By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Editors Note: For the last 18 months, the City of Northfield has been drafting its Comprehensive Plan, which is the 20-year plan for the city. This story will be part of a series of stories breaking down the contents of the Comprehensive Plan before it is approved by the City Council later this spring.
The Comprehensive Plan is the city’s largest plan, and Community Development Director Jake Riley noted that it informs the work of the other plans in the city:
“That sort of layer cake of the comp plan being the foundation or the map, the strategic plan being the itinerary for you know how and where and when we’re going? And then then we have the individual work programs that the boards and commissions.” – Northfield Community Development Director Jake Riley on the KYMN Morning Show
Planning Commission Chair Betsey Buckheit and one of the main drafters of the plan noted that the council, committees, and staff often refer to the Comprehensive Plan and its set the future of the city:
“But one thing everyone should remember is there are a lot of times when we have to ask. Is it consistent with the comprehensive plan when we adopt new ordinances? Charter says they have to be consistent with the comprehensive plan. Most zoning decisions are all things like. Is it consistent with the comprehensive?“– Planning Commission Chair Betsey Buckheit on the KYMN Morning Show
(left) A Chart showing the different plans of the city (right) a list of some of the different things a Comprehensive Plan does. From the 12/19/2024 Planning Commission meeting.
One key element not included in a Comprehensive Plan is budgeting and specific dollar amounts for items. Instead, Mayor-Elect Erica Zwiefel indicated that the budgeting will be included in the city’s 5-year plan, the Strategic Plan:
“where’s the budgeting and the comprehensive plan. I’m hoping to weave the budgeting aspect of it into the strategic plan, so when we pick those five to six things that we are really going to focus on for the next three to four years? The budget implications are clear.” – Northfield Mayor-Elect Erica Zwiefel on the KYMN Morning Show
The City Council will also write and adopt a Strategic Plan this spring as well. Later this week we will begin to review the contents of what the Comprehensive Plan proposes and the next steps of the plan.
