City Council Meeting Date: May 6, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jake Reilly, Community Development Director
Mikayla Schmidt, City Planner
Title
Consideration of the Comprehensive Plan 2045 Adoption.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council is asked to review, discuss and adopt the Comprehensive Plan 2045.
Summary Report:
Included for your review is a complete formatted version of the printable plan. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended adoption of Northfield 2045, the city’s 20-year horizon comprehensive planning and policy document at its April 17, 2025, regular meeting. An interactive map website is available to view alongside the printable document.
The printable document will be complemented by an online, accessible, searchable version. That version can be translated through a web browser’s internal translation feature and is intended to be the official version, along with the interactive maps. A four-page graphical summary document of the plan is being developed in order to have a user-friendly and fun mechanism to introduce the community to the policies and desired outcomes of the 20-year visionary document.
Background
Highlights of this plan include:
• A robust engagement process in both English and Spanish using pop-up meetings, online and in-person surveys, focus groups, and targeted engagement with different employee groups, non-profit groups, students and youth, the disability community, the faith community, boards and commissions, the business community, and many others.
• Uniting land use and transportation planning in an “Access” chapter designed to place a renewed focus on the safety of all roadway users and to guide initiatives toward connecting people to the places where they need to go; and
• Uniting housing and economic development policies and planning in an “Sustainable Economic Future” chapter to place a renewed focus on compact development and redevelopment opportunities and the natural connection between wages and housing attainability and affordability - for all; and
• Uniting sustainability initiatives and infrastructure planning in a “Resilient Infrastructure,” chapter to clarify the city’s long-term commitment to environmental protection and ensure that the environmental and economic/fiscal impacts of infrastructure planning are at the forefront of the policy direction set in the comprehensive plan and implemented by such efforts as the Capital Improvement Plan, strategic planning, and work with other government and non-profit partners.
Alternative Options:
Staff has not prepared any alternative options.
Financial Impacts:
The long-term financial impacts of a comprehensive plan update are difficult to quantify and approximate. Generally, city staff expect this update to assist with the city’s strategic plan, climate action plan and other city plans to assist with development, redevelopment, sustainability, economics, housing, transportation, etc. all of which will all have financial implications to support the city and its residents.
Tentative Timeline:
Comprehensive Plan Update Timeline
October 28, 2023: Public Kick-off meeting for the Comprehensive Plan, Greenvale School
November 7, 2023: Steering Committee appointed by City Council
December 18, 2023: Steering Committee meeting No. 1
December 20, 2023: Youth on Boards/Mayor’s Youth Council and members of Age
Friendly Northfield steering committee
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
January 29, 2024 - Housing and Redevelopment Authority
February 5, 2024 - Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
February 7, 2024 - Heritage Preservation commission
February 14, 2024 - Library Board
February 26, 2024 - Economic Development Authority
February 28, 2024 - Human Rights Commission
March 14, 2024 - Disability community meeting, Laura Baker Services Association
February 28, 2024 - Steering Committee meeting No. 2
February through March 2024 - Pop-up engagement events: Northfield Hospital, Kwik Trip,
Post, Dawn’s Corner Bar, Viking Terrace, NCRC, 50th North, Library Oasis
January through April 2024 - Analysis Phase
April 11, 2024 - Rotary Club of Northfield
April 18, 2024 - Planning Commission discussion
May 16, 2024 - Planning Commission discussion, DRAFT Climate Analysis
May 22, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 3
May 29, 2024 - Joint work session Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority
April through July 2024 - Plan Phase
July 24, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 4
July 25, 2024 - Open House at Northfield Public Library, Crazy Days
August 29, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 5
September 19, 2024 - HRA Update on comprehensive planning
October 8, 2024 - City Council work session
October 9, 2024 - Implementation work session with City staff
October 9, 2024 - Steering Committee No. 6 R
October 29. 2024 - Draft open house event, City Hall
October 30, 2024 - Planning Commission work session
December 2024 to May 2025 - Adoption Phase
December 2, 2024 - Public Hearing draft available
December 19, 2024 - Public Hearing, Planning Commission
January 16, 2025 - Public Hearing (part 2), Planning Commission
February 20, 2025 - Planning Commission discussion
March 10, 2025 - Planning Commission Special Meeting and discussion
March 20, 2025 - Planning Commission regular meeting and discussion
April 5, 2025 - City Council Strategic Planning retreat
April 17, 2025 - Planning Commission regular meeting
May 6, 2025 - City Council regular meeting.