January 17th, 2006

It all goes back to that old adage: Seeing is believing.

Although the groundbreaking for “The Crossing” — the new mixed-use development bordered by the Cannon River and Minnesota Highway 3 — will take place Friday, it might not be until February that people really grasp the vision that Mendota Homes has for at least the condominium portions of the site.

On Feb. 11, a model will open across the street to show people what a potential condo in The Edgewater, The Crossing’s first condominium building, will look like.

But in the meantime, John Mathern and his crew at Mendota Homes, the Little Canada-based development company in charge of The Crossing, are readying for Friday’s groundbreaking, where they have invited the community to witness the beginning of a development that will change the face of downtown Northfield.

The Crossing
Although a lot of things seem to be beginning for The Crossing, a lot of details were finalized for the project in December.

The Northfield City Council approved the final plat for the project, as well as the sale of their property and property owned by the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) to Mendota Homes.

The only property Mendota Homes does not own on the site belongs to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for the Highway 3 reconstruction project. According to Erin Mathern of Mendota Homes, that land should be acquired yet this year.

When completed The Crossing will include two condominium buildings with more than 100 units of living space for sale and 35,000 square feet of commercial, office and restaurant space spread over a number of commercial buildings.

Construction began this week on geopiers — which provide soil reinforcement for foundations of buildings.

All of the construction that will be seen this year on The Crossing will focus on the northern part of the site, The Edgewater condominium building and one of the commercial buildings which will hold eight offices.

Other projects
Although much attention has been spent on The Crossing, it’s not the only project that John Mathern is involved in locally and it is one of six residential development projects that Mendota Homes is currently touting to the public.

Locally, Mathern is involved in the redevelopment of the Q-Block, the old Community National Bank building and the construction of a residential building for artists.

In the metro area, Mendota Homes is in the process of completing work on projects in St. Paul and Loring Park, as well as starting projects in St.Louis Park and Lilydale.

But sitting in a conference room at the Little Canada offices of Mendota Homes, Mathern excitedly points at the design boards for the Northfield projects his company is involved in.

“The next one in the barrel is Community National,”Mathern said Monday.

Mendota Homes has been before the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission and will appear soon before the city’s planning commission and the Northfield City Council.

Demolition on the old Community National Bank building will begin this summer.

In its place will be a mixed use building with retail spaces and parking on the first floor and 26 housing units.

“The first floor has drawn a lot of interest,”Erin Mathern said, adding that a couple of local retailers have approached the developers about acquiring space in the new building.

Although Community NationalBank has their new facility on the southern edge of town along Highway 3, the bank also will maintain a presence at the new Division Street development.

Q-Block
Development on the Q-Block will follow after the bank project is underway.

The Q-Block is just off Northfield’s downtown, bordered by Minnesota Highway 3, Second and Third streets and the railroad line that bisects the town.

The block is nicknamed as such because of the presence of The Quarterback Club, a restaurant, and Quizno’s, the sub shop that will now be home to a new restaurant. The site is about eight acres and is owned by eight property owners, including the city and Mendota Homes.

Currently, the EDA is mulling a master plan of the development that will coordinate future improvements.

Although John Mathern is reluctant to name any of the businesses that will eventually fill the buildings of his developments, he acknowledges that a coffee shop with a drive-thru will be constructed on his portion of the Q-Block.

Mendota Homes is currently in negotiations with Canadian Pacific railroad to purchase some of its property on the Q-Block, specifically the area on the western portion of the site where the potential for housing has been identified.

Artists building
This summer, Mathern and others in the Northfield’s arts community announced a mixed-use development that will provide affordable housing for the area’s artists and studio space for them to work.

The site is on the south side of Second Street and on the east side of Highway 3, across the street from The Crossing.

Mendota Homes is submitting an application for financing from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency which may be awarded in September.

Needless to say, Mathern and Mendota Homes will be in the Northfield area for awhile. Mathern estimates that work on the combined projects will take about five years.

“Mostly we came for The Crossing. … In and of itself that’s a three-year project. But Northfield grows on you; you’re not going to leave with just one (project),” Mathern said.

By Michelle Kubitz

Reprinted with permission from the Northfield News.