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Politics & Government

Northfield Train Depot Plans Fit City Priorities

Discussion will continue at the July 5 council meeting.

Residents fighting to preserve Northfield's historic train depot by moving it to the middle of town and turning it into a transit hub received good news at Tuesday's city council work session: an analysis by city staff says moving the depot to vacant land near the restaurant is feasible.

"There appeared to be a lot of support for a project like this" in the city's comprehensive plan, said community development director Jody Gunderson. In a report prepared for councilors Gunderson wrote also that the ease of driving in and out of the "Q-Block" area made the project "not unreasonable" as a potential project. 

Councilors expressed support for the plan, and will vote at its July 5 meeting to approve a formal policy direction for the potential transit hub, preservation of which has been aggressively organized by the Save the Depot group. 

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While supporting the use of the city-owned land for the project, Councilor Kris Vohs said he still had reservations "losing the chance of having [the land] be taxable real estate."

Gunderson said a plan to transfer control of the city property to the depot group, who would run the new transit hub, could be administered either by leasing or selling the property, which sits between Second and Third streets on HI-3, to that group. He added that either arrangement would include several conditions to make sure the site was run consistent with city priorities which, if violated, could dissolve the deal.

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