The Minot Market in a “Minot Imagined” design would feature retail space, restaurants, cafes, a grocery and nearby green space for public gatherings.

FARGO – A new grocery, parks, hotels and apartments are among the imagery created for downtown Minot by architecture students at North Dakota State University.

Students who visited Minot three months ago released their design, “Minot Imagined,” to the Minot Area Chamber EDC and other Minot representatives at an event in Fargo Wednesday. The modern, colorful images of street scenes, a riverwalk and new and old building facades left an impression.

“Not normally am I speechless, but I’m speechless,” MACEDC Board Chair Kevin Black told students following their presentation. “You really captured the magic and essence of Minot.”

He highlighted scenes of medical training in a downtown education center and a flag waving in an Air Force Memorial Park. Other features in the presentation included a Main Street flood memorial with water fountains, Main Street Park, Painted Alley, dog park and brightly colored downtown elevator silos. Rooftop and ground-level patios also were part of the vision.

The project offered up the Vibe Hotel, with a tower accommodating childcare and an arcade for vacationers and families and a tower for business travelers that connected to a convention center. The hotel included community space and stunning rooftop views of downtown.

First Central Hotel would stand 13 floors high with 229 rooms.

Main Street and a few alleys were redesigned to link areas to each other. Linkage also was accomplished by removing street parking from one side of Main to make room for a bike path and vegetation. Streets and intersections showcased designs of local artists.

The existing Magic Alley was spruced up with lighting and balloons, with a train-themed bar drawing people to the alley and railroad museum.

The Minot Market building, located on Third Street next to Ebeneezer’s, would have restaurants, cafes, retail spaces and a grocery store. It is imagined next to a gathering space, where restaurants in converted train cars serve the public.

The Air Force Memorial Park, accessible over a pedestrian bridge from the downtown, included a warming house and concert stage.

“We have people invested in downtown. They are doing a lot of great things, but just to see you really embrace the brand, the energy, the vision, is phenomenal,” MACEDC President/CEO Brekka Kramer told students. “You absolutely nailed it.”

She said “Minot Imagined” invigorates the community to step up and do more. The hope is the community can make some of the developments happen, she said.

Minot Mayor Tom Ross said the vision takes Minot into the future.

“Your hard work is going to impact the community for generations to come,” he said. “Your work over the last three months gave our community a recipe for success. Now you’ve got to challenge us to follow through with this recipe.”