Duluth Downtown Task Force Holds News Conference To Reveal Recommendations

DULUTH, Minn. — Many people who care about Downtown Duluth have been worried about its future, but Tuesday there were 27 recommendations on how to make it better.

The backdrop was the Minnesota Surplus Store on Superior Street. A 15-member task force has been meeting since April, after Mayor Emily Larson made downtown a priority in her State of the City Address. Almost half the recommendations deal with safety.

We recommend educating people about panhandling, because some of the panhandling behaviors are illegal. We recommend strengthening and coordinating to reduce the amount of encampments and put people in homes permanently so they don’t have to tent in our hillsides. To light the alleyways and the storefronts for a better visibility, and to continue to address the housing shortage” said City Councilor Roz Randorf.

The other 3 main areas of focus are vision for the future, investment, and to return the downtown to pre-COVID days of activity and engagement.

Kristi Stokes, Task Force Co-Chair and President of Downtown Duluth said, “There are so many people here there is a sense of community, you’re connected to the community, it’s energized, and the businesses are hopping. That has a different feel than what we have experienced during the pandemic, and we need that back.”

“Get rid of ugly blighted, dead, properties. Nobody likes them, nobody wants them. Let’s move them. Number two is skywalks. Huge questions around do we even have the capacity to maintain skywalks. I’ve heard our skywalk systems described as a pregnancy that’s about to give birth. I’ve also heard it described as a screen door on a submarine. We need to get in a room, with experts and study, and ask ourselves, what is that, and does it serve us or not,” said Shaun Floerke, Task Force Co-Chair and President of Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

“This is the time to say yes. This is the time to invest in Duluth. This is the time to invest in Downtown Duluth, which is the bellwether for the rest of our economy,” said Matt Baumgartner, President of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Larson said she has asked the task force to keep meeting quarterly and make adjustments as needed as the effort moves forward.

Click here for the full report and recommendations.