RXR RFQ Response
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STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS 1. Cover Letter attached 2. Information about the Project Team a. Legal Name: RXR Realty Investments LLC b. Address of Place of Business: 75 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 1400 New York, NY 10019 c. Phone, fax and email address: (212) 715-6137 (212) 765-3872 [email protected] [email protected] 3. Statement of Vision & Approach RXR’s approach to the Downtown Master Developer opportunity in Port Chester will be similar, in many respects, to the role we have played in Downtown New Rochelle. Our intention would be to start with a community outreach, to solicit input from Port Chester officials and residents about the interests and concerns they have for the future development of the Downtown. Though this step would require an investment of some time, based on our experience in New Rochelle, where we were able to mount a robust engagement effort in about four months and given the goodwill and ability to avoid “hidden landmines” that this outreach provides, we feel that such time represents an important investment that ultimately pays dividends. Following this outreach, we would then proceed, in a collaborative process, to develop a comprehensive Downtown Plan, working together with the Village Board of Trustees and Village staff, the MTA, the Port Chester Industrial Development Agency (PCIDA), other property owners, community groups, and the relevant consultants. The Downtown Plan we envision would establish a transparent and predictable process for the approval of development projects, instead of the ad hoc approvals that have taken place to date. This predictability will encourage investor and developers to pursue opportunities in Port Chester. Additionally, we would engage with the Village to evaluate the desirability of strategies such as an incentive program – similar to what we did in New Rochelle - whereby developers could offer community benefits – (including open space, environmentally sensitive design, civic/cultural spaces, etc.) – in exchange for bonus development rights. The Downtown Plan would identify areas of greater and lesser density, with the greater density zones located closest to mass transit and calibrated to the particular conditions in and character of Port Chester. The Plan would need to be consistent with the 2012 Comprehensive Plan and incorporate the relevant recommendations of the Mobility and Parking Management Study. In the Downtown Plan, we would also make recommendations on ways to improve the pedestrian connectivity of downtown Port Chester, with particular emphasis on improved access to the mile- long Byram River waterfront. And, the Downtown Plan would explore the potential re-purposing of industrial areas, such as Fox Island, industrial buildings (similar to 200 William Street) and ways to move forward with the plans for the United Hospital site to actual execution. With respect to the more technical aspects of the Downtown Plan, we support the use of zoning consultants to propose form-based codes that would include setback requirements so that the higher density zones don’t overwhelm the pedestrian experience, but also offer developers, including the master developer, the flexibility needed to adapt to changing market demand. We would also recommend work with parking and traffic consultants to make sure that parking requirements take account of existing conditions and future uses, in a way that reduces congestion and improves traffic circulation as the Downtown gets further developed. Similarly, we would consider how technology – fully automated parking, autonomous and electric vehicles – could impact parking demand in the future. Perhaps most importantly, the Downtown Plan, while welcoming new investment, would be designed to preserve what already works so well in Port Chester, a town that has developed its reputation, over its 150-year history, for its diversity and energy, and whose unique appeal – its variety of quality restaurants, the Capitol Theater, Clay Arts Center, etc. - already draws people from throughout the region. The descriptions of a sampling of RXR projects that follow demonstrate that RXR is well-qualified to work with the Village of Port Chester, as its moves forward with its RFP process, and to help develop and execute a Downtown Plan that lays the path for its future prosperity. 4. Qualifications and Personnel RXR platform manages 81 real estate assets and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $15.7 billion as of June 30, 2017, comprising approximately 23 million square feet of operating properties and approximately 5,200 multi-family and for sale units under development in the New York Metropolitan area. RXR projects typically involve collaboration with municipalities and municipal redevelopment entities, for example in the New Rochelle Master Development project, the Larkin Plaza project in Yonkers, New York, the Pier 57 Project in Manhattan, the 810 Fulton project in Brooklyn and the Garvies Point project in Glen Cove, New York. A more detailed description of these and other RXR development projects that are either completed or under construction is provided in the Description of Experience section below and in Attachment A RXR Projects. The professional biographies of key RXR personnel are provided in Attachment B RXR Development Team. 5. Description of Experience a. Mixed Use, mixed income development The Pier 57 project in Manhattan is an example of a mixed-use development by RXR. The project is a complex of approximately 650,000 square feet, located on a pier near 15th Street within the Hudson River Park, which includes an office component (100% leased by Google), retail and public open space. The 810 Fulton Street project in Brooklyn is an example of a mixed income development. The project is a 363-unit rental apartment building, including 73 affordable units, which are set aside to households earning no more than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). b. Public financing and private/public partnerships The 810 Fulton Street project is an example of RXR’s experience in public financing. The project was financed by $125 million of tax-exempt and taxable bonds issued by the New York State Housing Finance Agency (HFA). The Garvies Point project in Glen Cove is an example of a private/public partnership with the City of Glen Cove, to transform an industrial site into 28 acres of open space, 3 marinas and 1 mile of waterfront esplanade in addition to residential, office and retail uses. Infrastructure work for the Garvies Point project was financed with $125 million of tax increment financing (TIF) bonds. c. Transit Oriented Development (TOD)/New Urbanism The Larkin Plaza project is an example of transit oriented development, located one block from the Yonkers Metro North station. The New Rochelle master development project is an example of New Urbanism, with its flexible mix of uses, density concentrated near public transportation, and an emphasis on improving the pedestrian experience of Downtown New Rochelle. d. Experience with Form-Based Codes RXR worked closely with the City of New Rochelle and its consultants to develop a new form-based code for the Downtown Overlay Zone that was approved in 2015. e. Specialized skills RXR has a wide range of specialized development skills, including: • Historic architecture at 75 Rockefeller Center and 230 Park Avenue (the Helmsley Building); • Environmental remediation of a NYS Brownfield and EPA Superfund site at the 60-acre Garvies Point project in Glen Cove; • Adaptive reuse of an industrial building at 47 Hall Street in Brooklyn; • RXR deploys environmental consultants to achieve the highest feasible level of LEED certification in its new developments and maintains high standards for sustainable practices and materials across all the assets in its portfolio. • RXR employs DBE, WBE and MBE consultants to maximize the outreach to and hiring of qualified groups. 6. Experience working in Spanish-speaking communities RXR has extensive experience working with Spanish-speaking communities, including our work in Yonkers, with a Hispanic population of approximately 70,000, or approximately 35% of the total, and our work in New Rochelle, whose Hispanic population is approximately 19,000, or approximately 25% of the total population. 7. References Ms. Wilson Kimball Commissioner of Planning and Development City Hall Annex 87 Nepperhan Avenue, 3rd Floor Yonkers, NY 10701 (914) 377-6150 Ms. Kimball worked with RXR on the Larkin Plaza development project in Downtown Yonkers. Mr. Frank Fish Principal BFJ Planning 115 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10003 (212) 353-7476 Mr. Fish worked extensively with RXR on the Downtown Overlay Zone (DOZ), the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) and related matters for Downtown New Rochelle. Mr. Luiz Aragon Commissioner of Development City of New Rochelle 515 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10801 (914) 654-2185 Mr. Aragon worked extensively with RXR in RXR’s role of Master Developer of Downtown New Rochelle, including the Downtown Overlay Zone (DOZ), the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) and related matters for Downtown New Rochelle. 8. New York Metropolitan Area Presence RXR is a vertically integrated real estate firm with 457 employees, engaged in the investment, development, construction and operation of a portfolio of commercial and residential properties throughout the New York Metropolitan Region. The offices are located as follows: New York City 75 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 1400 New York, NY 10019 1285 Avenue