Minutes - Parking Commission.

411 West First Street

City of Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota 55802

Minutes

Parking Commission.

Friday, June 5, 2026

7:30 AM

Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall

ROLL CALL

Members Present

•

Mike Mayou

Andrew Paszak

Brandon Van Tassel, Vice President

Robert Woods

Mark Bauer, Ex Officio

Members Absent

•

Antonio Davis

Jordon Johnson

Branden Robinson, President

Guests Present

•

Isaiah Helmin, Assistant Duluth Area Manager – Interstate Parking Company

Shawna Mullen, Transportation Services Manager – Essentia Health Duluth

Amanda Paszak, Chair – City of Duluth Commission on Disabilities

Alex Popp, Senior Engineer – City of Duluth

John Ramos, Investigative Reporter – Duluth Monitor

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

City of Duluth Parking Services Manager Mark Bauer presented the May 2026

Duluth Parking Commission meeting minutes for approval. Commissioner Robert

Woods motioned that the minutes be approved. Commissioner Mike Mayou

seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments during the initial public comments period.

ON-STREET ACCESSIBLE PARKING ZONE REQUEST

Mr. Bauer presented one on-street accessible parking zone request. He stated

that he had researched the request, for 620 North 56th Avenue West, and

communicated with the applicant. He stated that he had consulted with the City

Commission on Disabilities and that they were supportive of the request.

Commissioner Andrew Paszak motioned that the proposal be approved.

Commissioner Woods seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0.

PROPOSAL TO APPROVE REDEVELOPMENT-RELATED PARKING

CONFIGURATION CHANGES TO 4TH STREET

City of Duluth Senior Engineer Alex Popp presented a proposal to remove

parking from the south side of 4th Street from Mesaba Avenue to 6th Avenue

East, stating that the removal was part of an upcoming street redevelopment

project. He provided a visual presentation that illustrated the City’s engineering

and community planning teams’ efforts to collect public input, on-street parking

usage information, and how the streetscape would look following

redevelopment. He noted that public feedback was mixed, with some favoring

the proposed plan and many residents in the area indicating opposition to the

proposed parking loss. Commissioner Woods indicated concern with the

proposal parking removal, citing a lack of traffic data in the proposal and

concern for the area residents, as well as concern regarding seasonal snow

removal and storage. Commissioner Mayou indicated support for the proposal,

citing the importance of planning for the future and improving the community’s

quality of life through the addition of greenspace. Commissioner Paszak

indicated concerns with vehicle loading along the corridor and suggested the

proposal be tabled for further consideration and development. Commission Vice

President Brandon Van Tassel stated that public accessibility was important and

indicated concern with the volume of parking removal and how that would affect

area residents. He added that he had concerns regarding snow removal and

storage and indicated that he thought more room might be needed to

accommodate the growth of the tree roots in the future. Essentia Health Duluth

Transportation Services Manager Shawna Mullen addressed the Commission and

indicated support for the proposal, noting that it aligns with Essentia Health’s

long-term goals for their campus, which falls within the eastern end of the

redevelopment zone. Commissioner Paszak motioned that the proposal be

tabled until the July Parking Commission meeting. Commissioner Woods

seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. Commissioner Woods requested

that traffic counts for the area be provided in the July meeting.

PROPOSAL TO CREATE A DROP-OFF ZONE ON THE 400 BLOCK OF

WEST SUPERIOR STREET

Mr. Bauer presented a proposal to create a one-stall ten-minute drop-off zone

adjacent to 420 West Superior Street. He stated that the request had been

generated by the owner of the building and that the zone would serve the needs

of a new pizza restaurant that would soon be moving into the building.

Commissioner Woods motioned that the proposal be approved. Commissioner

Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0.

PROPOSAL TO CREATE A BUS DROP-OFF ZONE ON THE 400

BLOCK OF WEST 1ST STREET

Mr. Bauer presented a proposal to create a bus drop-off zone on the south side of

the western end of the 400 block of West 1st Street, adjacent to the redeveloped

Independent School District 709 educational site. He stated that the school

district had requested the zone to serve buses transporting students, many of

whom will have accessibility needs, to and from the school. He stated that the

proposed zone was adjacent to the building entrance and would be 75 feet in

length. Commissioner Woods suggested that the zone be juxtaposed with the

adjacent loading zone to the immediate west to allow better access by the buses.

Mr. Bauer suggested that the proposal remain unchanged but that the new zone

be monitored for future adjustment needs. Commissioner Mayou motioned that

the proposal be approved. Commissioner Paszak seconded the motion, which

was approved 4-0.

OFF-STREET PARKING UPDATE

Interstate Parking Company Assistant Duluth Area Manager Isaiah Helmin

provided an update on off-street parking operations. He stated that the summer

parking enforcement season in Canal Park had begun and that operations were

going smoothly. He stated that plans were in progress for seasonal and

incidental facility structural repairs. Mr. Helmin stated that restriping and

cleaning of the Canal Park lots was underway. He added that Interstate had

noted a recent increase in security incidents at Hillside and Lakeside Ramps and

that he was not certain what had contributed to this.

ON-STREET PARKING UPDATE

Mr. Bauer provided an update on on-street parking. He stated that, while there

had been a significant amount of public destruction of parking-related signage

throughout the downtown area, the initiative to remove physical parking meters

and add two new payment methods to the existing Park Duluth mobile payment

system had been largely successful, with a noted increase in application usage

by the public. Commissioner Paszak inquired whether the City had noted an

associated increase in issuance of parking citations; Mr. Bauer stated that no

significant increase had been noted.

PUBLIC COMMENTS FOLLOW-UP

There were no additional public comments.