PC Meeting Date: March 19, 2026
To: Members of the Planning Commission
From: Mikayla Schmidt, City Planner
Title
Staff Updates.
Body
Action Requested:
Staff provide updates to the Planning Commission.
Summary Report:
City Council & Board/Commission Updates
- The upcoming agenda items list is attached for reference.
- A reminder that board/commission terms now run through the month of April.
o Will Schroeer is terming off and will not be eligible for reappointment.
o Bill Kuhlmann's term is ending and is eligible for reappointment.
- The meeting schedule for the year is attached.
Zoning Code Update & Redesign
- Houseal Lavigne (HL) and city staff kicked off the zoning code update and redesign last week! March 10th included a tour of the city for HL by staff and the Zoning Technical Advisory Committee (ZTAC) and Zoning Policy Advisory Committee (ZPAC) meetings. March 11th included a city staff kick-off meeting, meeting with focus groups and the open house. Next steps include HL summarizing all the data collected and working on preliminary recommendations.
- Zoning Code Update website is attached! The questionnaire is live on the website as well and will be up for at least two weeks! Please share!
Planning Applications & Related Updates
- Park & Trail Dedication Fees: Over the last several months, staff have been reviewing the 15-year-old park and trail dedication fees policy, in order to update and "right size" to reflect development in Northfield in 2026. On a transactional level, the formula for 1) land dedication and 2) cash-in-lieu were reviewed. On a systemic level, the 3) park standards and 4) what the city can afford were reviewed. Upon further review, the 1) land dedication formula seems to be operating well - when land is dedicated, the city is receiving enough to properly create parks in the community. This will focus our review on 2) the cash-in-lieu formula. Given the co-occurring zoning code update, staff plan to incorporate a review of 3...
Click here for full text