‘Preserve the Bluff’ group mobilizes to protect Grand Marais hillside from development
The question of whether to develop the Grand Marais hillside or preserve it has sparked debate among community members and local officials for decades.
The issue has resurfaced this year, and at the center of the renewed discussion is one privately owned parcel that has motivated a coalition of Cook County residents to take action.
In April, the Cook County Board of Commissioners expressed its intent to purchase an 80-acre parcel owned by John Scheef of Plymouth, Minn. The property is situated on the Grand Marais hillside, part of the Sawtooth Mountain range. Scheef’s parcel abuts the ‘Sawtooth Bluffs’ area, a blend of county and city-owned lands west of the Grand Marais water tower that has been identified for potential park and trail development for years.
Location of Scheef property in Grand Marais outlined in red
Scheef purchased the property, which is landlocked, in 2005 for $240,000, according to county records. Throughout the years, Scheef has explored gaining access through an easement to develop the property, a land swap with the county, or has engaged in discussions with the Minnesota Land Trust and other related organizations to explore preserving the property.
The process of working with the Minnesota Land Trust to determine the assessed value of the property, however, has been lengthy, and Scheef and the organization have not agreed on its assessed value. The most recent assessed value according to county records was $175,900.
A key development in the process occurred when a Cook County judge recently granted Scheef access to the parcel, based on an early 1900s plat that outlined a grid-style plan for city streets. The ruling allows Scheef, or any future owner, to construct a roughly one-mile road through the Sawtooth Bluffs from Old Ski Hill Rd to the property.
With access to the parcel, Scheef and his attorney, Tyson Smith, of Smith Law, PLLC, approached the county commissioners in April to propose that the county purchase the property for $475,000. Scheef said he believes the number better aligns with the current real estate market and expressed his desire for the property to be in county hands and preserved. Scheef also recently subdivided the 80 acres into eight 10-acre parcels.
View of Sawtooth Bluffs in Grand Marais | Photo by M Baxley
The proposed land purchase reignited a decades-old debate among the Cook County Board of Commissioners and Cook County residents over the aesthetic value of the Grand Marais hillside versus the potential to increase the tax base if the property were sold and developed.
“I think it’s just a decision of do we want to contribute to our foundation of revenue or do we want to contribute to the aesthetic. That’s what it comes down to,” Commissioner Garry Gamble said during the April 22 meeting.
The Board of Commissioners supported the purchase of the property, citing the importance of preserving the Sawtooth Bluffs from residential development, provided that taxpayer funds were not used to purchase the parcel.
That’s when a group of approximately 15 Cook County residents joined forces to form the Preserve the Bluff initiative, looking at the possibility of purchasing Scheef’s property.
The group is exploring a mix of private fundraising and grant opportunities through the Minnesota Land Trust to buy the nearly half a million dollar property from Scheef. The goal is to protect the viewshed of the Sawtooth Mountains that frames Grand Marais and prevent potential erosion, runoff, and environmental concerns that could arise from constructing a road through the hillside.
And they have a quickly approaching deadline set by Scheef of Dec. 1, 2025, to do so.
The Preserve the Bluff group comprises homeowners on Old Ski Hill Rd, retired U.S. Forest Service and natural resource professionals, county officials, and community members. Since May, the group has been meeting regularly to explore options to secure the $475,000 for the parcel.
“The viewshed is just priceless,” said Amy Wilfahrt, the Preserve the Bluff Committee Chair. “You cannot put a price on it. It’s a national treasure.”
Wilfahrt, who lives on Old Ski Hill Rd, said she became involved in the initiative because the viewshed of the Grand Marais hillside is “really unique in this landscape. It’s a gem having that hillside like it is. Not only for me, but for future generations.”
Above the Sawtooth Bluffs area and Scheef’s property sits the Fall River Patterned Fen, a unique biological area and the only patterned fen in the far northeastern part of the state, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
View of the Sawtooth Bluffs and Sawtooth Mountain Range | Photo by M Baxley
The Preserve the Bluff group has recently begun working with the Minnesota Land Trust to conduct an updated appraisal of Scheef’s property, now that the parcel has been subdivided.
“We’re doing the title work right now,” said Kathy Varble, the conservation program manager with the Minnesota Land Trust. “We’re getting the information together to start the appraisal process.”
Varble said the appraisal most likely will not be completed until mid-October.
The hope, Wilfahrt said, is that the updated appraisal will be closer to the $475,000 ballpark.
If it is not, Wilfahrt said the Preserve the Bluff group will move forward with “serious fundraising” efforts in the six weeks that remain in the deadline. The Preserve the Bluff group has not received or accepted any private donations at this time; however, Wilfahrt said the group has begun compiling a list of interested individuals.
“We don’t want to see the Bluff get developed,” said Sue Abrahamson, a retired federal forester and Preserve the Bluff member. “It’s so important to the town.”
Abrahamson and Wilfahrt acknowledged the significant undertaking of the initiative, given the short timeframe, but said they remain optimistic about the endeavor.
One of the lingering unknowns at this time, Wilfahrt said, is that if the Minnesota Land Trust determines a purchase amount based on the updated appraisal, it may take months, beyond the Dec. 1 deadline, to secure the funds and pay Scheef.
Smith, Scheef’s attorney, said the Dec. 1 deadline is not for payment, but rather a deadline to “enter into a purchase agreement.” Until Dec. 1, Smith said, Scheef has committed to turning down any purchase offers from prospective developers.
If a purchase agreement for the $475,000 is not secured by Dec. 1, Scheef has said he intends to begin developing or selling the subdivided parcels. Before a road is constructed, the necessary permits and engineered plans must be secured.
Vacant land sales in Cook County, particularly those with potential views of Lake Superior, have been highly sought after by potential buyers. Based on recent Cook County real estate listings, the average vacant land sale is around $10,000 per acre. Given that Scheef’s parcel is subdivided into eight 10-acre lots, Scheef could stand to make more than $475,000 if listed on the market.
As the county commissioners stated during the April 22 meeting, sales from potential future residential development would directly contribute to the local tax base. The cost of constructing a nearly mile-long road through the bedrock of the Sawtooth Bluffs is undetermined at this time and could present as a challenge for prospective buyers.
Scheef’s property is not the first example of community members and city and county officials weighing the aesthetic, cultural, and geological significance of the Grand Marais hillside.
In a September 1997 edition of The Sugarloaf Interpreter, published by the Sugarloaf Interpretive Center Association, former Grand Marais Mayor Andrea Peterson wrote an article titled ‘The Grand Marais Conservation Easement.’ It described the current debate among the city council to explore ways to protect over 60 acres of shoreline, which encompassed Sweetheart’s Bluff, Bear Tree, and Boulder Parks from unwanted development.
An excerpt from the article is below:
“Dramatic changes sweeping the Lake Superior shoreline and the ridgeline of the Sawtooth Mountains bring radical shifts in economic structure, population, and cultural order. Because of these shifts, the communities along the North Shore are poised at a crossroads and are facing several decisions: where should development be allowed, how should the fragile environment be preserved, how should the unique character of the towns be protected, and how should stability be brought to the economy.”
Other examples include the 2012 public opposition to Matt Geretschlaeger’s purchase of 20 acres on the hillside from the City of Grand Marais to develop a zipline.
And more recently, in 2022, the city council denied the request for a conditional-use permit to develop a 15-unit off-grid boutique resort on the same 20 acres, citing that the project was incompatible with the Sawtooth Bluffs area and the importance of protecting the backdrop of Grand Marais.
Kalli Hawkins August 21, 2025
