Grand Forks City Council approves infill annexation and rezone of south-end development
Mar. 18—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks City Council gave first approval to several zoning, plat and annexation changes at its Monday night council meeting.
The changes range from street vacation to annexing parts of Grand Forks Township on the city's south end. In total, seven preliminary approvals of plats and ordinance changes for zoning and annexation were passed. Also, two final approvals for replat and a rezone were passed by the council.
The council gave final approval and held a public hearing to the replat and rezone for the lots surrounding 921 N. Washington St. The replat vacates parts of what would be the intersection and right-of-way for North 14th Street and North Washington Street. The replatted land was rezoned to allow for multifamily living from its previous designation of general business.
The lots surround the old Bremer Bank location and two townhomes are proposed to be built on the west and south sides of the old bank lot. The bank lot remains zoned for commercial.
The council also gave its first approval of the realignment of 40th Avenue South as well as the plat and annexation of the Opportunity Park development. The development is located on the far southwest corner of the city near the 32nd Avenue South and Interstate 29 interchange.
The changes amend the Columbia Park West planned unit development district and annex land into the city from Grand Forks Township. The proposed development would be business and industrial uses similar to what is currently in the area. The future 40th Avenue South right-of-way was realigned to allow for larger lot sizes in the development.
Additionally, the council gave the first approval of the replat, rezone and annexation of 4200 S. 19th Street. The lot is at the corner of South 19th Street and 40th Avenue South and was originally platted as part of the Southern Estates development. The land is not within city limits, but is a Grand Forks Township enclave surrounded by the city.
When the land was first developed in 1998, it was set aside as parkland. Much of that land became Scheels Baseball Fields, but the Grand Forks Park District declined to buy the lot so it is being developed into housing.
"There are been a few islands left in the city that we're trying to close up," Grand Forks City Planner Ryan Brooks said. "This is one of them and somebody is looking to develop on that parcel."
According to the staff report, a previous development proposal in 2020 was in discussion but was opposed by nearby residents. Due to ongoing pandemic effects, it did not move forward. Dakota Commercial brought forward a new concept of rowhomes with 48 units. The Dakota Commercial development would feature two lines of rowhomes on a private drive.
In other news Monday, the council:
* Held an executive session to discuss and receive information on litigation between the city and the East Central Water District about its water service agreement. The East Central Water District is seeking to have the nearly 25-year-old agreement voided as its representatives argue the agreement violates North Dakota Century Code and federal law and was never valid to begin with.
* Discussed the
water meter replacement project.
Council member Rebecca Osowski criticized the Grand Forks Water Department for not doing its due diligence in making sure the new water meters, which other cities use, are not a data security risk.
