The Crookston Planning Commission met on Tuesday to discuss a modification to the planned development of an alleyway adjacent to Lincoln School and hold a public hearing on the Embolden Crookston comprehensive plan.
LINCOLN SCHOOL ALLEYWAY DEVELOPMENT
The commission brought back a discussion about a development plan for a 3.249-acre outlet in the Lincoln School subdivision, which is planned to be converted into an alleyway. Jeff Fagerstrom of the Northwest Minnesota Housing Cooperative (NMHC) reviewed the proposed development plan with the commission, which would create an alleyway running east to west between Walsh and Alexander Streets and separate outlets of the same width adjacent to existing lots. Fagerstrom reminded the commission that the proposed usage is not for additional residential development, but for alley development and the potential sale of small, adjacent lots to the homeowners on 1st Avenue Northeast and 3rd Avenue Northeast. “It is strictly for the adjacent landowners who already have primary structures on that lot or that land. So the amenities we’ve talked about, building garages, things like that, are only available to the adjacent landowner who already has a primary structure, their house, on that land already.”
Residents of the subdivision attended the meeting and asked Fagerstrom about the project, including the potential removal of a tree near the proposed alleyway and the removal of concrete in grassy areas that are remnants of athletic facilities from the nearby school. Fagerstrom responded to the questions by confirming that the current plans would include removing the large tree and all concrete in the area. He was pleased to hear directly from the residents and noted interest from the adjacent 1st and 3rd Avenue homeowners in purchasing the parcels if the alleyway is developed. “There is significant interest, so I’m sure there will be a few that choose not to, or in some way weren’t expecting to, buy land right now, but maybe with a long-term finance option or something like that. We’ll need to be a little bit creative in that, but yeah, overall we’re excited about it, and we’re we’re hearing that feedback from the neighbors as well.”
Fagerstrom has previously spoken to the commission about this proposal at meetings on January 16 and August 18, 2026. He has had preliminary discussions with Interim City Administrator Darin Selzler about an agreement between NMHC and the city to donate the alley back to the city, which would provide maintenance, such as snow removal, and alleviate potential costs to landowners. “We’ve had great preliminary discussions with both the city administrator and public works. We think it’s extremely reasonable that the city of Crookston would ultimately maintain and care for the alleyway. They do a great job throughout the city with snow removal and so forth, and I think it’s appropriate that the city continue to maintain that rather than put that burden or shared cost to the neighboring landowners.”
The commission moved forward with recommending the development project to the City Council for additional review at a future meeting.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PUBLIC HEARING
The commission opened the public hearing for additional discussion on the Embolden Crookston comprehensive plan. Joel Quanbeck of KLJ Engineering has been developing the plan for the City of Crookston since 2023; it is now in the final draft phase. The plan will replace the current comprehensive plan, which was established in 2016, and help guide the city with zoning regulations and long-range development. There was no public input during the hearing, and the commission recommended approval of the comprehensive plan and sent it to the City Council for additional discussion at a future meeting.
