Last Monday, 2/27, the City Council received a feasibility study/market analysis on three options proposed for the municipal liquor store:

1. Relocate to the Q-Block property on Highway 3.
2. Relocate to the current Lansing Hardware location on Division Street
3. Expand the existing liquor store at its current location.

There's some very interesting information in the study and analysis, which can be downloaded from its location on the City website, buried in the meeting packet for last week's Council meeting.

Continue reading "Liquor Store - Expansion, Relocation Options" »

Posted by the Webmaster on March 6, 2006 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At the last EDA meeting, we approved the Master Plan prepared by Dahlgren Shardlow Uban. The plan is available in PDF format from the City website. You can read about it in the Northfield News article, but the link won't work unless you log in as a subscriber.

Posted by the Webmaster on February 14, 2006 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This afternoon Griff Wigley, Ross Currier, and I made our first attempt at an audioblog entry for a northfield.org podcast. One of the topics we covered was the Q-Block issue. (See the "Locally Grown" audio show page.)

The concept plans for Q-Block are all variations on a theme, with one-story buildings pulled up close to the sidewalk on the highway side, parking in back, and housing on the west side of the block. Some of the concepts incorporate the existing Quizno's and Quarterback Club buildings as they are; some concepts show how these buildings might be replaced by new construction.

I think it will be in the best interest of the community, long-term, if the Q-Block development looks more like an organic outgrowth of downtown and less like a suburban strip whenever possible, so I’d like to see a plan that has more visual cohesion with downtown and with the new developments taking place on 2nd street on the east side of the highway. The proposed new commercial/ mixed-use building façades on the Q-Block should be taller than one story; the development will look too disconnected from the rest of the intersection and from downtown if there’s such a great discrepancy between building heights on the east and west side of the highway.

There’s a public input meeting this Thursday, 6:30 p.m. at the Archer House, lower level conference room. Whether you agree with me or not, please attend the meeting to review the concepts and let your voice be heard. We all want to build a better Northfield.

Posted by the Webmaster on December 5, 2005 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the last EDA meeting (held a week early so we didn’t have to meet on Thanksgiving Day), we reviewed a presentation by John Slack on possible scenarios for development of the "Q-Block".

From the City website: "The City Council has directed the EDA to create a master plan for the area known as the 'Q-Block.' The master plan is intended to foster a climate for reinvestment and create a mix of uses within a pedestrian scale environment. The EDA has been working with DSU to create the plan. To date, property owners have been interviewed, an existing conditions analysis has been completed, and redevelopment expectations and preliminary design concepts have been generated. On December 8, 2005, the EDA will host a Public Forum at which the Preferred Development Alternative will be presented for the site. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the master plan, as well as learn more about the planning process and findings. Please plan on attending this Public Forum."

Concept plans, in PDF format, are available on the City's project page.

Continue reading "The Q-Block puzzle, part 1" »

Posted by the Webmaster on November 28, 2005 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The EDA held its regularly scheduled meeting this morning. Agenda items included some administrative housekeeping items, an update on the City website (details below) discussion of the Q-Block master plan (ditto), discussion of the status of EDA funding (more on that in future posts), and of most immediate interest, a presentation by the New Division Development Company of their plans for infill redevelopment on the parcel occupied by Lansing Hardware.

Continue reading "Meeting Summary, Aug. '05" »

Posted by the Webmaster on August 11, 2005 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)