Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH THE DULUTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR USE OF THE PARKING LOT AT 504 CANAL PARK DRIVE FOR TEMPORARY IMAGINE CANAL PARK ACTIVITIES AT NO COST TO THE CITY.
Body
CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to execute a license agreement, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit 1, with the Duluth Economic Development Authority, at no cost to the city, to temporarily repurpose the parking lot at 504 Canal Park Drive, as shown in Exhibit 2, for pilot initiatives associated with the Imagine Canal Park project, including but not limited to seating, shaded spaces, landscaping, recreation and play structures, and music or theater acts.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: The purpose of this resolution is to authorize a license agreement between the city and the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) to allow for temporary public use of the parking lot at 504 Canal Park Drive (the Lighthouse Lot). The license agreement allows for activation of this urban space for people-centric uses with the intent of creating opportunities for new recreational and economic activities in the Canal Park area. The license agreement will be in effect through September 30, 2018. However, Imagine Canal Park activities at the site and parking lot closure are only anticipated to extend from September 4, 2018 through September 17, 2018. The temporary installations will be evaluated for their effectiveness and for their long-term potential as part of ongoing comprehensive planning for the Canal Park neighborhood.
As part of the City’s Imagine Duluth 2035 comprehensive plan update, Imagine Canal Park was designed to reshape the Canal Park neighborhood’s accessibility and attractiveness to residents and visitors regardless of background, ability, or income. The city won a Knight Cities Challenge grant amounting to $201,400 to implement the project, which will come to a close in November 2018.
The project began with a public engagement period in September 2017, during which the city gathered community feedback and data through surveys, public meetings, pedestrian and bicycle counts, and pop-up events across the city. The information gathered during this initial launch period was transformed into a list of temporary pilot projects that could be implemented in Canal Park at different periods of the year. The Cold Front Kick-Off Celebration held in the Lake City Lot in February was the first project from this list to be implemented.
Imagine Canal Park initiatives have been made possible through significant stakeholder participation; since the project’s launch in September 2017, the city has worked closely with the 8 80 Cities nonprofit and local partners including the Canal Park Business Association, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Visit Duluth, the Greater Downtown Council, and the Dewitt-Seitz Merchants Group.