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Friday, December 13, 2024
HomeBusinessJuly Lake County Housing Report

July Lake County Housing Report

Renovations continue at Lakeview Apart­ments and at this month’s meeting of the Lake County Housing And Redevelopment Au­thority, Executive Director Matthew Johnson indicated that two additional units should be ready to rent in about a month. The LCHRA is also looking at the purchase of property in Two Harbors for the purpose of piloting a sin­gle family home construction project. Funding for this project will come from the trust fund that has been set up between the Lake County Board and the LCHRA. The HRA Board gave a green light to move forward with this initia­tive.

The LCHRA also has its sights set on a land transfer arrangement for some undeveloped county land. The transfer would be done in conjunction with an agreement with the Lake County Board. While this plan is currently in the discussion stage, the idea moving forward would be to sell the land to a developer for the purpose of building single family homes. If this plan comes to fruition, The LCHRA will set a stipulation that the properties will be sold as homestead properties and will not be turned into vacation rentals.

Finally, area residents should be aware that the US Department of Agriculture has a Rural Development program and is making funding available to help low-income individuals and families buy or repair homes. This is a direct home loan program that offers financing to qualified applicants that are unable to qualify for traditional financing. No down payment is required and the interest rate could be as low as one percent with a subsidy. Loans, when granted, are repayable for a 20-year term and can be used to do essential repairs and improve or modernize homes. Grants of up to $10,000 are available to homeowners, 62 or older, and must be used to mitigate safety hazards such as fixing leaking roofs, replacing an old furnace or installing indoor plumbing. If you are inter­ested in learning more about this program, visit www.rd.usda.gov/mn. Or call 218-305-3584.

Rick Evans
Rick Evans
My wife, Marsha Kinzer (a proud DEHS Greyhound, class of ‘77) introduced me to the North Shore on vacation in 2012. It became our regular escape when the stress of our careers in education became overwhelming, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the breathtaking scenery, the nice people, and “salad” containing Jell-o and marshmallows. So you can either blame or thank my loving wife for my being here, because when we needed to choose a retirement hometown, Marsha advocated hard for her beloved Duluth, and here we are, six months later. Yes, this will be my first northern Minnesota winter. Yes, I welcome thoughts and prayers. Government, public policy, and social justice weighed heavily in the curriculums I taught at the high school level over a thirty-eight year career. In addition, we were a laboratory school focused on critical thinking in conjunction with technical and scientific writing. So when I found myself adrift on the great ocean of retirement and spied a raft, I jumped at the chance to take up what I’d left behind…minus the bad teachers’ lounge coffee. My position at the NSJ allows me to combine my passions for government and writing, and it’s helping me to feel less out of touch in new surroundings. When I’m not being “Cubby” (Marsha’s favorite new nickname for this green reporter) I enjoy pointing at eagles and saying, “Look, honey. There’s an eagle.” I’ve had an active side hustle as a professional musician for almost as many years as Charlie Parr. As a guitarist/singer/songwriter, I graced the stages of clubs and festivals around southern Wisconsin, including an appearance on A Prairie Home Companion. Should I even mention A Prairie Home Companion, or am I the only one here old enough to remember what that is? Look! An eagle!
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