Duluth has a long history of looking out for the rights of residents in zoning and land use. When a developer or other party wants to obtain a zoning change or special use permit the changes usually require city council approval.
The law requires that the developer or party seeking a change must give notice to surrounding property owners. The notice must give a description of the proposed change, and a place where people can go if they want to object to the change. Residents should pay attention to any deadlines for objecting to proposed changes.
Residents who wish to object to a zoning or land use change should contact the city. They may want to also contact a city councilor. In some cases, parties have to comply with certain laws to object to a proposed change, so they may want to contact an attorney to make sure they are complying with legal requirements.
All parties need to make sure that environmental laws are complied with in any zoning or land use change. Environmental requirements are set forth in federal, state and local laws. In most cases, property owners will want to contact experts in environmental laws and regulations.
Strategies used by property owners to object to zoning and land use change include:
- Challenges to compliance with zoning and land use ordinances;
- Environmental challenges:
- Public awareness campaigns; and
- Attendance at planning commission and city council meetings to express concern about changes.