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Record of Proceedings

HRA Meeting Summary - December 10, 2025

Budget Committee — Wednesday, December 10, 2025
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionBudget Committee
DateWednesday, December 10, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 40:59

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
3:58

Roll call, please.

4:01

Coleman here.

4:03

Jost?

4:04

Here.

4:04

Naker.

4:05

Here.

4:05

Yang.

4:06

Here.

4:06

Chair Johnson and Commissioners Bowie and Kim are excused.

4:13

Approval of minutes.

4:14

Item number one.

4:16

Minutes twenty-five dash fifty.

4:18

Approval of the November twenty twenty-five HRA meeting minutes.

4:23

I will uh take a motion from Council President Naker to approve the meeting minutes.

4:28

Is there any discussion?

4:31

All right, no discussion.

4:32

All those in favor say aye.

4:34

I all those opposed.

4:39

The minutes are approved.

4:42

Item number one for discussion.

4:45

Resolution twenty-five dash nineteen oh eight.

4:48

Resolution authorizing short-term extensions to parking operation and management agreements.

4:53

Collectively, ramp agreements at one Robert Street Municipal Ramp at Ninety Five East Seventh Street.

5:01

Two, Lower Town Municipal Ramp at 316 Jackson Street.

5:06

Three, Lawson Municipal Ramp at 10 West 6th Street.

5:10

47A Ramp at 13 West Exchange Street.

5:14

Five, Block 19 Ramp at 145 East 7th Street.

5:19

And six WTC Ramp at 477 Cedar Street, all in District 17, Ward 2.

5:27

And I'll turn it over to Director McMahon for an explanation about this item.

5:32

Chair Commissioners, this item authorizes the HRA to extend current contracts with our parking ramp management companies for one year.

5:38

We are in the process of releasing an RFP for parking ramp operators next year.

5:42

And the timing is such just that we need to extend our current contracts until that RFP is completed.

5:46

Thank you, Director Mupin, for that.

5:48

Any questions from my colleagues?

5:51

All right, I'll take a motion from Council President Naker to approve this item.

5:55

I guess any discussion.

5:58

All right, all those in favor say aye.

5:59

Aye.

5:59

Aye.

6:00

All those opposed.

6:01

Four in favor, none opposed.

6:03

The resolution is adopted.

6:07

Public hearings.

6:08

Item number three, resolution public hearing 25-280.

6:15

Resolution approving and authorizing the sale and conveyance of a vacant lot at 77 Congress Street East to Iglesia Niclizo Church in West Side, District 3, Ward 2.

6:28

All right, this item was presented to us previously, and this is the public hearing for that item.

6:34

So if you are here to speak on item number three, this is a public hearing, and you can come forward and you'll have two minutes.

6:41

So this is a public hearing.

6:42

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

6:46

All right.

6:47

Seeing no one, I'll take a motion from Councilmember Coleman to close the public hearing and approve this item.

6:53

All of those in favor say aye.

6:55

Aye aye.

6:55

All those opposed.

6:59

Four in favor, none opposed.

7:01

The public hearing is closed, and the resolution is adopted.

7:06

Item number four, resolution public hearing 25-278.

7:12

Resolution approving and authorizing the conveyance of three parcels located in Chestnut Plaza and along the riverfront to the city of St.

7:21

Paul, District 9, Ward 2.

7:24

All right, again, this is another public hearing item for number four.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Conduit Revenue Bonds█████████████████████████25%
Land Use Regulation████████████████████20%
Environmental Protection██████████████████18%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Procedural██████6%
Economic Development████4%
Summary of Proceedings

HRA Meeting Summary - December 10, 2025

The Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) convened on December 10, 2025, to approve routine minutes, extend parking ramp contracts, transfer property to a church, facilitate a flood mitigation project at Ames Lake, and introduce a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district for the Grand and Victoria redevelopment. Three board commissioners (Bowie, Kim, and Johnson) were excused from the session.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: Council President Naker moved to approve the minutes from the November 20, 2025 HRA meeting; no discussion was offered, and the motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ames Lake Flood Mitigation Project: Councilmember Yang expressed full support for the proposal. They emphasized the need for community engagement to determine specific amenity features (e.g., bench placement) while clarifying that the project will not result in a playground or a full-blown transformation of the site.
  • Grand and Victoria TIF Project: Developer Ari Perretts (Afton Park Development) addressed concerns regarding public perception. He expressed opposition to the narrative that the project was unnecessary due to the location's quality, stating that all market-rate projects in the current economy require assistance. He further expressed concern regarding the misconception that this project sets a "precedence" for future TIF approvals, arguing that no project receives TIF as a "given" and that every application must independently satisfy the statutory requirements.

