Memorial Village II construction underway
The following was published Tuesday, Sept. 12, on the Campus Renewal blog. A separate story on the project, including comments from UND Softball Coach Jordan Stevens, has also been published at UND Today this week.
Following the UND Department of Athletics’ announcement of its latest facility project, Memorial Village II, construction work is already underway.
Located directly across 2nd Avenue North from the Frederick D. Pollard Athletic Center and ongoing Memorial Village development, Memorial Village II is also a public-private partnership. The completed project will provide a state-of-the-art softball stadium in combination with commercial space and mixed-living opportunities, according to FightingHawks.com.
Per UND Athletics, “The stadium, which is slated to be completed by fall 2024, will feature over 500 spectator seats, a special party deck in left field and an LED videoboard. It also will be pet friendly.”
The project is being led by UND Athletics, the City of Grand Forks and the Memorial Village Development Group; the announcement credited Dave and Alexa Albrecht as lead donors.
Though the official groundbreaking is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 3, the site is being cleared for construction into fall and through the winter, according to UND Facilities Management.
The earliest stages, which have been covered in prior blog posts, involved razing the existing parking lot between University Avenue and 2nd Avenue North and removing surrounding trees that were either in poor condition or at immediate risk of disease.
Crews have since been clearing away the remaining asphalt, relocating utilities and preparing the site for concrete foundations, according to Brian Larson, director of construction management.
“We’re going to have work happening on-site throughout the year,” Larson said. “Both for the building and the field, we’re trying to have foundations installed before winter comes and the ground freezes.”
Then, during the winter – as happened last year with Memorial Village I – the main structures will start taking shape.
With this pace of construction, the goal is to have a playable field by August 2024, followed by leasable apartments in March 2025. Retail space is being planned for the lower level of the building.
For parking, surface parking will be developed to support the commercial businesses located on the ground floor, and residential parking will be located underneath the mixed-use building. Memorial Village II will also be internally connected to the Columbia Road skywalk, allowing for convenient access to the parking garage opposite Columbia Road.
UND has also planned for parking development associated with the addition to the Frederick D. Pollard Athletic Center as well as better pedestrian connections linking the Energy & Environmental Research Center parking lot to the new complex, providing convenient parking for games and events.
