November 20, 2020 COMPREHENSIVE MASTER AND REAL ESTATE/ZONING DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN’S RIVERFRONT in association with & Perkins Eastman Architects DPC 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM November 20, 2020 Carl R. Erlacher, Donna L. Lime, City of Middletown Connecticut Director of Finance and Revenue Services, and the Supervisor of Services 245 DeKoven Drive, Rm 112 Middletown, CT 06457 RE: COMPREHENSIVE MASTER AND REAL ESTATE/ZONING DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN’S RIVERFRONT Dear Mr. Erlacher, Ms. Lime, and the City of Middletown Perkins Eastman Architects is pleased to submit our qualifications for the Comprehensive Master Plan and Real Estate/Zoning Development Plan for the City of Middletown’s Riverfront. We have assembled our team based on our understanding of your needs: • A new vision for the riverfront that is community-based and market driven • A plan that reconnects the downtown with the river • A strategic framework for the study areas that will provide guidance for future development and investment in infrastructure • A compelling plan document that can attract interest and enthusiasm from the development community Our team combines a big-picture perspective and vision with knowledge of Middletown, and the kind of strategic expertise to meet these challenges. Above all, we share a focus on--and ability to-- get things done. The team will be comprised of the following: • Perkins Eastman will be the lead consultant, responsible for planning, urban design, and development strategy. Perkins Eastman has been responsible for some of the country’s most successful waterfront developments. As Principal-in-Charge, I will be responsible for the big picture vision and overall development strategy. Vijo Cherian, AICP, who brings 20 years of experience on large scale projects throughout the country, will be the Team Leader and day-to- day contact for the project. • Fuss and O’Neill, led by Chris Ferrero, Ronald Bomengan, and Arnold Robinson will support the team on civil and infrastructural engineering, transportation planning, landscape design, and stakeholder engagement. • Urbanomics, led by Tina Lund, will conduct the market analysis and advise the team on development strategies. Perkins Eastman Architects DPC 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM This is a team of principals who have worked together for years. Our shared experience will add value to the Middletown Riverfront in several ways: • Understanding the complex process surrounding the revitalization of urban waterfronts from a proven track record of the design and building of some of the most dynamic waterfronts in the nation. Some of these include Baltimore’s Inner Harbor East, Long Beach, California, and most recently the Washington, DC waterfront. • Understanding the needs of the development community and how to tie their perspective to the planning process • A record of success in implementing large-scale district plans • Understanding the place-making potential of the water’s edge • A keen familiarity with the state of Connecticut, its State programs, and its processes Our experience on large and complex waterfronts throughout the U.S. and abroad, and our team’s long record of accomplishment in Connecticut, allows us to bring lessons learned from other places to the Riverfront. It allows us to quickly get up to speed on all of the issues relevant to the stakeholders and to fully understand the opportunities and constraints of the site. Middletown has shown a substantive commitment to ensure this initiative is implemented. Recently approved funding for new infrastructure, the decommissioning of the city’s sanitary treatment plant, the public commitment to a new boathouse, and the completion of both public outreach and open space studies illustrates your desire to revitalize the riverfront. The challenge now is how to leverage these public investments to attract private devel¬opment and bring more people to the river. The first step, and the one we believe the best way to accomplish your goals, is with a comprehensive approach that focuses around “places,” rather than buildings, or projects. Our plans are typically market driven and have been unusually successful in attracting and encouraging development and private investment. These successes can be seen in the implementation of plans we have completed for the District Wharf on Washington DC’s waterfront, and Bayfront an entirely new urban district in Jersey City, that is being developed on a waterfront brownfield site presently occupied by a water treatment plant. The Riverfront is comprised of different subareas, each with its own unique characteristics and opportunities. The east end of the study area occupied by industrial and state institutional uses as well as residential neighborhoods. This area enjoys splendid views, but is isolated from adjacent neighborhoods and the river by topography and remote from downtown. Perkins Eastman Architects DPC Perkins Eastman Architects DPC 