Northfield Councilors Consider Direction for Business Park

Northfield city councilors on Tuesday discussed how to phase in development of a planned "mixed-use" park in the city's northwest that would include residential and retail businesses in addition to the traditional industrial areas.

But a suggestion from Councilor Patrick Ganey that the park focus solely on industry was received well by Councilor Betsey Buckheit, who has been critical of the park's estimated cost of $14 million, and broadened the discussion to the fundamental purpose of the park. The initial master plan of the park was finished in January.

"On paper, the idea is great," Ganey said of having industry mixed with retail businesses and residential areas.

But he said the noises and smells of industry—he cited the hypothetical of a plant burning turkey manure into fuel moving in next to a hotel—might make for an unhappy business neighborhood.

Councilor Rhondal Pownell and Jody Gunderson, the city's community development director, said the mixed-use plan resulted from a hybridization of several plans and was designed to distinguish Northfield's from competing business parks.

In other news

Brian Welch, engineering resource manager for the city, presented to councilors a hierarchy for rehabilitating the city's stormwater ponds, which control runoff containing phosphorous and sediment from flowing into the Cannon River.

Projects range in cost from $30,000 to $500,000 for the pond at Grant Park, which is second in line for rehabilitation.