Request
for Proposals
Submission Requirements
Each developer team must submit the materials outlined below in sections 6.1 through 6.4 by the end of the business day of Friday, February 26, 1999. The materials must be sent to: Terry Foegler, President Campus Partners 1824 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43201
Each submission must include ten printed copies of all materials called for in Sections 6.1 through 6.4 with the exception of the one model required in Section 6.2.9. In addition, all text materials must be submitted in an electronic form in Microsoft Word in a PC format.
Drawings, maps and other graphics included with the submission must also include one separate set of graphics in a standard size for ease of electronic scanning, or this set of graphics may be provided as a JPEG file. If a graphic wonıt work in JPEG, then a GIF file is acceptable. Text and graphics also may be provided as an Adobe PDF file for placing the information on the web site maintained by Campus Partners.
6.1
Development Submission Requirements
6.1.1 Community
Involvement Plan
The proposal should include a Community Involvement Plan describing how
the development team intends to secure student, neighborhood and other
stakeholder involvement throughout the project review and implementation
process. The Involvement Plan should be enumerated from the time the developer
is selected as the preferred developer through project construction. Please
feel free to identify any consultants and/or attorneys who may help you
with this effort. Additionally, teams are strongly encouraged to pursue
extensive outreach efforts to a wide variety of community stakeholders
and resources during the proposal preparation process in order to better
understand and appreciate the concerns and desires of these groups. A
listing of local resource people has been included in Appendix C of this
RFP to assist teams with this effort.
6.1.2 Team
Campus Partners encourages all teams to evaluate their make-up
and composition. Successful implementation of the Gateway Center project
will require the contribution of a number of professionals and/or disciplines.
Those teams receiving this RFP will be allowed to restructure, as needed,
to accommodate issues that may have risen during the earlier RFQ phase
and to add firms or other professionals that may have had other commitments.
The submission should include a complete identification of the critical
team members needed to successfully undertake the Gateway Project. Minimum
professional representations on each team should include:
- All developer entities;
- All architectural firms;
- Traffic engineering;
- Parking;
- Landscape architect/streetscape designer; and
- Historic preservation.
Submissions should provide a clear description of the relevant experience and qualifications of the key individuals from each firm represented in the team, as well as the specific role of each entity.
6.1.3 Economic
Development/Jobs Initiatives Strategy
The University Gateway Center is one important component of a comprehensive
neighborhood revitalization strategy (see Concept Document). It is important
that the Gateway project strive to help address a number of important
neighborhood enrichment objectives, including the provision of appropriate
employment opportunities. Proposals should include an employment assistance
program which describes the developerıs plan for maximizing best faith
efforts to link both the construction and service employment opportunities
created by the Gateway with the employment needs of the neighborhood residents
and students. Resources to assist respondents with the preparation of
such plans and strategies are identified in Appendix C.
6.1.4 Anchor
Tenants, Mix of Uses, Residential Product
Commercial/entertainment
The vision for the Gateway Center anticipates a lively mix of uses that
draws students and others from the university community as well as nearby
residents and visitors to High Street throughout the day and evening.
These uses should reinforce High Streetıs identity as the vital Main Street
of a dynamic University District. The submission should include a description
of the anticipated nature of the mix of commercial and retail uses. The
description should include approximate ranges of square footages devoted
to various categories or types of entertainment, restaurant and other
retail uses. Most importantly, the submittal should preliminarily identify
the major anchor tenants (or specific type of tenant) for the retail/commercial
portion of the development. The submittal should also describe how the
Gateway Center will serve the diverse stakeholders of the University District,
including minorities, international students, and residents and students
with highly varying levels of income. The teamıs perspectives and strategies
regarding local versus national tenancy, minority business opportunities,
and defining appropriate types of entertainment activities within the
Gateway Project should be included. Outline the approach your team will
utilize to assess which, if any, of the existing businesses in the redevelopment
area may be good candidates for inclusion in the Gateway Center. (The
feasibility of any particular tenant locating within the Gateway Center
is not being requested.)
