Interest in the Northern Plains Commerce Centre appears to be growing, and Bismarck city commissioners want to build a 48,000-square-foot combination transloading facility and warehouse.

City administrator Bill Wocken brought forward a request to advertise for contractors to bid on constructing the facility. He said the transload capability is critical to the loading and unloading of trains, which is a mainstay of the NPCC. Limited warehousing space will also be provided.

Commissioner Dave Jensen questioned what the estimated cost for the project might be. Wocken said an estimate wasn't available, but noted that a similar facility considered earlier, 60,000 square feet in size, had been put at $4.5 million.

Commissioner Sandi Tabor said that the NPCC's management, Alexander Mallory International, has been successful in its heavy marketing of the NPCC and that suggested there will be more tenants at the NPCC.

That brought a question from commissioner Steve Schwab on whether the new warehouse will be a revenue-generating venture.

"Is there anything on the revenues this building will have or are companies just going to come in and use it?" Schwab asked.

Tabor and mayor John Warford assured Schwab it will be a money-making proposition. But they couldn't provide any type of rate structure at the present time.

"What we receive in rental rates will depend on the construction bid," Wocken said. "We've successfully floated some rates, but we do need to have bids to finish that process."

Commissioners unanimously approved calling for bids.

The commission also called on a hearing for an urban renewal plan for the NPCC area. The plan calls for the creation of a tax increment district for the NPCC, the same as on that has been in use for years for downtown Bismarck.

City attorney Charlie Whitman said that the district is transparent to the property owners who are taxed. But as property values increase each year, that portion of the increase in taxes is put back into the NPCC district to retire debt and produce funding for other projects. Taxing jurisdictions receive the same amount of tax year after year as was assessed the first year the district was created.

Wocken said that while the taxing jurisdictions lose out, the argument is made that property values would not have increased without the businesses created within the tax increment district.

Jensen asked if the money generated through the tax increment district could be returned to the taxpayers. Whitman said taxes couldn't be rebated. Jensen then suggested the money be put in the general fund to offset the need for collection.

When the commission feels the renewal actions are complete, the district can be dissolved.

Among the proposed renewal actions listed were: clear and level site; construct landscape/recreation barrier; upgrade perimeter roads; build a transload facility with full intermodal capabilities; installation of a rail connection to transload facility; construct warehousing, construct air freight facilities; construction of manufacturing and parts assembly facilities; construct rail yards; build scale; and build an administration building.

The public hearing for urban renewal passed on a 3 to 2 vote, with Schwab and Jensen in opposition.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)