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City staff seek consultant for citywide economic development strategy; RFP draft and timeline outlined
Summary
City staff presented a draft scope and timeline for a citywide economic development strategy and requested commissioner input on priorities including permitting, retail attraction, commercial corridors and small business supports. Staff proposed an RFP in mid‑May with a consultant start in September and a project duration of about 9–12 months.
City staff presented a draft scope for a citywide economic development strategy and said they will issue a request for proposals to hire a consultant to analyze the city’s economy, identify opportunities and recommend implementable strategies focused on equity, business growth and tax‑base expansion.
Director Newton briefed commissioners on the draft RFP, saying the consultant would conduct an in‑depth analysis of the city’s economy, recommend near‑term and longer‑term strategies, and provide tactics, timelines and metrics for implementation. “A consultant who does this work will look at our situation and our opportunities and they will lay out sort of what can we jump on quickly and…what’s the 10‑year horizon,” Newton said.
Staff listed high‑level existing conditions to be included in the study: a relatively high portion of tax‑exempt land (government, hospital, colleges), retail leakage to suburban jurisdictions, permitting and regulatory processes that developers describe as slow or complex, housing affordability pressures and eviction trends, and major stalled or delayed mixed‑use developments that drive attention to permitting and capital market conditions. Newton said staff will provide the consultant with relevant plans and studies, including Ramsey County’s ECI plan, downtown investment strategy, the city’s comprehensive plan and HUD consolidated plan.
Commissioners emphasized priorities for the consultant. Several asked that the scope include a thorough review of permitting and the customer experience for applicants; Commissioner Naker said she wanted a plan that is “focused” and heavy on tactics rather than a broad document that touches many topics without implementation detail. Commissioner Yang asked that staff collect developer input on what is meant by “challenging permitting” so the consultant can recommend precise fixes. Commissioner Buoy asked staff to inventory existing corridor and neighborhood plans so the consultant can build on current work rather than duplicate it.
Staff proposed a timeline: issue the RFP around mid‑May, a submission deadline in late June, interviews in July, contract award in mid‑August and a project start around Sept. 1. Newton estimated a consultant timeline of roughly nine months to a year to complete the strategy, producing near‑term, mid‑term and longer‑term recommendations.
What happens next: staff will finalize the RFP, incorporate commissioner feedback (especially on permitting, corridor inventories and measurable tactics), issue the RFP and return with contract recommendations for a consultant under the city’s procurement rules.
