OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting - May 6, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, May 6, 2026
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, May 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 55:40

Transcript — Verbatim
3:07

Wondering And redevelopment authority to order.

5:32

Roll call, please.

5:33

Bowie.

5:34

Here.

5:34

Coleman?

5:35

Here.

5:35

Joast.

5:36

Here.

5:36

Naker?

5:37

Here.

5:38

Yang, here.

5:39

Chair Johnson?

5:40

Here.

5:41

And Commissioner Kim is excused.

5:44

There are six present and one excused absent.

5:47

Item number one is MIN 26-15 approval of the April 2026 HRA meeting minutes.

5:56

Alrighty.

5:56

Well, I hope everyone had a chance to review the minutes.

5:58

Our oh so important meeting minutes.

6:00

I'll take a motion from Vice Chair Jose to approve.

6:03

All those in favor?

6:04

Aye.

6:05

All opposed.

6:06

Six in favor, zero opposed.

6:08

The minutes are adopted.

6:10

Item number two for discussion is RES 26-752.

6:16

Authorization to designate DC Commercial and JBang as development partners or another entity that is affiliated with the control affiliated with and controlled by DC Commercial and JBang developer.

6:34

PIN 1929-22210112, District 6, Ward 5.

6:41

Thank you so much.

6:46

Exact project we were talking about.

6:49

And so we did have a chance to hear from the developers last week as well, or I guess two weeks ago, yes, because it was last week, was the fifth Wednesday.

6:59

But we had a chance to listen to them.

7:01

We asked a few questions.

7:03

Also heard from Commissioner Kim, who, while she's not here today, she did give a lot of responses and a lot of comments around and in support of the project.

7:13

And so would love for those to be continued to be noted for the record.

7:18

At this time, I'll take a motion from uh Commissioner Ying to approve.

7:22

But is there any discussion?

7:25

Commissioner Yang.

7:26

Thanks, Chair Johnson.

7:28

Well, I see the representatives from DC commercial on JBang here with us in the crowd today, so I want to say thank you for coming back and joining us.

7:56

So I want to say thank you to you, David, and I wish you success in your project, and also thank you to the representatives from JB Vang for your important role in playing um the role of a mentor.

8:07

I mean, you have clearly been in the space of being an emerging gene developer too.

8:11

So it's just so great to see the ways in which you continue to really invest in other companies to grow to be at your scale too.

8:19

And so I I commend you all, and again, wish you you and the entire team success on your project here.

8:26

Thanks, Commissioner Yang.

8:28

Any other commissioners?

8:31

Well, I echo a lot of your sentiments.

8:33

I think one of the things that's really unique about this project is just how that the mentorship component I think is super notable.

8:39

It's something that I hope in that uh we continue to see as the years progress, especially with the full knowledge of how hard sometimes it can be to break into being a developer.

8:51

Especially, you know, I think one of the questions especially is being a um ULI ready cohort alumni.

8:57

One of the questions that came up in our cohort was around um how long are you emerging, and you know, just how long is an emerging developer emerging before they make it, and so I just really was excited to hear from David as well.

9:09

So as just hearing from the strategy behind the partnership with JB Bang.

9:14

So Commissioner Yang has moved for a motion for support.

9:18

All those in favor?

9:19

Aye, aye.

9:19

Aye, all opposed, six in favor, zero opposed.

9:23

The resolution is adopted.

9:25

Item number three, sr twenty-87.

9:29

Permit ready plans.

9:33

Alrighty, so the next two items we'll do a staff report on them.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing██████████████████████████████████████38%
Economic Development██████████████████████22%
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████12%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Community Engagement██2%
Historic Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting - May 6, 2026

The Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board of Commissioners met on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 2:00 PM in Council Chambers, City Hall. Chair Cheniqua Johnson called the meeting to order at 2:03 PM. Six commissioners were present (Commissioner HwaJeong Kim was excused). The board approved the April 2026 meeting minutes, adopted a resolution designating development partners for a Jackson Street project, and received staff reports on Permit Ready Plans and the 2026 HRA Work Plan.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The board approved the April 2026 HRA meeting minutes (MIN 26-15) by a vote of 6-0.

Discussion Items

Resolution 26-752: Designation of Development Partners for 0 Jackson Street

  • The board considered a resolution to authorize DC Commercial and JB Vang as development partners for a project at 0 Jackson Street (District 6, Ward 5). The developer partnership includes a mentorship component, which commissioners highlighted as notable. Commissioner HwaJeong Kim, who was excused, had previously expressed support. Commissioner Nelsie Yang moved for approval, and the board adopted the resolution unanimously (6-0).

