CITY of TRENTON Tony Mack, Mayor
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CITY OF TRENTON Tony Mack, Mayor DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE FORMER GLEN CAIRN ARMS SITE Request for Proposals Issued: November 30, 2010 Proposals Due: February 17, 2011 Table of Contents I. Purpose of RFP II. Site Overview III. Surrounding Area IV. RFP Submission Requirements V. Selection Process Overview and Selection Criteria VI. Zoning VII. Submission of Proposals Appendix I. Site Map II. Tax Map I. Purpose of RFP The City of Trenton is seeking qualified developer proposals for a vacant city-owned property located at 301 West State Street. The site, the former Glen Cairn Arms Apartment Complex, consists of two five story masonry buildings containing a total of 81,000 square feet of floor area (excluding basement), and is located at the corner of West State and Calhoun Streets with good access to New Jersey Route 29 and to Pennsylvania via the Calhoun Street Bridge. The site is immediately adjacent to, and serves as an excellent gateway into the State of New Jersey Capitol District and downtown community. The City of Trenton is seeking a developer to redevelop the site through either the substantial rehabilitation of the existing buildings, total demolition and construction, or partial demolition of the structures and redeveloping the site in accordance with the existing Redevelopment Plan (Attachment 1). The city will entertain any viable development options that adhere to the city’s redevelopment vision. II. Site Overview Built in 1925, the Glen Cairn Arms formerly contained 100 luxury dwelling units. The buildings, which are in need of extensive rehabilitation, could be demolished or renovated for the purposes of providing housing, retail, office or other space. The two buildings formerly each contained 20 studios, 40 one bedroom apartments, and 40 two bedroom apartments. Glen Cairn Arms, which is situated on approximately one acre of land, is within one block of the State House and downtown Trenton; less than one mile from U.S. Route 1; and sits adjacent to New Jersey Route 29. In addition, plans put forth by the New Jersey Department of Transportation call for the eventual redesign of New Jersey Route 29 as a boulevard, which will better connect this property to the nearby riverfront. The riverfront is also slated for open space redevelopment by the State of New Jersey. A. Planning Documents The Glen Cairn Arms falls within the Central West Redevelopment Area Plan. (The redevelopment plan is available for download at http://www.trentonnj.org/Cit-e- Access/webpage.cfm?TID=55&TPID=9657 or you can find that document attached). Additionally, in May of 2008 the City published its downtown Master Plan, “Living Trenton”. The culmination of a long and comprehensive planning process, “Living Trenton” creates a unified vision for the downtown district, with its guiding theme as advanced in the plan: “Downtown Trenton deriving its vitality from its desirability as a “ Residential Community of Choice ,” Downtown Trenton is a source of pride as the State Capital of New Jersey and fulfills its potential as a center of business, culture, education and heritage." Respondents to the RFP are encouraged to visit the city's webpage at http://www.trentonnj.org/cit-e-access/webpage.cfm?TID=55&TPID=9125 , and familiarize themselves with the vision and guiding themes section of the Master Plan as well as relevant sub-district chapters. Redevelopment of this site shall further the City’s vision as laid out in this plan. B. Background Information (City Demographics) Trenton’s population can be characterized as ethnically, racially and economically diverse. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, the City of Trenton has a total population of 85,403. Trenton is the county seat of Mercer County and the New Jersey State Capital. It occupies 7.5 square miles or 3.4% of the Mercer County land area. The median income in the City of Trenton is $36,681 per family and $31,074 per household versus the Mercer County average of $68,494 per family and $56,612 per household. Among the economic development strategies for the city is the continuation of the trend toward diversifying the city’s economic base – providing more private sector jobs for our residents while creating a vibrant downtown economy complete with a multitude of housing options, employment opportunities and quality retail locations. C. Recent Development Activity The City of Trenton, over the last 10 years, has made great strides in rebuilding its neighborhoods and creating a downtown environment that is positioned for significant, private sector development. These accomplishments include: • Catherine S. Graham Homes (former Magic Marker Site) • Villages at Delaware Run (K Hovnanian) • Cooper’s Crossing (Westrum) • Assunpink Creek Restoration and Greenway Project Other projects have been completed that include residential. industrial, commercial, open space and public use. III. Surrounding Area The project site is located across the street from the State House historic district. If the developer is interested in