City approves rezoning of Creechville property, discusses leash laws, and EDA/HRA merger
Following a recommendation from the city’s planning and zoning commission earlier this month, the Grand Marais City Council agreed to support a plan that could bring a 50-unit apartment complex below the water tower on the Gunflint Trail.
The city council approved the plan during its Feb. 22 meeting at city hall to rezone property from “recreation-commercial” to “R-1 residential” west of 5th Ave. W. in Creechville, a cluster of homes on the edge of Grand Marais. Similar to the planning and zoning commission, the city council emphasized the move to approve the zoning change was not about approving a specific plan, it was only about a zoning change.
Over a month ago, on Jan. 11, the Grand Marais City Council sold the nearly 12-acre property, located in the inside curve of the Gunflint Trail, to the HRA for $1 for the purpose of a residential development project.
The proposed residential development project is a 50-unit apartment building consisting of workforce and market-rate housing. The tentative name of the anticipated housing development is Sawtooth Flats.
“Beyond that, there is no site plan. There is no specific building design,” Jason Hale, executive director of the HRA, said during the Feb. 15 meeting.
While the intended use for the property is to construct a 50-unit apartment building, Hale said he would not know how suitable the site is until the snow melts and the HRA can assess for a wetland delineation.
“We don’t know where a house can go. We don’t know where a building can go, for that matter, until we get on the property and look,” Hale said.
The planning and zoning commissioners appreciated the thoughts and concerns shared by the public. The commissioners reiterated that they were not voting on approving an apartment building but rather the rezoning of the property from RC recreation commercial to R-1 residential.
In other news from city hall, Mayor Tracy Benson recently spoke with WTIP about the ongoing merger discussion between the local Economic Development Authority and the Housing Redevelopment Authority.
Representatives from the HRA and EDA met Feb. 16 at City Hall in Grand Marais to discuss the framework and timeline of such a merger if it were to occur. Officials from both entities insist any possible merger of the EDA and HRA remain in a preliminary phase. The notion of merging the agencies surfaced after former EDA Director Beth Drost announced her resignation last month. Drost left the EDA to become the executive director of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
If a merger were to occur, Hale would likely lead the merged entities, according to preliminary discussions.
Listen to the full discussion between Benson and WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins in the audio below.
Kalli Hawkins February 26, 2023
