Small Business Resources

Housing Services

AGENCY GOALS, ACTIVITIES AND STRUCTURE

Goals: Abating blight, generating jobs, creating economic opportunities, and raising revenues that can be used to improve the quality of life for the residents of East Palo Alto.

The City's Redevelopment Agency supports the following activities:

1. Redevelopment Activities: Development projects within the redevelopment area are either initiated or coordinated through the City's Redevelopment Agency. The main functions of the Agency are to eliminate physical blight, expand the City's tax base, create and retain employment for local residents, and improve the City’s physical infrastructure.
2. Economic Development Activities: The City's Economic Development Activities are focused to create a healthy and thriving business environment in East Palo Alto by expanding employment, procurement and small business opportunities for East Palo Alto residents and local businesses, as well as attracting needed goods and services.
3. Housing Services: The mission of Housing Services is to advance and support policies and programs to ensure that East Palo Alto is a sustainable and economically vital city of culturally and vocationally diverse residents of all ages. On behalf of all East Palo Altans, and in collaboration with other City departments and community organizations, the staff of Housing Services works to preserve and facilitate an increase in the availability of affordable rental and for-sale housing and insures that all homes, and residential properties are maintained in a safe and sanitary condition.

Agency Structure: The City of East Palo Alto's Redevelopment Agency is a separate public legal entity from the City. It is governed by the five members of the City Council, with the Vice Mayor serving as Chair of the Agency, and the Mayor as the Vice-Chair.

Agency Members

Ruben Abrica, Chair
Laura Martinez, Vice Chair
David Woods, Member
Peter Evans, Member
Carlos Romero, Member

The day-to-day administrative functions of the Agency are carried out by the following staff members:

ML Gordon, Executive Director
John Doughty, Director Community Development
Carlos Martinez, RDA Division Manager
Russell Averhart, RDA Project Manager
Sean Charpentier, RDA Project Coordinator II
Karen Tiedemann, RDA Counsel (Goldfarb & Lipman)

Contact Information:

Redevelopment Agency
City of East Palo Alto
1960 Tate Ave.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 853-3186