Downtown Investment Authority Selects CEO
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2466758659_H6FqN3F-M.jpg)
The Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) announced today the selection of its first CEO. Aundra C. Wallace of Detroit will lead the DIAââ,¬â,,¢s efforts to build a more vibrant and competitive city, with a focus on Jacksonvilleââ,¬â,,¢s urban core.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-jun-downtown-investment-authority-selects-ceo
Disappointed. I'm skeptical of anyone that comes out of Detroit.
After sitting in the room and witnessing the presentations from the two finalist, I'm not. I found the responses from the finalist with Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Orleans experience very concerning. Outside of management and understanding HUD financing, he came off has not being strong in understanding the actual concepts that make an urban environment successful. For example, he completely whiffed on question about the importance of a street environment to urban vibrancy. His response was along the lines of, "well compared to New Orleans, your streets are great. They are smooth, New Orleans has a lot of potholes." In response to the sidewalks, he said he'd need time to walk them.
He also touted Atlantic Station a lot but in reality, during his time, the ADA basically created a TAD (tax allocation district) for the property that eventually became Atlantic Station. You can create all the TIF districts you want in urban Jax. That won't get you an Atlantic Station.
^^^This is all true. And imo there is nothing to tout about AS. It's had its fair share of ups and downs and is not embraced by most in Atlanta. It's only a financial success for CBREI now that it's basis is so low and it has a responsible and fully vested operating partner.
Knowing how corrupt Detroit is across all forms of the public sector and even in the private sector, and knowing how locally corrupt Jax is (though it doesn't make national headlines), I hope that there is no fishy business that happens here.
Lake, what were your impressions of the WV fellow who dropped out? I like downtown Charleston.
I was high on the WV guy. I personally saw Lakeland and Hollywood change under his leadership. I still believe his experience for what downtown needs is more than the other three finalist combined. He didn't have the "big city" experience but no one can deny he hasn't had direct hands on success with the little things, where ever he had been.
However, after attending today's meeting, I don't believe most on the DIA board were looking for one who could get the little things right. More questions and comments centered around big city development financing opportunities and management. From that viewpoint, someone from a city like Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, New Orleans, etc. is going to rank higher, despite probably not having the actual hands on experience in regards to downtown revitalization. To me, it was clear, Hanna didn't know much about the little things to making a downtown environment a successful one. What I heard today, was pretty much the same sentiment my urban advocacy contact in Philly told me about a month or two ago. He sounds like a decent finalist for inner city land banking and HUD financing. However, this position should focus on DT revitalization, which for Philly, was the focus of the administration before Hanna came in.
Quote from: volguus zildroharHey Ennis,
I don't know too much about Mr. Hanna but I can tell you what I know about NTI.
The program was intended to demolish thousands of derelict and abandoned properties across the city, mainly in impoverished neighborhoods. The aim, of course, was good but slightly shortsighted and not properly executed. A large number of cleared parcels remain vacant to this day even though the program was initiated in 2000. NTI was the baby of former mayor John Street who built his reputation upon being 'the neighborhood mayor' as opposed to his predecessor Ed Rendell who channeled much of his efforts towards revitalizing Center City and environs. Street's program, when announced, was hailed as the magic bullet to bring the kind of success to Philadelphia's tumbled down and far-flung neighborhoods that downtown had been enjoying at the time. However a number of practical issues had either been overlooked or not fully considered by his administration starting with marketing. While blocks of abandoned houses are a deterrent to developers having those blocks located in low-income areas far from any possible synergy with gentrifying or economically stable areas is an even larger one. Additionally, the lion's share of NTI's budget went to land clearing and acquisition and not to any sort of management of the collection of properties in order to make them more than just fallow land.
Where Kevin Hanna fits into that is that he was Mayor Street's personal choice to run the operation. In my bit of research I'm not coming across anything bad about him or untoward about his association with Mayor Street but it does seem that he was a bit of a victim of local politics. Street had a defined set of local politicians and power brokers who were allies and who were enemies. After Street's terms as mayor ended current mayor Michael Nutter, no ally of Street during his time in City Council, essentially put NTI on ice in order to reorganize the program into something that more proactively dealt with the parcels that it had cleared - a process that has led to the idea of forming a land bank.
To answer your question, it seems that Kevin Hanna has no major strikes against him in terms of heading Jacksonville's Downtown Investment Authority. I'm unaware of the particulars - economic and political - entailed in executing the duties of that post but they can't be considerably harder and certainly have to be less frustrating than navigating Philadelphia's political waters.
