U-HAUL WITHDRAWS PLANS FOR NEW SPIRIT VALLEY LOCATION

U-Haul has withdrawn plans for a second location within the Twin Ports, this time in the Spirit Valley neighborhood.

The new location was proposed for a space that was formerly home to a Kmart location at 5710 Grand Avenue. The project would have reused the existing retail building which would have been transformed into a self-service storage facility, retail showroom, installation facility, outdoor display space and storage space.

U-Haul withdrew their plans for the new location after numerous neighborhood organizations and individuals voiced their concerns/opposition regarding the new location to the City of Duluth. One of the main concerns cited was the fact that a large industrial business would be locating in what is meant to be a retail corridor. For U-Haul to move forward with the project the company would have also needed to secure a Special Use Permit, something that the City of Duluth stated it would not approve for the project at this time.

The Spirit Valley location would have been U-Haul’s second Twin Ports location with their first being located along Miller Trunk Highway in Hermantown.

The 86,611 square foot building that K-Mart vacated in 2018 has sat vacant, waiting for a new business to occupy the space or for the building to be redeveloped. No details are available at the moment on if there any other interested parties looking at the space.

Check back in the future for more updates on what could potentially become of 5710 Grand Avenue.