West Fargo looking to expand north and build vertically

(West Fargo, ND) -- West Fargo is looking to solve an expansion problem, as they begin to address a lack of directions to continue building.

"We're limited to the south, and we are limited to the east, and with our flood protection we are limited to the west," said West Fargo Mayor Bernie Dardis, in a conversation with WDAY's Bonnie and Friends on Tuesday, " Planning and zoning tells us that if we would have stayed on the same projectile that we were two years ago, we probably had three to four years, before we would be built out within the city limits of West Fargo."

Mayor Dardis says the city can still build residential and commercial areas North, especially once the lagoons are fully decommissioned. This would make what Mayor Dardis calls "Old West Fargo" the center of the city, once expansions are complete in its northern section. He adds the only other feasible space the city can build towards is up.

"That's one of the things West Fargo has done, and across the metro area, we've got developers doing that exact thing, [considering] the density of the buildings they are putting in." 

 Mayor Dardis says the city can only expand so far before it hits barriers, in both city limit and cost. He mentions property taxes and house prices will likely increase over time, largely due to a high demand for buildable properties with a lack of land supply.