In 2000, when the comprehensive plan was last revised, Northfielders wanted the city to maintain its character, honor its history and attract and encourage “green” businesses.

Seven years later, residents say they want much the same thing. But this time, when Northfielders speak, city leaders won’t just listen, they’re going to act.

“The results from 2000 are giving us the same answers,” City Planner Dan Olson said, “but now we’re simultaneously changing those into ordinances.” The ordinances, or laws, will dictate how and where the city grows, said Olson, who’s helping lead the comp plan and ordinance revisions. So instead of just knowing what residents want, city leaders will soon have regulations to ensure those wishes become reality.

But before new ordinances are written, the city’s Planning Commission wants to make sure they’re getting it right. During a meeting set for 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Armory, commission members will review an April 4 meeting and ask residents to weigh in on a draft version of 12 principles that the zoning ordinances will be based on.

Those principles reflect information given at the April 4 meeting attended by 250 residents. Information from the meeting has been compiled into a report called “Community Choices,” which along with a list of the principles, is available at northfieldplan.org.

The proposed principles suggest the city’s priorities include maintaining small-town character and charm, protecting the environment and encouraging walkable neighborhoods and mixed-use development.

But what that will mean for the city’s future isn’t yet certain. Residents have suggested neighborhoods in the older parts of Northfield are favored over newer subdivisions that have a number of cul-de-sacs. Such preferences could be reflected, Olson said, in requirements such as housing developments laid out in grid patterns with shorter blocks, sidewalks on both sides of the street and a variety of housing styles and sizes.

The appearance of buildings (residential and commercial) could also be more stringently regulated. And the Cannon River could become an integral part of the city. “It’s very unique and it’s underutilized,” Olson said, adding that ordinances could require buildings to face the river and encourage bike trails alongside it.

City Councilor Scott Davis, who is a Planning Commission liaison, said he expects new zoning regulations will be more stringent, and require development that’s in keeping with the feel of “Old Northfield.” The city’s downtown area is what he called “the jewel in the crown. “Otherwise,” he said, “it’s just a plain, old crown. It’s what makes Northfield special.”

But, he cautioned, the city shouldn’t be too restrictive. “We need to take care and not make it too costly for developers,” he said. What’s different this go around, Olson said, is that residents were also asked where growth should occur. Seventy-five percent of those at the April meeting said they prefer re-development or growth in vacant areas already inside city limits. That information, he said, will aid developers and the city council when considering new projects.

New ordinances aren’t expected to be adopted until December. Even then, Planning Commission Chairman Ross Currier said, it will take time before residents see a change. And when the change comes, Currier hopes, “we’ll see more of what we like and less of what we don’t like. I would hope that five years from now we realize we did get more of what we wanted than we did before.”