David's Blog

As our Shining City on the Hill looks to revitalize our business districts and bring in new developments, there are many considerations for how this development could or should look. The City of Duluth is undertaking the significant task of modernizing its zoning code with immense community input and response. The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce is an enthusiastic partner in this effort. I was proud to serve as a business community representative on the Comprehensive Land Use Development Plan Committee, which completed the plan in 2006. I am equally pleased to continue representing you on the Zoning Advisory Committee, charged with completing these new zoning regulations by spring of 2010.

Zoning affects us all and we can all be part of the solution to a 50 year old code that does not allow for newer modern buildings, mixed use opportunities, and pedestrian friendly business districts. Our residents and Chamber members are constrained by outdated regulations which do not provide room for creativity and only offer limitations to the usage of existing buildings.

The effort to change the zoning regulations coupled with the City’s work to establish a more effective and efficient permitting process bodes well for the future of Duluth and the revitalization efforts of our downtown area and the city as a whole. Duluth is undergoing a significant revival and these efforts will help to sustain development, growth, and offer a new quality of life now and into the future.

Our beloved Zenith City is fortunate to have an active and engaged citizenry. I encourage community members, and especially our Chamber members, to participate in the City’s public process. The second of four modules on the proposed zoning regulations, or what is formally known as the Unified Development Chapter (UDC) of the City’s Legislative Code, will be presented at a public meeting on: Wednesday, October 28 at 6:00 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Depot.

There is still time to have your voice heard within this important initiative.

If you cannot attend the meeting, information on the first two modules of the proposed zoning regulations can be found on the City’s website at: http://www.duluthmn.gov/planning/udc/meetings.cfm
Comments can also be directly submitted on-line at: http://www.duluthmn.gov/planning/udc/connected.cfm

In unwavering support,

David Ross
President and CEO
Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce

• Maureen Booth said she couldn’t comment on Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP) specifics because she had not been allowed to view the plan. We encourage her, and anyone else seeking detailed information about the Long Range Facilities Plan, to visit the ChooseDuluthSchools.com website that has been live for several months.
• Art Johnston said that while he supports Plan B, he is not a member of Let Duluth Vote. That’s apparently a change in his position, because he was the Let Duluth Vote spokesperson who presented Plan B to the School Board on June 23.

The two challengers who said they’d vote to keep more schools open – Johnston and Kasper – did not provide any ideas for how they’d pay for them.

Here is how the candidates responded to three key questions people are asking:

• Which plan do you support? All four incumbents said they support the LRFP now underway. Johnston and Stromgren support Let Duluth Vote’s Plan B. Kasper said he supports aspects of the LRFP, but would keep Nettleton and Morgan Park schools open. Booth said she could not answer because she had not seen details of the LRFP.
• If elected, would you stop all work on the facilities plan? – Booth, Kasper and Johnston said they would stop work on the plan. The four incumbents said they would not stop work on the plan. Stromgren chose to not answer this question.
• Would you vote to keep more schools open than the LRFP currently includes? – Booth and the four incumbents said they would not vote to keep more schools open. Stromgren again chose to not answer at all.

Those who answered yes were asked if they would pay for the extra schools by seeking an operating levy, cutting teachers, freezing employee pay, cutting existing education programs, cutting extracurricular activities, or something else.

Johnston and Kasper said they would indeed keep more schools open. However, they would use steps other than the five options suggested. They did not provide specific ways to pay for the extra schools.

Johnston also said he’d like the community to have more discussion about Plan B, and we agree with him. We believe it’s vitally important for voters to realize the financial, educational, environmental and safety implications of Plan B versus the approved Long Range Facilities Plan.

This blog and Tuesday’s well-attended FORVM are tangible indications of the Chamber’s commitment to help voters go to the polls on November 3 with accurate information on which to base their important decisions.

In support,
David Ross