Parks & Recreation

Park Point Recreation Area

Project Status: Planning

Project Overview:

Park Point Recreation Area (Rec Area) is a beautiful park space at the end of Minnesota Point, offering a sandy beach, water access for a variety of water sports, a hiking path, sand volleyball courts, a multi-use recreational field, a naturalized open space, picnicking facilities, a community building with public restrooms, community sailing infrastructure and facilities, a boat launch, an accessible paddle craft launch, and a variety of unique natural resources.

Time and changing climate patterns have severely diminished the quality and resiliency of the Rec Area's amenities, coastline, and natural resources. A Plan is needed to help guide future investment in the Rec Area so that we may best meet the social, cultural, recreational, and environmental preservation needs of this beloved park space.

Parks & Recreation, with consulting services from LHB Inc., is facilitating a comprehensive planning and community engagement process to develop a Park Point Recreation Area Plan. The Plan is intended to support resilient landscape design, safe water access, and inclusive and multi-use recreational facilities capable of serving community members and visitors of Duluth for years to come.

Development of a comprehensive and community-supported Plan will strengthen future efforts to secure grant funding for the implementation of much needed improvements within the Rec Area.

Project Update:

The Draft Park Point Recreation Area Plan was open for public review and comment from March 12-March 27, 2026. The public comment period is now closed.

The draft plan highlights the history and current conditions of the Rec Area, outlines public engagement opportunities and input from community members, and recommends a renewed vision for the Rec Area that is more sustainable, accessible, ecologically healthy, community-oriented, and modern.

Parks & Recreation and LHB will review the comments received, incorporate changes where appropriate, and prepare the Final Park Point Recreation Area Plan for consideration at the next Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, before bringing it to City Council for approval in June.

Funding Source:

In 2024, the City of Duluth was awarded $75,000 in Federal grant funding under award NA24NOSX419C0020 from the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, administered by the Office for Coastal Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce provided to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program.

Timeline:

Winter 2024-2025: Engage a professional consulting firm (LHB Inc.) to assist with park design.

Spring 2025: Kick off-community engagement efforts with focused group discussions with park user groups, community stakeholders, and area experts on natural resources, recreation, and public services; conduct initial site research and develop base maps.

Summer 2025: Community engagement continues with community surveys, community workshops, and pop-up events; several conceptual plan options are developed and receive community feedback.

Fall/Winter 2025-2026: Develop a singular conceptual site plan and draft a comprehensive Rec Area Plan document.

Spring/Summer 2026: Final Park Point Recreation Area Plan to go before Parks & Recreation Commission and the community for additional feedback; then to City Council for adoption.