During the annual State of Downtown speech at the Memorial Auditorium Thursday, Fargo said the downtown revitalization is in full swing.

"We’re past the dreaming and past the scheming and we’re really full-blown into implementation."

The downtown area is expected to add about 4,000 new housing units within the next 5 years. About half of those would be in several high-rise buildings.

Fargo told the audience of local business and government leaders that the next step is to create a real downtown neighborhood.

"The future residents of Saca Towers and the lofts and all the other housing units won’t have to get in their cars and drive to Roseville Galleria they can just walk to a reenergized Downtown Plaza and of course we’d like people who work downtown to be able to afford to live downtown."

Fargo says the city recently sold over $100 million in bond money to help improve downtown’s infrastructure and build more affordable housing.