Grand Forks' downtown Renaissance Zone could be extended by another 11 blocks, said city staff, which is asking the City Council's Finance Committee for its recommendation.
The zone gives developers making investments inside the zone property and state income tax breaks.
The committee will meet at 5:30 tonight.
State law allows the city to designate as many as 32 contiguous blocks as Renaissance Zone with three more that are not contiguous. The city now has 23 contiguous blocks downtown and the council is adding three noncontiguous blocks around the Grand Cities Mall.
State law also allows the city to take some blocks out of the zone and add new ones, which is how staff arrived at the number 11.
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Staff recommended three options for the expansion, one to the northwest as far as Sixth Avenue North, one to the southeast as far as Third Avenue South and Woodland Avenue and one to the southwest as far as North Washington Street.
Staff also recommended taking five blocks that include, among other things, the Elite Brownstone condos, an Alerus Financial branch, the old Civic Auditorium, the development adjacent to Town Square and the county courthouse.
