Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on Appointing Two Members of the City Council to Serve on an Interview Panel for the Downtown Redevelopment Request for Qualifications (23-38RFQ)
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Direction for Strategic and Economic Growth
(1E: Increase community involvement and participation within local government/community)
MEETING DATE: September 19, 2023
DEPARTMENT: Development Services
CONTACT: Michael Quint, Executive Director of Development Services
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Appoint two City Council members to serve on an interview panel for the Downtown Redevelopment RFQ (23-38RFQ).
ITEM SUMMARY:
• Staff is seeking the appointment of two City Council members to sit on a panel who will be interviewing the top five respondents to the Downtown Redevelopment RFQ (23-38RFQ).
• On June 16, 2023, the City issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for the redevelopment of approximately 4.75 acres of city-owned land located on and around the property located at 222 N. Tennessee Street. The submittal window closed on August 17, 2023, and 15 very strong responses were received from development teams hailing from across the country.
• Since that time, the 15 responses have been reviewed and narrowed down to a top five using the evaluation criteria published in the RFQ. The next step in the published RFQ process is to conduct interviews of the top five respondents on September 28 (1pm - 4pm) and September 29, 2023 (9am - noon).
• The interview panel consisting of city staff and two City Council members will be tasked with identifying up to four respondents which will be asked to make a formal presentation to the entire City Council, as well as the public, in November.
• The RFQ indicated that the top respondents’ public presentations were to be facilitated on November 7, 2023. However, these presentations will now be facilitated on November 28, 2023, to afford more time for presentations and interactions with the top development teams.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• A request for qualifications (RFQ) is a process through which the City will inform members of the development community of a partnership opportunity aimed at redeveloping the properties. Interested development groups will be permitted to formally respond to the RFQ expressing their interest in partnering with the city. The responding development groups will be interviewed, and a partner(s) will be selected by the City Council. After that selection, formal partnership negotiations will commence and will conclude with the City Council’s approval of a development agreement which will stipulate the terms of the agreement.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
• N/A
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
• N/A