| New annexation request may extend Northfield westward |
By: SUZANNE ROOK, Managing Editor
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Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 11:31 pm
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An annexation request asking that more than 450 acres west of Armstrong Road be brought into the city was filed last week.
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The city, which grew last year by some 530 acres, may need to loosen its belt yet again.
On Friday, Kenneth Prawer and Robert Gill asked the city to consider annexing more than 450 acres of their land just west of town. The properties — 97 acres of Gill’s and 359 of Prawer’s — are adjacent to industrial development along Armstrong Road and south of Hwy. 19 near the railroad.
The land also abuts Edgebrook Drive, a residential area in Bridgewater Township.
The annexation, if approved, could give the city nearly 900 total acres of land ready for commercial/industrial development. Ninety acres brought into the city last year and owned by St. Olaf College is not available for sale or potential development, college officials have said.
The city’s Economic Development Authority has for years looked to bring land near Prawer and Gill’s properties into the city, eventually wanting them zoned for commercial development.
EDA President Rick Estenson and city Economic Development Director Jody Gunderson have said having more commercial land available is beneficial to the city, adding not every potential buyer has the same idea of what makes a property desirable.
“Each area brings its own set of assets,” Gunderson said last month.
The EDA has pushed for more commercial property, saying the city needs the land to balance its recent residential growth, something it believes will lower residential property taxes. A commercial property owner pays much higher property taxes than a similarly valued residential parcel.
The request is far from a done deal, said Brian O’Connell, the city’s community development director.
Before an annexation can be OK’d, O’Connell will take the request to the City Council, asking for its approval to move forward. That’s expected July 20. At that point, the council can ask city staff to pursue or nix the request.
If the council agrees to move ahead, the request will then go to the Planning Commission for review. City Planner Dan Olson said that won’t occur until at least August.
Even if the council says yes to the final request, which won’t likely happen for several months, Bridgewater Township supervisors will have the last word on an annexation.
The orderly annexation agreement with Bridgewater, signed in November 2001, allows only 150 acres to be annexed into Northfield in a five-year period, with no more than 60 acres per year. And, some of the land included in Prawer and Gill’s annexation request isn’t included in the 2001 Bridgewater agreement.
Bridgewater supervisors aren’t expected to formally weigh in on the annexation request unless it’s approved. Olson on Wednesday said he expects the process will move forward without Bridgewater unless and until the council gives its final blessing. Like the city did with the prior annexation request, city and township leaders will then meet to hammer out an annexation agreement, said Olson.
That agreement, approved by Greenvale Township and Northfield in February, dictates a reimbursement schedule for lost township property taxes, sets a limit on residential development and assigns responsibility for road upkeep.
Taking care of business
The Prawer and Gill properties are home to several local waterways, including Heath Creek and Spring Brook, coveted for its trout.
The land and its waterways will the be evaluated, said O’Connell, a move he says will ensure the city tends sensitive areas during development as state and federal regulations dictate.
Prawer said he’s comfortable that the farm he’s owned for 33 years will be well cared for, adding that he truss the city’s judgment.
On Tuesday, Prawer said he had no imminent plans for the property and expects to live on the land until it’s sold for development. If the land owners pursue that request, it could be similar to an agreement Northfield made with those owning property in the annexation from Greenvale Township. In those agreements, the city let the land remain rural until sold, a move which keeps landowners’ taxes.
Recent health concerns have forced Prawer’s hand, he said. Years ago he mulled annexation for the property, but ultimately, he decided, the time wasn’t right.
“I’m getting my ducks in order for my family,” he said. “It’s better to get that taken care of now.”
View a concept plan for the new acres by clicking here.
— Suzanne Rook is the managing editor and covers education. She can be reached at srook@northfieldnews.com or 645-1113.
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