Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

Fulfilling a commitment made at April’s Downtown Forum to work together for bicycle and pedestrian safety, the City of Northfield, the NDDC and RENew Northfield are bringing the Center for Transportation and the Environment’s national teleconference “Bicycle/Pedestrian Planning Strategies: From SAFETEA-LU to Safe Routes to School” to Northfield.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA- LU), passed by Congress in 2005, provides increased opportunities to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety and mobility, and create more complete transportation systems that foster healthier, more livable communities.

Join us Thursday, May 4th from 1 to 4 pm to learn more about exciting new partnerships and projects to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety in our community.

Could sidewalk dining in downtown Northfield be a boon to the local economy? What are the disadvantages of having alcohol sold outdoors, within full view of minors? Is there a risk to restaurateurs?

Perhaps most important, could sidewalk dining provide the spark your relationship needs?

Those questions and more will be discussed at the next NDDC Downtown Forum on Tuesday, May 2, at 8 a.m. in the lower-level conference room of the Archer House.

Panelists will include Northfield Chief of Police Gary Smith, Contented Cow and Chapati owner Norman Butler, and attorney David Hvistendahl, owner of Froggy Bottoms. Also in the audience will be several restaurateurs, including Todd Byhre of the Ole Store Café and Joe Grundhoefer of the Rueb-n-Stein.

Coffee and cookies will be served, as always, and a lively discussion is the goal.

For more information, visit nddc.org or call 663-0319.

Bring Your Bike Downtown!

On Saturday, May 6th, at 10 am, as part of Sping Fling, the NDDC is sponsoring an event to promote bicycle friendliness. Bring your bike downtown, be entered in a drawing for prizes and enjoy bicycling around our wonderful downtown community. It all takes place in the “Old Jacobsen Parking Lot” near Mike’s Bikes, Present Perfect and Hogan Brothers.

So gather up the whole household and…

…Bring Your Bike(s) Downtown.

…like me.

Learn how Northfield has the potential to leap ahead of the rest of Minnesota and compete internationally for jobs, tax base and reinvestable profits, attract high-tech, high-paying, environmentally-friendly, and socially-conscious businesses, and become a center for the next economic development model based on knowledge workers and the creative class…

… in terms that laypersons can mostly understand…

…all in thirty minutes…

…on the Locally Grown podcast.

Heidi Hamilton and Howard Merriam of the City of Northfield updated the Block Heads Wednesday morning on construction projects that will impact downtown traffic flows this summer. Here’s the nickel summary:

For the installation of the Library Plaza and paver crosswalks across 3rd Street and Division, the following road closures and parking restrictions will occur:

3rd Street and its parking (south of the library) will be closed on the east side of Division for approximately ten days between May 15 and July 14, but not during Crazy Days or July 4 activities. Specific dates have not been set.

Division Street will be closed just north fo 3rd Street for ten days after Defeat of Jesse James Days (to avoid conflict with Hwy 3 construction).

Highway 3 construction will close access to downtown from 3rd and 5th Street between May 4 and the end of July (approximately July 24). During this period, access to downtown from the west will be via Woodley and 2nd Street.

The NDDC and the City of Northfield will be working hard to lessen the adverse impact to downtown of these important construction projects.

For the “graphic” deatails, see the Highway 3 Reconstruction and Detour Maps.