Fargo's Jim Gilmour to retire from city planning office

After more than three decades on the job, Fargo's long serving city planner is retiring.

Jim Gilmour, who has been either a Fargo city planner or head of city planning for the past 31 years, will retire July 2.

Jim, 69, began as a Fargo community development planner in 1994. He was promoted to planning department director shortly after the 1997 Fargo flood after which he did yeoman's work, negotiating about 100 home buyouts to make way for a permanent flood protection system for city residents.

City planning director for 19 years, he retires with the title Fargo strategic planning director.

Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said he and others rely on Jim for his quiet work ethic and deep institutional knowledge.

"Jim has been a steady guiding force - not just at City Hall - but more importantly for our growing city the past three decades," said Mahoney. "He was an early leader, partnering with downtown business people, to begin revitalizing our downtown in the late 1990s and into the 2000s."

Building Industry Association CEO Bryce Johnson has worked with Jim nearly her entire tenure at the Association and echoes Mayor Mahoney's sentiments.

She says, "Thank you for all you’ve done for Fargo and our region. We’ve been fortunate to work with you over the years, and your partnership has meant so much to the housing community. You will be missed, and we wish you the very best in retirement.”

Jim earned a degree in public administration from the University of North Dakota in 1979 and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin in 1981. He worked for regional planning councils in western North Dakota before coming to Fargo City Hall.

Looking back, Jim said his most meaningful project was partnering with a volunteer group in 2013 to provide a new building for The Emergency Food Pantry in downtown Fargo. He appreciates that the project provides food for people in need long into the future.

Other important and memorable projects include:

• Doing his part -- 100 sensitive and hard-to-negotiate home buyouts in 1997, 1998 and even later - that provided space for city leaders to put in a permanent flood-protection system the city had badly needed.
• Working with NDSU and Fargo developer Roger Gilbertson Jr. to create The Bison Block, a housing redevelopment project on 12th Avenue North. Dilapidated houses near campus were razed and a new retail and restaurant building went up, plus 34 apartment units for NDSU students.
• Broadway Square, the public open space adjacent to Block Nine in downtown Fargo, which features a splash pad in the summer/ice rink in the winter, plus space for outdoor events any time of the year.
• Amazon Warehouse, working to fast-track a $100 million-dollar warehouse during COVID.
• Downtown Parking facilities including the Island Park Ramp, the Roberts Commons garage, the Block 9 ramp, the Mercantile garage and the NP Avenue garage.

After retirement, Jim has a few ideas to fill his time. There's his wife and three kids, of course. He also hopes to become a better golfer. And he won't forget about his University of North Dakota hockey season tickets.