Roers site of planned townhome project. (City of Fargo photo)
FARGO (KFGO) – Fargo developer Jim Roers drew fire at last night’s city commission meeting for failing to build seven townhomes that were to be completed by the end of last year under agreements with the city and the Roosevelt neighborhood.
The townhomes were part of a compromise, used as a buffer next to a development that includes St.Paul’s Newman Center and apartments that cover a city block near the NDSU campus. Roers told commissioners he still planned to build the townhomes but wanted an extension for up to several years. He said soaring construction costs, traffic congestion in the construction area, and other issues resulted in the delay.
City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn blasted Roers and called him a liar. He said Roers never planned to build the townhomes. Piepkorn said, “I wouldn’t believe it if this guy said the sky is blue and the grass is green.” Piepkorn also implied that Roers’s daughter, Shannon Roers Jones, who’s running for mayor, would bury this issue if she is elected in June.
Commissioner Arlette Preston told Roers he broke a trust. She said when a contract is broken, it’s “null and void.” She said will not agree to a delay in building the townhomes.
Roers apologized for the failure to build the townhomes as scheduled but he said the accusations made against his daughter and himself were “completely unfounded.”
Commissioners approved a motion for attorneys for the city and Roers Development Company to meet, discuss options and forward that information to the city commission for a decision. Commissioner Preston cast the lone “no vote.”
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