As you may or may not be aware, the City Council voted last night to re-zone 22 acres of land from LI ("light industrial") to C-3 ("gateway commercial", a/k/a sprawl). A lot of the hoopla was due to the fact that the current landowner is negotiating with a developer who's interested in putting a multiplex cinema on the site, and the discussion of whether and where to build a theater is obscuring what, to me, is the real issue:

Our zoning ordinances suck.

This is very relevant to the property in question, because while the LI designation is nothing to write home about, C-3 is worse. The land development regulations governing the C-3 designation have precious little in the way of either urban design or architectural design standards, which means that C-3 property owners are pretty much free to build whatever crap they want on the land and cover the rest with impermeable surfaces, regardless of the long-term cost and consequences to the community as a whole.

Try this little exercise. First, close your eyes and picture the ugliest buildings and land use in Northfield. Then locate those areas on our current zoning map. I'll give you a hint: They're in the red areas, designated "C-1 gateway commercial". Coincidence?

Northfield is incredibly passive about this kind of thing. For a community that prides itself on creativity and intellect, it's ridiculous that we ask nothing of developers beyond money and a willingness to build stuff. Somehow we think that theater complexes and shopping malls are "economic development". No, they're a consumer convenience, but that's not the same thing.

I'd like to take a page from the books of more progressive areas of the country that have adopted and implemented strategies of "Community Preservation", which Northfield desperately needs. Massachusetts describes this approach in part by saying,

"Most communities often find themselves in a corner; they desire economic development, but are also concerned that the financial, environmental and social costs of sprawl will outweigh the benefits of that growth. With careful planning, however, economic growth can flourish while preserving the character of our communities. Community Preservation is not a "no growth" policy. Instead, Community Preservation promotes pro-active and careful decision-making to direct future development to the most suitable locations. The goal of Community Preservation is to empower communities to develop a unique vision and plan for a future that compliments rather than conflicts with their environment, history culture and quality of life."

The whole point of PLANNING recognizes that self-interest and market incentives alone do not a good community make. We have a good Comprehensive Plan for Northfield; what we don't have is land use regulations that support it. And until we do, we're going to keep getting proposals for generic development by people who simply don't know how to do anything else. Needless to say, I'm disappointed that the Council ignored the recommendation of the City's own Planning Commission and City staff in proceeding with this rezoning. But even more, I'm dismayed that this community apparently just doesn't have the balls to articulate a vision--and stick to it. If that continues to be the case, then the future will probably look a lot like the photo above, because it's the path of least resistance.

Doesn't that just make you proud to be a Northfielder?