The City of Northfield, on the edge of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, is surrounded mostly by farm fields. An historic downtown and two successful private colleges help create a unique identity for this community of 16,500 people. But growth pressures, including rapid housing development and annexation issues, pressures for highway expansions and pressures to develop larger scale commercial uses on the City’s edge, threaten to change that identity in ways that are undesirable to Northfield's residents. In 1999, the City hired Hoisington Koegler Group to update its comprehensive plan and provide alternative solutions to address these pressures.

Utilizing an extensive public process, HKGi helped the citizens achieve a consensus on community vision, growth direction and land use patterns. Building on the community's vision, the plan directs the attention of the development community to Northfield's strongest assets,

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its historic downtown, its historic street and block pattern, and the environment, specifically the Cannon River. The plan emphasizes infill development and redevelopment near downtown, and also seeks to replicate some of the more traditional development patterns found in and around the downtown. These provide for through streets, a variety of housing styles, and a comfortable pedestrian environment.

A 'green belt' comprised of the ditches, rivers, ridges, wetlands and open spaces that form the edges of different development patterns ties the community together and provides a key feature of the plan.

Growth has continued to put pressure on Northfield's ability to maintain its image as a unique small town, college town environment. Recent redevelopment efforts in the downtown area pay tribute to a community keeping to its vision to maintain a vibrant and vital downtown, while embracing the possibilities that new development brings to the community.

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