With more apartments under construction, the HRA looks to other housing needs

Kirsten Wisniewski | September 22, 2025

Drivers on Highway 61 west of Grand Marais had a front row seat last week to the assembly of the area’s newest apartment building. The project is the latest effort to bring more housing units to Cook County.

While a lot of public focus has centered on the multi-family developments in Grand Marais, with the second of two planned apartment buildings currently under construction, the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) is shifting focus.

Single-family developments

HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand said he is glad to see over 80 apartment units added to Grand Marais, but it does not eliminate the county-wide housing shortage.

“It just releases some of that pressure. And so we are going to continue to work on different projects that include senior housing and assisted living. We’re going to continue to work on just single-family units of housing,” Brand said, adding that the HRA could also consider multi-family development in other parts of the county.

In an effort to support two single-family developments in Grand Marais, the HRA has applied to the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation board for grant funding for both the Norra Skogen development, and the newest iteration of the Bjorkberg development.

Temperance Trail

Another single-family home project, this time in Tofte, is Temperance Trail. The 22-home development is planned for the property behind Birch Grove Community School. Brand said that the board will likely take significant steps soon on this long-awaited project. He said that the HRA has not extended the land sale agreement with Peter Grubish, the current developer on the project. Brand said Grubish previously received five extensions on the agreement to allow him to meet the requirements for the sale.

While they have not made official changes to the proposed project, Brand said the board will be having conversations about how to move forward, including considering a different developer, in the coming months. Part of the Sept. 17 meeting was a closed session during which the board discussed the current sale agreement for the parcel. “We have a mission and we have a goal,” Brand said, “And sometimes things have to fail. At the end of the day, this one might be one of those opportunities for us to learn and to move forward and move forward with another opportunity.”

ROSO meetings continue

Outside of work with specific developers, the HRA has been part of an educational effort along with Cook County Land Services, to help land owners understand how the Residential Open Space Overlay (ROSO) district ordinance might apply to their properties. Brand and Zoning Administrator Neva Maxwell have held the meetings, one in each of the five Board of Commissioners districts. Two meetings remain, scheduled for Sept. 29 and 30.

The meeting on Monday, Sept. 29 will take place at the Schroeder Town Hall at 5 p.m. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the final meeting will take place at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais, also at 5 p.m. Residents do not have to attend meetings in their home district.

The ROSO district would allow property owners to build homes at a higher density, both preserving the open space on their parcel and potentially allowing for shared infrastructure, like driveways and septic systems. Not all properties in the county are eligible for rezoning in the ROSO district. Brand said that he and Maxwell have also explained who won’t be impacted during the meetings held so far.

Though the ROSO can’t be applied to every property, and not every landowner is interested in it, Brand said it is a tool for the housing toolbox. He said, “Not everybody’s going to benefit or participate from this, but now it’s time to start thinking about how we can cluster some of our development, and redevelop as well, and think of opportunities to welcome more people to our communities.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand about the most recent HRA meetings. Audio of that interview is below.