Staff Report: Permit Ready Plans (SR 26-87)

  • Senior City Planner Spencer Miller-Johnson presented an update on the Permit Ready Plans initiative. The project has a $200,000 budget from the HRA Housing Trust Fund and aims to develop at least five sets of technical construction plans for small-scale housing types (e.g., accessory dwelling units, narrow-lot single-family homes, duplexes). The plans will be made available to the community for free. A consultant has been selected via RFP, and the project is expected to kick off in June 2026, with completion targeted for summer 2027. During discussion, commissioners asked about applicability across lot conditions, potential time and cost savings for developers, integration with the existing ADU toolkit, and coordination with other jurisdictions. Mr. Miller-Johnson noted plans would be vetted through city departments and could potentially reduce permitting time by a few months. The presentation was received and filed.

Staff Report: 2026 Housing and Redevelopment Authority Work Plan (SR 26-88)

  • Interim Executive Director Melanie McMahon presented the draft 2026 HRA Work Plan, which outlines strategic goals in housing (affordable housing production and preservation, rental assistance, homeownership opportunities), economic development (business programs, development opportunity marketing, the downtown vitality fund), and planning (Downtown 2040 Plan, comprehensive plan updates, permit-ready plans). The board discussed the plan and offered feedback:
    • Commissioners requested including items on HRA financial health and depleting special funds (Housing Trust Fund, Loan Enterprise Fund, Parking Fund).
    • An update on the parking management study and parking ramp operations RFP (expected this summer) was recommended.
    • Progress on a new grants management/CRM system should be included.
    • Commissioners expressed interest in receiving PED’s overall departmental work plan, given that PED largely operates as the HRA’s staff.
    • Updates on district council work and the city’s real estate portfolio (e.g., Grand Casino site) were suggested.
  • Director McMahon agreed to refine the work plan based on feedback and provide additional information. The presentation was received and filed.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Minutes: Approved 6-0.
  • Resolution 26-752: Adopted 6-0, designating DC Commercial and JB Vang as the tentative developer for 0 Jackson Street.
  • Staff Reports: Both Permit Ready Plans and the 2026 HRA Work Plan were received and filed; staff will incorporate commissioner feedback into the work plan.
  • Next Meeting: The next HRA meeting is scheduled for May 13, 2026. Chair Johnson noted that due to scheduling, some upcoming items may require introduction and action at the same meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Wondering And redevelopment authority to order. Roll call, please. Bowie. Here. Coleman? Here. Joast. Here. Naker? Here. Yang, here. Chair Johnson? Here. And Commissioner Kim is excused. There are six present and one excused absent. Item number one is MIN 26-15 approval of the April 2026 HRA meeting minutes. Alrighty. Well, I hope everyone had a chance to review the minutes. Our oh so important meeting minutes. I'll take a motion from Vice Chair Jose to approve. All those in favor? Aye. All opposed. Six in favor, zero opposed. The minutes are adopted. Item number two for discussion is RES 26-752. Authorization to designate DC Commercial and JBang as development partners or another entity that is affiliated with the control affiliated with and controlled by DC Commercial and JBang developer. PIN 1929-22210112, District 6, Ward 5. Thank you so much. Exact project we were talking about. And so we did have a chance to hear from the developers last week as well, or I guess two weeks ago, yes, because it was last week, was the fifth Wednesday. But we had a chance to listen to them. We asked a few questions. Also heard from Commissioner Kim, who, while she's not here today, she did give a lot of responses and a lot of comments around and in support of the project. And so would love for those to be continued to be noted for the record. At this time, I'll take a motion from uh Commissioner Ying to approve. But is there any discussion? Commissioner Yang. Thanks, Chair Johnson. Well, I see the representatives from DC commercial on JBang here with us in the crowd today, so I want to say thank you for coming back and joining us. So I want to say thank you to you, David, and I wish you success in your project, and also thank you to the representatives from JB Vang for your important role in playing um the role of a mentor. I mean, you have clearly been in the space of being an emerging gene developer too. So it's just so great to see the ways in which you continue to really invest in other companies to grow to be at your scale too. And so I I commend you all, and again, wish you you and the entire team success on your project here. Thanks, Commissioner Yang. Any other commissioners? Well, I echo a lot of your sentiments. I think one of the things that's really unique about this project is just how that the mentorship component I think is super notable. It's something that I hope in that uh we continue to see as the years progress, especially with the full knowledge of how hard sometimes it can be to break into being a developer. Especially, you know, I think one of the questions especially is being a um ULI ready cohort alumni.

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