Bemidji leaders outline economic growth goals and land-use changes

Bemidji leaders used a July 1 forum at the Mayflower Building atrium to sketch the city’s near-term economic playbook, and Mayor Jorge Prince said the city wants growth while taking a closer look at regulations that may need to be adjusted or right-sized. City Manager Rich Spiczka and Visit Bemidji Executive Director and City Council member Josh Peterson joined him at the 8 to 9 a.m. event, which focused on the decisions most likely to shape business conditions in Beltrami County over the next several months.

The conversation centered on the city’s land-use direction, construction around town and the practical effects those choices have on storefronts, investors and daily movement through Bemidji. That matters now because city materials describe Bemidji as one of the fastest growing communities in Minnesota, with an estimated population of 14,575 in 2020, more than 80,000 residents in its 45-mile secondary market area and nearly 350,000 in its 90-mile tertiary market area. The city also says Bemidji Regional Airport handles nearly 30,000 enplanements annually, a reminder that the local economy reaches well beyond city limits.

Much of that growth runs through the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which Bemidji describes as “an essential legal basis” for land-use regulation and a “unified vision” for the city’s future. City planning materials call it a “big-picture guide for the next 10-20 years,” one that helps the City Council, Planning Commission and staff decide on growth, development and change. For business owners, that means the next round of decisions on zoning, permitting and infrastructure will shape where new projects can move quickly and where delays may slow investment.

The timing also placed the forum against a crowded construction season. A March 2026 planning preview said Bemidji was heading into one of its busiest construction seasons in recent memory, with more than a dozen active commercial and infrastructure projects across the city. City newsletter updates in February referenced the 7 Brew Bemidji project on Paul Bunyan Drive NW and noted additional paving planned for 2026. A 2025 update also pointed to a concept planned unit development for a multi-phase project that would include a YMCA Community Wellness Center and future development in the Urban Renaissance zoning district and Shoreland Overlay.

Prince’s focus on economic diversity has been part of his political message for years. Bemidji State University’s 2024 profile of the mayor said his 2020 campaign centered on attracting high-tech and manufacturing jobs, a theme that still fits the city’s push to balance new investment with the local rules that govern how Bemidji grows.