A look at ongoing HRA projects as 2024 wraps up

Kirsten Wisniewski | December 24, 2024

Construction season may have drawn to a close, but the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority continues to move forward with several projects aimed to address the housing crisis in Cook County. HRA Executive Director Jason Hale is winding up his time in the role, but he gave WTIP an update on where those projects stand at the end of the year.

The Heights

The Heights is a proposed 36-unit apartment complex that would be located on Highway 61, next to Up Yonder. Hale said that the project developers have a projected closing on the property in mid-January. The building will consist of modular units, which will allow pieces of the project to be constructed off-site, then assembled when earth work is done on the parcel. Hale said that the developers expect to be able to order the units in the Spring and have the project assembled in time for an official opening of Sept. 1 for occupancy.

Temperance Trails

Immediately after the HRA meeting on Dec. 18, the Cook County Planning Commission convened for their December meeting. During that meeting they approved the preliminary plat for the Temperance Trails project in Tofte. The proposed project would consist of 16 single-family homes for sale on a site adjacent to Birch Grove Community School. The approval has been months in the making as the developers have had to adapt their plans to accommodate elements of the site that were not factored into the initial plans. With the preliminary plat approved, the developers can begin to work on more details, and the HRA can move forward with conveying the property to the developers.

Norra Skogen

The Norra Skogen project on the East side of Grand Marais aims to build 12 single-family homes with an emphasis on affordability. Hale explained that while the developer, Jane Penner, has taken on much of the cost risk herself, she reached out to the HRA to request assistance with applying for funding through the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRR). Keeping building cost low is important to all developers, but Hale added that this project is not designed to make the developer money. He said, “It is the goal of the projects to provide these houses for sale to long term residents, no short term folks, that are living and working in the county, and they’ll be sold at $300,000 or less. They’re going to sell them as cheaply as they can. The objective is simply to break even. ”

Hamilton Habitat

While the Norra Skogen project is a larger concentration of small homes, Hamilton Habitat has been working for numerous years to build affordable, single-family homes. The non-profit has built a series of homes scattered throughout Grand Marais, and they are gearing up for more building in 2025. The HRA is applying to the IRRR on behalf of Hamilton Habitat for funds to cover infrastructure costs for two lots across from the Homestead Cooperative in Grand Marais.

Hamilton Habitat has begun site prep on those lots, already, but run into issues around infrastructure. Hale said, “They’re pretty much set. They’ve been cleared, and they’re ready for construction. But the problem was utility costs were much higher than originally anticipated, so over, I think, $200,000 to run utilities to those two houses.”

The IRRR applications are due in January, and Hale said that the HRA would only be submitting an application on behalf of Hamilton Habitat for the “Homestead lots.” Earlier in December the Cook County Board of Commissioners was asked to consider the sale of some county land on the corner of Creechville Road and the Gunflint Trail to Hamilton Habitat. There was discussion of whether an application could be made to the IRRR by January to support construction on that parcel. Hale said, however, that the timing did not work out for that site, but that once the legal description from the county is finalized, if Hamilton Habitat is able to acquire the property, an application could be made later in the year to help fund construction in 2026. Anna Hamilton of Hamilton Habitat told the board in December that her organization hopes to be able to build six homes on the parcel.

Envelope and Energy Program

As the year wrapped up for Cook County, the board opted to direct about $35,000 toward the Envelope and Energy Program that was piloted earlier this year by a group of local agencies, including the HRA. The money comes from the remaining federal and state funds that went to local governments to support community recovery efforts after the onset of COVID-19. The program assists homeowners in improving the envelope of their homes, and was a coordinated effort by the HRA, the City of Grand Marais, Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS), and Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP). Successful applicants were awarded up to $5,000 for projects that would make the envelope of their houses more energy efficient.

After the first round of projects were selected earlier this year, several of those projects have already been completed, and Hale said that the support awarded by Cook County would allow for an additional seven projects to be funded.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with HRA Executive Director Jason Hale for an update on HRA projects at the close of 2024. Audio of that interview is below.