Snow/Trash Removal District
Northfield’s downtown is a prime candidate for an SSD because we have a lot of businesses and gathering places in a very dense, walkable area.
Northfield’s Snow/Trash Removal District is designed to tackle snow and trash (including recycling, compost, cardboard) removal year-round. Building and business owners complain about the lack of coordinated snow removal in the winter and trash collection year-round, which is complicated with our narrow lots and limited alleys. This selection of services is based on various surveys conducted in the past several years.
Building owners want to save money on services. Advocates, visitors, and regulars want to walk down Division without worrying about icy sidewalks or noisy and large dumpster trucks from four different companies that service the area. The SSD generally provides cost savings and better services, which is a win-win.
Historically…
As the benefits of an SSD in Northfield have been evident for some time, this is not the first effort to formalize a district. The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC), the 501c(3) which rebranded to the Friends of Downtown Northfield (FODN,) considered championing an SSD in 2020. The FODN considered petitioning again in 2023. Neither attempt made it into the petition phase for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, staff turnover, and a general hesitancy to ask building owners to take this on.
This Time Around…
In the fall of 2024, though, the board of the Friends decided it was time to gather more information. The FODN partnered with the city in the Connecting Business and Community survey program (CBC), which was led by Northfield’s Economic Development Authority. Through the interviews, many downtown building owners expressed their interest in organized trash and snow removal. Additionally, many provided benchmark data on their individual fees associated with the services they now pay. Along with data collected by the NDDC just a few snow-seasons earlier, the appetite to coordinate snow and trash removal was evident. The Friends board persisted in carrying out more information sessions with building owners and decided to petition to form an SSD in the summer of 2025.