Taking a stroll: Re-imagining the Spirit Valley business district

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Spirit Valley residents are encouraged to take a stroll with Duluth city leaders as part of a push to revitalize the neighborhood.

Adam McGill grew up in the Central Hillside of Duluth and now lives in the Spirit Valley Neighborhood.

On Wednesday he strolled down Grand Avenue with city leaders and community members to share ideas that could improve the business district that is considered a core investment area.

“We have roadways that have parking, three lanes, four lanes wide,” said McGill. “We see businesses that are dying and storefronts that are empty. It’s the result of the decisions we’ve (Duluth) made in the past.”

Those decisions, many times are made without the input of those walking the streets and the city has noticed.

So, for their Imagine Duluth 2035 Comprehensive Plan, the first stop was right on the sidewalks of the Spirit Valley Core Investment Area Plan.

“We want to get as much of the information as we can in front of us as we can,” said Duluth City Planner Kyle Deming.

“Start meeting with the community and asking them to help us sift through the information and to set priorities, it’s really the communities plan,” he said.

As for McGill and others who participated in the stroll, the biggest priority was transportation.

”Tightening traffic will slow the traffic,” said McGill. “You have room then for bicycle and better pedestrian facilities, for parklets, for restaurants to have outdoor seating.”

As of now, the city will be funding the Imagine Duluth plan on its own, which is why the Spirit Valley area is a great place to start.

“They have a rich history, an active community. They have a great economic infrastructure with a business district that’s in good condition,” said Deming.

While there were many questions, most folks on the walk were happy they were being included early on in the planning process.

“I wanna hopefully encourage good ideas, good changes in the community, in this area as we’re looking at the next 10 years,” said McGill.

Another Spirit Valley Stroll session will be held at noon Thursday, October 3. as participants take a walk down Central Avenue instead of Grand Avenue.

The city’s timeline for the project isn’t set in stone but they plan to take in community input until winter when they establish a planning committee and draft their vision in hopes of finalizing the project by the summer of 2025.

If you’d like to take the survey, click here and scroll to the bottom of the webpage.

For more information on the Imagine Duluth 2035 Comprehensive Plan, click here.

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