Northfield Has Plans For Liquor Store Site After Purchase

NORTHFIELD, MN —The Northfield City Council last week unanimously approved the acquisition of two downtown properties, one of which it hopes to redevelop into a mixed-use project, according to the city's Facebook page.

The buildings —the Ameriprise building, site of the Northfield Liquor Store at 411 Water Street, and the Northfield News building, at 115 5th Street West —sit across 5th street from one another.

According to the council —which voted 6-0 to approve the purchase — the property acquisitions give the city a chance to establish an attractive, expanded gateway in downtown Northfield, which capitalizes on the location in the historic district and near the riverfront.

The Northfield Municipal Liquor Store has been in business since 1948, and its profits directly support other public services and projects within the city.

The city council has said it intends to redevelop the site to include a new liquor store as part of a mixed-use, multi-story project serving both private and public uses.

"There have been talks about either remodeling or building a new liquor store for the better part of 20 years now," said Brian Whitt, Northfield Liquor operations manager. "We're excited to be part of a redevelopment in beautiful downtown Northfield."

According to the city, previous city councils identified four primary goals for the Northfield Liquor Store:

• Control the sale of alcohol
• Provide revenue to supplement traditional tax and fee revenues
• Provide an economic stimulus to the Central Business District
• Provide a convenient location for residents to purchase alcohol

In addition to those goals, the redevelopment of the recently-purchased properties also would meet a number of strategic priorities established in the city's strategic plan, according to the council, including: economic vitality, quality facilities and service excellence.

The project also would maximize redevelopment opportunities in the urban edge that encourages a more integrated relationship between the downtown and the river, which also is part of the strategic plan.

"Our community changes and evolves with the passage of time, so too do our buildings and places," Northfield Mayor Rhonda Pownell said. "As this strategic redevelopment project moves forward, we must continue to explore how we may best meet goals to honor our heritage and enhance our buildings and places creating an even more vibrant, thriving community."

The city said that over the next few months, it will create a project page on its website to track progress and share updates about the redevelopment project.