Second-quarter housing starts exceed 2013, permit valuations across all categories up significantly

Second-quarter housing starts exceed 2013, permit valuations across all categories up significantly

July 29, 2014 (Fargo, N.D.) – The Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead’s 2014 second-quarter building permit report for the F-M metro area shows the results of a busy building industry. Dampened by a long, rainy spring and summer, housing starts in the F-M area are up slightly from 2013 with total valuation up nearly $9 million. Housing start totals increased by 13 permits compared to this time last year. With 500 total permits pulled through second quarter, housing, including single-family, twin homes, row houses and duplexes, is at its highest level since 2006.

Total construction value through second quarter is just shy of $630 million, which is up over $335 million; this includes housing, multi-family, new commercial, residential and commercial remodeling, public, and miscellaneous categories. Over half of that major difference ($171 million) is accounted for in Fargo’s new commercial permit category.

HBA President Carlita Dietz, Jay Dietz Construction, Inc., says, “Housing numbers are strong. This is great news considering that we’ve been dealing with challenging weather and a labor crunch this building season, both which have delayed many projects across the area.”

On the Minnesota side of the river, with 103 total housing starts, Moorhead’s numbers are the highest since 2008. There is a 150 percent increase in housing permits pulled and a 120 percent increase in total valuation. Dilworth’s housing and valuation numbers are down a bit from 2013, but are still ahead of those in 2012.

In Fargo, single-family and twin home starts are less than 2013, however, multi-family permits are up by 55 percent with a valuation increase from $22.5 to $43.8 million, or 95 percent. In West Fargo, total housing starts are up slightly, with total valuation up $4.3 million. Single-family permits are down a bit, but twin home/row house construction is up, as is multi-family and residential remodeling projects.

“The lack of permanent flood protection for the community continues to be an issue. It is on the minds of prospective home buyers/owners as well as the building and development community,” Dietz says. “With approximately 60 percent of Clay County’s eligible resident workforce employed in Cass County, permanent flood protection is necessary to protect all, whether they are businesses, employees or home owners. With the presidential authorization of Water Resources Reform & Development Act, we remain optimistic that flood protection is in the future for the F-M area.”

Community Forum on Alcohol Misuse Prevention

FARGO, ND (July 29, 2014)—On Wednesday, August 6, Fargo Cass Public Health (FCPH) will host the Community Forum on Alcohol Misuse Prevention to reveal findings from a community assessment and discuss effective strategies to prevent adult binge drinking and underage drinking in Cass County. The forum will be held two times: 1-2 p.m., and 7-8 p.m. at the Fargo City Commission Room, 200 3rd St. N., Fargo.

The forum will also discuss ways the public can offer input and suggestions on how to best use monies from the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant awarded to FCPH to address binge and underage drinking.

For more information on the event, go to FargoCassPublicHealth.com or contact Robyn LitkeSall at 701-241-1341, or rlitkesall@cityoffargo.com.

University Drive to close

between 54th – 62nd Avenues South

FARGO, N.D.–Starting Tuesday, July 29, University Drive will be closed between 54th and 62nd Avenues South for storm sewer installation as part of the River Vili Area Flood Risk Management Project. Traffic will be detoured around the work zone via 52nd Avenue South, 25th Street South & 76th Avenue South. The entrance to River Vili will remain open for residents. The closure is expected to last two weeks.

A complete, updated list of Fargo street closures can be found at www.FargoStreets.com. Follow us on Twitter @FargoStreets.

GeoComm mapping to be

conducted in Fargo & Cass County

FARGO, ND– The State of North Dakota Department of Emergency Services is currently working with Geo-Comm., Inc. (GeoComm) to create a Statewide Seamless Base Map that will be used for 9-1-1 purposes. The GeoComm fieldwork crew will be in the Fargo and Cass County area August 4 – 22, 2014, and will be visiting some residences and businesses to verify addresses.

In some cases GeoComm will only need to verify the location of the residential structure and will not need to speak to the resident. In these cases, residents may see a GeoComm vehicle come up their driveway, then turn around and leave. If a house number is not posted on the structure, a GeoComm field technician may approach the house to verify the address and landline telephone information. This information will be used to verify and update the address information on the map.

If the GeoComm Field Technician is unable to connect with a resident, a paper survey with contact information will be left behind. We ask that residents assist in the successful completion of this project by calling a North Dakota Project Team member at

888-436-2666 or visiting the online survey site at http://nd-des.geo-comm.com to provide the information requested.

Information provided to GeoComm will be considered confidential and its distribution restricted to only those parties involved in the Statewide Seamless Base Map project. Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the Cass County 911 Coordinator Tara Morris at 701-241-5829 or North Dakota DES Public Information Specialist Cecily Fong at 701-328-8154.

NDSU Horticulture Research Field Day Set for Aug. 7

If you are interested in learning more about woody landscape plants, tree diseases and small-fruit research, plan to attend the North Dakota State University Horticulture Research Field Day.

The tour begins at 5 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the NDSU Horticulture Research Farm and Dale E. Herman Research Arboretum near Absaraka. Refreshments will be provided.

The tour will include NDSU tree and shrub selections, ongoing research, common and exotic species, and the dwarf conifer collection. Research trials on Juneberries and grapes will be featured. Information on hybrid poplar diseases and emerald ash borer also will be presented.

The 80-acre farm includes the 35-acre Dale E. Herman Research Arboretum, which has the largest collection of woody plants in the northern Plains, plus additional plot research areas.

For more information or if you are planning on attending and would like to RSVP, please contact

West at todd.p.west@ndsu.edu.

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