HRA board still pushing for affordable housing and local trust fund, despite longer-than-expected timelines

Kirsten Wisniewski | April 26, 2026

With mud season upon us in Cook County, most construction has paused. For the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) board, April was a time to discuss several projects that have yet to hit the construction phase, but that they are hoping to see come to fruition. HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand told WTIP about those projects and the ongoing effort to establish a local housing trust fund.

Affordable housing projects

The HRA board discussed a developer grant agreement the organization has entered into with Nanapush LLC, the developers of the Norra Skogen housing project that would build twelve single-family homes in Grand Marais. The agreement will allow the use of $350,000 awarded by the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation board to the proposed development specifically to be used for infrastructure costs.

As construction season nears, Brand said that the developers are eager to move the project forward. One of the future houses is already officially spoken for, with another individual working to secure their home in the development. Brand said the developers hope to have the planning portion of the project largely done by June in order to focus on construction.

Another affordable housing project that the board discussed is a proposed workforce apartment development. The City of Grand Marais is working with the HRA and the Economic Development Authority (EDA), along with private developer, Duval Companies, in hopes to building apartments on a property currently owned by the city. The now vacant site was the location of the Tomteboda Motel, and sits between the city public works building and Highway 61.

The project was the recipient of a workforce housing grant totaling $1.3 million from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, but that support comes with a deadline. Brand said that the project must be completed by Jan. 31 2028, or the funds will expire.

In both cases the proposed projects have been in the planning stages for several years. In April of 2024, the Grand Marais Planning Commission and the Grand Marais City Council approved the proposed Norra Skoggen project. The City Council approved the workforce housing plan in February of 2024.

Local housing trust fund

Last year the HRA board created a list of strategic priorities, including establishing a local housing trust fund. Establishing the trust fund would not only provide a structure for managing donations made to the HRA, but it would also create the opportunity for the HRA to access matching funds from the state specifically earmarked for local trusts.

Brand said that establishing the trust was something he had hoped to have completed by now, but that the process has taken longer than expected. in 2025 the Minnesota legislature changed the laws around local housing trust funds, allowing them to be established directly by housing redevelopment authorities, instead of going through the county government. Thus far, however, Brand said that as far as he knows, the Cook County HRA is the first one in the state to explore the option.

He said he has been working with the Minnesota Housing Partnership to create guiding documents, and has been in contact with the county administrator and attorney to ensure that the process is proceeding correctly.

“We want to make sure that we got the T’s crossed and I’s dotted, because at the end of the day, we don’t want to be the poster child for how to do it the wrong way,” he said, but added that he is still looking to have the trust fund established soon. “We’ll find out what we can get accomplished and when we can get it accomplished and move forward as quickly as possible to create that.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand. Audio of that interview is below.