HRA director provides mid-summer update after July meeting

Kirsten Wisniewski | July 31, 2024

The July Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) board meeting included updates on a range of housing projects. HRA Executive Director Jason Hale spoke with WTIP after the meeting.

Hamilton Habitat

Hale told WTIP that one role that the HRA is able to play is to work with other local organizations to further the effort to increase affordable housing in the area. Most recently, the HRA was able to work with the EDA and Hamilton Habitat to convey some unused land that belonged to the EDA to Hamilton Habitat. The land will be part of a project to build two single-family homes. One of the big challenges for any developer, but especially a developer concerned about affordability, is land acquisition. Hale said, “This transaction is an example, from my perspective, of one of the unique roles that government can play, and obviously much less complicated than other projects we are working on. But no less important.”

Cedar Grove Business Park

Beyond the recent assistance that the HRA was able to offer Hamilton Habitat, they are also working with several developers who currently have construction projects at various stages of planning and building. Hale shared an update on work that the HRA is undertaking at the Cedar Grove Business Park, another project that the group has worked on with the EDA. In this case, a couple of the lots at the business park were deemed appropriate for building housing. Before a developer takes a project on, the HRA has committed to doing some pre-development work. Hale said that this can include work ranging from wetland delineation to assessing potential utility placement.

Other housing developments

Hale also gave WTIP updates on a few of the other HRA-supported projects happening around Cook County. The HRA has made an agreement with the developers for the Bjorkberg project. The development is a proposed collection of townhomes that could number as many as 19 units. The developers are working to prepare the lots for building. Per the agreement with the HRA, 25% of those building spaces will be reserved for affordable homes.

The developers of The Heights have had to make some changes to their building plans as costs have risen dramatically since planning began. Hale said that underground parking has been eliminated from the plan in an effort to reduce expenses. He added that the developers are still currently working on finalizing financing for the project. In the meantime, the City of Grand Marais will hear a new request for a height variance for the building. The variance would accommodate the elevator penthouse, which would allow the elevator to reach the third floor.

June saw a groundbreaking ceremony for the Gunflint Vue apartments project. Hale said that the site has required more earth work than originally thought, but that the developers have been able to work with a local contractor to not only haul blasted gravel from the site, but for that contractor to repurpose the material in other projects. Hale said, “It’s just a cool thing, because there’s going to be rock from this site that is kind of scattered around the area being used for other purposes, which is more efficient way to to reuse rock, and then also saves on gas and having to get it from somewhere else.”

Envelope Improvement

While the HRA has taken an active role in building new housing stock in the county, Hale has previously spoken about the importance of preserving existing housing units. One way that the HRA has supported that work is through their participation in the envelope improvement pilot program. The project has been a multi-department effort to help homeowners make improvements to the exteriors of their houses. Hale said that though an initial group of applicants have been awarded grant funds, all but one are still waiting on quotes from contractors for completing the work.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Jason Hale about the July Housing Redevelopment Authority meeting. Audio from the interview is below.