As Grand Forks continues to grow, city officials are looking west of Interstate 29 for the next hot spots in housing and business development.

Two sites in particular - one near the new west side Walmart and another south of Flying J truck stop - have been pegged as areas of forthcoming growth, said Ryan Brooks, deputy city planner.

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The city plans to put new lift stations near both of those two sites by spring 2015, but Brooks said he expects the Walmart site will see more development first, as the north edge of the site borders Walmart and the southeast edge borders existing residential neighborhoods.

Construction and development near there “could start a year from now, depending on the market,” Brooks said. A building timeline for the site near Flying J was more difficult for him to predict.

Plans and concepts for both areas are still in very early stages, Brooks said.

But city officials know they want the city to expand west of I-29.

“It’s going to be hard for us to grow south because we’re hamstrung by the dike,” as flood protection only extends so far along the Red River, said council member Doug Christensen, who sits on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

“We have lots of room to move to the west,” he said.

‘True neighborhoods’

Before the new Walmart opened earlier this year on Gateway Drive, city planners thought the best development options for the area would be industrial.

“Walmart has kind of changed all that,” Brooks said.

Now, with landowner Ron Adams, the city is planning to zone land for a general business district next to Walmart’s west side and residential development south of there, between 10th Avenue North and DeMers Avenue.

Business or housing construction could start as early as next fall, Brooks said, adding the city does not have specific plans submitted by developers. However, based on the location, Brooks said he knows the area will develop quickly.

“Walmart brings in a lot of people, which then those traffic numbers bring commercial (development) in,” he said.

Nearby businesses would likely include restaurants, a gas station or maybe another big-box retail store, Brooks said.

The area, bordered by North 55th and North 62nd streets, would include single family homes between Fifth and Fourth avenues.

When the early zoning plans were presented recently to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, board members said they favored “true neighborhoods” with a collective feel, uninterrupted by apartments or business.

Apartments and townhomes are planned north and south of those neighborhoods, filling in the areas bordering Walmart and DeMers Avenue.

Some planning commission members expressed concerns about housing near the new Walmart spurring a need for new elementary school.

But School Board member Meggen Sande, who sits on the city’s planning commission, said the school district will keep an eye on enrollment numbers and education needs as Grand Forks grows.

With the new south-end elementary school under construction, another new school probably won’t be built anytime soon, she said.

Ready to build

Grand Forks’ rapidly growing south end will also jump west of I-29, with city planners looking to zone areas south of Flying J truck stop for mostly business, with some housing.

The area, owned by Guy Useldinger, is north of 47th Avenue South with east-west borders of South 48th (which is not built there yet) and South 42nd streets.

It will likely attract a mix of commercial and industrial development, such as transportation-oriented businesses like Revolutions Power Sports, which is in the northwest corner of the site, Brooks said.

Single-family homes on the west edge of the site would allow adjacent land to be zoned residential and connect future neighborhoods, he said.

There would probably be other businesses, such as restaurants or gas stations, near the proposed 47th Avenue South interchange, which is in the southeast corner of the site, but the city is waiting on federal and state funding options to build the interchange, Brooks said.

There are already some developers ready to build in this southwest site, but they are waiting for the city to put in the necessary infrastructure, Brooks said. He added that Revolutions Power Sports is looking to expand.

Waiting game

For developers to build on either the southwest site or the Walmart site, the city first must complete its installation of necessary infrastructure - such as stormwater and wastewater systems - including a lift station at each site. Brooks said both lift stations will likely be constructed next spring.

Council member Ken Vein, who also sits on the planning commission, said both sites identified west of I-29 are logical directions for growth, but he also added the city’s infrastructure plan is key to attracting developers.

“To capitalize on growth, we need to be ‘shovel ready,’ is what they call it, with the strategic infrastructure in place,” he said.

It could be up to 10 years for both sites to be completely developed, Brooks said.