Spirit Valley
Core Investment Area Plan
Project Status:
- The first phase of the planning process focused on gaining input from the general public.
- The current phase (March-May, 2025) is geared toward assessing the business district's needs and seeking input from business and property owners.
- The City has hired a business district revitalization consultant (Michele Reeves, Civilis Consultants) to assist with this phase of the planning process.
- The consultant will present findings of the assessment with examples from around the country at a meeting:
- Monday, May 5th, in the Fellowship Hall, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 4831 Grand Ave.
- 5:00 - 5:45 p.m. - Presentation by Michele Reeves
- 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. - Spirit Valley Core Investment Area Plan Committee meeting
- Find a list of Spirit Valley Core Investment Area Plan Committee members.
- View an overview of the planning process, Spirit Valley history, and demographic data here.
- Provide your name and email address in the Comment Box below to be added to our email list for notification about upcoming sessions.
Project Overview:
Spirit Valley’s rich history, active community, and existing economic infrastructure provides a solid foundation for a comprehensive visioning and planning process. This initiative aims to guide public and private investment in the district with a goal of fostering a vibrant and thriving neighborhood center. Below is a project timeline and map of the study area.
Study Area:
The focus of the plan is Spirit Valley's Core Commercial Area, defined by the triangular junction of Grand Ave, Central Ave, and I-35 (highlighted in green on the map). The surrounding neighborhoods and residential streets constitute the overall Study Area (highlighted in blue on the map).
Project Timeline:
Community Engagement Options:
City Planning staff will lead an effort to gather input from community members, work with the plan committee and public to evaluation options, formulate recommended actions into a plan, seek approval of the plan by the public and decision makers, and empower stakeholders to implement the plan.
Spirit Valley Days:
We enjoyed connecting with so many people at the Spirit Valley Days car show and vendor fair Aug. 2 and 3. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and taking the survey (below).
We hope people enjoyed the West Duluth trivia game and “then-and-now” photos at our booth.
Spirit Valley Strolls:
On October 2 and 3 Planning staff conducted walking tours (Spirit Valley Strolls) of the business district where we heard from 30 residents and businesses about their impressions of the physical conditions in the business district. Thanks for all of your great observations and ideas.
If you weren't able to attend one of the Planner led strolls, you can do a stroll at your convenience and send us your observations using this form. Snap a photo of the completed handout and email it to kdeming@duluthmn.gov or drop it off at 160 City Hall (Planning Department office).
Community Meeting #1:
Thank you to all who attended our first community meeting December 3rd at City Center West. There were good discussions around the tables culminating with each table reporting their top 5 responses to the question "What would make Spirit Valley a more vibrant neighborhood center?" After each participant placed their 6 dots on the top ideas some trends emerged. Addressing the Kmart site and improving pedestrian and bike facilities ranked high, followed by identifying housing sites to support the business district, improving parks and youth programing, and enhancing the community's cultural traditions.
There will be another Community Meeting in the fall to consider alternatives that bring about a more vibrant neighborhood center in Spirit Valley. Send us your name and email address in the Comment Box below if you want to be added to the email list for notification of upcoming meetings.
Business District Focus:
Over the past 2 months (March-April 2025), we have been meeting and listening to business and property owners in the district to quantify its economic stage and identify tools that will bring more activity, sales per square foot, investment, and visitors. Our business district revitalization consultant hosted a workshop to teach the building blocks of successful mixed-use districts. She also guided a conversation with our business and property owners to identify their priorities for the area, now and into the future.
And now the City is hosting a meeting Monday, May 5th, in the Fellowship Hall, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 4831 Grand Ave., to summarize all that the consultant, Michele Reeves, Civilis Consultants, has learned. Michele Reeves is an expert who has spent 20 years in the private sector working in real estate development, business consulting, public sector real estate consulting, and marketing to help districts perform better economically.
There will be two activities at the May 5th meeting:
5:00-5:45 p.m. – Michele Reeves will present a toolkit of findings and priorities for Spirit Valley to consider that is:
- Based on input from the property and business owners workshop,
- Zoning and code approaches to encourage what the district wants to see,
- Economic programs for the private sector that result in district-wide impact, and
- Aspirational examples of adaptive reuse and new construction from around the world.
5:45-6:30 p.m. – SVCIA Plan Committee meeting to discuss findings and priorities.
Future Steps:
May-July 2025 - Craft a vision and alternatives for the study area
August-September 2025 - Evaluate alternatives, including multiple opportunities to gather community feedback
October-November 2025 - Formulate recommended actions and forward the plan to the Planning Commission and City Council for approval
December 2025-January 2026 - Finalize the plan and begin implementation
Sign Up To Receive Meeting Notices:
Enter your name and email address in the Comment Box below and click "Submit" if you want to be added to the email list for notification of upcoming community meetings.