Station #4
Potential Strategies
Potential Strategies
What are the best tools and strategies for Fargo’s core neighborhoods?
The current phase of the Core Neighborhoods Master Plan is focused on the development of a toolkit of policies and programs that would be responsive to issues raised in the project to date. Below are a handful of tools currently being considered and examined…
Enhanced Code Enforcement and Compliance Assistance
_____
Redesign existing code enforcement systems to put more pressure on negligent and obstinate property owners while providing more support to owners who might be financially or physically unable to rectify code violations.
Design Standards
_____
Put design standards in the City's Land Development Code for all base zoning districts to control building form. This would include standards for the building envelope such as use of materials, transparency, and overall building articulation. It would not prescribe architectural style.
Expand Residential Leadership Development
_____
Provide more support to groups of neighbors who want to boost levels of engagement and collaboration in their neighborhoods. This could include support for block parties and beautification activities, guidance and assistance from City staff, and connecting resident leaders to learn from each other.
More Support for Owner-Occupant Home Improvements
_____
Redesign and/or build upon existing programs that provide financial and management support to homeowners who want to make major upgrades and improvements to their properties.
Redevelop Declining Properties on Major Streets
_____
Identify and target problem properties on high-visibility corridors for acquisition and redevelopment that supports neighborhood goals.
Focused Reinvestment in Core Neighborhood Schools
_____
Identify facility and program investments that would improve or maintain the quality, appeal, and competitiveness of schools in core neighborhoods in relation to newer facilities in non-core neighborhoods.
More Predictable Redevelopment and Infill Patterns
_____
Make the location of new or infill development more predictable for both neighborhood stakeholders and developers by making it clearer where different types and densities of new development will be allowed or not allowed.
Turning Around Distressed Absentee-Owned Properties
_____
Develop the capacity to acquire and demolish the most distressed absentee-owned properties in core neighborhoods while also having the capacity to acquire, renovate, and sell more salvageable properties to qualified buyers.
Revitalizing Declining Apartment Buildings
_____
Intervene with older apartment buildings that are in decline by having the capacity to partner with cooperative owners, assist with renovations, and preserve the affordability of a share of renovated units.
Retrofit Major Streets to Be Safer and More Appealing for All Users
_____
Develop a phased strategy to upgrade all major streets in the core neighborhoods in ways that follow "Complete Streets" principles—making the streets appealing and safe for all users, such as the ongoing improvements to Main Avenue.
Boost Investment in Parks, Trails, and Bicycle/Pedestrian Infrastructure
_____
Commit to higher levels of investment in public spaces within the core to ensure that parks, playgrounds, and trails are well-maintained, well-connected, and routinely updated to make them essential contributors to quality of life in all core neighborhoods.
Investments to Preserve and Expand Affordable Housing Options in the Region
_____
Move away from treating older and declining properties in the core as the region's "default affordable housing" supply by committing to greater levels of local investment in affordable housing preservation and development, as well as a more even distribution of affordable units throughout the region.
Provide your feedback to Station #4 below.
Now that you've learned about the tools currently being considered and examined by the planning process, add your voice to the conversation about Fargo's Core Neighborhoods.
