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RESOLUTION REQUESTING A LAND USE STUDY FOR THE FORMER LESTER PARK GOLF COURSE PROPERTY.
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By COUNCILORS DURRWACHTER, AWAL, FORSMAN AND NEPHEW:
WHEREAS, the City of Duluth ("City") has long operated two municipal golf courses, Enger Park Golf Course and Lester Park Golf Course; and
WHEREAS, a 2019 task force and subsequent City analysis determined that the sustained operation of two public golf courses was financially unsustainable, citing failing infrastructure and declining revenue; and
WHEREAS, on June 12, 2023, the City Council unanimously approved Resolution 23-0485R, which formalized the previous decision to permanently close the Lester Park Golf Course as a municipal golf operation and committed to maintaining Enger Park Golf Course as the sole location for City-run golf; and
WHEREAS, the City of Duluth previously transferred 37.5 acres of the Lester Park Golf course property to DEDA for the purpose of developing mixed-income housing while leaving the remainder of the property primarily zoned as parkland, and
WHEREAS, a Lester Golf Working Group, established and appointed by Mayor Reinert in 2024, met for over a year and while failing to arrive at a consensus outcome did articulate several key components to be included in future reuse of the Lester Park Golf Course property; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the working group final report and the diverse public interests regarding the property, and with this resolution expresses a policy preference for redevelopment options that incorporate the pressing need for the critical city priority of housing, as well as some form of publicly available golf-related recreation, public green space, and the connection of adjacent hiking, biking, and ski trails as part of an overall redevelopment plan; and
WHEREAS, on June 16, 2025, the City Council unanimously approved Resolution 25R-0520R, which set increasing housing supply for residents across all income levels as a policy priority for the City of D...
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