In the six years since a housing study showed a need for lots of new housing in Cloquet and Scanlon, there's been what amounts to an apartment building boom.

That was the goal, said Cloquet Community Development director Holly Hansen. Seeing how many housing units the two cities needed - 260 rentals, 240 owned units - caught people's attention. And things started happening.

"It stimulated major conversation with lots of boards like the EDAs (economic development agencies, city councils, Carlton County, the HRA (Housing Redevelopment Agency) as well as businesses," Hansen said.

The message t...