The first phase of the Compass Apartments is taking shape at 600 30th Ave. S.
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
If you haven’t turned south on Interstate 94’s Exit 1 lately, you have a surprise in store. Five years ago, the once-bustling intersection was looking sad. The Days Inn, once the Ramada, was closed and largely abandoned, except by squatters periodically flushed out by the police. Across Eighth Street, the neighboring commercial mall – built at the same time 50 years ago – was well past its prime.
No more. Three redevelopment projects by Enclave Development are turning the south two quadrants of the busy intersection into a promising hub of activity.
The first to be completed, the Emery Apartments, opened the doors of 130 new apartment homes less than a year ago. Located at 900 30th Ave. S., the five-story structure quickly filled up with tenants, according to developer Brian Bochman of Enclave.
Across Highway 75, more new rentals are underway where the run-down motel stood just one year ago. Phase 1 of Enclave’s Compass Apartments is expected to be complete by early 2024, adding 104 new apartments to the local housing inventory. Phase 2 of the project, slated to begin later this summer, will add another 89 market-rate units.
Those developments – and perhaps 600 renters who will occupy them – should bring a strong infusion to the third Enclave project, the remodeled commercial spaces across the highway. Dubbed Southmoor Square, the strip mall once occupied by Buttrey-Osco and Sunmart supermarkets has gotten a nearly complete makeover.
According to Bochman, Southmoor encompasses about 50,000 square feet, with space for up to six businesses. Murphy’s Pub has continued to operate there throughout the reconstruction. Jersey Mike’s Sub is close to opening in remodeling quarters. A national auto parts company has signed a lease for the area formerly occupied by CVS and will be making an announcement later this year, he said. Meanwhile, Enclave is negotiating with another national tenant for the prime space on the south end of the mall, where about 20,000 square feet was demolished earlier to provide more parking and street-facing access; that deal, he noted, is not far enough along to even hint at publicly.
With the three projects, Enclave has brought investment of more than $50 million to the formerly stagnant area.
Bochman praised the city’s enthusiasm for and support of the projects, from the first conversations in 2020 through today. The Enclave firm had completed one other apartment project in Moorhead, the Stonecrest Apartments at 1402 Belsly Boulevard, prior to launching the current developments.
“It’s a testament to city manager Dan Mahli, Derrick LaPoint, Mayor Shelly Carlson, the council and the city staff that we’ve accomplished this much in only a couple years,” he said. “There’s been a really concentrated effort to see Moorhead grow. We give them high marks for creativity and a genuine desire to see change in the community.”
Enclave has other projects underway in Fargo and West Fargo, as well as Minneapolis, Denver and Sioux Falls; it’s also involved in Idaho,Utah, Washington and Texas. Says Bochman, who has been a developer with Enclave for 11 years, “Moorhead has been super. I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite cities to work with.”
