Birchwood Apartments renovation gives Grand Marais families a renewed place to call home

After years of planning, funding delays, and extensive rehabilitation work, the Birchwood Apartments in Grand Marais are now fully renovated.

For the residents of the 24-unit apartment complex, the completion of the multi-year renovation project means more than new finishes, updated infrastructure, and a freshly rehabilitated building.

“It means comfortable living space where local families don’t have to choose between quality and affordability,” said Agne Smith, a Grand Marais resident and One Roof Community Housing board member on Thursday. “It means keeping our local workforce, our parents, and our school kids right here in Cook County.”

Smith and Jeff Corey, CEO of One Roof Community Housing, were among several local and state representatives who spoke Thursday during a grand reopening ceremony celebrating the completion of the renovation project. One Roof Community Housing, along with several investors, took over ownership of the property and has been conducting phased renovations since 2024.

Agne Smith, a Grand Marais resident and One Roof Community Housing board member | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

Smith said she understands the importance of affordable housing firsthand. She was once a single mother with three young children who needed a safe, affordable place to live. Through One Roof, she eventually purchased a community land trust home in Grand Marais, where she has lived for nearly eight years.

“When a family secures safe, stable, and truly affordable housing, their relief is immediate,” Smith said. “Parents stop operating in survival mode and can finally plan for the future.”

Residents of Birchwood Apartments are now feeling that same sense of relief.

The renovation has meant addressing a long list of maintenance issues at the 24-unit apartment complex, including leaking pipes and water damage. The work has taken place over the past two years, with much of it completed while residents continued living in the building.

Lauren Towle, who spoke on behalf of the Birchwood Apartment tenants at Thursday’s ceremony, acknowledged that the renovation was difficult for those living in the building.

“On behalf of everybody that lives here, we lived through the renovation. It was tough. It was hard, but Aaron made it really, really great. He was here for every moment of it, day and night,” Towle said. “And our places are beautiful. Our place is beautiful inside and out.”

Lauren Towle, who spoke on behalf of the Birchwood Apartment tenants at Thursday’s ceremony | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

Aaron Zdon and Bob Faulkner, project managers with Frerichs Construction, oversaw the renovation work. The completed rehabilitation now preserves all 24 apartments as affordable housing, with rental assistance that allows residents to pay 30% of their income toward rent.

During Thursday’s ceremony, Corey said One Roof Community Housing took on the Birchwood Apartment project knowing it would be complicated.

“There was a broad understanding in housing circles in the state that there were troubles here, and something was needed,” Corey said. The property needed significant external and internal improvements, but ownership and financing issues also had to be resolved.

Newly renovated kitchen in one of the Birchwood Apartment units | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

A combination of funding and support from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, USDA Rural Development, the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA), and other partners made the roughly $10.5 million project possible.

Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho said from the state agency’s perspective, the property was at risk of deteriorating to the point where the community could lose the housing.

“My team viewed this as a rescue project,” Ho said. “Which means that if One Roof hadn’t stepped in, the buildings would have been in such disrepair that people would have slowly had to vacate units, and we just would have lost this vital housing to the community.”

Cook County HRA Director Jeff Brand said the project’s importance goes beyond the apartments themselves.

“It’s the opportunity for people to live in the community. It’s an opportunity for those folks to work in the community or be business owners in the community,” Brand said.

Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson said over the past few years, city and county officials and the community have become increasingly willing to seek outside assistance and work with partners to address its longstanding housing shortage.

“We have become more open to reaching out and getting help and realizing we can do it, but we need that help,” Benson said. “All of you here today show that we can get that help and how much we really appreciate it.”

Benson said, “Thank you all for being here today and thank you all for making another place that people can be really proud of in this community and that they can literally call home.”

Photos of Thursday’s celebration and of one of the renovated units are below. 

Kalli Hawkins September 17, 2026