After months of wondering, speculating — and writing letters to ask — why Kathy Cargill was buying up so many properties on Duluth’s Park Point, the city’s mayor and residents may have an answer from the apparently peeved member of the billionaire Cargill family.
She told the Wall Street Journal she was planning to beautify and modernize the neighborhood, but the pushback, including a message from Duluth mayor Roger Reinert, has caused her to change her mind.
“I think an expression that we all know — don’t pee in your Cheerios — well, he kind of peed in his Cheerios right there, and definitely I’m not going to do anything to benefit that community,” Cargill said in an interview with the publication.
Reinert, a former Park Point resident, said earlier this month that he’d sent a letter to Cargill asking her to meet but had not received a response. He then drafted another letter that made clear that while he respected her right to buy the properties through the private market, the residents of Park Point had questions about the intent of the purchases. He referenced a housing crunch in Duluth and took to social media to promise residents that the point’s parkland, beach and street access points will remain public. In his Facebook post, he also noted that homeowners can choose not to sell to Cargill.
Cargill told the Wall Street Journal that she planned to build homes for some relatives, open a coffee shop and fund improvements to city parkland, as well as build facilities for pickleball, basketball and street hockey. But the mayor’s comments, news coverage of the purchases and criticism that others showed her online triggered a change of heart for Cargill, according to the story Saturday.
“The good plans that I have down there for beautifying, updating and fixing up Park Point park or putting up that sports court, forget it,” she told the publication. “There’s another community out there with more welcoming people than that small-minded community.”
Alan Dartanyan, 68, has been a Park Point resident for more than 35 years. He said that had Cargill been upfront with her plans with the Park Point Community Club, he believes she may have received support.
“Her secretiveness about the plans is what led to all the rumors,” Dartanyan said Saturday, adding that the club had extended her an invitation to share her vision for the area. “The questions and the mayor’s comments shouldn’t in any way interfere with real plans to improve the neighborhood.”
Cargill told the Wall Street Journal that she’s still getting calls from residents hoping to sell their homes and she’s considering more purchases. She also plans to make her family’s vacation home more private with landscaping.
“Those people aren’t running me out,” she told the paper. “They can posture themselves all they want, but I’m not going anywhere.”
The Cargill’s North Shore LS LLC bought up a dozen Park Point properties in the last 14 months of so. More than 20 parcels now belong to the LLC, and many of the properties sold at twice their estimated value or more. About half of single-family houses sold on Park Point last year were purchased by the LLC, with the median price of all sold homes about $477,000.
Dartanyan said while the community now has some answers from Cargill’s comments, there are still lingering questions and confusion.
“I just want to know: What’s her plan now?” he said. “What happens to the properties she’s already purchased?”
Reinert and Cargill did not immediately respond to the Star Tribune’s requests for comment on Saturday. Reinert also declined to be interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on the advice of the city attorney, the article noted.
Elaine Hadley is a dedicated journalist covering the ever-evolving landscape of U.S. news. With a keen interest in politics and a commitment to uncovering the truth, she provides insightful commentary and in-depth analysis on domestic issues. When not reporting, Elaine enjoys exploring the diverse cultures and landscapes of the United States.
