Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Transcription

1 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) City of Brunswick, Georgia (Stage One of Two-Stage RFQ/RFP Qualifications-Based Competitive Process) Submit your Qualifications to: City of Brunswick Attn: Arne Glaeser PO Box 550 Brunswick, GA 31521

2 Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Overview of the Development Opportunity South School Site Description Zoning & Development Standards Redevelopment Objectives III. Desired Developer Qualifications IV. Submission Format and Contents Qualifications and Experience Proposed Development Vision and Program Conceptual Finance Structure/Financial Stability V. Evaluation Criteria VI. Protests VII. Response Deadline VIII. Inquiries IX. Selection Procedure/Timeline X. Terms and Conditions Exhibits

3 Section I: Introduction The City of Brunswick (City) and the Brunswick Downtown Development Authority (DDA) are soliciting highly qualified developers with experience in 1) developing village scale urban retail and restaurant districts and/or 2) developing high quality urban residential neighborhoods that may include a mixture of high-density condominiums, apartments, townhomes and single-family units, to respond to this Request for Qualifications ( RFQ ). The City and DDA s objective is to negotiate agreements with qualified developers who are interested in constructing an urban residential neighborhood in Brunswick. The area of opportunity for the purposes of this RFQ is the South School Site (See attached Overall Site Map). This parcel is 4.36 acres and is owned by the City of Brunswick. The City-owned property identified in this RFQ is being offered for redevelopment. The South School Site is a rectangular, 4.36 acre parcel located close to the geographic center of the City. The property is bordered by Martin Luther King Boulevard on the west, Stonewall Street to the east, O Street to the north and M Street to the south. The entire block is owned by the City of Brunswick. It is the City s desire to have this parcel developed in total in a manner compliant with the Blueprint Brunswick II master plan. The City not only seeks to provide housing units that are affordable, but also to enhance the MLK Corridor and surrounding community. The City is also open to any other accessory uses that may compliment the residential or mixed use described in the Blueprint. The objective of this RFQ process is to determine the level of interest and number of qualified developers for the area identified above. Responses to this RFQ should provide general ideas and strategies for the redevelopment of the sites including resumes and qualifications for the development team(s). The City and DDA will review qualification packages to select experienced developers to advance to the next step, which will be a Request for Proposal (RFP), leading toward the selection of one preferred developer and the eventual disposition of the development sites under mutually beneficial financial terms. Depending upon the number and quality of responses, the City and DDA reserve the right to request additional information from some or all respondents, or to issue additional requests to advance the review process. This RFQ does not obligate the DDA or the City of Brunswick to select or negotiate with any development team(s) or to accept offers which the City or DDA determines, in their judgment, are not in the best interest of the DDA or the City. Section II: Overview of the Development Opportunity I. Description The South School Site is a rectangular, 4.36 acre parcel located close to the geographic center of the City. The property is bordered by Martin Luther King Boulevard on the west, Stonewall Street to the east, O Street to the north and M Street to the south. The entire block is owned by the City of Brunswick. The property is currently occupied by single-story brick-faced and metal clad buildings and was recently used for parking and maintenance of school buses as well as the Adult Literacy Center. It is anticipated that the site will be cleared and all environmental hazards removed by the first quarter of The developer will receive a cleared and graded building site. The site is surrounded by mixed residential, commercial and institutional land uses of various age and condition. This property may be suitable for commercial as well as residential uses. II. Zoning & Development Standards The current zoning on the parcel is GR (General Residential). However, the City s adopted Land Use Map defines the area as New Town / Town Commons and accordingly supports a

