Council orders Lester Golf Course land study

Long closed down, the Duluth City Council approved initial plans for a study of the Lester Park Golf Course.

Long dormant, the site of the former Lester Park Golf Course could eventually see redevelopment.

During it’s October 27 meeting, the Duluth City Council voted 9-0 on a resolution that requests a land use study be performed on the 260 acre site to determine what redevelopment could look like.

The resolution specifies a nine month timeline, including “robust” public engagement. Citing a recent housing study that showed the city’s lack of housing options, new home construction is expected for the site, though the resolution states the plan “shall specifically consider and seek to balance parkland, housing, commercial, and permanently protected green space.”

During the council meeting, several in the audience addressed the council on their concerns for the site.

“I think it’s important to remember that green space may be just as valuable as housing. After all, it’s the green space in Duluth; one of the reasons that a lot of people want to live here is what makes Duluth special. So we need to be very careful, I think, about eliminating any of that,” said Rich Staffon of Cloquet.

Some of the councilors took time to speak on the plan, assuring citizens that the vote to approve the study was not tantamount to approving a full redevelopment project.

“Right now we have this dilapidated ghost of a golf course that I fell in love with when I came to this city. I love that golf course. I wish we would still have a public golf course there but we did not have the money to keep it up,” said at-large Councilor Arik Forsman.

“All of this is what comes to this resolution which is that we know it has a higher potential to serve more community interests than it does today,” he added.

During the meeting councilors also voted to table an ordinance that would place a moratorium on new short-term rental property permits. Councilors chose to table that to address concerns they’d received from residence regarding the logistics of such a pause.

There was also crossover from the on-going debate in Hermantown regarding a proposed data center. Hermantown’s Economic Development Director Chad Ronchetti addressed councilors during the meeting, requesting that they censure Duluth City Councilor Wendy Durrwachter over a social media post in which she criticized him specifically. No censure action was taken during the meeting.

More information on the Duluth City Council, including meeting minutes and agendas can be found on the city’s website.

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