Yes, development is still happening in Northfield; and this one is different

I blogged last fall that Jasnoch Construction had started grading for an apartment building in the big empty lot across Jefferson Road between Heritage Drive and Honey Locust Drive, adjacent to their Hidden Valley Apartments. The walls started going up this week. I took the photo looking southwest, with Northfield Target, First National Bank Northfield South, and Community Resource Bank in the background.

Update 4/6: I’ve added the photo on the right, as a new sign was put up that says “Heritage Aparments” with an opening scheduled for fall, 2009. It also says that these are luxury apartments, and that the building will include underground parking and an elevator.

Then-planning commissioner, now-Councilor Betsey Buckheit wrote in a comment on that blog post:

This development could be called the first one developed under the still not quite adopted Comp Plan (Public hearing at the Planning Commission Tuesday – almost there!). The Jasnochs should get a round of applause for agreeing to work with the new plan even though it isn’t yet the law of the city.

Under the new form-based, mixed use principles of the new plan, parking is distributed in smaller lots, apartment entrances face the street rather than parking, and the entire site is envisioned as mixed use with commercial as well as residential development. I’d like to see this succeed. The Planning Commission struggled mightily trying to arrive at a definition of “mixed use” under the old comp plan back in 2002 or 2003 and failed. The new Comp Plan and supporting regulations are much clearer about how to do this.

As Sean points out, apartment living is more efficient. Thinking slightly larger but still compactly, by providing housing and a small commercial center around the Heritage/Jefferson Road intersection, Northfield could create another walkable area for the folks in the surrounding apartments and the single family homes up behind Target.