Duluth City Council Meeting – October 15, 2024
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Duluth City Council Meeting – October 15, 2024
The Duluth City Council convened on October 15, 2024, for a Committee of the Whole visioning session at 6:15 PM followed by the regular meeting at 7:00 PM. The agenda included public hearings, resolutions, and ordinance readings. Key topics included the Central Entrance corridor vision plan, renewal of the Downtown Waterfront Special Service District, tax abatement for Enger Park Golf Course, bonds for Spirit Mountain and water utility, Sofidel paper mill expansion, and a resolution supporting a new Academic Health Sciences Center. Public comment focused on the Israel-Gaza conflict and a proposed amendment to vacation dwelling unit regulations. All actions except one opposed vote on the Sofidel development agreement passed.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (9-0) all items on the consent agenda except Resolution 24-0815R (Academic Health Sciences Center support), which was pulled for separate discussion. The consent agenda included: an agreement with Call Tower for phone services ($122,928.12); a grant agreement with the 1200 Fund for a storefront loan program ($500,000); a drainage and utility easement vacation; a public hearing date for the Brae View TIF district; a memorandum of understanding for Duluth Civic Center Plaza improvements; an engineering agreement with Ever-Green Energy ($243,650); a cooperative agreement with St. Louis County for road striping ($87,462); a first amendment to the operations and maintenance agreement with St. Louis County; a permanent easement from Spirit Valley Land Company; a contract for lead water service replacements ($89,187); an amendment to contract L30789 with MSA Professional Services ($416,321); a license agreement with Donlar Construction; acceptance of a hazard mitigation grant ($198,398.48); a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women ($500,000) with an agreement with PAVSA; a hazmat training grant ($9,500); a resolution supporting Hartley Dam culvert assessment; a grant from the EPA to improve public access to the St. Louis River Estuary ($455,000); a donation from Duluth Preservation Alliance for interpretive signs ($3,485); a four-year agreement with Lakeside-Lester Park Community Club; an amended declaration over Sargent Creek; a cooperative agreement with the MN DNR for water access ($7,500); and a resolution supporting the Superior Hiking Trail Master Plan.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mariah McKechnie (Bagley Building owner) spoke in favor of renewing the Downtown Waterfront Special Service District, citing the value of Clean and Safe team services and marketing support.
- Tiffany Hughes (CEO AL Properties) supported the district renewal, noting extra contributions beyond assessments.
- Christy Stokes (President, Downtown Duluth) encouraged renewal, highlighting 19 years of successful program management.
- Trisha Briver (825 Partridge St.) read names of children killed in Gaza, calling for an end to U.S.-funded Israeli military action.
- Quilkoff (602 E 5th St.) read names of Palestinian child martyrs, expressing personal grief and urging council action.
- Robert Koswith (1224 E 11th St.) read names of toddlers killed in Gaza, providing links to solidarity organizations.
- Linda Heron (Grandmothers for Peace) listed dozens of Palestinian victims, including elderly, and quoted Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan on genocide.
- Penny Cragan (3780 Lund Rd., Grandmothers for Peace) read names and ages of victims, recited a poem, and called for peace.
- Brandon Parker (621 Atlantic Ave.) read names of victims and a card on the Nakba, urging direct action for justice.
- Cynthia Carlson (200 Rock Ridge Circle) pointed out over 42,000 dead, including 16,000 children, and listed U.S. cities that have passed ceasefire resolutions; also noted anti-boycott laws violating free speech.
- Sarah Jorleen (55805 zip code, educator) read names of victims ages 30–35, emphasizing that each name was someone's entire world.
- Becca Mullenberg (1649 W Page St.) opposed the VDU ordinance amendment (item 37), arguing it would undermine neighborhood integrity and bypass the Planning Commission's rejection.
- Cynthia Carlson (1413 Holland Ave.) opposed the VDU amendment, citing desire to keep her rural neighborhood intact.
