Fargo Convention Center Committee Narrows Proposals to Final Four

Decision on new convention center location expected by late April

Mar. 14, 2026 at 1:08am

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The Fargo Convention Center committee is still reviewing four final proposals for the location of the city's new convention center. The committee, led by Charley Johnson, has been working on the project for about 10 years and is now close to making a decision, which they hope to present to the commission within the next several weeks.

Why it matters

The new convention center is a major civic project for Fargo that has been in the works for a decade. The decision on the location will have significant implications for the city's future development and tourism industry.

The details

The four sites still under consideration are Brewhalla, Scheels Arena, Fargodome, and the Civic Center. Consultants have been working alongside the committee and groups like Visit Fargo-Moorhead to review the final proposals. Johnson said a lot has factored into the timing of the project, including the need to build political will for it.

  • The convention center committee has been working on the project for about 10 years.
  • A decision on the final location is expected by late April 2026.

The players

Charley Johnson

The leader of the Fargo Convention Center committee overseeing the selection process for the new convention center location.

Visit Fargo-Moorhead

A local organization that has been involved in the convention center planning process alongside the city.

City of Fargo

The local government entity that will ultimately decide on the convention center location.

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What they’re saying

“It took about 10 years of working on it to finally get to the point to where we were able to coalesce around it. There just has never been a political will for it until now.”

— Charley Johnson, Convention Center Committee Leader

What’s next

The convention center committee hopes to present its recommendation to the Fargo city commission within the next several weeks.

The takeaway

After a decade of planning, Fargo is nearing a decision on the location of its new convention center, a major civic project that will shape the city's future development and tourism industry.