HRA director marks one year with organization, talks navigating challenges

Kirsten Wisniewski | February 23, 2026

Despite the storm that brought several feet of snow to the North Shore, the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) met on Feb. 20. The meeting was postponed from Feb. 18 due to weather, but the HRA board remained dedicated to gathering for their monthly meeting.

One year in

HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand marked one year with the organization this month. He told WTIP that the past year has included some big wins for the HRA, like the opening of Gunflint Vue and the significant construction progress on The Heights Bluffs apartment projects. He said that he has goals moving forward to work more closely with the local municipalities, and creating a comprehensive plan to address current housing needs, as well as looking toward future growth.

Brand described this time for the organization as “exciting,” saying that despite a lot of unknowns and current challenges, he is looking toward future opportunities. “The easy stuff was built because we had federal funding available. Now things a little bit more difficult,” he said. “We have to kind of navigate where we can find the resources, and, to some extent, creating our own resources for our own opportunities. And so it’s exciting to be where we are.”

Partnering with the Duluth HRA

At the Feb. 20 meeting the board heard from Rachel Downs from the Duluth HRA. She explained how the two organizations partner for providing Section 8 housing services to Cook County residents. At this time, those in Cook and Lake counties who are pursuing a Section 8 voucher through the Department of Housing and Urban Development apply through the Duluth HRA. The vouchers allow those who qualify to rent housing that is otherwise priced for market rate rentals.

Downs explained that due to the long waiting list the Duluth HRA currently has for vouchers, they are not accepting new applications at his time. The current wait time for most applicants already on the list is about two years.

Other HRA projects and updates

Also on the agenda were a handful of resolutions regarding projects that the HRA has been working on for some time. The HRA is continuing to compile information about housing needs for area seniors. They, along with the Cook County Economic Development Authority, have green-lit a market study by the company Wipfli to help future potential developers understand the area’s needs.

Brand said that in the next phase of the process will be to hear more from members of the public, in an effort to add nuance and better context to the data collected through the market study.

The HRA also marked the milestones of closing on two properties. In one instance, the HRA will serve as a middleman between the county and Hamilton Habitat. Anna Hamilton previously told WTIP about the project she hopes to develop on the land. The parcel is located behind the Cook County Community Center and ball field at the intersection of the Gunflint Trail and Creechville Road.

The second closing for the HRA was on two lots at the Cedar Grove business park. Brand told WTIP that the closings were originally scheduled to take place in 2024. However, a recent audit discovered that they had not been completed. With those lots now under HRA ownership, he said he has already been speaking to a developer who is interested in constructing homes.

What type of housing could go up on the lots is yet to be seen. In the past those lots have been discussed as a potential location for assisted living or some other type of elder-oriented development.

Other challenges for housing construction

As the HRA looks to future projects, however, Brand is also considering additional challenges. Home construction can be a very lengthy process, and Brand said that in areas like the North Shore, with difficult terrain, that timeline can end up even longer. He added that delays across the state will have a ripple effect in the construction industry. Some contractors and developers, especially in the metro area and southern Minnesota, have reported disruption to their expected work schedules as a result of the federal Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities, which brought roughly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the area.

Reports from leaders in Minnesota’s construction industry, which relies heavily on immigrant workers, included significant delays and difficulties with finishing projects as crew members, including those living and working in the state legally, were scared to come to work and risk being detained by ICE agents. “I don’t think there’s one corner of Minnesota that hasn’t been impacted by what’s going on with immigration and enforcement right now,” Brand said. “The slowdown in construction is palpable, and that will have long-lasting impacts on housing construction into the future.”

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