Mayor Ed Gainey appointed two new members to the board of the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Monday: state Representative Sara Innamorato and Kyle Chintalapalli, who joined the administration as chief economic development officer last month.
“I am confident that both Kyle and Rep. Innamorato bring a wealth of experience and commitment to my administration’s priority to create an equitable economy for all Pittsburghers,” Gainey said in a release. “I know that they will both serve our city well.”
Though Chintalapalli most recently directed business and economic development for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, he previously served as chief strategy officer at the URA during former Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration. Before that, he worked in the mayor’s office and was instrumental in advancing affordable housing policy.
Innamorato, until recently Gainey’s colleague in the statehouse, has made affordable housing and transportation access two of her priorities in Harrisburg. She serves on the House committees of Labor and Industry, Urban Affairs, Transportation, and Finance.
Innamorato told WESA she is excited to support projects that build a Pittsburgh economy “where everyone can thrive and prosper.” But she’s also eager to address “issues like blight in some neighborhoods but also gentrification and displacement that’s happening in others.”
She said being a member of the URA board will allow her to see firsthand the result of “action and inaction in Harrisburg.”
The Urban Redevelopment Authority plays a critical role in shaping investment in Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and in recent years has tried to ensure the agency is accessible to neighborhood groups, small businesses, and in particular, minority- and women-owned businesses. In addition, it has shifted its focus from large-scale redevelopment projects to neighborhood-level initiatives.
URA board members are appointed for five-year terms, and typically the board includes a member of the city’s legislative delegation in Harrisburg, such as Gainey or now Innamorato. Historically, the mayor’s chief of staff has also been appointed; appointing Chintalapalli, instead of chief of staff Jake Wheatley, is therefore something of a departure.
Annual elections for officer posts within the URA board take place at the first meeting of the year, scheduled for Thursday of this week.