4 III. IV. re-designation to allow for PD (Planned Development) mixed development with different housing types, including the possibility of a mixture of uses such as ground level retail and commercial uses. Other accessory uses that may compliment the residential uses identified above may also be considered. Given that a change in zoning is required to accomplish development, the City will complete the required documentation to facilitate the rezoning application. Redevelopment Objectives Three development alternatives have been considered for this site and are illustrated in the exhibits. These alternatives are suggestions of the desired development outcomes and are included herein as examples. Option 1 depicts 35 single-family detached homes containing up to 2,400 SF of living space on two stories plus 2-car garages. Option 2 proposes a mixeduse site plan that accommodates 104 small townhomes or condominiums, plus 17,000 SF of retail, commercial or office space. Option 3 proposes 96 multi-family apartments. All alternative are assumed to offer mixed-income housing with an affordable component. Alternatives 1 and 2 include a park/green space area fronting MLK Boulevard, while the apartment alternative does not. General Considerations The proposals submitted in response to the future RFP will need to take into account adequate parking spaces for the residential/mixed-use component. Section III: Desired Developer Qualifications The City is seeking responses from qualified Developers who are interested in undertaking the development opportunity described in this RFQ. In this context, the terms Developer and Developer Qualifications apply to the development entity itself and the proposer s professional team assembled to execute the project. The parcel may be developed as a mixture of residential uses that may include condominiums, for rent apartments, townhomes and detached single family dwellings, with the possibility for ground level retail/commercial, as appropriate. The City is also open to any other accessory uses that may compliment the residential uses identified above. The City and DDA are seeking a developer and supporting professional team that possesses the strongest combination of the following qualifications and experience. Experience developing a mixture of residential projects that include, condominiums, market rate and affordable apartments, townhomes, or detached single family homes or any combination thereof, including ground level retail/ commercial development. Experience in developing mixed residential projects, particularly in urban locations which are comparable to Downtown Brunswick. Experience in developing mixed residential projects with structured parking. A minimum of ten years of experience in leasing/management of residential and/or mixed-use projects. Section IV: Submission Format and Contents Submittals must include one (1) original of the response, two (2) unbound hard copies and one (1) electronic copy (PDF) of the response. Every effort should be made to make proposals as concise as possible. Submissions must address the following sections in order to be considered complete and

5 ensure consideration. I. Section I Qualifications and Experience -Cover Letter RFQ responses should include a cover letter providing an introduction to the company and resumes of the respondent s professional team, the firm s areas of expertise, and relevant experience in projects of a similar nature. The letter should clearly show how the development team meets the minimum qualifications as outlined in SECTION III of the RFQ. II. III. Section II Proposed Development Vision and Program Responses should describe the overall vision and a recommended development program for the development opportunity to include, retail, residential, restaurant, taverns, office, including building heights and number of stories and any specific restaurant program, including any relationships with certain retail and/or restaurant groups. Include information on company s operational philosophy regarding typical length of time projects are held after completion. Section III Conceptual Financial Structure/ Financial Stability Provide a conceptual financial structure, including public and private sources of funding and a structure for providing compensation for the City owned real estate (e.g., land purchase, ground lease, Tax Allocation District participation, other public participation etc.) The City and DDA have significant flexibility with respect to disposition options and methods for compensation and as a result encourages and welcomes financial proposals which maximize the value of the resulting developments and their positive economic and fiscal impacts on the City as a whole. Justification for the use of public contributions and proposed repayment mechanisms should be provided. Additionally, the proposer should provide examples of any other publicly financed projects similar to those being proposed, if public financing is included as part or whole of your proposal. Provide evidence of your firm(s) financial capability to undertake the Project. Evidence should cover the last (5) years. If your proposal is being submitted by a syndicate of two or more entities, provide evidence for each firm that would be a part to the Project. Suitable documentation includes audited or reviewed financial statements, partnership or corporation tax returns, bank or financial institution commitments, or other verifiable information demonstrating financial stability necessary to support a project of this size. Submission of this RFQ provides consent to the City, DDA or their assigns to confirm the information provided in response to this question. All firms will be required to allow the City and DDA to inspect and examine their company operating information and financial statements during the RFP s process. Each firm shall submit its legal firm name or names, headquarters address, local office addresses, state of incorporation, and key firm contact names. Section V: Evaluation Criteria The City of Brunswick and DDA support the creation of a vibrant urban neighborhood to complement current and future downtown business enterprises. Accordingly, the City of Brunswick, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) along with City of Brunswick staff will evaluate responses based on the criteria stated within this document. Given the uniqueness of the anticipated development, developer

