As I said the last time I “covered” the City Council meeting for Locally Grown, I am NOT a Reporter. However, I had to be there last night so I…
Category: <span>Gov’t & Policy</span>
I took this photo of Elaine Nesbit riding her bike in front of Tiny’s Hot Dogs/Dogs All Day this morning.
She agreed to be the poster child for a discussion about the Northfield City ordinance that makes riding bikes on downtown sidewalks a petty misdemeanor.
She claims that Division St. downtown isn’t safe for bike riding, kids especially. So does my wife. I’m not so sure.
So is this an act of civil disobedience? Do adult bikers get cited for violating this ordinance or is it mainly youth skateboarders? Should I have performed a citizen arrest and escorted her to the police?
The relevant ordinance language:
The City installed the new streetscape arches yesterday at 3rd and Division St. The one in the left two photos is over the walkway to the river between the…
We gabbed among ourselves this week. I recycled this photo, as it accurately portrays our reaction to yet another amazing Northfield City Council meeting. Click to enlarge. The show will air…
At Monday night’s City Council work session, Northfield Hospital Administrator Ken Bank was on the agenda to brief the council on the problem with the hospital’s floor settling problem. The Northfield…
Last week, the Strib reprinted a column by Los Angeles Times’ Gregory Rodriguez titled Diversity may not be the answer: Just existing together won’t erase mistrust; instead, we should work toward…
The Wed. Nlfd News had this editorial, Don’t forget that alcohol is a drug, too, which referenced last weekend’s story, Teens arrested at party: Northfield Police charged 18 area teens…
A group of young people gathered on Bridge Square this afternoon to protest what they say is the unfair profiling of youth by the Northfield Police Department. (Profiling is when…
In today’s Nfld News: Rental code passes first read: Ordinance faces final approval Sept. 10
With a 5-2 majority, the Northfield City Council approved the first reading of a long-awaited rental ordinance, leaving it just one vote away from final passage… Among other things, the ordinance as passed Monday would mandate the following for rentals:
- No more than 20 percent of the homes in a block would be allowed to be rental properties. This would not apply to housing now owned by the colleges, and blocks with higher densities would not be affected until a rental property is sold. Rental licenses would not be transferable to a new owner.
- No more than three unrelated adults would be allowed to live in one rental unit, unless the owner obtains a conditional use permit for up to five occupants where the building inspector deems there is space. Already established college-owned housing would be exempt.
- Contact information for the owner and/or rental agent of each property would have to be clearly posted within close proximity to the main entrance.
- A rental housing board of appeals would be established.
- Administrative fines would be established, in addition to any other legal remedy.
Councilmen Jon Denison and Jim Pokorney cast votes against the ordinance. Denison expressed concern about the negative impact it could have on renters, while Pokorney was uncomfortable with controlling the number of rentals per block.
See P. 25 of the council packet (PDF) or the text below. The draft of the 39 page ordinance does not appear to be available on the City’s website.