The Tiresome Issue of Northfield's Comprehensive Plan
Yes, in some ways I'm sick of hearing about it too. What is the Comprehensive Plan, and why do we care?
Well, I've attended exactly three meetings now in my new capacity as Planning Commissioner, and if one thing is crystal-clear, it's that Northfield's current zoning ordinances do not correspond to the Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2001. This is part of the reason why Northfield keeps sanctioning the cul-de-sac starter castles and monotonous 'burb developments that are popping up in the outskirts like toadstools after a rain. (I think the other reason is that developers nowadays just don't know how to build anything else, which they cloak in mumblings about "the market".)
The Planning Commission and city staff acknowledge and understand that the Land Development Regulations (zoning ordinances) need to be brought into conformance with the Comprehensive Plan. In preparation for the technical and legal work that needs to be done, the Planning Commission is going over the Comp Plan with an eye toward distilling the plan, eliminating redundancies, and focusing the Plan's objectives into goals which are actionable.
Before your eyes glaze over and you start asking, "Who cares?", I'd like to illustrate the relevance of this issue. Did you know that "mother-in-law apartments", a/k/a "granny flats", are illegal in Northfield? Or that we don't have anything in place that would prevent someone from bulldozing a house in the original town blocks and erecting a Frank Gehry-style sheet-metal facade? Or that our lot size and setback requirements virtually guarantee suburban-style development? (Regardless of your opinion on any of those particulars, if you're still saying "Who cares?", then you really shouldn't be living here. :-)
It is to be hoped that thorough communication with the City Council through this process will help these recommendations to be adopted and incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan so that we can get to the crucial business of revising the zoning ordinances. The Comp Plan review is happening at the same time the City will be receiving the EDA's new Economic Development Plan; this convergence of opportunity means that we may finally be able to form a cohesive plan for development and land use, with implementation strategies, which Northfield has been desperately lacking.
Now, that would be "nice."
This chart, illustrating the anticipated workforce "talent trough", makes a good teaser, and I didn't think leaking it would rile anyone too much. (Click image to enlarge.)