St. Paul HRA Meeting Summary - January 7, 2026

The Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) met on January 7, 2026, to review the minutes of the December 2025 meeting and deliberate on three primary agenda items: a technical adjustment to bond issuance for the Joseph's Point project, a loan extension request for the 652 Sherburne Avenue development, and an introduction to additional funding for the 560 Brunson Street project. The meeting included staff presentations on project specifics, challenges regarding permitting and regulatory compliance, and community-centric housing models.

Consent Calendar

• The December 2025 HRA meeting minutes (MIN 26-2) were approved unanimously with a vote of 4 in favor and 0 opposed.
• Resolution RES 26-32, authorizing the issuance and sale of conduit multifamily housing revenue bonds for the Joseph's Point project (200 Wilkin Street), was adopted. The motion to approve the updated bond structure, necessitated by a government shutdown and subsequent shift in bond documentation by Schaefer Richardson, passed unanimously with a vote of 5 in favor and 0 opposed. No additional funding was requested for this technical change.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments or testimony were recorded during this session.

Discussion Items

• 652 Sherburne Avenue Loan Extension (SR26-1): Hannah Chong presented a request to extend the maturity date of a $386,279 spending plan TIF loan from December 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The project, led by Model Cities (formerly the Sherburn Collective), involves the rehabilitation of a vacant building into six units with a planned transition from rental to community ownership. The extension is not for additional funding but is required to allow the developer time to meet loan forgiveness conditions (leasing to extremely low-income tenants, jobs report, and certificate of occupancy) due to construction delays caused by permitting issues that pushed the start date from May 2024 to August 2024.
• Commissioner Kim's Position on 652 Sherburne: Commissioner Kim expressed full support for the project, describing it as a "first of its kind" cooperative housing initiative. Commissioner Kim emphasized the significance of the community ownership model and stated a commitment that this model should be replicated, noting the transformative work undertaken by the city, county, and state.
• 560 Brunson Street Introduction (SR26-2): Joel Moussoff introduced a request for an additional $87,313 in gross subsidy for the Inspiring Communities project. The project, developed by Amani Construction and Development, will construct four townhouses for owner occupants with a household income cap of 80% AMI. The cost increase is attributed to stormwater management requirements triggered by the site plan review process.
• Commissioner Naker's Position on 560 Brunson Street: Commissioner Naker stated strong support for the project, highlighting the importance of "missing middle housing" in the form of townhomes. Commissioner Naker expressed opposition to the regulatory process itself in this context, noting that such regulations and processes have caused costs to rise again, and acknowledged the necessity of balancing process integrity with affordable housing delivery.

Key Outcomes

• 652 Sherburne Avenue: No final vote was taken on the loan extension during this meeting. The item was scheduled for action in the following week's meeting.
• 560 Brunson Street: No vote was taken, as the item was introduced for discussion and information. The project is ready for closing upon approval of the additional subsidy, with a anticipated spring 2026 construction start.
• Attendance Discrepancy Note: The transcript states the motion for Resolution RES 26-32 passed with "Five in favor," yet the opening roll call lists four present members (Bowie, Coleman, Joast, Naker) and three excused members (Kim, Yang, Naker listed twice implicitly or Kim/Yang excused). This implies either an attendance count discrepancy in the roll call or a vote count error in the transcript for that specific motion.