Boston Redevelopment Authority Gets 'Critical Review'

BOSTON (CBS) -- Last week, consulting firm McKinsey and Company released its findings on the internal workings of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. As WBZ business reporter Jeff Brown found out, the agency has a lot of work to do.

According to Brian Golden, Director of the BRA, the findings were no surprise.

"It's a critical review, we expected it to be critical, and we embrace it," said Golden.

The Redevelopment Authority is getting a long overdue shakeup ahead of Mayor Marty Walsh's Imagine Boston 2030 initiative takes form.

"Mayor Walsh has called for the city to conduct a citywide comprehensive plan for the first time in 50 years," said Golden.

Golden has long said he's been willing to fix the BRA, but reimagining Boston is not an easy task.

"We knew a lot of the deficits identified, we did not know all of them and we didn't often understand the depth of the problem," he said.

But he says this type of change doesn't come at the snap of the fingers.

"We've been at the process of reform here for 18 months since Mayor Walsh took office, and we'll be at that process of reform for another 18 months or more," he said.

As the plan evolves, where does he see the authority say, 12 months down the road?

"Much greater internal controls," he said. "Our internal operations will work better, our finance system will work better, our planning department will work better."

The BRA has approved more than 5 billion dollars for projects in the pipeline, and last week, gave its okay to a proposal to renovate Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jeff Brown reports