Tim Meyer is a Duluth architect and community builder. Reach him at tim.meyer@meyergroupduluth.com
Duluth attorney Michael Bernstein, leader of the One Park One Vote initiative, surprised me during a lengthy discussion this past week. I expected to disagree with much of the proposal surrounding Lester Park and broader city development issues. Instead, I came away believing the group’s framework is rooted in sustainability, long-term planning and a wider community vision that deserves serious consideration.
Paired with redevelopment of the former Duluth Central High School site, a stronger downtown housing strategy, renewed focus on the Kmart property and additional housing development in West Duluth, the proposal begins to resemble a comprehensive citywide plan rather than a narrow debate over one piece of parkland.
Bernstein argues the Lester Park discussion should not exist in isolation. Water quality, environmental protection, housing affordability and sustainable development all must be part of the same conversation.
On housing, the group supports requiring at least 20% affordable housing in any project receiving city assistance. Bernstein rejects the argument that simply increasing housing supply automatically lowers prices, pointing to portions of the downtown commercial market and the Lakeview area as examples where additional development has not produced broad affordability.
“Supply matters,” Bernstein said, “but it must be paired with mandatory affordability tied to area median income.”
Without those protections, he argues, tax-increment financing can end up subsidizing market-rate housing while failing to help the large percentage of Duluth renters already burdened by housing costs. Bernstein supports inclusionary housing requirements equal to or stronger than those used in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
One of Bernstein’s more compelling arguments centered on the Twin Ports functioning as a single economic region despite being separated politically by a state line.
Duluth and Superior already share one harbor, one labor market and much of the same housing economy. Yet both cities often operate independently while competing for employers, workers and federal funding.
Bernstein noted that the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council primarily serves as a transportation planning organization. There is no formal bi-state housing authority, coordinated economic development structure or shared workforce and childcare framework.
Other regions, he noted, already operate this way. Fargo-Moorhead jointly manages housing studies and major infrastructure projects across state lines. St. Louis has operated a bi-state development entity for decades. Kansas City’s collapse of regional cooperation, meanwhile, helped fuel expensive bidding wars for stadium projects.
Bernstein believes future Duluth leadership must view cooperation with Superior as core infrastructure rather than symbolic partnership.
“A future mayor who is serious about housing affordability, workforce and federal funding must treat cooperation with Superior not as a gesture but as core infrastructure,” Bernstein said.
That could include a joint housing trust, shared development agreements and broader regional planning authority.
The conversation also touched heavily on homelessness and housing instability. Bernstein questioned whether current city strategies are comprehensive enough and argued Duluth needs a clearer long-term plan addressing unhoused residents beyond short-term responses.
On redevelopment of the former Central High School property, Bernstein said internationally known architect David Salmela and his son should be considered for the project because of their architectural reputation and regional influence.
“The goal should be doing it right, not doing it fast,” Bernstein said.
He also argued groups such as One Roof Community Housing and Just Housing should remain heavily involved, even if emphasizing affordability slows the pace of redevelopment.
Bernstein does not believe Duluth’s largest development problem is hostility toward developers. Instead, he sees excessive bureaucracy and geographic limitations as the city’s biggest challenges.
“The actual friction is excessive red tape,” Bernstein said. “And the deeper truth is that Duluth is not naturally developer-friendly because of the extensive bedrock and hilly terrain.”
He argues city leaders should speak honestly about those realities rather than repeatedly making concessions to developers in hopes of overcoming geography.
The discussion expanded into libraries, schools and technology in education. Bernstein recently launched online petitions supporting preservation of the downtown library and reducing classroom technology dependence.
He believes schools are investing heavily in software and devices without clear evidence those tools improve learning outcomes.
“Investment in outdoor education and physical books would cost less than the software and hardware tech companies peddle to schools without showing any effect on learning,” Bernstein said.
On labor issues, Bernstein described himself as strongly supportive of unions and prevailing wage protections. He argued wages remain too low among many major Twin Ports employers and said stronger economic development efforts are needed to expand industry and business activity throughout the region.
“Duluth is open for business,” Bernstein said. “Let us act like it.”
The Lester Park discussion eventually returned to golf, sustainability and land use. Bernstein supports maintaining green space protections, limiting chemical and fertilizer use and significantly reducing the golf footprint if the course remains part of the property.
“A full nine holes is too much space given the other uses people want,” Bernstein said. “People do not work enough on their short game anyway — Duluth can come to be known for some of the best chippers and putters in the country.”
He also expressed concern about future land-sale complications involving local developer George Sunnarborg.
Bernstein praised 1st District City Councilor Wendy Durrwachter for positions she has taken regarding the Lester Park debate, tax-increment financing concerns and issues surrounding developer Luzy Ostreicher.
By the end of the discussion, I found myself agreeing with far more of Bernstein’s broader vision than I anticipated.
Part of that may stem from the fact Bernstein approaches these issues not simply politically, but from the perspective of a LEED-accredited architect deeply committed to sustainability principles. His arguments consistently returned to long-term planning, public process, environmental stewardship and community-wide thinking rather than isolated projects.
Most importantly, the One Park One Vote discussion appears rooted in the idea that Duluth residents themselves should help determine the future direction of major public land decisions through a binding referendum process with multiple options presented publicly.
That level of public engagement feels increasingly appropriate for a city wrestling with housing shortages, environmental concerns, development pressure and competing visions for its future.
Whether residents ultimately agree with every proposal or not, the broader framework behind One Park One Vote deserves to be taken seriously because it attempts to connect housing, sustainability, environmental protection and economic development into one larger civic conversation.
Add one beautiful 9-hole golf course for my neighbors, and I may be fully onboard myself.