As secretary of housing for Philadelphia he would have had little if any impact on anything in Center City as there's virtually no public housing there although in adjacent neighborhoods there are several Philadelphia Housing Authority projects that were conceived or built on his watch that are nothing short of outstanding (the mixed-income MLK/Hawthorne development is a notable example). If he does get the position I would think you could look forward to good things.
Peace,
Quote from: LakelanderHi, I hope all is well. I have a quick question that you may be able to answer or provide some insight into. Kevin Hanna, Philly's Secretary of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation from 2002-2008 is one of the finalist for Jacksonville's Downtown Investment Authority's CEO position. A local paper posted his resume and it mentions all the success he had chairing the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. However, during a google search, I found a story saying the NTI was a program to demolish thousands of vacant structures to make way for new infill. What's your take on Hanna and the NTI? Do you think Hanna would be good for downtown revitalization? Was he involved with anything in Center City? Thanks!
Ennis
Lakelander
On the other hand, Wallace seemed to at least do some homework and provide relieving answers to the questions he was asked.
Scorecards:
http://issuu.com/metrojacksonville.com/docs/dia_scorecard (http://issuu.com/metrojacksonville.com/docs/dia_scorecard)
Based on the scores the decision makers today were Barakat, Bishop, Harris and Allegretti. Williams was the only person who favored Hanna. Saylor, Perez and Bailey scored Hanna and Wallace within one point of each other.
Watching the board today it seemed like Bishop, Barakat and Harris were the most involved and motivated. Perez was eager to get out of there as soon as possible and he did.
Hanna was certainly the weaker candidate based on the interview. It was difficult to follow him. He meandered in and out of thoughts and had not researched Jax. Wallace was the opposite. He was to the point and understandable. More importantly, he researched...at least he did enough to make it seem like he had a general understanding of Jax.
It was disconcerting when Saylor started the deliberations by saying something like "I appreciate a man that shoots from the hips. He didn't give us paperwork and was not following notes. Whereas Wallace gave us a packet and was following an outline."
Board Member: Hanna/Wallace
Saylor: 104H/104W: No Decision. Turns out Saylor likes a man who is not prepared. ;)
Bishop: 81H/105W: The largest spread.
Perez: 100H/99W
Barakat: 94H/103W
Harris: 99H/105W
Williams: 119H/115W
Allegretti: 103H/108W
Total: 797/834
I just found out some interesting news from the Times Union comments page. Apparently Wallace is the reason for Detroit's downfall. Guess we are doomed....
LOL, FTU comments section is a joke. Detroit was in decline before Wallace was born. What's currently happening in downtown and Midtown is really impressive, given the condition of the overall municipality and state. We could learn a thing or two from both of the cities Wallace and Hanna are employed in.
Wait, so you're telling us that Wallace is not responsible for the decline of the American auto industry and shift away from an industrial economy? Haha
I know Detroit is a city you know quite a bit about...looking forward to your perspective of how he can apply his work in Detroit to Jax.
Quote from: CityLife on June 06, 2013, 04:33:30 PM
Wait, so you're telling us that Wallace is not responsible for the decline of the American auto industry and shift away from an industrial economy?
Don't forget the Pistons losing to the Lakers in the '88 Finals.
Totally Wallace's fault.
Urban revitalization in DT Detroit is being bank rolled by hometown billionaire Dan Gilbert. With that in mind, unless we have an individual willing to open up their personal pocketbook for the good of the public, it's essentially an apples to oranges situation.
Nevertheless, because Detroit is being bankrolled by the private sector and they have so much to overcome, they've been quite innovative in their response to problems associated with urban revitalization. No doubt, Wallace has been exposed to that process, so perhaps we'll gain some of that institutional knowledge.
For example, Tony Allegretti asked both about their view of transit and TOD in downtown Jacksonville. Hanna responded that he helped create a TIF for what eventually became Lindbergh Station in Atlanta. He also mentioned that he liked TOD and would want to work with JTA. However, he never fully explained how his vision would fit specifically into downtown Jacksonville.
On the other hand, Wallace explained it's importance in detail and the need to connect DT with surrounding urban core neighborhoods. He then used Detroit's proposed M-1 streetcar line as an example of how it will connect DT Detroit to Midtown and the TOD and excitement that was being stimulated by it. Like Hanna, he'd also like to work with JTA to improve transit connectivity between DT and other areas.
