AGENDA #14
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5
Council Members Bill Strom (Chair), Sally Greene, Ed Harrison,
Mark Kleinschmidt, Dorothy Verkerk, and Jim Ward
SUBJECT: Recommendation on Short-list of Developers to Receive Request for Proposals to Develop Town Parking Lot Number 5 and the Wallace Parking Deck Sites
DATE: February 28, 2005
On February 23, 2005, the Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5 met with John Stainback and Will Reed of Stainback Public/Private Real Estate to evaluate the firms responding to the Town’s Request for Qualifications. Mayor Kevin Foy, Mayor pro tem Edith Wiggins, and Council Committee members Sally Greene, Ed Harrison, Mark Kleinschmidt, Bill Strom, Dorothy Verkerk, and Jim Ward attended the meeting.
The attached resolution would adopt the recommendation of the Council Committee on the selection of developers to receive the Town’s Request for Proposals to develop Town Parking Lot Number 5 and the Wallace Parking Deck sites.
The developers selected by the Council will be invited to submit detailed technical proposals as part of the next stage of the project. Council consideration of issuing the Request for Proposals is scheduled for March 7, 2005.
BACKGROUND
Since November 2003, the Council and the Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5 have been working on a process to potentially develop Town Parking Lots Number 2 and 5 as well as the Wallace Parking Deck and the adjacent property at Henderson and Rosemary Streets, and the RBC-Centura bank property at South Columbia and East Franklin Streets.
On November 8, 2004, the Council authorized the Town’s consultant, Stainback Public/Private Real Estate, to draft the Request for Qualifications and an initial draft Request for Proposals. Town Parking Lot #5 and the Wallace Deck and adjacent property are included in the Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals developer selection process. The Town Council has the option to award the second phase – the proposed development of Town Parking Lot #2 and the RBC-Centura property – to the selected developer.
On December 6, 2004, the Council approved issuance of the developer Request for Qualifications. The Request for Qualifications was distributed the week of December 13, to more than 300 firms from the area and across the country.
On January 11, 2005, the Council Committee held a pre-proposal conference in the Council Chamber. Approximately 30 developers, architects, engineers and contractors attended.
By the deadline of January 31, 2005, six firms submitted statements of qualifications in response to the Request for Qualifications. A seventh firm was disqualified because an insufficient number of copies was provided, as specified in submittal requirements described in the Request for Qualifications.
DISCUSSION
Stainback Public/Private Real Estate evaluated responses submitted by the six development teams to develop a recommendation on the top three to five developers to include in the Request for Proposals stage. The evaluation sheets are included as Attachment 1.
The consultant evaluated each development team’s set of materials using the following criteria: developer information, experience of the developer and architect, perceived market demand, description of the initial public/private finance plan concept, proposed working relationship with the Town, references, awards and subjective factors. The criteria were weighted based on a 100-point scale; criteria given the most weight related to developer experience in general and in public-private development projects, and the experience of the design professionals.
Committee Discussion
After reviewing the evaluation sheets, the Committee decided by unanimous vote to invite five development teams to respond to a Request for Proposals:
· East-West Partners Management Company, Inc. of Chapel Hill and Stonebridge Associates of Bethesda, MD
· Grubb Properties of Charlotte, NC and LeylandAlliance, LLC of Tuxedo, NY
· Opus South Corporation of Alpharetta, GA
· The Pizzuti Companies of Columbus, OH
· Ram Development Company of Palm Beach Gardens, FL
The Committee also decided to recommend providing developers on the short-list the flexibility to change members of the design team, specifically: urban designers, architects and LEEDS professionals. The Council Committee and the Council would have the opportunity to evaluate changes to a design team during the Request for Proposals stage.
NEXT STEPS
Tonight, we request the Council authorize proceeding with issuing a Request for Proposals document to five companies responding to the Request for Qualifications.
We are currently finishing our review of a draft Request for Proposals document. On March 7, 2005, we will ask the Council to consider approving the Request for Proposals document and consider authorizing issuance of the Request for Proposals. Development teams would have until May 2, 2005, to submit detailed technical proposals to the Town. Developer interviews are scheduled to take place on May 23, and May 24, 2005.
RECOMMENDATION
The Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5 recommends the Council approve the attached resolution approving the issuance of the Request for Proposals to the five developers listed above.
The resolution includes a provision that would allow each developer the option of changing members of the design team in the Request for Proposals stage.
ATTACHMENT
A RESOLUTION APPROVING A “SHORT LIST" OF DEVELOPERS TO RECEIVE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO DEVELOP TOWN PARKING LOT 5 AND WALLACE PARKING DECK SITES (2005-02-28/R-15)
WHEREAS, since November 2003, the Council and the Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5 have been working on a process to develop key Town-owned downtown sites including Town Parking Lots Number 2 and 5 and the Wallace Parking Deck; and
WHEREAS, on December 6, 2004, the Council approved issuance of the developer Request for Qualifications, which the Town’s consultant subsequently distributed to more than 300 firms from the area and across the country; and
WHEREAS, the Town accepted statements of qualifications from six firms that responded to the Request for Qualifications by the January 31, 2005 deadline; and
WHEREAS, on February 23, 2005, the Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5 discussed the consultant’s evaluation of the developers’ statements of qualifications and recommended inviting five firms to respond to a Request for Proposals;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes issuance of a Request for Proposals to develop Town Parking Lot Number 5 and the Wallace Parking Deck sites to the following five firms:
· East-West Partners Management Company, Inc. of Chapel Hill and Stonebridge Associates of Bethesda, MD
· Grubb Properties of Charlotte, NC and LeylandAlliance, LLC of Tuxedo, NY
· Opus South Corporation of Alpharetta, GA
· The Pizzuti Companies of Columbus, OH
· Ram Development Company of Palm Beach Gardens, FL
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council authorizes allowing these developers the option of changing members of the proposed design team during the Request for Proposals stage, specifically: urban designers, architects, and LEEDS professionals.
This the 28th day of February, 2005