Rice Larpenteur Alliance Annual Report Presentation to HRA Board - August 12, 2026
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting Summary - August 12, 2026
The Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board of Commissioners met on August 12, 2026, at 2:02 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Saint Paul City Hall. The sole agenda item was a presentation and discussion on the Rice Larpenteur Alliance (RLA) annual report, led by Executive Director Kim O'Brien. The meeting concluded at 3:03 p.m. with the item received and filed.
Presentation: Rice Larpenteur Alliance Annual Report
- Kim O'Brien presented an overview of the RLA, a three-city (Saint Paul, Roseville, Maplewood) community and economic development initiative formed in 2018 to revitalize the Rice and Larpenteur intersection area. She highlighted:
- Demographics: The area is one of the most densely populated in the region (18,000+ residents across four census tracts), 67% people of color, 37.5% speak a language other than English at home, with many Karen, Karenni, Nepali, Hmong, and Latino residents.
- Key achievements (2019-2026): 60+ members, 500+ volunteers, 16 youth ambassadors employed, 30 business improvement grants totaling $223,000, 15 new businesses (10 in Saint Paul), 80+ new/retained jobs, 30 public art/sign installations, 7-9 miles of sidewalk infill, and eight sites substantially redeveloped.
- Safety improvements: Drastic reduction in major crime per joint police reports from Roseville, Maplewood, and Saint Paul.
- Funding history: Saint Paul contributed $75,000 annually from 2019-2025, matched by Roseville and Maplewood. In 2025, RLA also received $81,500 from the Commercial Corridor Opportunity Program. In 2026, Saint Paul general operations funding was zeroed out; only the Commercial Corridor grant (which cannot cover staffing) remains, forcing RLA to operate at half capacity. Every city dollar leveraged $2.50 from other sources.
- Future needs: Sustained public investment to maintain momentum, focus on small business growth, redevelopment, housing, and job opportunities. RLA is working toward 501(c)(3) status and self-sustainability.
Discussion Items
- Commissioners praised the RLA model and its positive impact on a historically disinvested area. They asked about:
- The funding gap: Chair Johnson noted that the $75,000 annual contribution was unique to RLA and questioned how to equitably replicate such support citywide. Commissioner Noecker clarified that the Commercial Corridor grant ($81,500) could allocate only 10% to staffing ($8,150), creating an effective cut of $60,000-$65,000 for operations. Chair Johnson also raised concerns about the chamber of commerce's role as the fiscal agent and the need for equitable investment across all corridors.
- Business support during construction: Commissioner Bowie asked about advocacy for businesses during Rice Street reconstruction. O'Brien described RLA's role in marketing, connecting businesses to grants, and collaboration with the North End Neighborhood Organization (District 6), which now models its construction impact grants after RLA's 2025 program.
- County and partner funding: Commissioners Yang and Bowie inquired about Ramsey County and other city contributions. O'Brien noted Ramsey County's grant is currently $0, and while Maplewood increased its contribution to $20,000, sustained support from all partners is critical. She emphasized that RLA aims for step-down of public funding as private funding grows, but this requires time.
- Potential expansion: Commissioner Kim suggested the RLA model could be replicated in other intersections touching Saint Paul, such as the East Side, and noted that RLA has been a proof-of-concept for cultural corridor building.
Key Outcomes
- The presentation was received and filed by the Board (no formal vote taken).
- Commissioners expressed strong support for the RLA's work and acknowledged the value of continued investment but raised equity and sustainability challenges.
- Chair Johnson noted that the item was placed on the agenda to inform budget discussions; no immediate funding decision was made.
- The next HRA meeting is scheduled for August 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Two order. Roll call, please. Bowie. Coleman? Jost? Here. Kim. Here. Maker. Here. Yang. Here. Chair Johnson? Here. There's six present, one absent. Except being Commissioner Bowie. Item number one is the staff report, SR twenty-six-one six three. Rice Larpender Alliance presentation. All right. So a couple of things that I'll just preface with this is that uh I appreciate Commissioner Kim being able to um kind of bring this to our attention today. This is really a continuation to recall and just to refresh in twenty twenty-four. There was a uh allocation to Rice Larpenter Alliance in twenty twenty-five. Rice Larpenter Alliance became the C co-op designee for this area. And so we brought them back in to kind of just share just some of the additional details regarding the Rice Arpenter Alliance, some details that I also learned about for the first time during our conversations, um, and wanted to give some space and some time for them to talk a little bit more about their work, about the alliance itself, and just um to get a better picture of maybe what's uh some of the work that has happened over the last few years, and especially with the years prior from twenty twenty-four there being multiple years of investment, just hearing that and how it's related to St. Paul and the corridor work. Um, so I will welcome up uh Kim O'Brien with us, who works with Rice Harpenter Alliance, um, who just put together this presentation for us. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us and to come back in. I'm sure that you all are familiar with Kim as she's wears many hats, not only in community, but has also been in some of our seats. Um, not in the council seats, but definitely in the council offices prior. So welcome, Kim. Thank you so much, Chair Johnson. Thank you, members of the HRA. Um, I recognize that this is an incredibly busy season for you all and for the city as a whole. So taking the time to listen about our community initiative at the Rice and Larpender Alliance is um really an honor, and it and so I want to thank you again for taking time to uh learn about the work that we do and learn about how the City of St. Paul might continue to um invest and support this wonderful community organization. Um so I'm gonna do I just advance with the clicking of the button with the spacebar. Oh, perfect. And before you do, I uh missed Commissioner Kim's hand. So I'm gonna go to go over. Do you have anything to add, Commissioner Kim? Oh, I was really just giving one of these from Kim O'Brien being the former LA War 5. Okay. Wonderful, I thought all the questions. My bad. Thank you, Commissioner Kim. Sorry. Okay. Um what is the Rice and Larpenter Alliance? I'm gonna I'm gonna start a little bit from the beginning. I'm gonna talk about the neighborhood.
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