Jane B McWilliams, LWV Observer
All council members were present.
Tonight the council approved unanimously resolutions to change the comprehensive land use plan to provide for a business park west of the hospital, and to annex 530 acres to enable the city to accomplish that goal. The latter resolution now triggers the process of negotiation with Greenvale Township and agreement conveying the acreage to the city of Northfield. The land use map will designate the largest property in the annexed area as an area for priority growth, leaving the other two as urban expansion. (Land directly west of the hospital, owned by St. Olaf College, is not included in the business park designation.) All property within the annexed area becomes an agricultural zone until, upon being developed, it is rezoned.
Mayor Lee Lansing noted that this was a dilemma for him, as this resolution went against the Planning Commission’s recommendation. Expansion of the city’s tax base is sorely needed and “I don’t know if we’ll have in the future a piece of land like this.” Councilman Noah Cashman reminded the council that economic development had been an issue in the previous election, and “while we can’t know everything, we need to make educated guesses and move forward.”
During the public comments, Linus Langer, a Greenvale Township resident, urged the council to consider studying the matter further. He said the township people are talking about compensation for the loss of tax base. City Planner Dan Olson said there have been no formal discussions with the township about compensation. Public Works Director Joel Walinski said the resolution allows the city to move forward with the agreement. At the next work session, the council will discuss how to stage the agreement – the next big hurdle, according to Walinski.
Development Director Brian O’Connell noted that this is only a first step, and that the city has not had experience with annexation of such a large area. Jim Pokorney agreed, “In the past when there has been an annexation, development has been almost immediate. It might take 10 to 20 years for this. This might affect the annexation terms.” He reported that the EDA is talking about how they can be instrumental in creating the most amenable land agreement possible.
Earlier in the meeting, George Kinney, Chair of the city’s Energy Task Force, highlighted the recommendation in their report which urges the city to become a model on green energy projects: that staff consider energy every time they make a decision and the city should establish a permanent energy commission and become a one-stop-shop for information for the public. The task force determined that establishing a municipal utility is too costly. They urge the city to set more aggressive targets for greenhouse gas emission than those recently established by the state. The council and the task force will meet in work session for fuller discussion of the report later this summer.
During public comments, Matt Rohn called council’s attention to the fact that an area in the land to be annexed is ideal for a wind turbine – even better than the site St. Olaf College’s turbine. “The city should show leadership in this area.” He urged the city to explore resources like Xcel energy incentives and Harvard energy audits. Next March, the Peace Prize Forum will be held at St. Olaf on the theme of sustainability, with Al Gore as a speaker. This would be an opportunity to showcase what Northfield is doing.
Structural repair and replacement of the safety railing will be done on the retaining wall on the east side of the river south of the 4th Street Bridge this summer. The council awarded the contract to Sunram Construction Company, Incorporated, of Corcoran, Minnesota. This had originally been part of a joint project between the city and Malt-O-Meal in conjunction with major work on the dam. A new dam design reduced the city’s portion of the project, as well as the estimated cost. The Historic Preservation Commission approved design of the railing. With the council’s approval tonight, the work should be completed by the Defeat of Jesse James Celebration in September.