Office
The university is currently assessing the feasibility and desirability
of including certain of its operations within the Gateway Center in leased
space. Although no firm commitments on the amount of space, the rental
rate, or the identity of specific university operations has yet been established,
development teams should assume for the purposes of this proposal that
up to 75,000 square feet of office space may be leased by the university.
Possible university operations being considered for the Gateway Center
include activities such as Human Resources, student services (registration,
financial aid, etc.) or general university offices. Whereas preliminary
analysis has suggested that upper story space within the new development
on the West Side of High Street would be most appropriate for this use,
development teams may explore other alternatives. Proposers are encouraged
to identify the types of university operations which would provide the
greatest benefit to the viability of the Gateway Center project, and which
may, therefore, result in more advantageous lease terms to the university.
Residential
The residential units are seen as a vital component of the mixed-use development.
Currently it is recommended that they primarily consist of market rate
housing. This housing is intended to broaden the housing stock available
in the University District, appealing to a wide cross section of those
who would be interested in living in the District and in close proximity
to Columbusıs core urban attractions such as the Short North, North Market,
and downtown. The submission should include the teamıs best estimate of
unit type, rent structure, target market, and the associated parking requirements.
The team should also put forth its opinion of both the feasibility and
desirability of developing the recommended mixed-income portion of the
housing development, as well as an approach to achieving the 15%-20% low-income
unit mix within this portion.
Project Name
Thus far, we have referred to the project as the University Gateway Center.
Is this an appropriate name? If not, propose a name for the redevelopment
project.
6.2 Schematic Design Submission Requirements
Accompanying the design submission, the proposal should include an Urban Design Statement, two to four pages in length, that describes the development teamıs planning and design goals in terms of uses, design character, scale, location of public open space, and other significant characteristics. Indicate the significant opportunities and challenges that shape the design submission. The design submission should include the following:
- Illustrative Site Plan @ 1"= 40ı (may utilize a series of explanatory diagrams in addition to the illustrative plan) to show:
- location and character of public areas (paved areas, landscaping, fountains, public art, outdoor dining, etc.);
- first floor plan;
- uses (e.g. retail, restaurant, office, housing, etc.);
- pedestrian circulation;
- vehicular access and circulation;
- parking locations together with number of spaces accommodated;
- servicing;
- building heights; and
- new and existing buildings (or portions of buildings).
- Conceptual floor plans @ 1"=40ı locate and identify type of user (retail, restaurant, office, etc.), public circulation, entries, parking areas, servicing areas.
- Conceptual cross sections @ 1"=16ı, through all buildings, indicating in particular character of public open space circulation areas, including sections across High Street, 11th and 9th Avenues, and adjacent buildings.
- Conceptual elevations @ 1"=16ı including identification of intended materials.
- Three-dimensional computer model, including at a minimum the following views:
- eye-level looking south and east from the Law School lawn and north from the east side of High Street below 9th Avenue;
- eye-level looking west along East 11th Avenue from a point at least one-half block east of the project;
- eye-level from the adjacent residential neighborhoods (team-selected perspectives); and
- any other views that would help describe the proposal.
- Site access and servicing diagram.
- Preliminary utility diagram (assuming the public entity will bury the lines).
- Interior and exterior illustrative perspectivesminimum two interior and two exterior, views and number to be determined by development teams.
- A massing model @ 1"=40ı of the entire site and adjacent one-half block (model must be portable, able to be brought to various locations in Columbus).
The design submission should also provide:
- Detailed square footage breakdown of all areas including leased areas
(retail, restaurant, servicing, etc.), parking (including area and number
of spaces in each proposed parking facility), any interior corridors
or other public circulation areas, and exterior public spaces (including
plazas within the site property-line and any proposed use of public
sidewalks).
- If appropriate, provide a Phasing Plan (showing the plan, uses, square
footage, and projected dates for each phase). A Phasing Plan will be
necessary if the developer intends to initiate construction of different
portions of the project in such a way that one portion will be ready
for occupancy before construction of another portion is initiated.
