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[DULUTH, MN] The City of Duluth is seeking comment from the public on the Draft Review Document and Mitigation Plan for the Downtown Duluth Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) March 24 through April 23, 2026.

The AUAR area includes an approximately 354-acre area encompassing the traditional downtown, Essentia Health Medical Campus and surrounding Hillside neighborhood, and the proposed “Lot D” development in the Bayfront area in the City of Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota.

An AUAR is a tool used to understand how different development scenarios will affect the environment of a community before development occurs. The City of Duluth initiated this AUAR in anticipation that the downtown area could see significant infill and redevelopment in the coming years, including areas that are within the City’s shoreland area that would require environmental review and sensitivity. The purpose of the AUAR is to help the City adequately plan for redevelopment and provide a mitigation plan for how the City and future developers will manage any environmental impacts.

Two development scenarios were considered as part of the AUAR, which include one scenario that encompasses the existing conditions as a comparison to the maximum development scenario, which is consistent with the growth planned in the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan (Imagine Duluth 2035 – Forward Together). The maximum development scenario plans generally for mixed use (commercial and residential) redevelopment of key sites within the broader downtown area.

A required component of an AUAR is to identify mitigation strategies for the potential impacts associated with the project. Mitigation strategies related to water resources, utility capacity, cultural resources, protected species and habitats, traffic and others are identified throughout the Draft Document.

The Draft Review Document and Mitigation Plan will be available for public review and comment beginning Tuesday, March 24, 2026 and will conclude on Thursday, April 23, 2026. The City of Duluth will accept written comments via mail, email, or online via the webpage below. Comments will become part of the official record of the AUAR process and are considered public.

The Draft Review Document and Mitigation Plan can be viewed online at the city’s website: https://duluthmn.gov/planning-development/land-use-zoning-and-applications/environmental-reviews/

Written comments should be submitted to:

Jason Mozol

Senior Planner

City Hall, Room 160

411 West First Street

Duluth, MN, 55802

(218) 730 - 5331

jmozol@duluthmn.gov  

A hard copy of the Draft Review Document and Mitigation Plan is available for public review at Duluth City Hall, located at 411 West First Street, Room 160, Duluth, MN 55802.

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