Moorhead City Council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

The Moorhead City Council approved a property tax exemption Tuesday for one of two businesses being developed in the former Sunmart building.
The tax break is for the Courtside Restaurant. Requested by owner Jon Norberg, it applies to the full-service restaurant and event space that will occupy part of the facility south of the Brookdale Mall at 2605 Eighth St. S. The rest of the structure will be outfitted with 14 pickleball and bag toss courts. The two separate businesses will share the Courtside name.
“That building has been empty since 2019, when the supermarket closed,” economic development consultant Derrick LaPoint pointed out to the council. “We’re all excited to see some life there. I’ve been hearing lots of praise for Norcaster LLC building this in our community.”
The property tax excemption, he explained, applies only to the eatery and community/party rooms. He explained, “Minnesota doesn’t allow us to incentivize recreation activities like racket sports.”
The estimated value of the new restaurant and meeting rooms, according to the city assessor, is approximately $1,490,000, with a maximum total benefit to Norcaster of $119,200. Norberg projects its staffing at 12 full-time and 18 part-time employees.
Courtside, he said, will offer an “elevated simple” dining experiences with appetizers, lunches and dinner. It will have a self-service tap wall and full bar service. Its event space will include rooms that can be reserved for business or personal get-togethers.