FARGO (KFGO) – As Fargo’s Hector International Airport prepares to break ground as early as this fall on a terminal expansion which will more than double its size, the Municipal Airport Authority (MAA) and members of the Fargo City Commission met Monday to discuss the possible addition of a parking garage in order to accommodate the extra traffic the larger airport will generate.
MAA board chair John Cosgriff said the board is considering a four-level structure that would cover the area that is currently short-term parking, in front of the airport’s main entrance. The proposed ramp would net the airport 735 parking spaces. Cosgriff said 70% of the airport’s surface parking would still exist after the ramp is constructed, but the ramp could be added onto from the south if there was more demand.
A consulting firm commissioned by the MAA estimated that parking revenue could increase from $4 million to $8 million annually within five years with construction of the new ramp. Those estimates were based on daily rates of $25/day in the ramp and 60% occupancy. Cosgriff said the consultants found that business travelers as well as a significant segment of leisure travelers said they would be willing to pay a premium for ramp parking.
MAA board member Paula Ekman said consultants had warned the MAA that the airport would be 500 parking spots short if the airport expansion happens without additional parking. She said alternatives like a shuttle had been discussed, but that would also require construction of shelters and not address many of the winter weather-related issues travelers experience. Ekman said taxis and Ubers are not a good option for a great number of the travelers who use the airport as they come from cities and towns many miles away.
Financing will be a key concern as plans for the ramp move forward. The MAA is considering asking for an additional mill levy in the city’s 2024 budget to help pay for the ramp’s construction, though at least two of the commissioners present at Monday’s meeting expressed concern about increasing airport funding. The airport is currently allocated two mills in city budgeting and is authorized for up to four.
“I think we should look at other possibilities – I have heartburn about the mill,” Commissioner Dave Piepkorn said. “Just have our finance department see what other options are – it (the parking ramp) is obviously a good thing, but the mill might be the last option.”
Commissioner Arlette Preston also expressed wariness about allocating additional city funding to the airport for the ramp’s construction.
Cosgriff said the parking garage could be self-sustaining within five years, so the additional mill may only be needed for a short amount of time. He said rental car companies have also expressed interest in using some of the space in the ramp, possibly an entire level.
No decisions were made at Monday’s informational meeting. Cosgriff told KFGO News that he expects discussions between the MAA and the city with regard to the parking ramp to be ongoing over the coming months.
Executive Director Shawn Dobberstein said that while the MAA has yet to enlist an architect for the parking project, that decision could come as early as this week. He said while ground could be broken on the ramp as early as April or May of 2024, it’s not clear whether construction of the expansion and the parking ramp would happen in tandem. He said the expansion project alone will already be causing significant disruption at the airport, so the MAA board would have to discuss the appropriate timing for the ramp’s construction with that in mind.