- An assessment of the desirability of reusing existing buildings within
the Gateway redevelopment area. Given the mixed-use and urban design
goals stated for the project, which existing buildings or façades might
be incorporated into the new project. Particular attention should be
paid to the two buildings that Campus Partners has identified as being
of greater significancethe "Firdous Restaurant" (1532-1538 N. High
St.) and "Chinese Laundry" (1569 N. High St.) buildings. This assessment
should include both economic and urban design considerations.
- Although the High Street Plan establishes some initial thinking for the High Street streetscape improvements, provide your concept of the needed enhancements to the public realm along the Gateway Center area. Also include your preliminary design thinking regarding the extension of these improvements to areas north and south of the Gateway Center.
6.3 Traffic Circulation and Parking
The High Street Plan recommends a series of vehicular and pedestrian traffic circulation improvements for the area. The Ohio State Universityıs recently completed South Campus District Plan also establishes some of the universityıs major campus development principles for the area west of High Street. As currently conceived, 11th Avenue east of High will be converted from its current one-way, west-bound direction to a two-way roadway. Because of concerns with student pedestrian activity, neighborhood stability, and the presence of major medical facilities, the South District Campus Plan discourages promoting large volumes of east-west traffic on a major roadway through the neighborhoods south of the campus and north of King Avenue. In addition, funding for a series of ramps connecting the Ohio State Medical Center to State Route 315 was recently approved by the State of Ohio and will be built within the next several years.
With the assistance of your traffic engineer, provide a preliminary traffic circulation plan for the area immediately adjacent to the Gateway Center including:
- Recommended directional lane configurations and widths, with any required
turning movement restrictions for the High Street intersections.
- Preliminarily proposed sidewalk widths on High Street and the intersecting
avenues.
- Parking facility access.
- Service/delivery access. It is understood that these traffic depictions are extremely preliminary in nature and will be subject to significantly more analysis by the city, the developer and Campus Partners.
6.4 Financial Submission Requirements
As noted in the RFQ, Campus Partners has been assembling properties through negotiated acquisitions within the redevelopment area and now owns (or has under contract) approximately 70% of the site. It is anticipated that municipal condemnation proceedings will be initiated to finalize assembly of those sites not able to be purchased through negotiation over the next several months. Campus Partners goal is to select a master developer who will execute a development agreement and proceed with pre-development planning, tenant recruitment, design, and development approvals while land assemblage concludes.
The development agreement discussed in Section 5 must make provisions to protect the equity investment of Campus Partners in land assemblage and provide a reasonable, long-term return on that investment. Although our current approach would have Campus Partners entering into a land lease arrangement with the selected master developer, other ways of structuring the arrangement which accomplish our financial objectives will be considered. Teams should assume that Campus Partners will acquire all property, undertake the needed building demolition, and perform all required relocation assistance, and that the city will be responsible for the relocation and burial of overhead utilities.
It is also understood that subsidies will be needed to help fund the proposed parking structure(s). These subsidies may come in the form of tax increment financing proceeds (preferably the non-school portion of the tax increment), other University District parking-related revenues, or other sources.
Although detailed pro forma are not feasible at this time, it is important that Campus Partners begin to obtain a clearer understanding of the major elements of the Gateway Center relating to:
- Normal development pro forma components of development costs;
- Normal operating pro forma cost and revenue projections;
- Key financing issues;
- Sources and uses statement; and
- The nature and extent of financing gaps.
With that in mind, provide a preliminary financial analysis of the major components of your development proposal for the Gateway Center development. In light of this preliminary analysis, discuss possible approaches to addressing the financial needs of this project while fulfilling its critical objectives. You may suggest arrangements other than the proposed land lease model to illustrate such approaches.
Letters of commitment or interest from financial institutions or other sources of funding for construction and permanent financing must be included.
Request for Proposals
