Northfield Council Preview: Long-Overdue Repairs Could Cost Jefferson Road Residents

After 24 years of residential and commercial traffic, a 3/4-mile stretch of Jefferson Road has been ground to the point that only heavy repair can reclaim it.

That work, if approved by Northfield City Councilors at its meeting Tuesday night, could cost residents of the thoroughfare between Jefferson Parkway and Hidden Valley Road an average of $4,800 in tax assessments over 10 years.  The city would pay the remaining $120,000 of the $300,000 project from other funds.

The three-part vote would set public hearings for the project (in late June) and the assessment itself (in early July).

At a May 26 neighborhood meeting, some residents opposed the upgrade's removal of parking spaces for a new bike route and complained about paying extra for repairs that could have been avoided if the city had kept up the road before it required drastic changes.

Water Street proposal ready

Councilors will vote to approve the Request for Proposal for parties interested in buying 303 and 305 Water St., site of the former property.

The request, drafted by city staff with Councilors Betsey Buckheit and Suzie Nakasian, prioritizes "the public benefits" brought by a potential buyer, including job creation and expansion of the tax base, as the most important criteria for selection, as well as the preservation by the would-be business of the "architectural character" of the city's historic downtown. 

Two Northfield restaurateurs, Dave Hvistendahl and owner Demetri Pitsavas, have expressed interest in the property. Proposals are due in early July. 

Hvistendahl, whose , dormant since it flooded last September, said the purchase would allow the pub, which joins the property to the north, to expand its outdoor seating and dining area, and urged councilors to move quickly, given the construction his potential expansion would require.

In other news

• Councilors will also vote on a motion to rehabilitate six of the city's more than 30 stormwater ponds, many of which are too small or require dredging to continue to hold likely increases in runoff.

In a presentation to councilors last month, City Engineering Resource Manager Brian Welch said the ponds have reduced phosphorous and sediment loads in the Cannon River since a 1984 measurement. 

An adjoining motion would approve plans to develop incentives for residential rain gardens and runoff-reducing redevelopment.

• In a joint work session councilors will hear a report from members of the Economic Development Authority on that body's progress toward the goals in its 2006 development plan. In March, several councilors began pursuing , which they argue has become embroiled in process issues, unable to fulfill its mission.