How private developers moved to acquire 267 acres of public parkland in Duluth — and why citizens are organizing to stop it.
The former Lester Park Golf Course sits on 267.5 acres of public land on Duluth's east side. It includes 230 acres still held by the City and a 37.5-acre parcel known as Lake Nine. The land is surrounded by forest, borders the Lester River, and connects to miles of existing trails. It has been public parkland for generations.
The golf course closed in 2018 due to declining membership and maintenance costs. Since then, the land has sat largely unused — but it has never stopped being public.
A private development group led by Tom Sunnarborg has proposed turning the site into a luxury resort with a private golf course, hotel, restaurants, retail, and 455 housing units. The plan would consume all 267.5 acres of public land.
A regulation 18-hole golf course requires 150–220 acres minimum. That leaves roughly 70–100 acres for everything else — housing, a hotel, retail, trails, parking, and roads. See how the land actually divides up →
Lester Park Golf Course closes due to declining use and rising maintenance costs.
The City transfers the 37.5-acre Lake Nine parcel to DEDA (Duluth Economic Development Authority). The remaining 230 acres stay with the City — for now.
Private developers present plans to the City Council and a working group for a luxury resort, golf course, and housing development on the full 267.5-acre site. The working group operates under a resolution that explicitly favors housing development and a golf course as outcomes.
DEDA commissions a ~$200,000 Land Use Study, due back in July 2026. But the resolution guiding the study already presumes development — nothing in the study will stop the developers from getting the land.
Our Park Our Vote forms. Citizens begin collecting petition signatures to force a public vote before any land is rezoned or transferred.
DEDA commissioned a ~$200,000 Land Use Study that is due back in July 2026. On the surface, this sounds like a responsible step. But the resolution mandating the study explicitly favors housing development and a golf course as outcomes.
The study is not an open-ended exploration of what's best for the public. It is a process designed to reach a predetermined conclusion. Nothing in the study will stop the developers from getting the land.
Proponents of the development argue it will address Duluth's housing shortage. But the math doesn't add up. After the golf course claims 150+ acres, only ~100 acres remain for 455 units plus a resort hotel, restaurants, retail, trails, and parking.
For comparison: Greater downtown Duluth — already served by existing roads, water, sewer, and transit — could support approximately 2,175 new housing units annually, according to a 2023 city study, on land that's already developed. Greenfield infrastructure costs run 3–4x higher than infill development.
Building housing on undeveloped parkland at the edge of town, alongside a luxury resort and private golf course, is not an affordable housing strategy. It's a land deal.
We are not anti-development. We are not anti-housing. We believe that when the city proposes to sell 267 acres of public parkland to private developers, the people who own that land — Duluthians — should get to vote on it.
Under Section 51 of the Duluth City Charter, citizens can petition to require a public vote before land is rezoned. That's exactly what we're doing. We need 3,664 valid signatures per petition. We're collecting 5,000 to account for normal disqualifications.
Once public land is sold, it's gone forever. Duluth already has the trail builders, skiers, cyclists, naturalists, and park planners to build something extraordinary on this land — on our own terms, without selling it.