FARGO — Although plans are not finalized, Fargo’s Craig Development plans to demolish one of Fargo’s oldest strip malls and 10 rental homes behind it and replace the structures with a massive new mixed-use building.

Jesse Craig said on Friday March 11 that he had signed a purchase agreement and will become the owner on June 1 of the South Plaza shopping center, which is home to 11 businesses, including Duane’s House of Pizza, Chinese restaurant Great Wall, drugstore The Medicine Shoppe and CJ’s Kitchen. .

Plans are just beginning for the $30 million project, which Craig hopes to expand with the help of a tax-raise funding satellite district across the city, to renovate the entire block.

He hopes to begin demolition of the south side of the mall this summer, with some of the businesses moving to the north end, as the project will be in two phases.

Craig said they were ready to “work with any of the current tenants” as the project progresses.

Mark Lane, whose family business currently owns the mall and homes, took over the operation from his late father, Harvey.

He believed the mall in the 1600 block of South University between 16th and 17th Streets was built in the mid-1950s and was one of the first commercial operations in that part of town.

His father bought the mall in 1973 and worked on the operation for most of the 50 years he was in the family. Mark Lane, who previously lived in Alaska, took over as chief executive in 2010 and said he was “ending” the family business.

Craig said the mall really needed replacing.

“They’ve had their best days,” he said of the mall and the rental homes along 13 1/2 Street, which he described as “shabby.”

Only about three of the houses are worth saving, and Craig hopes to donate them to Habitat for Humanity to move.

The new structure would include underground parking, 27,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and likely 86 to 104 apartments on the upper floors.

Craig said several businesses plan to stay at the site.

Duane’s House of Pizza said on its Facebook page that the historic restaurant remains. “We’re not going anywhere. In fact, in the end, we’ll be on the same side of the block…just in a shiny new house!

According to a Forum article on the growing number of malls beginning in the early 2000s, the city had its first in 1955 when the Southside Mall opened between 1503 and 1543 South University Drive, just north of South Square.

Readers can contact Forum reporter Barry Amundson at 701-451-5665 or [email protected]