By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
The Comprehensive Plan hit a snag last week when Councilors Chad Beumer and Brad Ness objected to the plan in its current form. The Northfield City Charter requires that the city have a Comp Plan, and it needs a super majority of 5 of the 7-member council to be approved. With Ness Beumer dissenting and Councilor Peter Dahlen absent, the plan was tabled.
Ness stated that his main reason for opposing the plan was over conversations he had with developers, which led him to not being able to support the plan:
“I’ve talked to some contractors who have said the plan generally says please build in Northfield, but if you build in Northfield, we’re gonna add rules, regulations, sustainability, building policy, etcetera, etcetera and all it does is add to the cost of the building. We’re not interested.” – Brad Ness, Northfield City Councilor at the 5/5/2025 City Council Meeting
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Read the Final Proposal of the Comp Plan Here
Ness stated that he wanted to have contractors come to Northfield and that he believed the plan would not do that. Mayor Erica Zweifiel noted that in her conversations, she had heard positive reviews of the plan from contractors:
“I will say I have talked to a few developers and they are leaning into the density and mixed-use that’s offered up in the plan as an option.” – Erica Zweifel, Northfield Mayor at the 5/5/2025 City Council Meeting
Beumer cited a similar concern with the plan, and also argued that the plan had some of the wrong priorities:
“To me it seems really, really, really climate focused, probably more so than hey, let’s hurry up and find some businesses focused. Hey, let’s hurry up and figure out how to get affordable housing here into town focused. Those are the big ticket items to me, those should be the first things that we see in this in this comp plan and they’re way at the back” – Chad Beumer, Northfield City Councilor at the 5/5/2025 City Council Meeting
With 4 votes in favor, 2 against, and 1 councilor absent the Comp Plan could not pass with the required 5 votes. The council agreed to a motion to table the plan for later discussion to include Councilor Dahlen and consider any possible future amendments
Will keep you posted with more details as this story happens.
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