Observer Report: Northfield HRA, 4.21.26

Call to Order: 6:00 PM 

Roll Call

Motion to approve agenda passed

1. Rice County Community Land Trust
   1. Northfield HRA staff was asked to participate in the program
   2. The city’s strategic plan calls for increased housing availability and land development. 
   3. The major reasons behind our dissolution of our land trust was the fact it depended on volunteers and without administrative capabilities. 

Introduce Nort Johnson

2. Nort Johnson: How do we affect home ownership opportunities?
   1. In 2017, Fairibault chamber of commerce took over the rice county community land trust
   2. Out of 56 goals to reach by 2040, the commissioners selected 5 to prioritize.
      1. Gorgeous downtown
      2. Daycare & early education
      3. Excellence in education
         1. Added additional period to High School day
         2. Added resource officers in schools
         3. Added pathway programs for STEM
      4. Home ownership in Faribault 
      5. Community Services
3. Northfield has been invited to join the land trust. 

4. Laura, 2nd speaker
   1. The cost of housing is too high and not enough housing available.
   2. A land trust is land owned by the city that is sold to low income individuals in the community. 
   3. This aims to create permanent affordability of housing. 
5. Preparation of CLT
   1. Funded by Rice county, City of Faribault, and a private, undisclosed donor. 
   2. To sustain a CLT, there must be multiple revenue streams. 
6. Status of CLT
   1. Passed articles of integration and bylaws
   2. Filed with secretary of state
   3. Next step is to adopt an operating budget
7. Consent Agenda Approval passed
8. Open Public Comment – None
9. HRA Reports – None

10. Agenda – 1 item – motion to confirm harvest hills as a new development
    1. Harvest Hill TIF Plan
       1. On the south edge of Filmore street
       2. Plan is 71 new build housing units 
    2. Our demand by 2035 will be for 102 subsidized units, 164 affordable units, 445 market price units. 
    3. For Harvest Hills (71 units), 56 of them would be market price. The others would be subsidized. 
    4. Would produce an additional 10.5 million dollars in property tax revenue for Northfield in next 26 years
    5. HRA motion 2026-001 is passed. 

11. Staff Updates
    1. 2330 Ilyana drive – list price reduced by $5000, asked to reduce another $5000
    2. Needs a final meeting to negotiate terms between city and realtor
    3. 5 year period from 2019-2024, property values increased 25%, but 
    4. Average age of home ownership increased from 30 years old to 40 years old 
12. Adjournment passed.