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Housing & Redevelopment Authority
Meetings
Fourth Tuesday of each month
4 p.m.
City Hall
Council Chambers
801 Washington St.
Northfield, MN 55057
Housing Study information
Housing Study - Demand and Supply
Housing Study - Housing Inventory
Workforce Housing Assessment - A study was completed as a Capstone project for a group of students from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and presented to the HRA Board on August 10, 2017.
Upcoming HRA meeting
Tuesday, August 31, 2021 HRA Agenda Packet
Public monitoring
Members of the public may monitor the meeting by watching the live stream or electronically from a remote location.
Live stream
eComment
The City of Northfield has an electronic comment (eComment) feature for HRA meetings. eComment provides an easy way for residents to add their voices to the process and makes participation in public meetings convenient when it may be difficult to the attend the meeting in person.
Once the agenda is published, the eComment link will be active. Residents can review agenda items details, indicate their position on an item and leave feedback by clicking on the eComment tab on the HRA meeting page:
Comments may be submitted until 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
Agendas and Minutes
The City meeting archives contain agendas, minutes, handouts and additional information.
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The City meeting portal allows you to view live streamed meetings and agendas with clickable links.
Members
| Name | Title | Term expiration |
|---|---|---|
| James Crow | Member | December 31, 2024 |
| Kevin Fink | Vice Chair | December 31, 2021 |
| Sandra Gerdes | Member | December 31, 2023 |
| Clarice Grabau | Council Representative | December 31, 2022 |
| Jayne Hager Dee | Secretary | December 31, 2023 |
| Teng Lee | Member | December 31, 2025 |
| Brent Nystrom | Chair | December 31, 2022 |
| George Zuccolotto | Council Liaison (non-voting member) | December 31, 2024 |
| Isabel Fleming | Youth Representative (non-voting member) | 2021-2022 school year |
| TJ Myers | Youth Representative (non-voting member) | 2021-2022 school year |
Liaisons
For general information about the board, please contact a staff liaison. Also, if you have questions or comments for the board, contact a staff liaison and they will assist.
| Name | Title | Phone number |
|---|---|---|
| Melissa Hanson | Housing Coordinator | 507-645-3047 |
| Kari Bonde | Administrative Associate | 507-645-3036 |
Overview
Special meetings are occasionally called. The City of Northfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority's (HRA) mission is to provide a sufficient supply of adequate, safe, and sanitary dwellings in Northfield. The primary goals of the HRA are to:
- Protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Northfield
- Clear and redevelop blighted areas
- Perform said duties according to the city’s Comprehensive Plan
- Remedy the shortage of housing for low and moderate income residents
- Redevelop blighted areas in situations in which private enterprise would not act without government participation or subsidies
The HRA also partners with other organizations, such as the Cannon River Community Land Trust, to implement affordable housing initiatives in Northfield.
The commission consists of five members appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council. Each member serves a five-year term. There is no term limit. Members do not receive monetary compensation.
Membership requirements
The mayor recommends applicants to the City Council based on their interest in affordable housing and redevelopment issues, along with willingness to serve and background.
Applying
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Apply for a board, commission, or task force
Applications are also available at:
City Hall
801 Washington Street
Northfield, MN 55057Northfield Public Library
210 Washington Street
Northfield, MN 55057
Accomplishments
- Responded to households experiencing economic hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing grant funding of $53,600 to the Community Action Center (CAC) of Northfield to assist households with rent and mortgage payments
- Sponsored a housing market study and need analysis that will be completed the first quarter of 2021; study will be used to inform strategy and policy decisions, community specific housing and funding priorities and will convey market opportunities to the private investment market
- Sponsored a rental housing policy review to support improvements to the City of Northfield’s overall housing licensing program and policies
- Advanced the Spring Creek II Townhome Project (32 units); construction is anticipated to begin 2021
- Provided street assessment assistance of $10,318 to six households
- Reaffirmed partnership with Northfield Union of Youth (NUY) Homelessness Program (Wallflower Project) and provided $15,000 grant for the Wallflower Project, which is used to fund a full-time social worker and other programs
- Provided $10,303 as well as organized a fall clean up event for residents of Northfield Estates and Viking Terrace and Riverside Mobile Home Parks
- Provided $2,000 to and partnered with Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), Growing Up Health-Healthy Communities Initiative, and Faribault HRA to provide winter weatherization kits to mobile home park residents in Northfield and Faribault
Community Development Block (CDBG) Projects
- Used $42,0000 of CDBG funds to remove eight abandoned coaches at Riverside Mobile Home Park
- Increased the amount of money available to income-eligible individuals through the Down Payment Assistance Program to $25,000
- Created the Manufactured Home Rehab Pilot Program that made $61,000 available for homeowners at Viking Terrace Mobile Home Park for repairs and improvements which include:
- Bringing buildings up to code and increase compliance with local housing regulations
- Modifications for accessibility for disabled household members
- Repairs that address roofs, windows, floor supports or faulty plumbing or electrical
2019 accomplishments
- Spring Creek II Townhome Project – 32 Units
- Three Rivers Community Action Agency (TRCA), in partnership with the Northfield HRA, received approval for Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
- Workforce Housing Summit
- Partnered with Rice County HRA and the cities of Faribault, Lonsdale, and Morristown to sponsor a Workforce Housing Summit in June
- Street Assessment Assistance
- Provided street assessment assistance of $18,403 in 2019 to 10 households
- Provided $143,709 in assistance for 64 households since the program began in 2012
- Northfield Union of Youth (NUY) Homelessness Program (Wallflower Project)
- Partnered with NUY and provided $15,000 grant for the Wallflower Project
- The NUY leveraged the HRA grant to attract additional funding to support a full time social worker and other program costs
- Housing Market Study
- Approved funding of $25,000 for a housing market study for the City of Northfield
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects
- Residential Rehabilitation Program
- Worked on rehab of 9 dwelling units expected to be complete spring 2020
- Used $44,727 of CDBG funding
- Down Payment Assistance
- Assisted a first-time homebuyer with a $15,000 down payment assistance loan
- Manufactured Home Rehabilitation Program
- Approved $61,000 for manufactured (mobile) home rehabilitation program beginning in 2020