Most of their responses to direct issues went this way. Hanna pretty much deferred to saying he'd do whatever the board wanted and Wallace expressed an opinion with a realistic situation from his past experience as proof. Despite Hanna having more big city management experience, Wallace came off as a little more visionary, to the point to where I think he'd easily grasp some planning issues that Hanna would defer or need a learning curb before deciding which way to go in his thinking.
Thus, I think being exposed to the innovative stuff Detroit's private sector has come up with in the last few years, will be a valuable asset that Wallace will bring to Jacksonville. After all, if they can find solutions to add life into a place like Detroit, Jacksonville should be a cakewalk.......right?
Quote from: CityLife on June 06, 2013, 04:33:30 PM
Wait, so you're telling us that Wallace is not responsible for the decline of the American auto industry and shift away from an industrial economy? Haha
Yes, Wallace is personally responsible for driving Packard and the Purple Gang out of business!
Thanks, Lake and Cat, for your insights.
And I got a good laugh out of the Wallace/NBA finals reference
Throughout this process I always assumed Aundra was a woman. Am I the only one?
Anyway, glad to hear Lake has some faith in the decision. Sounds like we can benefit from a few detroit lessons learned.
Now, if he's really smart, he'll hire Lake. Or at least consult with Lake.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2013/06/06/dia-ceo-candidate-hanna-was-introduced.html
Interesting article from the Business Journal and perhaps worthy of its own thread. I'm not the least bit surprised...and in fact even speculated in an email before the meeting yesterday (to a few posters here) that Hanna was the handpicked choice. After reading the JBJ article, the Mayor's office may have even done the same for both Hanna and Wallace.
The real question is, did we really get the best possible candidates? Or did the Mayor's Office stack the deck in favor of their preferred choices? I might let the dust settle a little before drawing any conclusions...but this is a little fishy. Especially when you consider they didn't even bring in Edwards for an interview.
Selected blurbs from the story:
"CEO candidate Kevin Hanna was introduced to members of the Downtown Investment Authority before the search process started, a board member said Thursday.
"Board member Melody Bishop said she was attending a meeting at City Hall with Chris Hand, chief of staff for Mayor Alvin Brown, and Paul Crawford, deputy director of the Office of Economic Development, when Hanna, director of real estate development for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, was introduced to her."
She said she was meeting with Hand and Crawford to discuss the framework for the DIA's subcommittees when she met Hanna. She couldn't recall the date but said the meeting was scheduled after the DIA had selected North Carolina-based Jorgenson Consulting to handle the search process but before the mayor's office had approved the selection, likely some time in late February or early March.
She said she couldn't remember whether Hand or Crawford brought up Hanna's presence.
"Within the first five minutes, they said, 'Oh this certain person happens to be in town,'" Bishop said. "At that time, I was suspicious. I thought, 'What do you mean, they happen to be in town?' Then later, in thinking about it and reading his resume and seeing how he operates, I believe he really was passionate and had pushed himself."
As she was leaving the meeting, Bishop said, either Hand or Crawford told her, "He's over there in that office. We'd like you to go."
So are you saying you don't believe Hanna just happened to take a random eight hour trip to Jacksonville, find city hall, and all of these public officials in the same room on a certain meeting date.........all on his own accord?
I attended the 6/6/13 DIA CEO candidate hiring interview process and walked up and introduced myself and welcomed Aundra Wallace to Jacksonville while proudly wearing my Mayor Alvin Brown's Kayaking Adventures tshirt and my first thought while I'm shaking this mans hand is I'm going to need a bigger kayak.
The nine member DIA Board was there with the one exception of Robert Clements. Each candidate was given 45 minutes. The interviews were going to be taped but there were audio difficulties but Mr. Wallace was clear and audible for everyone that was there. Maybe it's just me but my first impression is that Mr. Wallace is the Michael Duncan of Jacksonville and lets all get ready to walk the Green Mile which Is Downtown Redevelopment.
Mr. Wallace had the attention of the Board and was precise and deliberate with his answers and offered solutions. Just throwing it out there but one hot potato from the get go and I got this just from the questions being asked by board members will be the old courthouse. Reuse for residential and hotel or tear it down.
Mr. Wallace told everyone that he will be living Downtown and he does like to walk. He says he has a Participatory management style and that everyone has a stake in the success. Tell me what you think. I'm ready to walk and talk!
