PC Meeting Date: January 15, 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) has been selected as the consultant for the zoning code update and redesign. Staff and the consultant, with review and input from the Zoning Code Update Subcommittee (consisting of Bill Kuhlmann, Will Schroeer and Steve Schmidt), have finalized the proposal from HL. The final contract was approved by City Council on January 6, 2026.
Planning Applications & Related Updates
- Park & Trail Dedication Fees:
In December 2025, staff presented the "why" behind increasing park and trail dedication fees and "how" this fits into the city's policies and plans. From that meeting, staff heard keeping costs low for affordable units is important, keeping costs low for overall development costs is important, weighing architectural design over fees is important, seeing local examples to show what the cost would be for development in Northfield would be helpful in making a decision, and using comparable cities as examples would provide more context for how Northfield falls in the mix of cities of our size, location and amenities.
Given the discussion from the Dec. meeting, staff plan to bring forward at the February 2026 meeting; language in the code that offers flexibility for affordable housing to waive or decrease the park dedication fees, a chart to show examples of proposed fees (ranging from low to high, flat rate and percentage bas...
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