The developers of what is now being called The Archer, which is the building that will be constructed on the site of the Archer House, went before the Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday night to present the most recent updates to the plans for the building.
There are some significant changes to the design. The 5th floor of the building, which had been roundly criticized, has been removed. The plans for the Riverfront side of the building have been updated, and Chris Kennelly, the CEO Of NCC Builders who is acting as the lead project manager, said the final design for that area will come from the city. An Archer House Museum has been developed as a part of the project, which will display artifacts from the old building that was destroyed in a 2020 fire.
The plans show a familiar name in a familiar spot. Michael Lander, the lead Development Consultant for the project who presented the revised designs to the City Council, said the hope is to have a restaurant called The Tavern returned to the North section of the main floor of the building. Kennelly added that there is nothing decided about that yet, but they do want a restaurant like the Tavern that would serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Adding some of these features will not be enough to make everyone happy. Comments on social media still include complaints that the Archer House is not being rebuilt. Kennelly pointed out that the project will have to receive a certificate of appropriateness from the HPC, based on criteria laid out by the Federal Government, and those criteria actually preclude bringing the Archer House back to Division Street.
“Those guidelines are laid out by the Department of Interior and really, they do not want you to try to replace what was there. They want you to build something that has significance and ties into the downtown fabric and historical features. There’s a whole set of criteria that go with that, but it’s really not trying to replace a building that’s unreplaceable.”
Kennelly said the design will go through another set of revisions and the organization will go before the HPC again in October, while at the same time working with the Planning Commission on acquiring a Conditional Use Permit and a zoning variance and asking for tax increment financing through the EDA and the City Council. All of this will happen simultaneously, because they are eager to get the project started.
“There is a a TIF application that’s into the city as well for this project and that would be going through roughly at the same time with approvals probably wrapping up in early November. We would like to break ground in late November. Our goal is to have the building constructed and complete by the end of 2024.”
The next meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission is scheduled for October 12th.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with NCC Builders CEO Chris Kennelly can be heard here
Pownell touts responsible governance in city funding
During the City Council’s budget work session on Tuesday night, the council was given a forecast of how increases to the tax levy might look over the next few years. It showed an increase of about 10% for 2024, and an increase that could possibly be as high as 19% in 2025 based on the possibility of the city building a new ice arena and dramatic increases to the city parks maintenance budget.
Setting the ice arena aside, Councilor Davin Sokup asked whether the funding increase to the parks budget should be cut in half. Wages, he said, have not kept up with inflation, and a property tax increase right now could be painful to a lot of people. Sokup also pointed out that the city intends to increase the Commercial/Industrial tax base, and it is his opinion that large tax increases should wait until that happens.
“The city budget should be set where people are at,” he said. “And basing the budget on rising property values is a mistake”
Mayor Pownell responded that the reasons for the increase to the parks budget are mostly to get caught up after more than a decade of maintenance neglect.
“Maybe we won’t be everyone’s favorite council, but we have to act responsibly. I have served on councils in the past that worked to keep the tax levy as low as possible in order for members to maintain their social status. We have to be more responsible than that.”
Speaking with Jeff Johnson on the KYMN morning show Wednesday morning, the mayor reiterated her feelings that taking care of the things the city already has in place must be a priority, and if the city does not do that, it only becomes more expensive down the line.
“But there’s also a really deep cost if you just delay all of that to future generations, and that to me, is irresponsible governance. It’s hard. We need to find solutions that are doable for our community. But there is a really significant cost to not finding solutions on how to fund all of these things.”
The mayor said part of that responsibility is taking a holistic and balanced approach to funding the city. If cuts are to be made to the Parks Department maintenance budget, she said, then cuts must be made elsewhere in the city budget as well.
The council will discuss the budget again during another work session on Tuesday night. The vote to set the preliminary tax levy will be on Tuesday, September 19th.
Safe rides available throughout the weekend
And this of course is the biggest weekend of the year in Northfield. The Defeat of Jesse James Days is well underway, and as always public safety is a major concern. To that end the Rice County Safe Roads Coalition has once again coordinated several options to help people enjoy themselves to the fullest and still get home safely.
The Joyride program, sponsored by the City of Northfield and the DJJD Organizing Committee, will offer free rides within the city of Northfield tonight and tomorrow night from 10pm until 2am. The bus will pick riders up at the corner of 5th and Water streets. Tickets are free and are used only to give the driver an address. They can be found at the DJJD Entertainment Center and at most bars and restaurants around town. The bus will be clearly marked as Joyride and should not be confused with the First Choice Shuttle.
First Choice Shuttle, meanwhile, will be offering rides as well through Sunday for $10 within the city of Northfield and an additional $2 per mile outside of the city limits. The shuttles will pick up passengers at the Forget-Me-Not Florist parking lot between 7am to 1am today and tomorrow, and from 7am to 11pm on Sunday.
And City Gal Transportation will offer rides within the city limits of Northfield for $7 and for an additional $1.60 per mile outside of town from 7am until 3am. The City Gal, whose name is Virginia Klinger, will pick up passengers in her black SUV on the corner of Division Street with a sign that says Wave-A-Ride between 5th and 6th Streets.
For more information or to arrange a ride, contact First Choice Shuttle at 507-645-4447, and City Gal Transportation at 612-840-1687.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
