new residential and retail experiences on Broadway.”
The ceremony will include remarks from Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney, Deputy Mayor Dave Piepkorn, City Commissioner Tony Grindberg, Kilbourne Group President Mike Allmendinger and Great Northern Depot Owner Tom Smith. The program will start at noon inside the Great Northern Depot, home of the Great Northern Bicycle Company, and will be followed by a ceremonial breaking of the ground at the site of the Mercantile project on the corner of Fourth Avenue North and Broadway.
