By Rich Larson, News Director
When the Northfield City Council convenes tonight at 6pm, it will be met with several items on the first agenda of the year. 
Among them is an ordinance that would rezone two parcels of land on the Northern edge of Northfield to residential areas, in order to facilitate the Community Action Center’s Hillcrest Village project. The newly rezoned area will be the site of an innovative housing project designed to operate emergency, transitional and affordable housing all in one development. CAC Director Scott Wapota said the design is meant to support singles, families and people of all ages and abilities.
“We’ve been really intentional about building separate smaller units. Not like a 40-bed barracks, but really more about community. It’s a diverse assortment of duplexes and tri-plexes and quad-plexes, actually. There are six buildings on the actual site, and they incorporate 17 different housing units. That includes some single bedroom homes, some two- and three-bedroom homes, and some accessible options as well.”
Another item on the agenda will be the approval of the Convention & Visitors Bureau Budget. The CVB is funded largely by a 3% lodging tax on hotel rooms in Northfield. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic however, the CVB, which is operated by the Chamber of Commerce had to look for extra funding elsewhere for 2021 and did receive a $17,000 grant from Explore Minnesota. The CVB will make a presentation to the Council tonight, after which the budget is expected to be approved.
The area of most interest tonight will be the with the St. Olaf College Ole Avenue housing project. The Council is expected to approve the second reading of the re-zoning request by the school that would allow for new student housing to be built on the far North end of St. Olaf Avenue. The Conditional Use Permit that the school has applied for, however, still has some details to be worked out. The plan calls for the reconfiguration or construction of 189 parking stalls within the new development. The Northfield planning Commission has objected to the number of parking spaces, calling it excessive. The school has countered that most of the parking within the plan already exists and only 25 of the parking stalls in the development should be considered new. The Council will hear presentations regarding the traffic and parking studies done on the area, as well as a report on the neighborhood meeting that the school conducted just before the holidays. A vote on the CUP is expected in February.
The Council will also elect a new President Pro Tem for 2021.
Click here for more information on Hillcrest Village
Click Here for more information on the St. Olaf College Ole Ave project
DNR looks to make wildlife areas more accessible
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking for suggestions on how best to improve access to Wildlife Management Areas for people with disabilities.
The DNR currently manages a system of 1.3 million acres of land in approximately 1,500 separate Wildlife Management Areas. This land is open to everyone for a variety of outdoor activities, including hunting and trapping, fishing, wildlife watching and nature photography.
The state has mandated that the DNR make Wildlife Management Areas more accessible to the disabled and to publicize those new options. Suggestions can be made on the DNR website Community Engagement Page. Those suggestions will be considered as the DNR prepares to make its recommendations to the legislature in February.
Click here to visit the DNR Community Engagement Page.
New skating oval at the rodeo grounds
And the City of Northfield has added a new skating oval to its roster of outdoor skating rinks.
The new oval at the rodeo grounds is 1,200 feet with a 25-foot-wide lane and includes a warming house.
Northfield’s outdoor skating rinks and warming houses officially opened on Thursday. The other six outdoor rinks are at Greenvale School, Babcock, Roosevelt, Washington, and Way Parks, and adjacent to the Northfield Ice Arena.
The city website notes that all skating rinks are equipped with lights for night skating.
