Proctor gets OK to annex land near Interstate 35
May 29, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
A judge has given Proctor the green light to proceed with plans to annex 67.4 acres of land fronting Interstate 35. Continue Reading
Proctor gets OK to annex land near Interstate 35
29 Comments
When words simply can’t do it justice; the perfect link that sums it all up for Duluth.
Click and play: http://www.sadtrombone.com/
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The only reason I can see Duluth opposing this move is control of what development does or does not take place along the freeway outside their corporate city limits. Concern about the city owned Spirit Mountain and their plans for a golf course?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Good for Proctor. The development is in Midway Township. This is between Proctor and Midway Township. Duluth has enough problems and should mind their own business. I hope this can move forward now and I hope it’s a Lowe’s Store.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Why do you hope it’s a Lowe’s? Do you like paying 10% more than at Home Depot? (which is 10% higher than Menards). Lowe’s isn’t anything special, just more expensive.
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The City of Duluth must have a lot of money to spend on lawyers, but they end up on the losing side so often. I feel bad for them.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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build it
and then you can
shop for
stuff you like in
proctor
right before heading
outdoors to FISH
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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B
A
S
S
P
R
O
SHOPS
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Considering how cool it would be to have
A Bass Pro Shops in the Northland.
Better odds would be on some other
Entity that provides similar gear.
Lest we get too excited we should know that
A Bass Pro Shops is more likely to appear
Seated in a larger metropolitan area.
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Yocal politics aside – because I don’t give a **** which municipality it’s in, as it will either detract from or enhance the area for all Midway Twp, Proctor and Duluth residents in any case BUT I just hope that Proctor takes a cue from Hermantown where Miller Hill sprawl and haphazard dive bars, auto body shops, metal sheds and chaos reigned before the big boxes came – Menards, Walmart, etc and by then the place was an eyesore of clutter. H’town later corrected it with frontage roads and landscaping requirements, etc.
Does anyone think it’s time for a regional council for local governments for the Duluth conurbation?
There is going to be much more of this type of thing to come, you know.
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Nope on Super One. The business has been described to be a big box, eco friendly retailer. My guess is Cabelas.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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I would add that super 1 already owns the west duluth and proctor market. They have a share of the cloquet market. there would be no new market for them in this location, and quite frankly would be out of the way for the customers that they were targeting.
Cabelas would make sense because it would target the twin cities folks entering the northland for outdoor activities. And they fit the bill as a big box, eco friendly retailer.
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Trader Joe’s.
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This is weak. You guys are guessing which big-box store it’s going to be, like it’s a game? Do you think the global free-market needs more cheerleading or something? Duluth is probably opposed to this development for the same reason that all inner cities oppose to urban sprawl. Local businesses can’t compete, inner city business districts become slummy, residents are more-or-less forced to drive a car everywhere, and the local economy becomes entirely dependent on multinational chains.
But I suppose those are good things, right?
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Merv, I simply posted my speculation on the retailer based on the description provided by the city of Proctor. There isn’t a bit of support, or opposition in my post.
Cruise on over to the Ashland union story and you will see my stance of support toward quality local goods and services.
I support the right for any business to operate unimpeded, but urge the consumer to spend their dollars locally first, if possible.
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
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Well… 5 thumbs down, no thumbs up. I guess I’m just wrong then. In that case, the opposite must be truth:
– Big-box stores are great for the local economy
– We are producing tons of locally manufactured goods
– There is no need for green space anywhere – pave it all
– It’s great that local retailers are going out of businesses
– Nobody should question the corporate takeover of our cities
– Don’t ask questions
– Don’t ask questions
– It’s good to be detached from the product you buy, the employee you talk to, and the businesses you shop in
– History doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. We will always have cheap gas and a global economy.
– It’s the way it is, so it’s the way it aught to be.
