HRA gears up for busy season of planning and construction

Kirsten Wisniewski | April 18, 2025

Spring is proving to be a busy time for the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA). One major HRA-backed project is scheduled to open in the coming weeks, and the developers of several others are hoping to take advantage of the upcoming construction season. Executive Director Jeff Brand spoke with WTIP following the HRA board meeting on April 16.

Multi-family projects

The HRA has backed a range of housing projects, ranging from supporting developers building single-family homes, to larger apartment developments. The first of the apartment projects slated to open is the Gunflint Vue. At this time, just over half of the 51 units have been leased.

The building itself is privately owned and managed. Moving forward, the HRA will remain involved in the project in the capacity of managing grant money that the developers were awarded. While the HRA lends its support to developments across the county, Brand and the board act as advisors to developers, rather than developers themselves. They will monitor how Gunflint Vue performs in order to help other projects strategize in a changing housing landscape.

“We’re good stewards of information. We want to pass that along and give them good information to make good decisions,” Brand said. “I’m really hopeful that we can find that success and we can find that affordability in there, as well. But our job is to be the facilitators of great information.”

As the Gunflint Vue nears its May 1 opening, the HRA is turning its attention to a slew of other projects and plans. Two other multi-family developments are currently in the works. The developers behind the Heights, a 36-unit modular construction project, have a construction timeline that includes manufacturing the units and getting them in place on-site this summer. The Heights will be located on Highway 61 next to Up Yonder.

Also planned for the west side of Grand Marais, a workforce housing project is planned for 1800 W Highway 61, next to the WTIP studio. The developers for that project plan to close on the property in the coming months.

Other 2025 construction goals

In addition to the multi-family housing projects underway, the HRA has backed several developments that aim to build single-family homes that would be available for purchase. While the application for infrastructure funding was rejected during the last round of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board grants, Brand said the HRA is planning to apply again on behalf of Norra Skogen, a development planned for the east side of Grand Marais.

Brand added that in Tofte, the developer behind Temperance Trails is working toward a final plat approval with the hope of having the envelopes of 4 homes completed by the fall. Another single-family development, Bjorkberg, has remained largely in limbo since the Grand Marais City Council denied a conditional use permit for the proposed site. The Bjorkberg developer and architect have been working on an updated design in the hopes of moving forward with the project. Brand said he anticipates the project might “make some headlines” soon.

Assisted living

Over the past few months the HRA has been part of a conversation across several county organizations about assisted living. At the April meeting the HRA board discussed what other local organizations should be included in any effort at providing assisted living options. Brand told WTIP that before any plan is made, he hopes to engage the public in conversations about what is most needed in the community.

“I think that this community conversation has to be had,” Brand said. “What does aging in our community look like? Is it just more elder housing options that are perhaps more subsidized for the affordability of people with a fixed income that maybe don’t have a lot of for retirement, but they still want to live in our community? And then also that continuum of care, from living in place in their home to a nursing home. That’s a great leap to me there. We’re missing pieces to that progression as you get older in the community.”

Funding

As the HRA is moving forward with planning and assessing needs in Cook County, Brand is also considering what the future of funding for housing programs may look like. While many municipalities and local organizations get money from the state, he explained that some of that funding originates on the federal level. He said cuts to programs within Health and Human Services could impact programs on the state level that funding things like transportation, childcare, and housing.

Brand emphasized the importance of money being directed to states, saying “We want to make sure that as many dollars get from the federal level to the state level, so the state folk can decide the best way and most adequate way to spend that money on things like housing, which is a great need.”

Looking forward, however, there are a lot of unknowns on the funding front, both at the federal and state level. Brand was part of the state legislature representing district 18A until earlier this year. He said some of the initiatives that were passed in the last session are being pulled back this year as budget priorities shift and funding is uncertain. He said, “I don’t know if that money that was spent last year is even there this year. I’m asking our federal senators to get more information for me.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with HRA Executive Director Jeff Brand after the HRA Board’s April meeting. Audio of that interview is below.