Category Archives: Downtown issues

Downtown Parking Conversation: Draft Report, Panel Discussion, Council Work Session

Downtown issues

The NDDC’s Council-initiated, Staff-supported, Downtown Parking Conversation is coming up to milestones, roadside attractions, and destinations on the road to parking enhancement for Northfield.  Supporters of a vibrant and vital downtown will want to explore these places of interest.

The draft report on the Downtown Parking Conversation is available for your review.  You can find it at Parking Management for Downtown Northfield.  Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

There will be a video conference panel discussion about parking in downtown Northfield this Monday afternoon.  Representatives of the stakeholder groups will share experiences and ideas.  For more information, go to Parking Management for Downtown Northfield.

Finally, the final report on the Downtown Parking Conversation will go to the City Council on Tuesday, May 14th at their work session.  More information on your local government is available at the City of Northfield’s website.  Your City Councilors are interested in your thoughts about parking in downtown Northfield.

First Stakeholder Group Meets to Discuss Downtown Parking Management

Downtown issues

As many downtown stakeholders are aware, the 2012 City Council directed City Staff to move forward in exploring a project to increase the supply of downtown parking spaces.  In addition, the Council directed Staff and the NDDC to gather ideas on increasing leverage from existing downtown parking spaces.  Through better management of our assets, we hope to better meet the demand for parking in downtown. Continue reading First Stakeholder Group Meets to Discuss Downtown Parking Management →

TIF District #4, The Streetscape Task Force, and Downtown Parking

Downtown issues, Economic Development

In April of 1986, the Northfield City Council voted to create a Municipal Redevelopment District in downtown Northfield within which improvement projects could be funded with tax increment financing (TIF). The TIF district became known as Municipal District #4 and included a couple dozen parcels located in the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts, Downtown Core and Downtown Fringe.  The money would be generated by the amount that future property taxes increased over 1986 levels and the district would have a 27-year life, sunsetting in 2013.

The City Council wanted the funds to be used for improving streets, repairing the river wall by the Ames Mill dam, and building a public parking lot as well as other downtown improvements to be planned later.  The limited supply of parking downtown and its threat to economic vitality had been documented since the 1978 University of Minnesota Northfield River Corridor Plan and was subsequently corroborated by the 2001 Walker Parking Study. Continue reading TIF District #4, The Streetscape Task Force, and Downtown Parking →

Save Our Post Office – The Time to Act is Now

Downtown issues, Northfield Post Office

As most of you are aware, on April 5th, the United States Postal Service announced it’s intention to close the historic downtown post office and move service operations to the annex on the southern edge of town.  Mayor Rossing asked the Northfield Downtown Development Corp. to organize a task force made up of key stakeholder groups to fight the closure.  It became the Save Our Post Office Task Force.

Most citizens, the City Council, and the leadership of the Task Force agreed that the closing of the downtown post office would have an adverse impact on Northfield.  An average of 500 people a day visit the facility, bringing valuable vitality to our downtown.  Over 250 businesses in downtown benefit from the current location of these supportive services.  Approximately 400 residents are within walking distance of the facility.  Closing the downtown post office would hurt the local economy and the loss of the central location would be a hardship for the entire community. Continue reading Save Our Post Office – The Time to Act is Now →

Save Our Post Office – A Call To Action

Downtown issues, Northfield Post Office

On April 5 the United States Post Office (USPS) announced their decision to sell Northfield’s downtown Post Office building and relocate window service to the Carrier Annex on Cannon Road. A final decision will be made on June 3. The Northfield community has until then to try to reverse this decision!  A Save Our Post Office (SOPO) Task Force , led by the NDDC, has organized to keep a postal presence in downtown.

The SOPO Strategy:

  • Raise public awareness about the potential post office closure
  • Enlist support to lobby the USPS to keep postal services downtown
  • Challenge the proposed USPS business model
  • Prepare creative alternative plans to keep postal service downtown

Your Help Is Needed! Here is what you can do: Continue reading Save Our Post Office – A Call To Action →