Get Up! Downtown: Downtown Duluth Annual Meeting and Celebration 2023

Tonight, Tuesday April 18^th, Downtown Duluth held its annual meeting to celebrate 2023 at the DECC.

The Downtown Duluth Council‘s 38th annual dinner meeting is a chance to network and celebrate Downtown Duluth’s accomplishments as well as share in future goals.

“Downtown is the heart of our community, so it is really a reflection of our entire communities. So I think everybody should really be invested in wanting to see it succeed and to be able to see a vibrant downtown,” says Kristi Stokes, Downtown Duluth President.

Now one of the biggest things on people’s minds regarding Downtown is safety and housing. Stokes had this to say in regards to housing.

“We’re doing a study on housing in the downtown area. We have seen a 13% increase in square footage in our downtown that is devoted to housing, to residential units, so that is truly a trajectory that we want to see continue to go up,” continued Stokes.

And as more people move to live in the Downtown, the question of crime comes up. There is research that shows that when people move to an area, crime usually goes down, is that the situation here in Duluth?

“I think you will notice that in any community when there are more eyes and ears on the street, when there’s more activity, you see a decrease in the amount of criminal behavior. So I think any time when you have residents coming into a downtown, that’s more activity 24 /7 that’s more eyes and ears on the street and so that’s very helpful, especially when you’re talking about trying to decrease any type of criminal activity,” said Stokes.

And what is the greatest opportunity for Downtown Duluth, according to Stokes?

“I think we really want to see as more people out on the street, whether it is tourists, residents, employees, anyone who can really help bring more activity to the street and it makes it more vibrant. This is our community’s downtown. It is the heart of our community. And so I think I just want to see that everybody embraces the downtown and that we all work together to come up with a great vision for it and see it as successful as it can be,” finished Stokes.