Housing and Redevelopment Authority Meeting Date: April 3, 2025
To: Housing and Redevelopment Authority Board
From: Jake Reilly, Community Development Director
Mikayla Schmidt, City Planner
Mathias Hughey, Associate City Planner
Title
Comprehensive Plan Draft Review and Discussion.
Body
Action Requested:
Review the draft of the 2045-horizon Comprehensive Plan.
Summary Report:
The 2045-horizon Comprehensive Plan was initiated in October 2023 after a request for qualifications was issued and a qualified team was selected from 12 initial proposals.
Initially received by the consultant team in November 2024, this draft of the Northfield 2045 Comprehensive Plan has been revised following two Planning Commission public hearings and several subsequent discussions with the Planning Commission. This version reflects a lot of hard work by volunteers, staff, and the consultant team.
The HRA Board will receive an overview presentation of the plan with an opportunity to ask questions and share opinions. The comprehensive plan has been developed to lay the foundation for and align with the in-process City Council-led strategic plan and to set the stage for the budget process that will start later this spring.
Background
This comprehensive plan is different from previous iterations in that it is outcomes focused. This is designed to offer flexibility in implementation activities to effectively meet the changing needs of the community; respond as quickly as possible to changing market conditions, technology, funding opportunities, and strategic direction as set by the Council and other advisory boards and commissions.
The Plan incorporates and expands upon the policy direction from 2008 Comprehensive Plan. It also intentionally includes and incorporates the policy directions and stated outcomes - and some strategies - that are relevant from plans adopted after 2008 like the Climate Action Plan and the Riverfront Enhancement Action Plan, and work on housing, education, and equity with partners such as the Northfield Public Schools and local non-profits.
Staff and the consultant team have presented to relevant boards and commissions to ask for insights and facilitated multiple conversations with residents - whether in their neighborhoods, at their jobs, or through focus groups with discrete populations with specific shared interests including K-12 students, the faith community, the disability community, the Latine population and many others. Staff has also worked to connect other critical planning documents such as the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and the shorter-term, five-year strategic plan efforts in those conversations. These relationships matter, given that the CIP implements the goals of a jurisdiction's comprehensive plan, by ensuring timely construction or renovation of infrastructure to provide the level of services identified in the comprehensive plan and help coordinate priorities with those reflected in other supporting plans or documents like the Strategic Plan and Climate Action Plan. This helps a locality review and prioritize projects eligible for Federal and State transportation funds when the projects are needed.
Further, how and where infrastructure is installed and/or updated impacts housing and economic development, as does access to well-maintained infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, and pedestrian and bicycling facilities. Conversations with boards and commissions were designed to arrive at a shared understanding of the relationship between the comprehensive plan, the capital improvement plan, housing and economic development policies, and tools to address related concerns.
To that end, the land use and transportation elements of the comprehensive plan - separated from each other in the adopted 2008 comprehensive plan - have been linked so that the natural relationship between how the land is used and how people get to and from those uses, for example, from home to school or school to work, is leveraged to ensure people can move safely to and from places using whatever means works best for them, whether that’s a bicycle, a wheelchair, a scooter, or a motor vehicle, or any other mode of transport.
Similarly, having a stable, secure home and economic prosperity have a well-known positive relationship. Therefore, housing and economic development are similarly combined into one chapter addressing economic security, stability, and mobility and the relationship with having a safe, stable, sustainable, and affordable place to live. Planning for economic development and housing together - as we have reunited land use and transportation - helps Northfield grow in ways which are more inclusive, equitable and sustainable.
The plan clearly links what we heard from the hundreds of people we spoke with - whether for two minutes or two hours - to desired outcomes. These community-derived outcomes will be measurable, and data driven and are designed to fit nicely into shorter-term strategic planning efforts that are ramping up this month.
Next steps:
Upon adoption of Northfield 2045 and the five-year strategic plan, the tools that implement this planning document are expected to be updated, including the redesign of the zoning code.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
Staff and volunteer time is primary remaining plan-related financial impacts. Implementing the plan will take resources, including staff time. The strategic plan process is one mechanism for implementing aspects of the plan and aligning future planning with future budgets.
Tentative Timeline:
Comprehensive Plan Update Timeline
• October 28, 2023: Public Kick-off meeting for the Comprehensive Plan, Greenvale Park School R
• November 7, 2023: Steering Committee appointed by City Council
• November 11, 2023: Staff requests adjustments to scope and schedule based on an understanding that Planning Commission members are interested in more communication from the consultant team, or staff, about the Plan.
• December 18, 2023: Steering Committee meeting No. 1 R
• December 20, 2023 - Northfield Youth on Boards/Mayor’s Youth Council and members of Age Friendly Northfield steering committee R
• January - March 2024 - Vision phase: Staff/consultant team meets with other boards/commissions for structured/facilitated conversations about desired outcomes of 2045-horizon comprehensive plan.
§ January 17, 2024 - Environmental Quality Commission R
§ January 29, 2024 - Housing and Redevelopment Authority R
§ February 5, 2024 - Parks and Recreation Advisory Board R
§ February 7, 2024 - Heritage Preservation commission R
§ February 14, 2024 - Library Board R
§ February 26, 2024 - Economic Development Authority R
§ February 28, 2024 - Human Rights Commission R
§ March 14, 2024 - Laura Baker Services Association R
• February 28, 2024 - Steering Committee meeting No. 2 R
• February/March, 2024 - Pop-up engagement events: Northfield Hospital, Kwik Trip/Post, Dawn’s Corner Bar, Viking Terrace, NCRC/50th North/Library Oasis R
• January through April 2024 - Analysis Phase
• April 11, 2024 - Rotary Club of Northfield R
• April 18, 2024 - Planning Commission discussion R
• May 16, 2024 - Planning Commission discussion, DRAFT Climate Analysis R
• May 22, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 3 R
• May 29, 2024 - Joint work session Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority R
• April through July 2024 - Plan Phase
• July 24, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 4 R
• July 25, 2024 - Open House at Northfield Public Library, Crazy Days R
• August 29, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 5 R
• September 19, 2024 - HRA Update on comprehensive planning R
• October 8, 2024 - City Council work session R
• October 9, 2024 - Implementation work session with City staff R
• October 9, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 6 R
• October 29. 2024 - Draft open house event, City Hall
• October 30, 2024 - Planning Commission work session R
• December 2, 2024 - Public Hearing draft available R
• December 19, 2024 - Public Hearing, Planning Commission R
• January 16, 2025 - Public Hearing (part 2), Planning Commission R
• February 20, 2025 - Planning Commission discussion. R
• March 10, 2025 - Planning Commission Special Meeting and discussion R
• March 20, 2025 - Planning Commission regular meeting and discussion R
• March 24, 2025 - Information presentation, EDA meeting R
• April 1, 2025 - City Council regular meeting and discussion
• April 3, 2025 - Information presentation, HRA board meeting
• April 5, 2025 - City Council Strategic Planning retreat
Tentative upcoming meetings:
• April 17, 2025 - Planning Commission regular meeting.
• May 6, 2025 - City Council regular meeting.