DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - A recent housing study in Duluth shows vacancy rates are sitting at 1.8%, far below the roughly 5% nationwide that’s considered healthy for a city of its size.

City leaders say at least eight downtown buildings are currently sitting vacant. With boarded-up storefronts and a housing shortage, some residents are questioning why those properties aren’t being converted into livable homes.

“It just reaffirmed what we’ve all been talking about — housing is tight, we need more of it in our community. We want more of it in the downtown,” said Kristi Stokes, the President of Downtown Duluth.

Mayor Roger Reinert said many of the vacant buildings are privately owned, which limits what the city can do.

“There are a lot of building owners that recognize that th

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