REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ 2018-01) CITY OF RICHARDSON, TEXAS COLLINS/ARAPAHO TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION DISTRICT STUDY OCTOBER 4, 2017 DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION – 4:00 P.M. (CDT), TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2017 The City of Richardson, Texas is seeking qualified candidates to respond to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional services to conduct a transit-oriented development and innovation district vision study for an approximate 1,200-acre study area. It is the City’s desire to maximize the potential for transit-oriented development in proximity to an existing light rail station and reposition the study area as a successful innovation district that is an economic driver within the city and region. The vision study should be based on sound placemaking strategies, and result in a successful environment where people will want to live, work and play. The study area is generally bounded by Central Expressway (US 75) on the west, Campbell Road on the north, Plano Road on the east, Apollo Road on the south, and Greenville Avenue/Arapaho Road on the southwest (refer to Exhibit A for project study area). The Arapaho Center Station, an existing Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail station, is located on the western edge of the study area. The Brookings Institute defines innovation districts as “…geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators. They are also physically compact, transit-accessible, and technically-wired and offer mixed-use housing, office and retail.”1 Today, the study area includes existing economic, physical and networking assets – three key components of an innovation district. Therefore, the City believes that the district’s long-term success can be built upon its tradition of pioneering technology, its proximity to major employers and research institutions, and its location within a growing and diverse economy. Background and Introduction Richardson, Texas is a community of approximately 107,400 residents in a 29 square mile area, and is a northern first-ring suburb of Dallas (refer to Exhibit B). The housing stock includes approximately 30,600 single-family units and 13,600 apartments. Richardson is a major employment center in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area, known for its high-tech Telecom Corridor®, although a concerted effort has been successfully underway in recent years to diversify the local economic base for better long- term sustainability. The City is characterized by stable and progressive leadership; superior public services; excellent educational opportunities from pre-school through post-graduate study; a safe environment; an award-winning library and thriving arts organizations; amenities such as an extensive parks and trails system; a broad range of recreational opportunities; highly regarded special events; and strong community support. All of these characteristics contribute to an extraordinary 1 Source: Katz, Bruce and Julie Wagner. The Rise of Innovation Districts: A new Geography of Innovation in America. Brookings May 2014. Request for Qualifications (RFQ 2018-01) City of Richardson, Texas Collins/Arapaho Transit-Oriented Development and Innovation District Study quality of life. Even with all of these assets, Richardson is experiencing the typical challenges of many first-ring suburbs, such as an increasingly diverse population, infrastructure challenges, an aging housing stock, underperforming retail development, and aging and underutilized industrial properties. Specifically as it relates to the proposed project study area, the City’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan designates the area surrounding the Arapaho Center Station as “transit village,” and the area east of the station primarily as “enhancement/redevelopment area” with the area north of Collins Boulevard primarily as “office/industry.” The Comprehensive Plan recommendations have been the basis for subsequent planning efforts within the project study area. Previous Planning Studies Portions of the approximate 1,200-acre study area have been the focus of multiple planning studies since 2000, the most recent being a baseline market analysis completed and accepted by City Council in 2013 for the East Arapaho/Collins area, followed by the Chamber of Commerce East Arapaho/Collins Task Force Report completed in 2017 (refer to Exhibit C for respective project study areas). The primary focus of the baseline market analysis was to repopulate the existing office/flex warehouse buildings which were experiencing an approximate 20% vacancy rate at that time. This baseline market analysis did not explore opportunities for the adjacent Arapaho Center Station area. The subsequent Chamber of Commerce Task Force led effort was charged with strengthening the overall economic vitality of the area and creating a “game plan” for private sector investment and supportive City action. Like the East Arapaho/Collins baseline market analysis, the Task Force did not perform an in-depth analysis of the Arapaho Center Station and its potential opportunities either. However, a key action item that resulted from the Task Force work was consensus and support amongst stakeholders for the creation of an innovation district in order to strengthen and foster investment in the area’s economic and physical assets. The Task Force Report also recommended evaluating the need for changes to zoning that may benefit the study area, as well as developing a plan for public investment and an urban design plan. The Richardson City Council is supportive of pursuing establishment of an innovation district within the study area. While the Arapaho Center Station was not included in the two aforementioned planning studies, the station area has been previously studied in 2002, resulting in the acceptance of the Arapaho Center Station Area Plan (refer to Exhibit C for project study area). This plan proposed a special mixed use designation comprised of mid-rise entertainment, restaurant and specialty retail uses adjacent to the station. Beyond the special mixed use designated area, yet within an approximate ½-mile radius of the station and east of Central Expressway (US 75), the plan recommended office, hospitality, urban residential and office/tech uses. A subsequent effort to rezone the area adjacent to the station was unsuccessful due to stakeholder opposition, and a desire by the City to delay rezoning until a proposed development plan was brought forth by developers interested in developing the area. However, despite these past planning efforts, it is important to note that today, City leadership is interested in land use and development form that will reinvigorate and maximize the immediate area adjacent to the Arapaho Center Station, as well as support revitalization of the area east of 2 Request for Qualifications (RFQ 2018-01) City of Richardson, Texas Collins/Arapaho Transit-Oriented Development and Innovation District Study the station. The Arapaho Center Station is the one remaining DART station within the city that does not have a recently completed station area plan with a clear vision established to leverage public and private investment. Study Area Location The Collins/Arapaho Transit-Oriented Development and Innovation District study area is an approximate 1,200-acre gross area (approximate 990 net acres) generally bounded by Central Expressway (US 75) on the west, Campbell Road on the north, Plano Road on the east, Apollo Road on the south, and Greenville Avenue/Arapaho Road on the southwest (refer to Exhibit A). The study area is comprised of approximately 280 parcels exclusive of rights-of-way and drainage channels. Land Uses and Existing Improvements Existing uses within the study area primarily include office, industrial and warehouse/flex space, with limited restaurant, multi-family, retail, auto sales, and convenience store with fuel sales uses. An infill mixed-use development exists at the northwest corner of the study area, at the intersection of Campbell Road and Central Expressway (US 75). Duck Creek traverses the northeastern portion of the study area, a portion of which is located within a man-made drainage channel. The study area does not benefit from an anchor institution – such as an academic or medical research and development institution – being located within its boundaries. However, the University of Texas- Dallas, known for its highly regarded science, engineering and business programs, is located approximately three miles west of the study area on Campbell Road, within the City of Richardson. Additionally, Richland College, part of the Dallas County Community College District and home to the Richland College Technology, Engineering, and Advanced Manufacturing (TEAM) Center is located within the City of Dallas, approximately five miles south of the study area. Nearly half of the existing buildings (48.1%) were constructed during the 1980s, with another 21.6% being constructed during the 1970s (refer to Exhibit D). Existing building conditions and site improvements are indicative of properties developed during those time periods. Since 2010, the core of the study area has been experiencing reinvestment with properties undergoing significant building renovation and/or redevelopment (10.7%). Also, it is important to note that approximately 92% of the study area is zoned industrial districts [I-M(1), I-FP(2), PD/I-M(1), and PD/I-FP(2)]. As noted previously, the City of Richardson has historically attracted a concentration