View Press Release
411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
SUBJECT: City of Duluth announces public comment period for the Downtown Duluth Alternative Urban Areawide Review Scoping Environmental Assessment Worksheet and Draft Order for Review
BY: Kelli Latuska, Public Information Officer
City of Duluth announces public comment period for the Downtown Duluth Alternative Urban Areawide Review Scoping Environmental Assessment Worksheet and Draft Order for Review
[DULUTH, MN] The City of Duluth is seeking public comments on the Scoping Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and Draft Order for Review for the Downtown Duluth Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) beginning November 25, 2025 through December 26, 2025.
The AUAR area includes an approximately 335-acre area encompassing the traditional downtown, Essentia Health Medical Campus, and surrounding Hillside neighborhood areas, as well as 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 the community before development occurs. The City of Duluth initiated this AUAR in anticipation that the downtown area could see significant infill and redevelopment within the coming years, including areas that are within the City’s shoreland area, and would require environmental review and sensitivity. The purpose of the AUAR is to help the city adequately plan for this redevelopment and provide a mitigation plan for how the city and future developers will manage environmental impacts.
Two development scenarios will be considered as part of the AUAR, including one scenario that encompasses the existing conditions as a comparison to the maximum development scenario consistent with the planned growth 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.
The Scoping EAW will be available for public comment beginning Tuesday, November 25, 2025. The public comment period will conclude Friday, December 26, 2025. 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.
The Scoping EAW 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:
Jenn Moses
Manager, Planning and Community Development
City Hall, Room 160
411 W First Street
Duluth, MN, 55802
A hard copy of the Scoping EAW is available for public review at the following location:
- Duluth City Hall located at 411 West First Street, Room 160, Duluth, MN 55802
###