6 qualifications and experience will be assigned the greatest value including but not limited to the following; Developer qualifications and experience (as identified in Section III A and B of this RFQ) Uniqueness in proposed development vision and program (as identified in Section IV 2. Of this RFQ) Conceptual financial structure (as identified in Section IV 3 of this RFQ) Financial history/stability (as identified in Section IV 3 of this RFQ) Section VI: Protests A disqualified bidder wishing to respond to the decision to disqualify them or to complain regarding the RFQ solicitation documents or RFQ process may submit a written response to the City Clerk at PO Box 550 Brunswick, GA In order to be considered a protest under this section must be received by the City Clerk ten days from the date of the adverse decision complained of. Protests shall be in writing and shall be supported by the information necessary to enable the protest to be considered. Protests will be considered based solely upon the written appeal document and no hearing rights are provided for under this section. A protest will not be considered if it is insufficiently supported or it is not received within the time limits specified herein. A written final determination on any protest will be rendered and shall be provided to the protester as soon as practicable. The filing of a protest will not serve as cause for the City of Brunswick and DDA to stall or forego issuance of a Request for Proposal. Section VII: Response Deadline Responses to this Request for Proposal ( RFQ ) must be submitted in hard copy (one original, two three copies and one electronic copy) by no later than 4:00 p.m. September 9, Responses received after this time and date will not be considered. Please address responses to: City of Brunswick Attn: Manager of Planning and Development PO Box 550 Brunswick, GA Section VIII: Inquiries There will be a mandatory pre-submittal conference on August 19, 2013 at 10:00 am EST at the City Hall Annex at 503 Mansfield Street. A questions and answer time will follow the pre-submittal conference. All such written inquiries must be delivered by 4:00 PM EST on August 26, 2013, after this date, no further questins will be accepted. Requests for information and questions should be submitted to: Arne Glaeser City of Brunswick Manager of Planning and Development PO Box 550 Brunswick, GA aglaeser@cityofbrunswick-ga.gov All respondents will be provided access to or a copy of all received written inquiries and the City of Brunswick s written responses to those inquiries by 4:00 PM EST on August 30, Informal verbal communications during site visit, by any person other than the meeting organizer, shall be considered

7 unofficial and the City shall have no responsibility to verify any information that is not contained in this RFQ or future addenda. Section IX: Selection Procedure/Timeline The selection will be a two-step process. There will be a pre-submittal conference on August 19, 2013, to answer any questions. Responses to this RFQ will be reviewed and those shortlisted will be invited to participate in a more detailed RFP process to be determined upon review of the responses to this RFQ. In step two, the RFP process, developers will respond to an outline of more specific transaction terms and developer obligations. Final selection will be determined by evaluation of offers which are determined by the City to be in its best interests. The City, DDA and the selected developer will enter into an Exclusive Development Agreement (EDA). The City Commission, Downtown Development Authority (DDA) along with City of Brunswick staff will review responses in accordance with the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V above. Depending upon the number and quality of responses, the City Commission or DDA may request additional information or schedule presentations from some or all respondents. Next steps will be determined by the City Commission and DDA at the appropriate time. The following is a preliminary schedule for general timeframes only and subject to change depending on proposals received and final transaction structure selected. RFQ Process RFQ issued August 1, 2013 Pre submittal conference August 19, 2013 RFQ submittals due September 9, 2013 Decision on Preferred Direction/Short list October 7, 2013 RFP Process (Tentative Dates) Short List Notified RFP Issued October 8, 2013 Pre-Submittal Conference October 23, 2013 RFP response due November 22, 2013 Developer Selection December 13, 2013 EDA Execution January 10, 2014 Section X: Terms and Conditions All responses and supporting materials as well as correspondence relating to this RFQ become property of the City of Brunswick when received. Any proprietary information contained in the response should be so indicated. However, a general indication that the entire content, or a major portion of the proposal is proprietary will not be honored. The following terms and conditions shall also apply: A. All applicable Federal and State of Georgia laws, City of Brunswick and Glynn County ordinances, licenses and regulations of all agencies having jurisdiction shall apply to the respondents throughout and incorporated herein. B. Professionals requiring special licenses must be licenses in the State of Georgia, and shall be responsible for those portions of the work as may be required by law.

8 C. No Response shall be accepted from, and no contract will be awarded to, any person, firm or corporation that (i) is in arrears to the City of DDA with respect to any debt, (ii) is in default with respect to any obligation to the City or DDA, or (iii) is deemed irresponsible or unreliable by the City or DDA. D. The City and DDA shall be able to request of the respondents satisfactory evidence that they have the necessary financial resources to accomplish the developments as contemplated in the RFQ.

9 Exhibit I: Site

10 Exhibit II: Development Alternatives

11 Exhibit III: Alternative site layouts

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13 Exhibit IV: Option I

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15 Exhibit V: Option 2

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17 Exhibit VI: Option 3