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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,November 10, 2014 Page 10 Specific to the Dale Street Redevelopment, Councilmember Willmus asked that Councilmembers receive more frequent updates from the HRA as things moved forward, to keep the City Council in the loop. Mayor Roe concurred that more frequent updates would prove helpful, especially given the high level of interest from the community on the Dale Street Project. Housing Reinvestment Program Councilmember McGehee reported her concern with a resident who had been the recipient of two HRA letters of interest in purchasing her home. Councilmember McGehee expressed her concern, as well as the negative connotations felt by the resident, in the tone and style of the letter and found it offensive and unwelcome, as well as somewhat frightening. Councilmember McGehee opined that she was not aware that the HRA was initiating home purchases from currently occupied homes in that manner; and opined that it was not appropriate for the HRA to im- ply a home was substandard and should be demolished and replaced. Coun- cilmember McGehee opined that a current homeowner may be very happy with their current residence, and if well-maintained and occupied, they were valuable to those residents as well as the community, and represented some of the City's affordable housing stock. Councilmember McGehee personally urged the HRA not to send out specific letters to specific residents, but to solicit blanket inquiries in the City's newsletter versus singling people out. As well intentioned as the let- ter may have been, Councilmember McGehee wanted to make the HRA aware of how the recipient may feel if it was implied that their homes were of no value to the City. At the request of Mayor Roe, and for the benefit of the public, Ms. Kelsey provid- ed a brief background on how homes were selected. Ms. Kelsey reviewed the his- tory of the program, initiated by the City Council prior to 2000 and before the HRA was created, and based on a model program from the City of Richfield, MN. Ms. Kelsey advised that homes identified were based on those from County As- sessors touring those homes, and based on their assessed value and square footage and age of a home. Ms. Kelsey clarified that the letters stated, "Your home MAY qualify for..." and suggested contacting the HRA for additional information IF in- terested. As an example, Ms. Kelsey advised that the recent Hamline Avenue home was identified based on those qualification, resulting in a sale to the HRA, demolition of the existing structure, subsequent sale and current construction of a new home valued in excess of $300,000 on that site, with the previous owner finding alternative housing for their current level of need elsewhere in the com- munity. Mayor Roe asked that staff provide the City Council with a copy of the letter, with the request duly noted by staff.