Chuck Lutz, MCDA Interim Executive Director, asked that I post the following answers to the questions posed by Dave Harstad earlier today:
1. What prompted the reform that lead to the termination of the HRA and the creation of the MCDA? Don Fraser formed the Mayor's Task Force on Economic Development Structure in February of 1980 with this charge: "Economic development results in the city, particularly in the past few years, have been impressive. However, the economic development functions or support systems of Minneapolis City government are uncoordinated and often duplicative. The fragmented city structure does not pose as serious a problem for the sophisticated and/or large developer or business person as it does for the small or less sophisticated. "We have many different agencies or departments with some responsibility for economic development, housing or development activities. These include the Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the Minneapolis Industrial Development Commission, the City Coordinator's Office and the Minneapolis Planning Department. "The City of Minneapolis recognizes that the fragmentation of economic development causes a variety of problems including: unnecessary competition between agencies for the same development; confusion in the business community as to where to go in the city for development and development assistance; duplication of staff and resources; difficulty in implementing small business and minority assistance programs; and the problems caused by diffused authority scattered throughout many statutes and the Minneapolis City Charter." As a result of the Task Force's report, in July of 1981 the MCDA was formed as an amalgam of the Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment Authority (MHRA), the Minneapolis Industrial Development Commission (MIDC), a portion of the City Coordinator's office, the Port Authority and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA). A few years later, recognizing differences of mission, the MPHA was reestablished as a separate entity. In 1986, the Minneapolis City Council designated itself the MCDA Board of Commissioners replacing the Board of appointed citizens. 2. Would the proposed Community Planning and Economic Development Department be legally and organizationally similar to the old HRA? It's difficult to say because the final structure of the proposed CPED department is not yet known. However, the McKinsey & Co. recommendation for the CPED is broader than that of the MHRA. For instance, the proposal includes the current departments of Inspections and Health and Family Support which were never part of the old MHRA. 3. The [McKinsey] proposal looks a lot like St. Paul's approach to development -- St. Paul has HRA which is staffed by the Department of Planning and Economic Development. Neighborhood input is through District Planning Councils which play an important role in development, but don't have the clout that Minneapolis NRP groups have. Does this seem accurate to people who know both systems? St. Paul actually has two development entities: (1) the Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED), which carries out planning as well as commercial and housing development; and (2) the Port Authority, which carries out industrial development. Perhaps there are others on the list who are more familiar with the systems in both cities. Chuck Lutz Interim Executive Director Minneapolis Community Development Agency 105 5th Avenue South, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55401 612-673-5196 612-673-5293 Fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dave Harstad of Whittier wrote: I'd need a little perspective on the City's effort to reform the MCDA. For many years, Minneapolis had a Housing and Redevelopment Authority. What prompted the reform that lead to the termination of the HRA and the creation of the MCDA? Would the proposed Community Planning and Economic Development Department be legally and organizationally similar to the old HRA? I haven't looked at all the nuances of the McKenzie report, but my first take is that the proposal looks a lot like St. Paul's approach to development (St. Paul has HRA which is staffed by the Department of Planning and Economic Development. Neighborhood input is through District Planning Councils which play an important role in development, but don't have the clout that Minneapolis NRP groups have). Does this seem accurate to people who know both systems? _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
