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DULUTH — The path may soon be clear for work to begin on possibly the largest housing development this city has ever seen.
On Tuesday, the Duluth Planning Commission backed a proposed final version of a favorable environmental review that could allow a developer to bring up to 1,590 housing units and 124,000 square feet of commercial space to a site once home to Duluth Central High School. The pending development has been dubbed Incline Village.
Commissioners unanimously voted to support an alternative urban area review, or AUAR, for the proposed project. Concerned residents may still offer objections to the findings that the project can safely proceed until May 7. If they are deemed unfounded, the finalized AUAR document will be ready for adoption when the Planning Commission next meets May 14.
Should the final document become official, work on the site could commence following the guidelines in the AUAR.
Two New York-based limited liability companies, Chester Creek View LLC and Incline Plaza Development LLC, propose to invest about $500 million in the project.
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A draft version of the AUAR generated comments from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the city, three organizations and 15 individuals, said Erin Sejkora, an environmental planner for Stantec, the firm contracted to conduct the review. She said commenters received responses to their questions and minor revisions were made to the draft AUAR.
Sejkora said some of the comments pertained to adjusting for climate change; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; planning for increasingly erratic weather and runoff; a preference for native plant species on-site; minimizing impacts on migratory birds; avoiding light pollution; handling traffic in and out of the development; and maintaining public paths through the area, including a proposed new trailhead.
Sejkora described an AUAR as a hybrid between an environmental assessment worksheet and an environmental impact study — two other types of review that have been more commonly performed. She said the AUAR also differs from its peers in allowing for more flexibility in a development.
The shelf life of an AUAR is just five years. After that time, it is deemed invalid, and an updated study would be required to guide any further future development in the project area.
The 80-acre study area exceeds the size of the Central School property purchased by the developers but also anticipates ancillary growth.
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