Mayor Reinert Outlines What The City Of Duluth Is Doing To Revitalize Downtown

Just about anyone you ask will say Downtown Duluth isn't what it used to be.

While people have varying opinions beyond that about Duluth's "main street", it is hard to argue that a concerted effort to breathe some new life into this part of the city isn't needed.

Late last week, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert addressed an audience of over 600 people at the annual Downtown Duluth dinner event, discussing what the city is doing to revitalize this part of the city.

Declaring "Downtowns matter", Mayor Reinert called them the city's "front door, economic engine, and the shared living room." In his remarks, he conceded that the challenges Duluth's Downtown is facing are not unlike what other cities around the country are experiencing.

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Noting that when downtowns shine, the whole city can benefit, Reinert also said that a struggling downtown can also be felt around a city, and not just in that immediate neighborhood.

Reinert explained, "Residents, visitors, employees, and business owners alike want our downtown to feel clean, safe, active, and welcoming." To meet those desires, what is the City of Duluth doing?

Here's what Reinert highlighted:

What is the City of Duluth doing to revitalize the downtown area?

One of the first things pointed to in his address (via press release) is taking on some of the visible elements impacting the feel of Downtown Duluth. Reinert pointed to taking down the blighted Pastoret Terrace building and the vacant Shopper’s Auto Ramp as a couple of easy-to-see steps taken to improve downtown.

On the note of blighted buildings, Reinert says a Blight Mitigation Specialist position has been funded by the city to help deal with that particular issue.

In addition, Reinert pointed to new public safety ordinances put in place to "address problematic behaviors in the downtown business district" and efforts to bring new housing to Downtown Duluth to meet a need felt around the city.

What's next in the efforts to revitalize Downtown Duluth?

Mayor Reinert laid out a roadmap to continue revitalization efforts through a series of steps that include removing barriers to encourage new investment in Downtown Duluth. This includes zoning changes that he says will make development easier and more flexible, with a goal of using existing downtown buildings for new housing and business uses.

To further spur on commercial and residential development downtown, Reintert says the City of Duluth is working with the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) to meet both of those objectives.

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Both DEDA and the 1200 Fund are being utilized to provide financial tools to developers and businesses looking to develop in Downtown Duluth, with an emphasis on using existing buildings.

The City of Duluth is also executing a couple of studies to steer its efforts moving forward. One of them is an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) to prepare for future redevelopment. Another is an analysis of Duluth's aging skywalk system.

The AUAR is currently underway, and the skywalk study is wrapping up, with the City Council to be presented with the results on the skywalk system on Thursday, February 12.