Title
Recognizing Marie Franchett for an extraordinary career with the City of Saint Paul and congratulating her on her retirement.
Body
WHEREAS, Marie has had a long career in public service, starting at a non-profit community organization in Chicago providing economic development services before starting at the City of Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, Marie's project management career in Planning and Economic Development from 1992 to 2025, spanned the administrations of Mayors Norm Coleman, Randy Kelly, Chris Coleman, and Melvin Carter III; and
WHEREAS, Marie, known for her tough, but fair negotiation skills, has worked on large-scale redevelopment projects that involve the coordination of not only private developers, but several other City departments such as Parks and Public Works; and
WHEREAS, Marie has managed scores of projects, representing tens of millions of dollars in public investment, and hundreds of millions of dollars in total development costs, resulting in the creation and preservation of economic development opportunities and critically needed affordable housing for Saint Paul businesses and residents; and
WHEREAS, Marie was the PED project lead for the development of Allianz Field. She coordinated multiple organizations and stakeholders on public improvements, a stormwater treatment facility, land conveyance, a privately owned public park agreement, and a transportation management plan for game days; and
WHEREAS, Marie, a dedicated environmentalist, who advocates for climate resiliency and equity with Unidos MN, was instrumental in the development of the first affordable “Passive House” multi-family building in Saint Paul called Verdant located at the West Side Flats site. The award-winning project demonstrated that a very high level of energy efficiency is achievable in affordable housing developments; and
WHEREAS, Marie was the lead project manager for the West Side Flats, the Scenic, and the Verdant, located at West Side Flats...
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