Kristie Leshovsky | Community Development Director

Moorhead City Council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

The past year was “a great year for Moorhead,” community development director Kristie Leshovsky told the Moorhead City Council at its meeting Monday night, marked with “a lot of movement, a lot of growth and opportunity,”.
She went on to highlight some of the achievements detailed in the city’s just-completed 2024 Annual Development Report. Among them: $58.75 million in new commercial construction, the highest valuation in the city’s history; 1,414 building permits issued, spurred by more than 800 roofing permits; modernization of zoning and the development code; and an increase of 2% in MATBUS ridership.
She mentioned the census of 218 fully serviced, buildable lots within Moorhead subdivisions as the 2025 construction season begins. In 2024, 227 housing permits were issued, including 155 multi-family units and 72 single-family residences. Twenty residential contractors built homes in the city. Total residential sales, at 578, were nearly 100 greater than in 2023; the median price was $270,500, $10,000 more than the previous year.
The development report notes progress toward the “5 Big Ideas” highlighted in the Onward Moorhead comprehensive plan adopted by the city in 2022, including investment in downtown, creating great experiences in existing and new places, connecting neighborhoods, fostering sustainability, and supporting and celebrating businesses. Leshovsky matched them with the year’s achievements, from construction of The Loop – the downtown community center and library – and 650 Center, the first private development in the rejuvenated downtown area, to installation of 300 LED street lights, both environmentally friendly and providing better light.
She invited the council, as well as city residents, to explore annual development report in more detail online at www.cityofmoorhead.com.