Enclave Development is moving forward with plans for the 210-unit Compass Apartments on the site of the former Days Inn, 600 30th Ave. S.

city council 

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

An residential redevelopment project planned for the old Days Inn site on 30th Avenue South moved another step forward Monday, when the Moorhead City Council approved TIF financing and two other related measures.

Enclave Development requested the tax increment financing for its proposed 210-unit apartment building at 600 30th Ave S., where the abandoned and deteriorating 50-year-old motel now stands. The TIF offers financial assistance amounting to more than $5 million through pay-as-you-go tax increment financing to the developer for a maximum term of 18 years starting in 2024.

The council also approved the master plan for the development and a $600,000 upfront loan to be repaid with interest. The funds will help with demolition costs.

Economic development consultant Derrick LaPointe noted that the TIF agreement for this property is different from the one granted a year ago for the Emery Apartments, another Enclave project on the southeast quadrant of the I-94/Highway 75 intersection. That project qualified for a housing TIF, including 52 apartments designated as affordable housing, The Compass project’s one-, two- and three-bedroom units will be rented at the current market rate, so the plan does not qualify for that more favorable treatment.

Instead, LaPointe observed, its future uses remain flexible, possibly for commercial rentals. “While it does retain that ultimate flexibility, Enclave’s plan at this time is solely for housing,” he said. He also cited Enclave’s commitment to providing maximum green space on the north side of its property, which adjoins First Presbyterian Church. That may help accommodate play areas for the church’s proposed day care center, a community orchard or other options for green space.

According to Brian Bochman of Enclave, demolition and construction are slated to begin next spring.