by Rich Larson
Ground was broken last week on a pair of developments that the city hopes will help to ease Northfield’s severe housing
shortage.
On Thursday, the Community Action Center of Northfield held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hillcrest Village housing development located at 1050 Highway 3. The innovative development will feature 17 total units, five three-bedroom, four two-bedroom and eight one-bedroom units, designated as emergency, transitional and affordable housing.
The unique design of the development will result in a zero-energy designation, meaning it will produce all the energy it uses and have no carbon emissions. The design has caught the interest of architects, engineers, and municipalities across the country and is seen as an important step in the development of climate friendly construction.
And on Saturday Johson Reiland Homes broke ground on the long-discussed Bluff View development in the far Southeast corner of Northfield.
Bluff View will be a 26-acre community of 4-plex and twin home units that will offer market rate, affordable, and senior housing. The city has been very supportive of the development, even offering help in the form of financing for the road construction in the neighborhood.
Much of the construction will be oriented for seniors, and Paul Reiland of Johnson Reiland Homes said that it is something long overdue in Northfield.
“Northfield used to be a place where you could buy all these different types of housing for seniors. But for the last 17-18 years, we’ve really only had single family homes for new construction options. This is really going to be the first time in a long time that we have just really, really oriented to accessibility, or for what we call ‘Age in Place,’ for seniors.”
Coming out of the recession, he said, most developers have been “playing it safe” by building standard single-family homes. The options Bluff View will offer include homes that are single-level and designed for accessibility. Thye can offer extra wide doorways, no barrier walk-in showers, and step-free entry from the garage. The area will also have a homeowner’s association to handle the building and exterior maintenance of the homes, which will be run by Johnson Reiland for the foreseeable future.
Hillcrest Village is expected to be ready for residency in early 2023. Reiland said he hopes to have the first Bluff View Homes finished by the fall of 2022.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Paul Reiland can be heard here
Red Barn farm to Host Rotary 4-Way taste Festival
The Red Barn Farm will host Northfield Rotary’s 4-Way Taste Festival on September 16th. The Rotary fundraiser is an 
opportunity for attendees to sample beer, wine and spirits from a host of local and regional producers.
Event organizer and Rotarian Brent Nystrom said the event began in 2019 and had to be modified last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But they are very happy to be back and in-person this year.
This year’s vendors include Alexis Bailey Vineyard, Badger Hill Brewing, Cannon River Winery, Chapel Brewing, Foremost Brewing, Imminent Brewing, Indian Island Winery, Keepsake Cidery, Kinney Creek Brewing, Loon Liquor, The Milltown Mashers, Spiral Brewery, Tanzenwald, Tilion Brewing and Vinocopia. Maria’s Taco Hut will be on hand offering her famous Mexican concessions as well. Live music will be provided by country music singer songwriter Jeff Middleton and local favorites, The Zillionaires.
Nystrom said that Rotary has decided to take all precautions to ensure the health and safety of all who attend.
“Covid protocols that we have put in place will spread out the vendors, and we’re requiring people who attend to show proof of vaccination or a negative test within the last 72 hours. So, we’re taking it seriously. We want people to be safe. We want this mostly outdoor event to be an enjoyable one.”
The Four-Way Taste is one of the major fundraisers of the year for Rotary. Proceeds will support local and international service projects designed to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water and strengthen local economies. General admission tickets for the 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. event are $25. Nystrom said a special early admission VIP experience from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. is available for $75. Tickets may be purchased through the Rotary website at northfieldrotary.org. All attendees must be 21 years old.
Council to look at better electricity options for the city
And the City Council will meet tomorrow night at 6pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
The first item on the agenda will be the oath of office for the newest Northfield Police Officer Jessica Bohlken. That will be followed by an update on the city’s Racial Equity plan.
Among the other items on the agenda will be a vote to authorize the 2022 mill and overlay project in the northwest section of the city, a discussion on the proposed ordinance amendments to the city residential rental code, and conversation on the city’s carbon free electricity strategy.
City Administrator Ben Martig said that a major piece of the city’s Climate Action Plan is to use only electricity generated by carbon free means by 2030. He said the city is asking local businesses to buy into the vision and do their part, but first the city must get its own house in order.
“City operations has about 4% of our community wide carbon generation. Our wastewater plant is a really big one, and then city buildings are the second one after that, so we’d like to be the leaders out of the gate. As far as what we might have for solutions, Beth Kallestad will be in to talk about some options, like on-site solar, on-site wind, [and] green power purchased from a community solar garden.”
The council and the city would like to hear from local citizens on all matters, and they provide a number of platforms for people to voice their opinions. The easiest way to do that is to email your local city councilor. There is also time set aside for the public to address the council on any topic during the meeting. Comments may also be made electronically through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the Northfield city website.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