– Don’t ask questions
– Don’t even think
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Couple things…. both my postings were hidden due to low rating. Is that because people are voting on the question I posed in the first and my speculation of the mystery retailer in the second – that is to say they don’t like the retailer I guessed OR they disagree with me that it might be Super One?
Second, thank you Merv for your comments. I’m with you on that. I give you thumbs up in all.
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It’s not Super 1. That’s why you’re getting dinged.
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Merv, many valid points and concerns. However the most powerful defense is the power of the pocketbook.
Many locally owned businesses exist downtown, support them first. Try to purchase veggies and fruit at the local farmers market if economically possible for you.
These decisions are best left in consumers hands. So lead by example, and take a friend with.
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I just disagree with that notion that the consumer can change anything significantly. Even if 100 people go to the Duluth farmer’s market next week, and bring their friends, it still won’t compete with the tens-of-thousands of people who either can’t afford or don’t know anything other than Cub Foods, Super One, and Walmart. The conscious consumer is no match for a multi-billion dollar marketing industry, subsidies for big-agriculture and big box development, and the low prices offered at these retailers.
Most people do not think for more than 2 seconds about the purchases they make. That’s the sad truth. We’d like to think they do. We’d like to believe that the markets reflect what people actually want. But they don’t. That’s why I am attacking the big-box retail industry at its core. The only reason these big-boxes even exist is because we have tried “leaving it in the consumers hands.” And this is where it has gotten us.
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I wouldn’t worry about the thumbs, but the hiding of posts is petty. I try to thumb up every post, and suggest that others do the same unless it is offensive or contains personal attacks. It takes power away from the trolls.
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Am I the only one that thinks this whole idea of annexation is just wrong?
You have one city that decides it wants to get bigger so they just say well, I guess we’ll just take over part of another city or township, whether they like it or not, and everyone is supposed to say yeah…good idea.
To me, this and eminent domain both pretty much suck.
Oliver bought that property, knowing it was in Midway township.
Then he decides that Proctor has more to offer so, instead of investing in property in Proctor, he just decides that the property he already owns should be in Proctor instead of Midway…and gets away with it?
Personally, I think if annexation takes place, both sides should have to agree to it and both sides should benefit from it.
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I actually agree with you once Katydid. The problem with this annexation is that it opens the door to future annexations. Proctor will just take what they want.
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It’s beginning to look like a real possibility now.
Midway township has been fighting annexation by Proctor for at least 35 years that I’m personally aware of. Up till now, they’ve succeeded. I’m afraid this move might prove to be a very slippery slope though.
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Proctor didn’t “decide to get bigger”; the property owner requested the annexaton. Why? Because it couldn’t obtain utilities and other services from the township. I don’t get the impression that the people of Midway township are all worked up about this anexation—it appears as thought the only real opposition is coming from the Town Board.
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chas – to your first point, it is blatantly obvious that Proctor is trying to grow and extend it’s tax base. To think they aren’t is just pure ignorance.
It’s easy to sound right when you make up everything in your post. Midway was never contacted about the property in question, and most certainly could have made arrangements for utilities and rezoning of that land. But, they were never asked. If they would have asked, and Midway was unable or unwilling to accommodate the request, I would have no problem with the annexation.
I can make generalizations too…it seems Proctor residents could care less about this annexation, and this whole thing is being pushed forward by a couple of radical city councilors and a mayor who is trying to play big city government in a city of 3000 people.
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But, the property owner was well aware, long before buying the property, that it didn’t actually suit his needs.
It’s pretty obvious that he went to the powers that be in Proctor before ever making the purchase, to be sure they’d be on board with the proposal.
Proctor has been trying for YEARS an annex Midway and Oliver just presented them with an opportunity to do so.
Of course the Midway Town Board is upset. They just lost a fairly large part of their tax base and didn’t get so much as a kiss or lube.
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The typical Republican…
… thinks taxes are killing small businesses.
… only shops at Walmart and Home Depot.
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