By Maya Betti
A stretch of College Avenue near Carleton College will soon be closed to most vehicle traffic and redesigned with a focus on pedestrian safety, following the Northfield City Council’s unanimous approval of a conditional use permit (CUP) for the project.
The decision came after residents from the neighborhood bordering the college filled the April 21 council meeting, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder as they waited for a vote on the proposal. Both at the meeting and in the dozens of submissions submitted in advance, residents raised concerns about potential increases in neighborhood traffic, parking impacts and what they described as a lack of communication from the college.
Mayor Erica Zweifel abstained from voting due to her position as Assistant Director for Community Impact at the college.
Carleton Vice President Eric Runestad outlined the project’s main goals as centered on reducing vehicle-pedestrian conflicts on College Street, which he said is a current problem due to shared use of the road for traffic and regular campus life.
The approved plan closes College Street north of 1st Street E., removing the current bus stop and 24 parking spaces. The new bus stop, which will be located on 1st Street E. and Nevada Street, will be built with an expanded parking lot nearby, meaning the college loses around 10 parking spaces in total.
“By removing the street north of College [Street], we will be enhancing the heart of the inner campus,” Runestad said.
According to Associate City Planner Mathias Hughey, the changes will move bus and vehicle activity about two blocks east, in turn reducing pedestrian-vehicle conflicts on College Street.
Sketch of the proposed new bus stop addition. Image courtesy of Carleton College.
Hughey acknowledged concerns raised since a Feb. 24 neighborhood meeting, including potential increases in bus and service vehicle traffic along neighborhood roads and questions about alternative solutions.
He said traffic on College Street and nearby residential roads is lower than in other areas of the city. The uptick in buses — an estimated 20 per day — would only slightly increase traffic. He also noted garbage service at the site would remain unchanged at three pickups per week.
As for the college’s supposed lack of communication, Hughey said it didn’t apply.
“The availability of alternatives is not a criteria of this [conditional use permit]. So, you know, a world of infinite possibilities, it’s certainly possible to identify a better solution,” Hughey said. “But that isn’t grounds that we are considering [in] the application in front of us.”
A concept plan for College St. Photo Courtesy of Carleton College.
Residents criticized both the process and communication surrounding the project.
Richard Noer, a Carleton professor, said neighbors were given “zero advanced connection” with the college as to what was planned or changed.
Another resident who spoke at the meeting, Kate Flory, agreed, arguing neighbors have not had adequate time to “review conflicting information” or “organize a response.”
Flory, as well as others present, urged council members to consider a 60-day delay before voting on the permit.
“We want to work with Carleton. Many of us are faculty, staff, alumni or parents, and across the board, we adore the college,” Flory said. “However, meaningful engagement has not occurred.”
Council members were undeterred, acknowledging resident concerns while also focused on the item before them.
“As a neighbor, I can appreciate the change that this is having in the neighborhood, and that the where the frustrations, the concerns, where those things are coming from,” Council Member Kathleen Holmes said.
“As a councilor, those things aren’t what’s being asked of me to look at tonight. What’s being asked – what I and my colleagues up here are being asked to look at — ‘is the proposed project permitted in this area?’” she said.
And for Holmes, the answer is simple: yes.
Holmes said that the transit hub would provide an important service to the community, advancing the city’s comprehensive plan; how Carleton went about communicating isn’t going to change that.
“It’s not the first time that flaws in institutional communication, perceived or real, have resulted in rifts in our community, and it will not be the last time either,” Council Member Jessica Peterson White said.
“It is not our role to repair those relationships, and no one has been able to tell me how a 60-day delay would do that,” she added.
While a timeline is yet to be finalized, construction is planned to begin this summer.
Maya Betti is a KYMN News intern and an Executive Editor of the St. Olaf Messenger. Contact her at news@kymnradio.net
