Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Crawford Bay topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
EDA outlines Crawford Bay waterfront RFQ, selection criteria and schedule
Summary
The Portsmouth Economic Development Authority described the Crawford Bay waterfront project as a ‘huge’ 6+-acre redevelopment along the Elizabeth River, reviewed RFQ timelines and a 100-point developer evaluation that emphasizes experience, financial capacity and minority participation; a short list is expected May 29 with a council recommendation by December.
Mitchell, chair of the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority, told council the Crawford Bay waterfront is “a huge project, well over 6 acres” and emphasized connecting downtown to the Elizabeth River as the project’s central goal. He said the EDA issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) on March 4, held a virtual Q&A on March 16, received RFQ responses by the May 7 deadline and expects to notify a short list of firms on May 29.
The EDA described a 100-point evaluation framework to screen teams. Mitchell said 15 points will be awarded for the project team and organizational approach (including MWBE participation), 30 for relevant experience, 30 for financial capacity, and the remaining points for the project vision and fit. “We will be looking at minority participation as something that will obviously assist in the 15 points,” he said.
Mitchell said community engagement has informed the vision: more than 300 residents attended in-person sessions and citizens asked for public access, green space, arts and family-friendly programming rather than a waterfront limited to private retail. He said the EDA hopes for “boats come in, get off the boat, and go right into a restaurant,” while preserving Portsmouth’s maritime identity.
Council members pressed staff about how scoring will translate into short-list selection. Mitchell said there is no fixed minimum score to advance; RFQs will be scored independently and compared against one another, and the number of firms advanced will be a manageable short list determined after scoring. He indicated the process moves to an RFP phase tied to a specific project and additional criteria at that stage.
Mitchell said the overall timeline spans about 14 months from start to finish, with a public short-list notice in late May, another community meeting when development partners are short-listed in June, and a goal of presenting a recommendation to city council by December.