renovating the Glen Cairn Arms building(s) special consideration should be given to restore or highlight some of the building’s architectural features. Developers who are proposing new construction must ensure that the design of a new structure incorporates architectural elements found in the surrounding buildings. The residential neighborhoods north and northeast of the site have undergone a major neighborhood revitalization program which consists of new construction and substantial rehabilitation of more than 300 homeownership units (knows as the Canal Banks neighborhood). The Canal Banks area runs north on Calhoun Street to Pennington Avenue and the Battle Monument area. The revitalization area includes West Hanover, Spring, and Passaic Streets where revitalization activities are planned. To date, more than 200 homeowner units have been created. Other area and regional attractions include: ü Waterfront Park, home to Trenton Thunder Minor League Baseball team. 3 minute drive ü Princeton, 15 minute drive ü Lambertville, New Jersey, quaint riverside town, 20 minute drive ü New Hope, Pennsylvania, quaint riverside town, 20 minute drive ü Route One shopping and employment centers, 10 minute drive The location of the Glen Cairn Arms is also within a 3 to 5 minute drive from the newly renovated Trenton Transit Center. The Transit Center offers rail service on Amtrak, SEPTA, South Jersey Light Rail Transit System (River Line) serving numerous destinations including New York, DC and Philadelphia. IV. RFP SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Each proposal in response to this RFP must be formatted as a single bound volume and must be submitted at or before the time and date set forth in this RFP. The City of Trenton, in its sole discretion, may reject any submission made after this time. An original and three (3) copies of each proposal must be provided. Responses shall remain valid, active and firm for a period of 180 days from the due date. Each proposer must submit the information requested in standard letter size format for their proposal to be complete (fold out documents will be accepted). The outside of the package containing a proposal should be clearly marked with “Glen Cairn RFP.” All submittals must include a minimum of the elements as described below in A through H below. Although the City is not obligated to evaluate incomplete submittals or to accept additional and supplemental materials, it may choose to do so. All submittals should be concise and address the City’s goals and objectives as listed in this RFP and relevant support documents A. Cover Letter and Executive Summary The submittal must include a cover letter with a statement that the individual signing the letter is authorized to obligate the entity to proceed with negotiation of a Redeveloper Agreement should the entity be tentatively designated as developer for the project. The proposal must also include an executive summary of the principal elements of the submittal, including a project description and schedule, as well as the team’s approach to the development, mix of uses, open space, financing, environmental processing, offer price and terms. PLEASE NOTE, the City is not offering a minimum price for this project. The offer amount must be included the project financing. Offering price is not considered a deciding factor as the city evaluates proposals. The City reserves the right to negotiate the final price with the selected redeveloper as part of the disposition agreement process. As a point of reference the assessed value of this property is $831,800. B. Development Team, Relationships and References The City is seeking sufficient information on the development team to make a judgment as to how well the team could perform in the role of Designated Redeveloper of the proposed plan and to compare the qualifications of the redevelopment teams associated with the proposals submitted. Proposers are free to present this information in a format and a degree of detail that in their judgment is adequate for these purposes. The following is a suggested format for consideration: • The redevelopment team description shall include the corporation, joint venture or other entity that would serve as the Designated Redeveloper of the proposed development and would be party to the Redevelopment Agreement with the city. If the entity is a subsidiary of, or otherwise affiliated with another organization, the proposer shall indicate such a relationship. The description shall include any participating development entities that are deemed important to meeting the City’s goals and objectives for the redevelopment of this site. • Identify all participants in the proposer’s development team including those members responsible for the building design, landscape and site design, land use planning, engineering, permitting, legal and financial analysis, and community relations, as well as investors and proposed lending institutions. This information should include, but not be limited to, company profiles of firms on the proposed team and individual resumes of key personnel who would be assigned to the project.