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Redevelopment agencies: what they are, how they operate and how Salt Lake City’s RDA is changing its name
Summary
Salt Lake City’s redevelopment agency director outlined how RDAs are structured under Utah law, how they differ from city departments and why Salt Lake’s agency is adopting the “community reinvestment agency” name.
Danny Waltz, director of the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City, told a Utah League of Cities and Towns webinar that redevelopment agencies (RDAs) are a statutory tool cities use to carry out targeted real estate and revitalization projects. "RDAs are a tool," Waltz said, adding that how an agency is structured and used determines its outcomes.
Waltz said RDAs are separate legal entities created under state statute but are often governed by city officials "wearing a different hat." In Utah, he said, the RDA executive director is appointed by the mayor or city manager and the board of directors is typically the city council acting in an RDA capacity. He described staffing options as flexible: some RDAs share city staff and services (legal, HR, finance) while larger agencies like Salt Lake City’s maintain dedicated teams.
The nut graf: RDAs function as the city’s active real-estate arm for targeted areas and operate under a different budgetary and accounting regime than the city’s general fund. Waltz emphasized that RDAs can hold and carry over funds year to year, acquire and disposition property with different authorities than a general-purpose city, and use bonding for projects — especially housing.
Waltz outlined practical distinctions: RDA budgets are legally separate from a city’s general fund and require discrete accounts for project areas and housing. He said RDAs can accumulate tax increment revenues over multiple years to fund projects rather than using annual ‘‘use it or lose it’’ general-fund practices. He described property acquisition powers that allow RDAs to write down land values to encourage development and contrasted RDAs’ higher tolerance for development risk with typical city departments.
Waltz also announced an institutional rebranding: Salt Lake City’s RDA will formally adopt the name Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency to reflect the statutory title and a renewed focus on community reinvestment.
Waltz and Molly Wheeler, deputy director at the Utah League of Cities and Towns, answered attendee questions about scope and limits for RDAs (for example, housing authority citywide versus other project investments limited to project areas), and procedural steps such as required hearings and interlocal agreements with taxing entities. They repeatedly referenced the state statutory framework that governs agency powers and public-engagement requirements.
Waltz closed by urging cities to match agency structure to local goals and to coordinate closely with other departments when RDAs undertake projects that require ongoing municipal maintenance or services.
Ending: The webinar hosts said the slides will be shared and posted online; Waltz encouraged follow-up by email for unanswered questions.
