by Rich Larson
As Northfield is facing a severe housing shortage, local developers Brett Reese of Rebound Partners, and Steve Schmidt of Schmidt Homes, along with the Stencil Group, are planning to develop the former Paulson Christmas Tree Farm near Greenvale Elementary School.
The group is calling the project The Kraewood Development. As proposed, it will be a combination of single family and multi-family homes, and an apartment building. The developers said they have put quite a bit of time into the design of the project to meet the needs of the city and supply the kind of housing the city is looking for.
Schmidt said there will be 130 housing units total. Of those, thirty will be single family, homes, duplexes and fourplexes. The lots, he said have been laid out at 25% smaller than the standard city lot to make the most efficient use of the property. Schmidt said the city is looking for density in new housing developments, so the lots have been set at 60’ by 140’.
Reese said the apartment building will be three stories tall with 100 units, offering studio, one bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. He said there will be 100 underground parking stalls and 72 surface stalls
The developers have done environmental and traffic studies. Schmidt said that Lincoln Parkway which will run on the north side of the development, is designed for the sort of traffic that the new housing will bring, and that the property is zoned exactly for the type of use they are proposing.
Reese said that the property has historical and sentimental significance to both the community and the Paulson family, and the name of the development acknowledges that.
“Also, we’re going to be honoring the Paulson family, because they’ve been there since the 1930’s. We’re calling it the Kraewood, which stands for Kristopher, Rever, Arthur and Esther. That’s the Paulsons, a husband and wife and the two sons. Kraewood is the name that we have.”
Both men said they have heard the concerns of the people in the neighborhood over such a large development and have held a pair of Zoom meetings to listen and address those concerns. They have also gone before the planning commission and taken suggestions from from city officials. The preliminary plat has been submitted to the city, and they are currently waiting for the Planning Commission to schedule a hearing. Schmidt said that the plat has been posted to his website, and can be seen at schmidthomes.com
The group hopes to break ground in 2022.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Brett Reese and Steve Schmidt can be heard here.
Mural installation underway
The Jefferson Parkway Roundabout is in its final phase of completion as artist Adam Turman has begun to install murals in the four tunnels beneath the roadway. The murals are going up thanks to the city’s 1% for the Arts program, which mandates that 1% of the budget of every capital project must be dedicated to creating public art.
Turman was selected by a Public Art Review Committee, or a PARC. The program stipulates that each project have a separate committee to review options, set themes, and select the artist. The PARC for the roundabout project decided murals depicting the different types of ecology surrounding Northfield, Prairie, the Cannon River, the Nerstrand Big Woods, and Oak Savannah, was the best direction to reflect the character of the area.
Turman is a Golden Valley-based artist who does quite a bit of commercial art and is known for painting and screen printing in addition to his mural work. He said murals, and public art in general, are his favorite pieces to do because that work will be enjoyed by everybody, and not just the people who commissioned the project.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell has been a strong advocate for the 1% for the Arts program and said the murals in the roundabout tunnels are a perfect example of what the program can accomplish.
“Artwork can really bring a whole area to life. And we create inviting spaces when we decorate them. And these tunnels, rather than being blank grey walls, now they will have artwork that reflects the surrounding area. I love art. And bringing it out into the open really creates inviting spaces where people really want to be.”
As he has been working on the murals, Turman said he has really enjoyed members of the community coming to see the progress. He said he even has regulars who show up every day, and he is both happy and impressed to see so much support for a project like this from the community.
Turman hopes to have the project done by mid-August. He will have booth space at the State Fair this year and would like to finish this project with enough time to prepare for that.
NPB Summer schedule is all about summer fun
With summer now in full swing, Sam Temple, the director of Northfield Public Broadcasting said they are offering several videos highlighting summer
fun.
Viewers of NPB can see short presentations about the opening of Old Memorial Pool, or how the ice arena creates and maintains ice during the summer. There is a highlight video from the Pride in the Park celebration last month as well.
Temple said there are also several business-related videos on the site. The Business Spotlight series is just about to post its fourth installment focusing on the Take Five guitar store downtown. Another video talks about the arrival of MetroNet to Northfield and the process of installing high speed broadband fiber optic cable throughout the city.
Most of the videos are 3-7 minutes long, but Temple said later this month they will introduce a series of longer shows that will run 15-20 minutes. The show is called “Enterprising People,” based on a John North quote, and will feature interviews of people in the community.
“You really need to get to know the people, to get to know the town,” Temple said. “This series is my attempt to get to know people.”
Northfield Public Broadcasting is for the community, he said, and because of that he continues to invite participation from anyone who is interested. Temple said he is always looking for more programming and is willing to work with anyone, or any organization, who has an idea about something people might like to see.
“A lot of religious institutions will send their stuff in, and they have been a very steady supply. Also, we’ve had gardeners contact us. We’ve had local theater aficionados contact us. Whatever your interests are, there’s absolutely a place for you to be on there.”
Northfield Public Broadcasting can be found on YouTube, Charter Spectrum channels 180 and 187, and at npb.ci.northfield.mn.us.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with NPB Director Sam Temple can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. He can be reached at rich@kymnradio.net
