The City of Montpelier is seeking a development partner for the upper floor development of the Montpelier Multi Modal Transit Center to be located at 1 Taylor Street. With this Request for Qualifications the City requests that interested parties submit qualifications for entering into a partnership with the City of Montpelier to develop, design and construct the upper floors of the Multi Modal Transit Center. The development partner will retain ownership of the upper floors in a condo relationship with the City.
Background
Since the late 1990s, the City of Montpelier has explored the possibility of acquiring the property known as the ‘Carr Lot’ (so named by the family that owned the property) with the goal of transforming it into a higher use parcel in the City’s vibrant downtown. The ‘Carr Lot" property is located on the east side of Taylor Street in the City of Montpelier at the confluence of the North Branch and Winooski Rivers. It is approximately one acre in size. In recent history the property has been used for public parking or State of Vermont parking. In the mid‐2000s environmental mitigation was done to allow it to be used for parking.
In September 2013, the City entered into a Purchase & Sale with the property owner and will take possession of the property early in 2014.
Centrally located in the downtown business district at the confluence of two rivers and adjacent to the State's Capitol Complex, the City of Montpelier hopes to transform what was once a scrap yard and train depot into a state‐of‐the‐art transportation and commercial center and public park.
The City of Montpelier has bundled local and federal funding to acquire the property, build the Multi Modal Transit Center and construct a bike path and related park features along the river. The City secured a $1.9M Federal Transit Agency (FTA) and $5.1M in Federal Highway Agency (FHWA) funds to execute this project. In addition, the voters of the City approved an $800,000 bond as the local match for this project.
It is the hope of the City to leverage these local and federal dollars to partner with a developer to build a state‐of‐the‐art Multi Modal Transit Center with upper floor development that serves as a gateway
to the City of Montpelier and a cornerstone of our vibrant downtown. It is expected that the footprint of such a building would be between 3,600 ft2 and 6,000 ft2.
I. Development Partner Selection Process
The City seeks to encourage high density, environmentally, and historically sensitive development of the upper floors beginning in the winter of 2014 with construction to start in the summer or fall of 2014. This RFQ has been issued to identify a list of Qualified Development Partners who have the experience, financial resources, and capacity to develop within the constraints of the site and in partnership with the City and, perhaps, other community partners and local nonprofits. Responses to this RFQ are merely for the purpose of qualifying sponsors for the opportunity to be selected for development. Following the receipt of responses the City of Montpelier will invite the identified Qualified Development Partners to respond to a competitive Request for Proposals that outlines specifically what the City envisions at this location. Entities must respond to the RFQ to qualify to respond to the RFP.
II. RFQ Process
RFQ responses are due by 3:00 P.M. on Friday, November 1, 2013. Please mail or hand deliver three (3) copies of the submittal to:
William J. Fraser, City Manager
City of Montpelier
39 Main Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
By Email: wfraser@montpelier‐vt.org
Additional updates or communications regarding the RFQ will be publically posted on the City’s website.
III. Public Forum
A public forum on the development of the Multi Modal Transit Center and potential development ideas will be held on October 16, 2013 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the City Council Chambers at Montpelier City Hall (39 Main Street.) Potential development partners are strongly encouraged to attend the public forum to hear ideas from the community of potential uses and development ideas. If you plan to attend the public meeting, please RSVP to Kevin Casey, Community Development Specialist for the City of Montpelier, at kcasey@montpelier‐vt.org.
IV. Information to be included in RFQ response
Include a clear identification of the materials by section and page number. The information should be arranged in the following manner and include the following information:
A. Cover Letter explaining interest, qualifications, and orienting the reader to the material included
B. Applicant Description:
a. Biography or resume for development team members including any architects, engineers proposed by respondent
b. A description of the organization including the year it was founded, its mission, major accomplishments and other information that demonstrates your capacity to carry out development of a multimodal transit center and commercial development.
C. Development Experience Narrative:
a. Please provide a summary of development projects previously completed
b. Provide examples of projects that included unique or distinctive design features, including use of green building techniques, renovation or historic preservation, sites that need environmental remediation, and projects involving public input.
D. Asset Management and Ownership Experience
a. Not‐for‐profit organizations: Provide 2 years of annual reports or annual audits b. For‐profit entities: Provide 2 years of financial statements or complete Asset
Statements as well as any financial letters of support from lending institutions or
development partners if available
E. Community Outreach Experience: Provide a description of any projects involving state or municipal partnerships or development requiring significant public input or participation.
F. Additional Images or Information Applicant Would like the City to Consider
Montpelier looking for partner to develop proposed parking garage
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