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HomeBusinessTownhome Development in Grand Marais Nears Final Hurdle

Townhome Development in Grand Marais Nears Final Hurdle

The Björkberg Grand Marais, LLC is about to receive the Grand Marais City Council’s green light to commence construction of the Björkberg townhouses. These unique two-story townhouses, each 1,100 square feet, will boast two bedrooms and two bathrooms, promising a comfortable and mod­ern living experience.

The homes present a distinctive Scandinavian appearance. They were designed by architect Benja­min Olsen, who describes himself as “a broadminded designer work­ing across architectural design, construction methodology, urban research, and public policy to cre­ate the next generation of attain­able houses.” He is known for his work in Duluth on so-called In-Fill housing, which utilizes historically undersized building lots to create housing.

Björkberg is a partnership formed by Jon Petters and Steve Peterson. The lots they are developing are in an area of Grand Marais known by locals as Birch Mountain. The Scandinavian translation of which is Björkberg.

Petters (71) has a long career as a real estate broker and planned unit residential developer in Central Minnesota.

He and his wife, Colleen, have a Cook County history. They were married at the Cathedral of the Pines on Caribou Lake in Lutsen and owned a seasonal property in Lutsen for many years.

Petters acquired the property more than a year ago. Aware of the chronic need for housing for local people, Petters worked with Jason Hale, director of the Cook County Housing and Redevelopment Au­thority (HRA), to develop a plan for the vacant land.

The experienced developer found the project quite challenging. “Nev­er has my brain worked so hard as it has the last year,” he said.

The developers wanted to build something that met the communi­ty’s needs for expanded homeown­ership opportunities.

“Owning is different from rent­ing,” Petter said. “Magic happens when you own.”

One condition placed on Björk­berg is that buyers must be em­ployed and living in Cook County.

At least one-quarter of the homes are to be sold to buyers who are economically challenged and whose income is below a certain threshold. Petters has arranged fi­nancial support for buyers through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (mnhousing.gov).

“Jason has been a great help,” Petters said. In addition to support for buyers, the project has received grants totaling $400,000 from the HRA and the Minnesota Depart­ment of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRR) for infrastruc­ture work.

Björkberg will do all the water and sewer work on the property to connect to city services.

Optional amenities include Ac­cessory Dwelling Units (ADU). These are detached, 400-square-foot buildings on 200 square feet of ground. Carports will also be avail­able.

One of the city covenants is that 50% of the property be kept as open space for residents to enjoy. They also plan to retain as many of the trees as possible.

Buyers agree not to place any of the structures in short-term rental programs.

Local contractor Max Wahlers and his company, Max Construc­tion, are excited about being the builders for Björkberg.

Petters received a Bachelor’s De­gree in psychology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, in 1975. He received a Master of Business Administration degree at St. Cloud State University in 1985.

His concierge real estate services business is Collegeville Broker­age in Avon, MN. On LinkedIn, Petters describes himself as a pur­pose-driven developer.

“For me, Björkberg is about pas­sion over profit,” Petters said. “It’s about getting housing for the amaz­ing people who live and work up there.”

Steve Fernlund
Steve Fernlund
Columnist Steve Fernlund is a retired business owner living in Duluth. He published the Cook County News Herald in Grand Marais at the end of the last century. You may email comments or North Shore news story ideas to him at steve.fernlund@gmail.com. And see more at www.stevefernlund.com.
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