Among Minnesota cities of similar size — say, Fulda or Menahga — Grand Marais occupies a special place in people's hearts. Our research is admittedly anecdotal, involving data points like the number of bumper stickers from Sven & Ole's Pizza we see on Twin Cities roads and the number of times North House Folk School comes up in conversation.

Even so, we feel safe in saying that Grand Marais enjoys a sentimental constituency larger than the 1,336 people who lived within its borders at the time of the 2020 census. Accordingly, there is likely to be widespread interest in a Grand Marais development project — particularly when the project in question is a relative whopper.

Joel Saint John, owner of the Mayhew Inn in Grand Marais, received city approval last week for a 30,000-square-foot retail, lodging and event center in the middle of the city's waterfront district, across the street from the Joynes Ben Franklin store and opposite the Blue Water Café. The site had been occupied by the Crooked Spoon Café, White Pine North and Picnic & Pine before a fire destroyed them in 2020.

"We're excited to bring new life to that block," Saint John told city officials in a Jan. 3 hearing.

An illustration of the proposed mixed-use building in Grand Marais. (City of Grand Marais/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

As described in planning documents, the building's ground floor would house a restaurant, bar and shops; the second floor, a 10-unit hotel and event space; and a loft level would provide additional living area for the hotel units and a rooftop deck. It's an ambitious project to fit within the city's mandated height limit of 30 feet.

Saint John and his associates assured the city's planning commission that, while the project's plans are preliminary and will change as they determine the final details, the work will not exceed the proposed footprint — "Because it can't" — and won't grow beyond the 30-foot height limit. Commissioner Anton Moody observed that, if it did, they would be having "a much different conversation."

Moody also noted that "the need for a space for gatherings, reunions or weddings, is something that has been discussed" for years. That point was echoed by Jim Boyd, the retired head of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce and a former deputy editor of the Star Tribune's editorial pages.

"We have no large gathering space in Grand Marais," Boyd wrote in an email. "You cannot sit, say, 200 people for dinner in Grand Marais. Can't be done."

Boyd added that the city needs the restaurant planned for the center's ground floor. "It is difficult to feed everyone during our summer high season," he wrote. "We appear to be on the verge of a true year-round economy, which is a good thing for everyone."

Still, the prospect of a 30,000-square-foot development — one member of the planning commission described it as "a huge undertaking" — is bound to unsettle visitors who like Grand Marais just as it is. Part of the city's charm is its small size. Nestled among hills at the edge of a natural harbor on Lake Superior's North Shore, it evokes the atmosphere of an old-time fishing village.

It's important that the new development blend well with the existing character of the city's downtown. But it's also important for seasonal visitors — to Grand Marais and other popular destinations around Minnesota — to remember that the people who actually live there have needs of their own.

Yes, Grand Marais depends on the tourist economy. But the area's year-round residents are entitled to the benefits of economic development, even if it alters the face of a beloved village waterfront.

And if the event center includes some public restrooms, that would be a good thing too.