The Archer project is coming to the final stages of design and finance approvals. More than three years after the Archer House River Inn was destroyed by a fire, Manawa, LLC, a division of Rebound Partners, and the company that is redeveloping the site, is hoping to break ground soon.
However, it would appear they will not be breaking ground as soon as they had hoped.
On Wednesday night, the Northfield Heritage Preservation Commission declined to grant the project a Certificate of Appropriateness, which is a certification that the exterior design of the building meets the standards of the Historic Downtown District.
Finding the proper design under those circumstances can seem like threading a needle, as there are constraints on what the building should look like and what it should not look like. City Administrator Ben Martig said the building must be compatible with the rest of the historic district, but defining compatibility in these situations can take some time.
“Is it compatible? What does that mean? It can include things related to similar building materials within the district, the colors and the architectural details may complement the historic district, but it should, as a new construction project, versus a remodel of an existing historic building have some of its own modern and unique characteristics. That shouldn’t overpower the surrounding historic district as well.”
The sticking point with the HPC seems to be the balconies and screening that currently face toward Division Street in the design. Northfield Community Development Director Jake Reilly said Manawa has been asked to resubmit a design without those elements.
Additionally, before ground can be broken, the City Council has to approve the Tax Increment Financing for which Manawa has applied.
Tax Increment Financing is a system allowed by the State of Minnesota for municipalities to aid in a project’s development. Under certain conditions, a city may grant Tax Increment Financing for a project if it would not happen without the assistance. TIF is a complicated process that is highly regulated by the state, but Martig said it can be worth all of the red tape.
“They’d continue to pay the same taxes they’re paying today, and they’d actually pay in the new taxes on the new building, but then potentially they would get a discount off of that new value. So, the property is an incentive for quality development in these zoning districts for redevelopment. It does not impact how they pay their taxes. It simply uses the original market value in calculating the taxes due, and not the increased value of the property post investments.”
Next week, the City Council will hold a public hearing during its regular meeting regarding the TIF plan for the Archer, followed by an in-depth discussion of the situation. An authorization vote by the Council is expected on November 21st.
Meanwhile, the Historic Preservation Commission is not scheduled to meet again until early December. However, due to the relative urgency of the situation, Reilly indicated that the HPC might call a special session before Thanksgiving to review the changes Manawa has been asked to make. Should the Certificate of Appropriateness be issued at that point, and should the City Council approve the TIF plan, Manawa would be free to begin the construction process in early December.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Local FEAST Festival a ‘farmer’s market on steroids’
The 10th Annual Local FEAST Festival is set for tomorrow at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. The event is another project organized by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. SMIF President and CEO Tim Penny said the festival has been put together under the organization’s entrepreneur umbrella after identifying a need to spotlight Minnesota’s local food producing economy.
Penny described the FEAST Festival as a “farmer’s market on steroids,” featuring more than 90 exhibitors and now averages more than 1300 visitors every year. It is a place, he said, for people to identify the smaller food producers and processors in the state, and raise awareness about their importance
Penny said several years ago, it became very obvious that more and more of the people and organizations applying for grants and loans came from the local food producing community. He said seeing the demand told the organization that this was something to look into.
“We did a study and identified some of the needs in in the local food space. A lot of folks are content just to kind of do the farmers markets and they’re great and they’re wonderful. But a number of these folks were really trying to grow their business and support their family.”
That study led the foundation to create several new initiatives. A microloan program, called Grow a Farmer, was started to help farmers buy needed equipment. A tradeshow for local food producers and processors together with purchasing agents from local grocery store chains and buyers from restaurants was begun in Cannon Falls and now runs there every March. But Penny said the Local FEAST Festival is the big deal because it is open to the general public and allows people to see not just what is available, but to also talk to the small producers about the things they have to offer. That creates a greater understanding of the agricultural economy in the State of Minnesota, which in turn motivates many people to support the small processors. Penny said the festival is a win/win for producers and the public.
“What I like about this is it’s an opportunity for people with a small acreage to actually make a living and create a business. And of course, more and more consumers want to buy something that’s sourced locally. And that’s why restaurants and grocery stores are now increasingly trying to find these local food producers and processers to get some of these goods on their shelf.”
Penny said just about every exhibitor will have some type of sample available. There will be cooking demonstrations every hour, and there will be live music as well. He also said this is a festive and family friendly event, so activities for the kids will be provided as well.
The Local FEAST Festival will run tomorrow at the Mayo Civic Center from 10am-4pm. Advance tickets may still be purchased for $8, or they are $10 at the door. Kids under 12 will be admitted for free.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit local-feast.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
