HRA director says local housing trust fund and countywide plan are coming; developer interest noted in Grand Marais

The Housing and Redevelopment Authority heard on Wednesday that staff have begun steps toward creating a local housing trust fund and pursuing a countywide housing plan, and that a private developer has discussed a possible nine-unit single-family project in Grand Marais. Jeff, the HRA director, said he has met with the Minnesota Housing Partnership and other regional groups and expects future grant opportunities to support planning and community engagement.

The HRA director told commissioners the trust fund is in its early stages and that the board will need to provide input and approvals as the work progresses. "I met with the Minnesota Housing Partnership. And we're starting the process, the initial steps of the process to create the local housing trust fund," he said.

The countywide housing plan work is also at an exploratory stage. Jeff said Minnesota Housing Partnership and a Midwest regional organization have offered resources and potential grants to help the HRA compile existing housing data, gather new information and run community engagement. He said those resources could help the authority "stitch out information that we've already previously collected about housing in general and gather new information and collect, of course, the input from the community as well in the county county wide." The director said more details will follow as grant conversations continue.

Separately, the director said he and local partners had met with a Minneapolis developer and representatives from North Shore Surveying about a potential site inside the city of Grand Marais for as many as nine single-family homes. Jeff said engineers are expected to be involved next based on feedback from the meeting. "We had a great discussion," he said, adding that the conversation covered transportation needs and infrastructure challenges tied to building more units.

Board members raised practical concerns tied to planning and site data. Jeff noted that he had hoped to obtain GIS utility data from the city of Grand Marais but that the city does not have those layers available, and that obtaining them could require outside funding. When asked for a cost estimate, he said, "My guess is it would be less than $20,000." Commissioners discussed possible partners to fund or accelerate that work.

The report concluded with the director saying he will return to the HRA with more concrete proposals and requests for approvals as grant opportunities and planning steps solidify.