Members of a volunteer committee working to save the Northfield Train Depot from demolition are quickly locking down the details of their plans, in the hopes of presenting them to the Northfield City Council early next year.
Last week, the Save the Depot Committee convened with potential project partners and the public in two back-to-back meetings focused on the group’s preliminary site plan.
Under that plan, presented at the meeting, the committee would move the 1,250-square-foot depot from its current location on the east side of the railroad to city-owned land located in the Q Block along Hwy. 3 in downtown Northfield.
According to Rice County tax records, the city owns two parcels of land totaling less than one acre between the depot’s current site and several businesses — including the Quarterback Club — which are located on the east side of the block. Save the Depot Committee members Steve Edwins and Lynn Vincent say the completely-restored depot, along with a small parking lot and driveway, may occupy as much as half of the city land, if the council permits the project. Details on how the group will acquire the site from the city won’t likely be hammered out until after the January presentation, Vincent said.
The cost to move the depot, restore the exterior, partially restore the interior and building a basement and foundation for the building may be as much as $300,000, according to Edwins. Group members would also like to develop a second building, an outdoor pavilion and a small parking lot on the site.
The 122-year-old building is currently owned by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which had plans to demolish the unused property. Rather than destroy it, Save the Depot Committee members say the restored, historic building could be used as a transit hub, meeting location or commercial space, and could spur development on the Q Block, a high-profile but underdeveloped space in the city’s commercial corridor.
Partners for the project, Vincent says, could include Northfield Lines or the Northfield Taxi Company. Roughly 90 people participated in the two meetings held Thursday, Vincent said, and much of the feedback the group received from the public on its plans was affirming and enthusiastic.
“I think the idea is catching on,” Vincent said. “This has got to be a community project, it’s got to have to community behind it and the support of the businesses.”
— David Henke covers public safety, the arts and business for the Northfield News. Reach him at 645-1100.
WHERE TO NOW?
The Save the Depot Committee plans to present a formal proposal to the Northfield City Council early next year. Between now and the council presentation, the group must lock down potential partners, decide how the interior of the building will be used and determine the exact placement of the building on its proposed site.
For more information on the group’s efforts, visit www.northfielddepot.org.