Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting - May 13, 2026
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting - May 13, 2026
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board of Commissioners convened on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM in the Council Chambers of Saint Paul City Hall. The meeting covered an update on the citywide Economic Development Strategy, preliminary approval of conduit bonds for the Afton View Apartments rehabilitation, and a brief update on the 2026 Housing Policy Study. Chair Cheniqua Johnson and Commissioner HwaJeong Kim were initially excused; Chair Johnson arrived at 2:27 PM. Final attendance was 6 commissioners present (Noecker, Yang, Bowie, Jost, Coleman, and Johnson) and 1 absent (Kim).
Economic Development Strategy Update
- Economic Development Director Jimmy Loyd presented a comprehensive update on the citywide Economic Development Strategy. The contract, valued at $200,000, was awarded to TIP Strategies after receiving 11 proposals. The schedule runs from April 2026 through December 2026, with discovery through July, strategic direction in August-September, and implementation planning in October-December. Deliverables include a strategic plan, implementation matrix, and an interactive data dashboard, plus annual check-ins for five years.
- Director Loyd highlighted initial stakeholder roundtables held in April, covering topics such as permitting equity, downtown vitality, housing, and commercial corridors. The consultant will meet individually with each commissioner and continue community engagement.
- Commissioners asked about competition (Director Loyd noted regional peer cities like Cedar Rapids and Milwaukee), support for small businesses (Director Loyd affirmed small businesses are the backbone), the level of specificity in deliverables (measurable goals like job creation and parcel development), industrial land balance (Director Loyd agreed to examine this), and organizational changes (Director Loyd noted operational review in September but said full internal restructuring may be beyond scope). The report was received and filed.
Resolution 26-786: Preliminary Approval of Conduit Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds – Afton View Apartments
- Principal Project Manager Hannah Chong presented the request for preliminary approval of conduit multifamily housing revenue bonds for the Afton View Apartments at 365 Winthrop Street South (District 1, Ward 7). The project involves acquisition and rehabilitation of two buildings (built 1971) with 286 total units. Proposed affordability: 100% of units at 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) for at least 40 years; 268 units are currently covered by project-based vouchers through a HAP contract with HUD expiring in 2043, which may be renewed.
- The developer, Tareen Development Partners (Vice President Pete Nelson), requests up to $20.5 million in conduit bonds to preserve the tax credit basis for acquisition. Total development cost is estimated at $46 million, with $26 million for acquisition. Rehabilitation will include mechanical system replacements, site improvements, and unit upgrades. A tenant communications plan will be prepared.
- Questions from commissioners: Council President Noecker asked about the voucher expiration and remaining bond allocation. Chair Johnson inquired about tenant communication, particularly for the predominantly East African (Somali) residents. Pete Nelson confirmed that tenant notices will be provided in Somali, that existing staff will be retained, and that for 15 units requiring temporary relocation, tenants will be placed in a nearby hotel with meal stipends. Chair Johnson emphasized the importance of consistent communication with the city and residents.
- The motion was made by Chair Johnson and approved unanimously (6-0).
Housing Policy Study and Plan Update
- Interim Executive Director Melanie McMahon provided a brief update: multiple departments (PED, DSI, HERO) met with council staff to coordinate on the housing policy study. A worksheet identifying priorities has been completed and sent to HERO. An RFP will be released soon, with an evaluation committee including staff from PED, DSI, and council. The report was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Economic Development Strategy update: Received and filed.
- Resolution 26-786 (Afton View Apartments preliminary bond approval): Adopted by a vote of 6-0 (Commissioner Kim absent).
- Housing Policy Study update: Received and filed.
- Next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Roll call, please. Bowie? Here. Coleman? Here. Just here. Kim. Naker. Here. Yang. Here. Chair Johnson. There are five present, two absent, those being Commissioner Kim and Chair Johnson. They are excused. Chair Johnson, and Chair Johnson will be here shortly, I'm told. We're going a little out of order this afternoon. We'll start with Staff Report SR 26-93 Economic Development Strategy update. And I believe that we have Director Lloyd here for the economic development strategy update. Welcome. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Vice Chair. Happy to be here. Thank you, Commissioner. Today I did the opportunity to update you all on our citywide economic development strategy. Very exciting, very proud of this effort. I think it's gonna really uh go well for our city. I'd like to share with you why I think that way and what we're working on. Really quickly, I'll just go through um the project background and the consultant team and goals, schedule, um, how I believe this powers our work, uh, what we did in April to kick this off, and next steps and any conclusions for you all to have any questions from the way for after. So when I first started here, um we had an old economic development strategy that was done in like 2017, and I was really um pushing and hopeful that we could get one that was updating. Over time, I was able to convince everyone that we should get this going. So we issued the RFP for this in 2025, and we you know launched with our consultant TIP strategies in 2026 of March. Um what we try to answer with this RFP is three questions. Where are we? Where we should go and how do we get there? Um we want something that's gonna be tangible, some actionable, something that we can uh point to our work on, and also you know, be able to make some smart strategic investments alongside of this strategy as well. Uh TIP strategies is who we who we selected. We received about 11 proposals for the strategies, all very capable um community or companies and and organizations. We landed on uh TIP strategies because they were the most uh qualified in our opinion. They were the most um prepared for this work, they've also done work recently in the region, so that was something that was uh key and critical. And they understood how to deliver on something like this from their um from their previous work. So we felt really confident about them being the people that lead this effort. By the numbers, they've had over 600 engagements, uh over 425 clients throughout 44 states and seven countries, so they're expansive in terms of experience. Uh you'll uh get a chance at some point to uh interact with Jeff Marcel and Elizabeth Scott, they're um each leading point on this project for us. Jeff's a very seasoned experienced economic development uh professional and Elizabeth is very good at so far. What I've been able to tell in just community engagement, organizing, asking the right questions, and being able to find out what people are thinking. Both of them uh will be here again in the future, and they'll be able to discuss. Um we'll be able to discuss more alongside with you, and I will also say be on the lookout because they'll be reaching out to you each individually to schedule meetings and interviews to talk to you about the strategy work and hear your opinions and thoughts as well. So here's the schedule. Um we started in April. We have now cruised into May, which is amazing how quickly it feels like maybe arrived here.
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