Essentia Health Announces Plans For New Parking Ramp

A new parking ramp will join the downtown Duluth skyline when the new Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center is complete and open for patients.  The medical facility released their plans for a ramp to be built at the corner of East First Street and Fourth Avenue East - right across from the current Medical District Ramp. The construction has a tentative agreement with the city, but final approval will need to be forthcoming.

The collateral information released by Essentia Health relates that:

The new ramp will provide parking for Essentia Health’s patients, visitors and staff as well as for people visiting nearby businesses and entertainment venues in the city’s Historic Arts and Theater District. A skywalk will connect the parking ramp to Essentia’s new hospital and clinic space.

As part of the plan, Essentia Health has agreed to partner with the City of Duluth to find ways to replace the affordable housing that will be lost to the ramp:

Essentia Health will commit up to $1.425 million to One Roof Community Housing for its Brewery Creek Apartments. The project will bring 52 affordable apartments to Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood

Initial approval by the city council will be up for vote at the March 23 meeting.  If approved, the design phase will begin - followed by eventual construction.  Essentia Health estimates that the completed ramp will take two years to build.