- Isaac Murray Stark (1431 E Superior St.) described being rear-ended by a police officer while stopping for a pedestrian; criticized inadequate insurance compensation and requested $5,000 to cover losses.
- Jill Crawford Nichols (1505 W Morgan St.) opposed the VDU amendment, citing Councilor Forsman’s earlier promise to abide by Planning Commission’s vote, which was no; also argued the amendment does not meet the four criteria for ordinance changes.
- Ben Fi (1504 Osage Ave.) supported the VDU amendment, describing the zoning mistake that placed a hotel next to rural residential homes; cited city administrator and planning staff acknowledging the problem; requested a small resolution to address privacy and property value loss.
- Devin Ng (1516 Osage Ave.) supported vacation home units, arguing that his privacy is already compromised by the hotel and that short-term rentals offer flexibility.
- Dr. Krista Scarupa (Essentia Health, East Market president) spoke in support of the Academic Health Sciences Center resolution, noting Essentia provides over 70% of clinical rotations for the UMD medical school.
- Lauren Martell (623 7th St.) complained that her speaking time was cut short at a previous meeting; criticized the Incline Village traffic plan, predicting future regrets.
Discussion Items
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Central Entrance Corridor Vision (Committee of the Whole, 6:15 PM)
- Ron Chica (Director, MIC at ARDC) presented a vision for a safer, more walkable corridor with mixed-use development, noting it has been the most studied corridor in the area. He proposed three-lane options with bike/pedestrian amenities, citing safety and economic benefits. He requested the council send a resolution to MnDOT expressing preferred design.
- Kyle Demling (Senior Planner, City of Duluth) summarized the 2009 Central Entrance-Miller Hill Small Area Plan, which calls for a walkable, urban thoroughfare with wide sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit.
- James Gidemeyer (City Senior Transportation Engineer) stated the project will require municipal consent, and the community must decide what kind of street they want.
- Doug Kerfeld (MnDOT Project Manager) reported that public meetings will occur in the next few months, with design alternatives to be developed.
- Councilor Durwachter asked about business protection during construction; response indicated engagement with businesses.
- Councilor Mayo asked about travel time differences; Ron Chica estimated a potential 2.5-minute increase in PM peak but noted safety gains.
- Councilor Awal asked about pedestrian safety; response confirmed sidewalks on both sides and a shared-use path on one side.
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Downtown Waterfront Special Service District Renewal (Ordinance 24-042-O)
- Public hearing received testimony from three supporters. No opposition. The ordinance (item 40) was approved unanimously on second reading.
- Councilor Randorf praised the work of Downtown Duluth and property owners.
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Tax Abatement for Enger Park Golf Course (Resolution 24-0785R)
- Approved without discussion.
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Spirit Mountain Restoration Loan (Resolution 24-0787R)
- Approved without discussion.
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Sofidel Paper Mill Expansion (Resolutions 24-0795R, 24-0796R, 24-0813R)
- Councilor Nephew noted a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) was resolved earlier in the day.
- Councilor Kennedy thanked Sofidel for working with unions.
- Councilor Mayo emphasized the PLA as a deal-breaker and welcomed the resolution.
- Councilor Forsman supported the development agreement, highlighting 160 living-wage jobs and community investment.
- Councilor Durwachter opposed, citing corporate welfare through TIF, disappointment in Sofidel not using existing recycling equipment, and vague job creation language in the agreement.
- Councilor Randorf supported based on staff research.
- Resolutions 24-0796R (development agreement) passed 8-1 (Durwachter opposed); 24-0795R (cleanup grant) and 24-0813R (subgrant) passed 9-0.
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Academic Health Sciences Center Support (Resolution 24-0815R)
- Councilor Forsman, Randorf, and Nephew co-sponsored. Councilor Awal, Mayo, Nephew, and Tomonik spoke in favor, emphasizing workforce retention, downtown revitalization, and unity among healthcare providers. Passed 9-0.
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VDUs Ordinance Amendment (Ordinance 24-049-O, First Reading)
- Introduced as a first reading; will return for second reading and public hearing.
