The City of Grand Marais, Cook County HRA, IRRRB, and others broke ground on the Gunflint Vue apartments
Jun 17, 2024 11:58AM ● By Content Editor
Although dirt work has been underway with heavy equipment, the ceremonious shovel throw is crucial on such an impactful project. All photos taken by Tryg Solberg.
By Tryg Solberg for Boreal Community Media - June 17, 2024
Friday morning's groundbreaking ceremony happened at 5th Avenue West and the Gunflint trail for the Gunflint Vue apartments. Construction has begun on grading the rugged 5.5-acre site for the 51-unit mixed-income building. 24 units are reserved for residents making a certain percentage of the median income. 11 units are reserved for 60% of the Annual Median Income (AMI), and 13 for 80% AMI. The $10 million project will be the biggest rental housing project in Cook County, Minnesota.
Jason Hale, the Executive Director of the Cook County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) spoke on the history of the project. The HRA was founded in 2021 and Hale started in 2022 to combat issues around the housing shortage.
The City of Grand Marais sold the property to the HRA for $1 to build more affordable housing. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) provided $500,000 for dirt work and Cook County matched the investment. A $200,000 low-interest loan was provided by the EDA to fund the project as well.
It took 22 months with eight public meetings to get the project off the ground. Ryan Nelson, owner of P&R Companies and the developer of the project, spoke during the event. HRA Board Chair Mary Somnis expressed her gratitude for the community’s support and the ability to move the project in a housing shortage period.
IRRRB’s Whitney Ridlon told the crowd the organization uses tax income from taconite mining to make community improvements. Many other projects are proposed in northeast Minnesota (300+ housing units) that total $88 million in possible investments.
After a short ceremony, the speakers were available for questions and a tour of the site.
View the on-site live camera to watch the progress of the project as it happens.
Work has already begun on the 5.5-acre site.
Cars lined the street before the ground-breaking event.
A small group came "up the hill" from Downtown Grand Marais for the groundbreaking ceremony.
Jason Hale, the Executive Director of the HRA thanked those involved in the project after a brief history overview.
Whitney Ridlon of the IRRRB explains their role in increasing housing accessibility in northern Minnesota.
Ryan Nelson, owner of P&R Companies and the developer of the project, spoke during the event.
Jason Hale, Whitney Ridlon, and Mary Somnis all played critical roles in getting the project moving.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect a name change of the apartment complex from Switchback Village (an old name) to the new name, Gunflint Vue.
