City Council Meeting Date: Feb 5, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Mathias Hughey, Associate City Planner
Jake Reilly, Community Development Director
Title
Consideration of Approval of Certified Local Government Grant from State Historic Preservation Office for an Updated Preservation Plan
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves the application for a Certified Local Government Grant for developing an updated Historic Preservation Plan.
Summary Report:
The City of Northfield is a Certified Local Government (CLG) with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). SHPO dedicates a portion of its annual funding to provide grants for preservation activities to CLGs in Minnesota. In years past, the City has made use of these dedicated grant funds to carry out preservation activities, including in 2024, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Commission Assistance and Mentorship Program (CAMP) training.
The CLG grant program is available for seven areas of activity including Comprehensive Planning, Evaluation, Survey, Designations, Education, and pre-development. As part of the process of updating City Plans following the adoption of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, the Community Development Department is seeking a grant to update the City’s Preservation Plan, last updated in 1992. An updated preservation plan would guide preservation activities in the city for the next 20 years, providing direction, clarity, and consistency with other plans for the Heritage Preservation Commission. An updated plan would also aid the City in accessing various grants related to preservation and economic development.
Some activities that staff anticipate would follow from an updated comprehensive plan include an update to the Downtown Preservation Design Guidelines, last updated in 2004, a resurvey of residential areas of the city to identify properties eligible for local and national historic designation, and development or identification of programs to facilitate preservation in the city. A copy of Stillwater, MN’s recently updated preservation plan is included for reference, as is the draft grant application.
CLG grants require a 30% match from the applicant, and the match can come from in-kind services, donated services or materials, or cash. City staff have received a consultant’s estimate to develop an updated preservation plan, including community engagement, for $30,000 - $43,000. This would require a match of $9,000 - $12,900, donated services (volunteer time) is valued at $36.31/hour donated, in-kind services (staff time) includes the actual salary plus fringe benefits of the employee. Staff anticipates that most or all of the match will be comprised of in-kind and donated services, with some additional match coming from supplies and materials.
Alternative Options:
The City Council may elect not to accept the CLG grant if awarded.
Financial Impacts:
The acceptance of the grant will commit the city to meeting the 30% match requirement.
Tentative Timelines:
Grant Application Deadline - Feb 21, 2025
Grant Award Announced - July 2025
Preservation Plan Development - July 2025 - January 2026
Update Plan Adopted - February 2026