HRA’s first housing project nears completion with Gunflint Vue tenants moving in May 1

Kalli Hawkins | April 16, 2025

It has been a long, bedrock-filled, and financially complicated journey to develop an apartment complex in Grand Marais.

Despite the challenges, in a mere two weeks, on May 1, the multi-year process will come to an end with the first round of tenants officially moving into the Gunflint Vue apartments.

“We’re really excited about that,” said Megan Holsclaw, the operations manager for P&R Companies. “We don’t anticipate any delays.”

Holsclaw said on May 1, eight tenants are scheduled to move into their leased apartment, and the following day, on May 2, three more tenants will settle into their new home.

In the next two weeks, construction crews will finish installing appliances, painting walls, and putting the finishing touches on the apartment building. “We’re busy cleaning it up as it goes,” Holsclaw said. “It’s just a very busy construction site.”

HRA Director Jeff Brand and Cook County Commissioner Garry Gamble amid the construction | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

In March, P&R Companies, the Gunflint Vue property manager, hosted a tour of the 51-unit apartment building for community members and interested tenants. More recently, on April 9, Holsclaw led a tour of the apartments with the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority commissioners, Executive Director Jeff Brand, and representatives from Visit Cook County.

Holsclaw said she has received “mostly great” feedback after the two tours.

Following the April 9 tour with the HRA, Executive Director Jeff Brand told WTIP, “The HRA Commissioners that attended had expressed to me that it was really exciting to see an almost finished project.”

“Previously, it had only been a project on paper, and now they could really feel, smell, and see a real apartment building ready for tenants,” Brand said.

Holsclaw said, “I think the biggest takeaway is the units are renting.”

As of April 11, 26 of the 51 units are leased, leaving 25 units still available.

Holsclaw said the units that have been rented so far are a mix of studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms. However, as of April 15, only three two-bedroom apartments were still available.

According to the Gunflint Vue website, the 783 sq. foot two-bedroom, one-bath apartments are listed for $2,200.

Two-bedroom apartment | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

As part of the agreement with the Cook County HRA, nearly half of the 51 units are allocated for income-qualified tenants, meaning there are maximum income restrictions for tenants of those leased units.

In a September 2024 interview with WTIP, former HRA Executive Director Jason Hale said the HRA and P&R Companies “opted to base the reduced rent based on AMI for the county, and on the guidelines from Minnesota Housing for the types of units that will be available.”

Of the 24 income-qualified units, 11 are reserved for 60% Annual Median Income (AMI), and 13 are reserved for 80% AMI.

Holsclaw said that of the income-qualified units located on the north side of the building facing the hillside, only a few remain. According to the Gunflint Vue apartment website, the remaining income-qualified units are primarily the 547 sq. foot one bedroom, one bath units for $1,455.

The maximum gross income for an 80% AMI unit is $54,320.

Income-qualified unit | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

In addition to the monthly rental cost, tenants pay $60 per month for utilities, excluding electricity. There is a $35 a month per pet fee, and tenants can reserve a limited garage space for $200 per month. The apartments are equipped with energy-efficient appliances, a stackable washer and dryer, air conditioning, and a balcony.

As for the demographics of the already reserved 26 of 51 units, Holsclaw said it is a mix of young business professionals and families. “It’s really across the board.”

“We just hope that we can continue to be a part of the community, and we really strive to be an excellent property management company – community-focused,” she said.

Learn more about available Gunflint Vue apartments here.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with P&R Operations Manager Megan Holsclaw about the Gunflint Vue apartments. The audio from the interview is below.

Photos by Kalli Hawkins from the April 9 Gunflint Vue walk through with members of the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and Visit Cook County are below.