- Public comment revealed strong opposition from neighbors (Becca Mullenberg, Jill Crawford Nichols, Cynthia Carlson) and support from affected property owners (Ben Fi, Devin Ng).
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Other Ordinances (First Reading)
- Items 35-39: Spirit Mountain bonds ($13.5M), water utility notes ($8.2M), repeal of Ordinance 10908, snow emergency ordinance (returned for consistency). All first readings.
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Administration Report
- City Administrator Dave Montgomery updated that the City Attorney’s Office completed an internal investigation into allegations involving the mayor’s campaign manager; an independent investigator (Michelle Soldo of Soldo Consulting PC) has been engaged to conduct an external review. All documents will be turned over this week.
Key Outcomes
- Resolutions Passed:
- Downtown Waterfront Special Service District renewal (resolutions 24-0742R, 24-0743R, 24-0744R) – all passed, final vote on ordinance 24-042-O (9-0).
- Tax abatement for Enger Park (24-0785R) – passed.
- Bond issuance (24-0786R) – passed.
- Spirit Mountain restoration loan (24-0787R) – 9-0.
- Sofidel cleanup grant (24-0795R) – 9-0.
- Sofidel development agreement (24-0796R) – 8-1 (Durwachter opposed).
- Sofidel subgrant (24-0813R) – 9-0.
- Academic Health Sciences Center support (24-0815R) – 9-0.
- Consent Agenda approved 9-0.
- Ordinances on First Reading – no votes taken; will return for second reading.
- Next Steps:
- Central Entrance corridor: MnDOT to hold public meetings in the coming months; council may consider a resolution expressing preferred design.
- VDU ordinance will have a second reading and public hearing at a future meeting.
- External investigation into mayor’s campaign manager allegations to proceed independently.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening, everyone. It is six fifteen, and as promised, we'll start on time. Um, this is the committee of the whole. We're gonna hear some visioning. I'm gonna call Mr. Ron Chica to kind of kick us off and to uh set the table for what we're gonna hear tonight. Thanks. Thanks uh to the council uh for having the opportunity here. Um appreciate it. It's been a little while since I've I've I've I've done this. So uh it's thanks for having me. Always enjoy talking about our plans. Uh and many might know at first thanks to Therese and Mike counselors are on our MIC board, our policy board, um, as well as there's a mayor's appointment as well. So uh thanks to them for um inviting me here today to talk about this core, this corridor, very key corridor. It needs some work, it needs some help. It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I'll get ahead of myself here some. But it's gonna happen, and we need a road network, transportation network to complement it. So most folks might be familiar. I again, Ron Chica direct the the MIC at ARDC, and have been there for 30 years now, almost 30 years. Time has flown along. Uh we've been doing this plan for about that long, too, by the way. Um, but I'll uh I'll get into that. I should mention that even before that I've been coming through this area with connections up on the range. So uh I think I know uh this corridor very well. It's been so many different plans that we have have done here. But again, appreciate this. I've got a few slides, and then I'm going to uh turn it to city. Well, we'll talk about uh what's a very key element is the city's uh small area plan here. So oops, are we are we moving? Uh let's see here. Hopefully we are one point. Maybe just go for go forward. Hopefully they'll come along. Quickly about what we are. I think some of the most counselors might know uh what we do. I won't get deep into this. We're the federal transportation planning body for this Deluxe Superior metro area. We've been around for a long time. Uh we do strictly transportation planning, land use planning, all modes of planning, bike ped transit, freight, etc. Uh for uh this area, um Deluxe Superior, some of the townships. Every um every population of 50,000 or more has one of us. They're housed a little differently throughout the country, but there's 400 of us across across the U.S. and every city in Minnesota has one as well. I should mention also that uh Dave Montgomery is well very familiar with with us. Dave was our back a few years ago as was my was my board chair. Very nice, very good to have that connection here at that time. So thanks, Dave. Uh what do we do? Well, we do plans and we get local input.
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