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City staff say RFI shows strong market interest for East civic-block; RFP to follow council briefing
Summary
Staff told the commission that nine teams responded to an RFI for the civic-area block east of the park, and the city will release an RFP after an Aug. 13 council briefing with the goal of selecting a development partner by year-end and pursuing concept planning through 2027.
Staff presented results of a request-for-interest process for the civic-area block east of the park and described next steps for a planned request for proposals. Shahomi, introduced earlier as the principal project manager, told commissioners the city received nine responses and that several teams appeared to have the financial capacity and program ideas the city wants to test.
"We did receive 9 responses," Shahomi said, adding that ‘‘there were probably, 5 or 6 teams that ... seemed to have the financial wherewithal to execute the project and understood our goals." Staff emphasized the project is not a blank check: the city plans to use a partnership model to leverage public assets while preserving public benefits.
Commissioners pressed staff on likely uses, nighttime activation and constraints on historic buildings. Staff said the city wants arts and culture on site and that the RFP will require on-site arts programming but leave flexibility for how developers meet that requirement. Staff said the RFP will be released after a presentation to city council on Aug. 13 and that the process is intended to yield a partner by the end of the year and follow with a concept-planning phase into 2027.
Why it matters: the block contains landmark buildings and facilities used today for city services and the farmers market; staff said careful design and a partner-based approach aim to preserve the market and cultural uses while generating revenue to reduce maintenance burdens on city buildings.
