Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

In April of 1986, the Northfield City Council voted to create a Municipal Redevelopment District in downtown Northfield within which improvement projects could be funded with tax increment financing (TIF). The TIF district became known as Municipal District #4 and included a couple dozen parcels located in the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts, Downtown Core and Downtown Fringe.  The money would be generated by the amount that future property taxes increased over 1986 levels and the district would have a 27-year life, sunsetting in 2013.

The City Council wanted the funds to be used for improving streets, repairing the river wall by the Ames Mill dam, and building a public parking lot as well as other downtown improvements to be planned later.  The limited supply of parking downtown and its threat to economic vitality had been documented since the 1978 University of Minnesota Northfield River Corridor Plan and was subsequently corroborated by the 2001 Walker Parking Study. (more…)

As most of you are aware, on April 5th, the United States Postal Service announced it’s intention to close the historic downtown post office and move service operations to the annex on the southern edge of town.  Mayor Rossing asked the Northfield Downtown Development Corp. to organize a task force made up of key stakeholder groups to fight the closure.  It became the Save Our Post Office Task Force.

Most citizens, the City Council, and the leadership of the Task Force agreed that the closing of the downtown post office would have an adverse impact on Northfield.  An average of 500 people a day visit the facility, bringing valuable vitality to our downtown.  Over 250 businesses in downtown benefit from the current location of these supportive services.  Approximately 400 residents are within walking distance of the facility.  Closing the downtown post office would hurt the local economy and the loss of the central location would be a hardship for the entire community. (more…)

On April 5 the United States Post Office (USPS) announced their decision to sell Northfield’s downtown Post Office building and relocate window service to the Carrier Annex on Cannon Road. A final decision will be made on June 3. The Northfield community has until then to try to reverse this decision!  A Save Our Post Office (SOPO) Task Force , led by the NDDC, has organized to keep a postal presence in downtown.

The SOPO Strategy:

• Raise public awareness about the potential post office closure
• Enlist support to lobby the USPS to keep postal services downtown
• Challenge the proposed USPS business model
• Prepare creative alternative plans to keep postal service downtown

Your Help Is Needed! Here is what you can do: (more…)

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, we received the news that we had all been dreading.  The United States Postal Service announced their intention to abandon the historic downtown post office and relocate and consolidate services on south Highway 3.

The 60-day period for public comment has begun.  The clock is literally ticking.  As “Downtown” Councilors Nakasian and Buckheit said, “Grab your pens, boys; they’re threatening our post office”. (more…)

March 30, 2011

Anthony Williams, Regional District Manager
Northland District
United States Postal Service
100 First Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401-9990

Dear Mr. Williams:

The board of directors of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC) strongly urges the Postal Service to drop from consideration its proposed relocation of Northfield’s Post Office to the Carrier Annex located in an industrial zone in the city’s far southwest corner.  Closing the downtown post office would not be in the best interest of Northfield or the Postal Service.  (more…)