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM The area along Walnut Street is the only substantial area in the city with a connection to the river. This area is large enough to become a major new “riverfront district” and opens up new opportunities for visitors and residents to access the water. Bringing new streets down to the water can establish a framework for new development while ensuring that the area stays open and inviting. We believe that a successful plan must start with the river. The river was the City’s original reason for being and the focus for a thriving district in itself. Yet a visitor walking down Main Street may hardly be aware of its presence. Our approach will be to focus on ways of generating activity on the waterside first. This in turn will influence what can be developed in the adjacent upland areas. Perkins Eastman Architects DPC 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM We believe that public participation throughout the planning and design process will be essential to creating plans that can be approved and implemented. Our process emphasizes building consensus along the way, ensuring that key issues are resolved and agreement reached before proceeding to the next stage of work. We are known for our skills not only in building consensus amongst public agencies, which is key to implementation, but to communicating to the public to ensure their insights inform our thinking and their concerns are addressed. We look forward to the opportunity to share our ideas with you regarding the riverfront, and a more detailed proposal that meets the City’s needs and works within its budget. I will personally make a priority and will commit all available resources to this effort to “hit the ground running.” ERIC C.Y. FANG AIA, AICP, LEED AP Principal, Planning and Urban Design Practice Area Leader 212.353.0147 [email protected] Perkins Eastman Architects, DPC Perkins Eastman Architects DPC 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY THE WHARF, WASHINGTON D.C. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 TITLE PAGE 2 LETTER OF INTRODUCTION TEAM CHARACTERISTICS AND 3 COMPOSITION 4 STAFF BIOS/RESUME 5 RELEVANT PROJECTS ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF 6 ADDENDA 1 2 PERKINS EASTMAN CITY OF MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT TITLE 1PAGE BAYFRONT, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY COMPREHENSIVE MASTER AND REAL ESTATE/ZONING DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN’S RIVERFRONT PROPOSAL FOR CONCEPT PLANNING SERVICES ERIC C.Y. FANG AIA, AICP, LEED AP Principal, Planning and Urban Design Practice Area Leader 212.353.0147 [email protected] Perkins Eastman Architects, DPC LETTER OF 2INTRODUCTION LONGWHARF, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT November 20, 2020 LETTER OF INTRODUCTION Dear City of Middletown Thank you for the opportunity to reimagine the waterfront of Middletown Connecticut. Please see our qualifications enclosed. This is a submission mastered by Perkins Eastman Architects, a design corporation founded in 1981. To help us perform the services required by the RFQ, we have solicited Fuss & O’Neill to provide Public Outreach, Environmental Remediation, Traffic/Transportation Engineering, and Climate Resiliency. In addition, we have asked one of our affiliates, Urbanomics, to cover Real Estate services. As the authorized representative for Perkins Eastman, I, Eric Fang AIA, AICP, LEED AP am a Principal and leader of the Planning and Urban Design Practice Area Leader at Perkins Eastman. I will be the Principal in Charge for this project and can be contacted through the following: Phone (mobile): 212.353.0147 Email: [email protected] We look forward to continuing our conversation about how to made Middletown’s waterfront a vibrant and accessible gathering space for residents and visitors. ERIC C.Y. FANG AIA, AICP, LEED AP Principal, Planning and Urban Design Practice Area Leader 212.353.0147 [email protected] Perkins Eastman Architects, DPC Perkins Eastman Architects DPC 677 Washington Boulevard, Suite 101, Stamford, CT 06901 | +1 203 251 7400 PERKINSEASTMAN.COM TEAM CHARACTERISTICS AND3 COMPOSITION 11 THE WHARF, WASHINGTON D.C. 12 PERKINS EASTMAN CITY OF MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT TEAM CHARACTERISTICS AND COMPOSITION PERKINS EASTMAN Perkins Eastman is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm with almost 1,000 employees and 18 offices around the world.. As a result, it has a large capacity and is unusual in that the firm has so many specialties and all of the relevant expertise for this project, including hospitality, education, and maritime district planning, as well as urban, vertical, and retail planning design. As a result of a merger that brought together the EE&K portfolio and people with the rest of Perkins Eastman and its body of work, our team today has a strong core of experience, as well as relevant experience MAGNOLIA, CHARLESTON, SC designing waterfronts and mixed-use districts around the country and around the world.