Discussion Items

  • Parking Ramp Agreements (Resolution 25-1908): Director McMahon presented a resolution to extend six parking management agreements for one year. This extension is necessary to bridge the gap until a Request for Proposals (RFP) for new operators is completed next year. The items cover ramps at One Robert Street, 95 East Seventh Street, 316 Jackson Street, 10 West 6th Street, 13 West Exchange Street, 145 East 7th Street, and 477 Cedar Street.
  • Ames Lake Property Flood Mitigation (SR25-268): Director McMahon presented a proposal by the Phaheline Watershed to fund and execute flood mitigation improvements on HRA-owned land south of Magnolia Street. The project aims to convert a unusable, flood-prone area into a community amenity featuring a loop trail, native vegetation, and stormwater management infrastructure. The Watershed District will bear the entire cost, with no funds requested from the HRA or City for the improvements. Councilmember Yang and a colleague (identifying as an engineer) discussed the value of turning infrastructure into public space, with Councilmember Yang stressing that the design must remain realistic regarding the scale of amenities.
  • Grand and Victoria TIF District (SR25-269): Jenny Wolf (PED) and developer Ari Perretts presented a request for a redevelopment TIF district at Grand and Victoria Avenues. The project involves a six-story mixed-use building with 90 rental units and commercial space. LHB engineering confirmed the site meets blight criteria due to three substandard buildings. Ellers financial analysis concluded the project requires $2.956 million in TIF assistance to meet the "BUT 4" test (feasibility without public aid) to secure debt financing. The TIF budget includes $2.956 million for site prep and public improvements, with an equal amount ($2.956 million) pooled for affordable housing construction elsewhere in the city, despite the new units being market-rate. Commissioner Naker requested clarification on the mechanics of tax increment pledging (85% in year one, stepping down to 60%) and the source of investment earnings.

Key Outcomes

  • Parking Contracts: Resolution 25-1908 was adopted with a 4-0 vote, authorizing the one-year extension of parking ramp agreements.
  • Property Conveyance (Iglesia Niclizo Church): Resolution 25-280 was adopted with a 4-0 vote to close the public hearing and authorize the sale of the vacant lot at 77 Congress Street East to the church.
  • Property Conveyance (City of St. Paul): Resolution 25-278 was adopted with a 4-0 vote to close the public hearing and authorize the conveyance of three parcels in Chestnut Plaza to the City of St. Paul.
  • Ames Lake Partnership: The Board adopted a resolution of support for the Phaheline Watershed's partnership on the Ames Lake flood mitigation project, enabling the Watershed to attach the resolution to grant applications. A future resolution to convey the land to the City will be required after improvements are completed.
  • Grand and Victoria TIF: No final vote was taken on today. The agenda for the subsequent December 17 meeting includes a public hearing and action on the redevelopment plan, TIF district establishment, and the TIF development agreement. The project is anticipated to commence in February 2027.

Discrepancy Note

  • The transcript identifies the presenter for Item 1 (Parking) as Director McMahon, but later in the same section, Chair Johnson addresses a staff member as Director Mupin while thanking them for the explanation regarding the same item. The source material presents conflicting names for the speaker responsible for the parking ramp explanation.

Meeting Transcript

Roll call, please. Coleman here. Jost? Here. Naker. Here. Yang. Here. Chair Johnson and Commissioners Bowie and Kim are excused. Approval of minutes. Item number one. Minutes twenty-five dash fifty. Approval of the November twenty twenty-five HRA meeting minutes. I will uh take a motion from Council President Naker to approve the meeting minutes. Is there any discussion? All right, no discussion. All those in favor say aye. I all those opposed. The minutes are approved. Item number one for discussion. Resolution twenty-five dash nineteen oh eight. Resolution authorizing short-term extensions to parking operation and management agreements. Collectively, ramp agreements at one Robert Street Municipal Ramp at Ninety Five East Seventh Street. Two, Lower Town Municipal Ramp at 316 Jackson Street. Three, Lawson Municipal Ramp at 10 West 6th Street. 47A Ramp at 13 West Exchange Street. Five, Block 19 Ramp at 145 East 7th Street. And six WTC Ramp at 477 Cedar Street, all in District 17, Ward 2. And I'll turn it over to Director McMahon for an explanation about this item. Chair Commissioners, this item authorizes the HRA to extend current contracts with our parking ramp management companies for one year. We are in the process of releasing an RFP for parking ramp operators next year. And the timing is such just that we need to extend our current contracts until that RFP is completed. Thank you, Director Mupin, for that. Any questions from my colleagues? All right, I'll take a motion from Council President Naker to approve this item. I guess any discussion. All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed. Four in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted. Public hearings. Item number three, resolution public hearing 25-280. Resolution approving and authorizing the sale and conveyance of a vacant lot at 77 Congress Street East to Iglesia Niclizo Church in West Side, District 3, Ward 2. All right, this item was presented to us previously, and this is the public hearing for that item. So if you are here to speak on item number three, this is a public hearing, and you can come forward and you'll have two minutes. So this is a public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak to this item? All right.

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