Plans for 9 Story Hotel on Park Point Revived
Developers with Park Pointe Inn Looking for Height Variance Approval
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After two years on the back burner, developers are again looking to Park Point for their next big project, but not without major kick back from neighbors.
The Park Pointe Inn is a $20 million project which includes a nine story high, 112 room hotel with 360 degree views of Lake Superior.
St. Cloud-based Cornerstone Construction wants to put it on Park Point making it the tallest building there.
“We don’t have a lot of tall buildings down on Park Point,” said Duluth city planner Keith Hamre. “So this would have been larger than any of the other buildings.”
Plans for the Park Pointe Inn were first brought up in 2010, and fell through because of financing and the serious amount of neighborhood controversy.
The location of the potential hotel is 1001 Minnesota Avenue which is currently the Lakehead Boat Basin.
Back in 2010, the project had its fair share of controversy because of how tall it was.
Since then, zoning laws have changed and buildings that close to the water and residential areas shouldn’t be taller than 35 feet which is about four stories.
“Their development is actually within 100 feet of a residential zone so their building height restriction now is 35 feet not 120 feet which is what these original plans were for,” said Hamre.
Because plans for the Park Pointe Inn are much taller than 35 feet, developers are requesting a height variance or an exception to the rule.
Approval for the variance can’t happen without a public hearing and approval from Duluth’s Planning Commission.
According to the city planning department, the developer will have to show a practical difficulty in their plans showing they cannot comply with the 35 foot regulation.
City officials believe it will be very difficult for developers to get permission for a nine story building, and expect Park Point residents to put up a big fight similar to the one back in 2010.
After nearly three years on the shelf, why bring the plan back now?
The developer says he has invested $1 million into plans for the Park Pointe Inn.
He believes it is too much money to let these plans go to waste, and thinks the project will be good for Duluth.
Developers also say the project is now fully funded, and getting this variance is a just small bump in the road.
The planning commission meeting addressing the variance is happening on the 3rd floor of Duluth City Hall March 10 at 5:00 p.m.
The public is welcome to make comments at that time.
