28 November 2023
DULUTH City officials will use a new type of environmental review tool as they prepare to set the stage for an ambitious redevelopment on the site of the former Duluth Central High School at 800 E. Central Entrance.
The Duluth Planning Commission held a special meeting Monday night to help keep the project on schedule for a spring start, assuming all environmental concerns can be adequately addressed.
The development could involve the construction of up to 1,590 units of housing and 124,000 square feet of commercial space, potentially including a hotel, restaurant, preschool or other businesses serving the emerging neighborhood. The project would likely consist of townhomes and an apartment building standing up to seven stories tall.
On the other end of the spectrum, the 53-acre property could become home to a more modest business park, including 360,000 square feet of light industrial/warehouse distribution space an alternative use that Planning Commissioner Brian Hammond described as “a colossal waste of a prime site” with commanding views.
The former school, which has since been demolished, stood atop a hill at an elevation between 650 and 700 feet above the waterline of Lake Superior, which it overlooks.
Commissioners signed off Monday on a scoping environmental assessment worksheet that should lead to an Alternative Urban Area Review, which was described as “kind of a hybrid tool between an Environmental Assessment Worksheet and an Environmental Impact Statement,” by Lauren Walburg, a planner for Stantec Consulting Services Inc., the Plymouth, Minnesota-based firm hired by the Duluth Economic Development Authority to complete the document at a cost of up to $60,000.
Commissioner Gary Eckenberg asked why a special meeting had been needed to approve the publishing of an environmental scoping document, laying out the various concerns that would be examined in the review.
City planner Ryan Pervenanze explained the developer hopes to take full advantage of next year’s construction season, getting shovels in the ground as soon as possible in the spring. He said waiting another two weeks to publish the scoping plan could have jeopardized that timeline.
While AUARs have been an alternative to EAWs and EIS documents since the 1990s, this is the first time Duluth has exercised this alternative type of review. Eckenberg asked why, and Pervenanze said he was at a loss to explain, saying the tool likely should have been used earlier.
Pervenanze explained that unlike the EAW and EIS reviews, an AUAR offers greater flexibility for development by exploring a wider range of development options. He said that the ability to shift gears and adapt is especially valuable, given the many uncertainties involved in a multi-year development during uncertain times, as evidenced by the impact of the recent pandemic.
In contrast, an EAW and/or an EIS are predicated on a specific plan to which a developer is expected to adhere.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved the publication of a scoping EAW for the project, which will be open to public comment until Jan. 4.
A draft AUAR will follow it in mid-February, subject to 30 days of public comment before a final draft is ready for public review and potential acceptance within another 10 days if public objections do not derail it.
The AUAR will include a mitigation plan intended to address any significant environmental impacts associated with the project.
The AUAR study area is about 80 acres in size to encompass not only the proposed development but also the property surrounding it.
The developers propose to retain about 27 acres of existing woodlands, as well as paths that run through the area, including the Duluth Traverse and the Central Entrance trails, possibly with some minor rerouting.
The scoping EAW lays out some issues that will need to be addressed, including impacts on wetlands and neighboring waterways; blasting that may be necessary for construction; erosion controls on the steeply graded property; carbon emissions; infrastructure needs, such as water and sewer service; sensitive plant and animal species, stormwater management; and traffic impacts.
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