Kevin Hanna was the second interview and I just missed him coming in the room because when I did notice him he was just getting seated. right off the bat he said that in the first 60 days he will be meeting with city council. I'm thinking good luck. There are council members that it's been years and have never had a call back or email returned. I digress. then in 90-120 days a draft of CRA for approval.
Mr. Hanna didn't win. And after listening to Mr. Wallace who set the bar higher as far delivery and preparation you just kept looking at the clock when the 45 minutes would be up. on more than one occasion a board member asked for a brief answer to a question instead of the super elongated ones. The board remained polite and we do have to remember that this is the process going forward.
A new Authority.
Embrace It
Or
It will Embrace Us
Interesting comments. Thanks Noone!
If he actually resides Downtown then I am 100% a fan from the get go.
By doing so he is making a statement.
Welcome to Jacksonville Mr. Wallace!
By the way, we have a pretty sweet happy hour.
First drink is on us... ;)
Mark's
315 East Bay St
Jax, Fl. 32202
He mentioned, he'd be a downtown resident. He currently resides in downtown Detroit.
It’s interesting how many people jumped on the guy being “from Detroit†when his experience has been diverse including executive level work in South Florida. Thing is, a guy who comes with experience with a “hard case†city like Detroit may be more of what we need. Sleepily little ol Jacksonville plays a political game where a lot of elbows get thrown. Its not going to be a cake-walk. It looks to me the DIA sharpened their pencils on this one and conducted business the way it should. I think the new Director will do a good job.
Digging this up from the dead... did anyone see this article?
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140529/METRO01/305290038
QuoteDetroit — City officials spent as much as $537,000 per home renovating 30 houses under a federal program to fight blight only to sell most for less than $100,000 apiece, a Detroit News investigation has found.
*snip* Whaaaaaat?
QuoteIn total, the land bank spent nearly $8.7 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on 30 homes. That's an average of $290,000 per home, and the 13 most expensive homes cost $300,000 to $537,000 apiece. The return on the investment from sales so far: $2 million.
The money was spent under a former director, Aundra Wallace, who left last summer for an economic development job in Florida. He didn't return phone calls for comment. His successor, along with Mayor Mike Duggan, have distanced themselves from the program and instead are auctioning homes to buyers who will make repairs themselves.
Hoo boy!
We're in the second week of July but Times-Union has a story on this now:
QuoteDetroit paper: Millions lost on repairs on Jacksonville Downtown Investment head's watch
Before moving to Florida last year, the head of Jacksonville's Downtown Investment Authority oversaw a redevelopment program in Detroit that lost millions of dollars flipping 30 houses, a Detroit newspaper reported.
The Detroit Land Bank Authority spent $8.7 million repairing and modernizing houses it later sold for $2 million, the Detroit News said.
The Land Bank, which assembles and resells blocks of vacant land, was headed until 2013 by Aundra Wallace, who left to become the DIA's first CEO.
The News quoted a woman who bought one of the homes saying the money spent on renovations "makes me sick." It noted the Land Bank spent $537,000 renovating one home that sold later for $108,000.
But Wallace said comparisons like that miss the point of the renovations, which he said "were sound decisions" carefully designed to build homebuyers' confidence.
"Detroit neighborhoods were facing and are still facing daunting challenges," Wallace said in emailed answers to Times-Union questions.
full article: http://members.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-07-08/story/detroit-paper-millions-lost-repairs-jacksonville-downtown-investment
I'm familiar with the neighborhood where $537k was spent on the restoration of a home. It's called Boston-Edison and was the preferred early 20th century destination for residences owned by Detroit's largest automakers. The houses are pretty large and the neighborhood has declined pretty bad. As a matter of fact, I spent a few hours at a friend's house in this neighborhood this past Saturday.
Here are a few images of what this neighborhood looks like:
(http://thumbs.trulia-cdn.com/pictures/thumbs_3/ps.62/d/e/4/e/picture-uh=5e961ddffe44b441edcee8efd146e7-ps=de4ea46f6aaeacc43e678d27b8503f27.jpg)
(http://www.angelfire.com/de2/detroitpix/BostonEdisonRuin2.jpg)
(http://imgick.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/pgmain/img/detroit/photo/2013/10/-9f6ecbe9ea61ca15.JPG)
(http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/538cd1a2f92ea15f1300589e/BostonEdison-197.jpg)