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Committee moves to draft RFP and schedule public hearing for former Fire Company No. 3 (81 Church Street)
Summary
The Real Estate Committee agreed to create an RFP for the 81 Church Street property (assessor value cited at $600,000), schedule a public hearing before the April city council meeting, and forward the RFP draft to council after committee review; staff advised including zoning rules and desired buyer uses in the RFP.
The committee reviewed council referrals and staff input on the former Fire Company No. 3 building at 81 Church Street. The assessor indicated a fair‑market value of approximately $600,000, and staff recommended the RFP include a base price and ask prospective buyers to describe intended uses to ensure the city can control both price and purpose.
Planning and purchasing staff advised the committee that the property sits in a general industrial zone and that allowable uses range broadly (inquiries have come from construction and trade businesses, heating and cooling companies, and other commercial users; staff also noted day care and fitness centers can be allowed in certain circumstances). Staff said planning regulations and the purchasing manual would be attached to the RFP to help respondents understand constraints. The staff representative also noted that cannabis uses are permitted under the zoning framework but reminded the committee the purchasing manual and ordinances could limit certain uses if the committee chooses.
The committee voted to schedule a public hearing on the RFP prior to the April city council meeting and to authorize creation of the RFP and forwarding it to council for approval. Committee members discussed whether all responses should be reviewed by the committee and staff confirmed the purchasing manual allows review of responses and that electronic RFPs are now standard.
Representative quote: "I will tell you this is probably since I've been here, I've gotten a lot of interest again," a staff member said of the property; "the assessor has indicated that we thought $600,000 was a fair market price."
Next steps: Staff will prepare a draft RFP for review at the next real estate commission meeting and the committee will hold a public hearing before the April council meeting; the draft RFP will be brought to council for authorization.
