City Council Meeting Date: February 20, 2018
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Scott Tempel, City Planner
Title
Consideration of Heritage Preservation Site Designation Ordinance for Downtown Properties
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves the second reading of an Ordinance approving Heritage Preservation Site Designation in the Northfield Historic District.
Summary Report:
Item continued from the January 16 City Council meeting due to concerns that affected property owners were not notified. All affected owners have received a mailed notice of this meeting from staff and a letter from the HPC inviting the owners to discuss any concerns.
The Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) is recommending the City of Northfield add four properties to the Northfield Historic District. The Ordinance before the City Council begins the process by locally designating the properties as Heritage Preservation Sites. It also fulfills an important step in maintaining the City's status as a Certified Local Government (CLG) with the state and federal government. CLG status enables the local government to apply for federal matching grants to preserve historic properties. This local-state-federal partnership encourages the integration of historic preservation into local government policy. The HPC is supposed to demonstrate an ongoing process of local designation with a minimum of one designation a year. Northfield has not designated any new properties in decades.
The Planning Commission (PC) reviewed the HPC proposal at its May 2017 meeting and recommended approval by the City Council. The PC agreed the library should remain in the Historic District, as it both benefits and adds value to the district. The PC also recommended a change in the proposed district boundary to include more of the park property adjacent to Bridge Square. The PC received no public comment during their review process.
The official public hearing for t...
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