Local Redevelopment Authority

Local Redevelopment Authority
Name	Local Redevelopment Authority
Type	Redevelopment agency
Jurisdiction	Local
Established	Varies by jurisdiction
Headquarters	Varies
Website	N/A

Contents

Local Redevelopment Authority

A Local Redevelopment Authority is a statutory or administrative entity charged with planning, administering, and implementing redevelopment of surplus, underused, or contaminated sites. These authorities operate within legal regimes set by national statutes such as the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, and interact with institutions like the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and General Services Administration. They coordinate with municipal entities including the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Chicago Housing Authority, and regional planning bodies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Overview

Local Redevelopment Authorities typically emerge after asset divestment events such as Base Realignment and Closure Commission rounds, industrial decline in the Rust Belt, or post-disaster recovery after incidents like Hurricane Katrina, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, or the 1995 Kobe earthquake. They navigate site remediation under frameworks influenced by cases like Love Canal and standards developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Authorities often blend functions seen in organizations such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and national agencies like the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Examples of institutional partners include Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil, BP, Siemens, General Electric, and philanthropic actors like the Rockefeller Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Legal origins vary: in the United States many authorities derive powers from statutes tied to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission process, the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, state redevelopment laws such as the California Community Redevelopment Law, and precedents from cases litigated before the Supreme Court of the United States. Comparable regimes exist under instruments like the European Union cohesion policy, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in the United Kingdom, and national laws in countries like Japan, Germany, Canada, and Australia. Authorities exercise powers that echo those in chartered entities like the Federal Reserve Board, State Department of Transportation, Public Works and Government Services Canada, and municipal corporations such as the City of Toronto and City of London Corporation.

Common functions include land acquisition and assembly similar to powers of National Asset Management Agency (Ireland), Land Bank models in Cleveland, property disposition akin to practices by the General Services Administration, environmental remediation aligned with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act protocols, and implementing economic development projects comparable to initiatives by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (defunct). Authorities may negotiate public-private partnerships with firms like Bechtel Corporation, Skanska, Balfour Beatty, and Kiewit Corporation, and deploy instruments such as tax increment financing used in Chicago, Houston, and Miami. They coordinate redevelopment that can mirror urban renewal projects like Pruitt–Igoe, Battery Park City, Canary Wharf, and Docklands (London).

Organizational models range from elected boards analogous to the New York State Assembly and California State Senate appointments, to mayoral authorities resembling structures in Mayor of London and the Office of the Mayor of New York City. Governance blends legal oversight from courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and administrative review by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development. Staffing often includes professionals drawn from institutions like Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and private consultancies such as McKinsey & Company, AECOM, Arup Group, and WSP Global.

Funding mechanisms include grants from entities like the Department of Housing and Urban Development, loans from the World Bank and European Investment Bank, tax increment financing used in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Baltimore, and bond issuance similar to practices by the Municipal Bond Market and Ginnie Mae. Redevelopment projects may use capital from private equity firms such as BlackRock, Carlyle Group, KKR, and TPG Capital, or leverage programs like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and New Markets Tax Credit. Financial oversight can involve regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and standards set by accounting bodies like the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

Prominent cases include conversion of military bases exemplified by Naval Air Station Alameda, Fort Ord, and Mather Air Force Base; urban waterfront redevelopments like Battery Park City, Baltimore Inner Harbor, and London Docklands; and brownfield remediation projects such as Love Canal mitigation and redevelopment of Lower Don Lands. International case studies include regeneration of Hamburg HafenCity, Bilbao with the influence of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and post-industrial transformations in Essen informed by the Ruhr Regionalverband and projects like Emscher Landschaftspark. Partnerships with universities have occurred in projects involving University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology innovation districts.

Critiques mirror controversies seen in cases like Pruitt–Igoe, the dissolution of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and disputes over Canary Wharf development. Issues include displacement and gentrification observed in Brooklyn neighborhoods, allegations of corruption reminiscent of scandals tied to Tammany Hall, fiscal mismanagement scrutinized by bodies like the Government Accountability Office, environmental justice concerns raised by Greenpeace and Sierra Club, and legal challenges adjudicated in forums such as the Supreme Court of the United States and European Court of Human Rights. Debates involve competing visions promoted by actors like the Urban Land Institute, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and advocacy groups including National Trust for Historic Preservation and Habitat for Humanity International.

Category:Urban planning