HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP - P955 BLOCK 33 A MIXED USE RESIDENTIALAdministrative Services
Purchasing Divison
215 North Mason Street y 2nd Floor y P.O. Box 580 y Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 y (970) 221-6775 y Fax (970) 221-6707
www.fcgov.com
ADDENDUM No. 1
SPECIFICATIONS AND CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
Description of Bid: Block 33 --A Mixed-Use Residential Development Project
OPENING DATE: 3:00 P.M. (Our Clock) November 15, 2004
To all prospective bidders under the specifications and contract documents described above,
the following changes are hereby made.
Please find the prebid attendees list attached to the end of this addendum.
Questions and Answers from the September 29, 2004 Pre-proposal conference:
Project Manager: Ken Waido
Asst. Project Manager: Anne Aspen
Real Estate Services Manager: Ralph Campano
Operations Director: Ken Mannon
DDA Director: Chip Steiner
Development Review Engineer: Marc Virata
Director of Purchasing/Risk Management: Jim O’Neill
Advance Planning Director: Joe Frank
Traffic Operations: Ward Stanford
Water/Wastewater: Roger Buffington
Police: Joe Gerdom
Transportation Planning: Mark Jackson
Historic Preservation: Carol Tunner
Mr. Waido stated that the purpose of the pre-proposal meeting is for potential
respondents to ask the City’s Block 33 technical advisory committee (TAC) any
questions they may have about the project. He noted that proposals are due
November 15th, 2004. Mr. Waido stated that Block 33 is immediately north of
the 215 Mason St. City office building. The City owns the entire block and is in
the process of disposing of three quarters of it (all but the NW corner Trolley
Barn). It was decided not to put the block up for sale on the market because
the City is very concerned about what will eventually happen on that property,
so the motivation here is more policy-based than it is profit-based.
Mr. Waido stated that the City would like the block to be developed primarily
residential as well as mixed-use with possibly retail or services on the lower
floor and offices perhaps on the second floor as well as perhaps up to 90
residential units. The project should be 80-90% residential with 10-20% other
uses.
We are looking for a development team that has good credentials, good
experience, sound financial backing, and experience with downtown
redevelopment. This is not intended to be affordable housing, nor is it intended
to be million-dollar condos. The aim is more middle-income. There will be a
selection team that will interview the top candidates and, once a selection is
made, we will enter in to an exclusive contract with the winner for a defined
period of time that will be performance based. There will be certain
benchmarks to be met within the contract, all of which is up for negotiation.
Mr. Waido noted that the staff team is typically regulatory but is a bit different
this time because it also owns the property.
Question: Has the City had any discussions about the public/private
partnership on the project?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that the City does want to dispose the property
so we are eventually going to sell it to the developer. That does not
have to happen up front. One of the things the City is willing to do
is “carry” the property so not a lot of cash is needed up front. This
is all up for negotiation. As we move through the contract, various
parts of the property will be sold.
Question: Is there any connection with the DDA?
Answer: Mr. Steiner replied that there should be. He would anticipate that
anyone with a proposal should talk with them. The DDA would
likely put money toward standard issues such as parking, right-of-
way, improvements, façades.
Question: Do you (the DDA) have a rule of thumb for the amount of money
that is related to taxable improvements?
Answer: Mr. Steiner replied that they used to, but because this will
primarily be a residential project, it won’t generate the typical kind
of increment the DDA would invest. It will be negotiated. He noted
that the City could also provide financial incentives.
Question: Are there any economic incentives on the part of the City?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that no specific decisions have been made in
terms of fee waivers, etc., other than not looking at the total profit
motive for disposing the property. We are willing to take less than
what the property would likely capture if sold outright.
Question: Does the City have an appraisal on the parcel?
Answer: Mr. Mannon replied that we do not have one yet. Mr. Campano
stated that that will be part of the negotiations. The pricing of the
land will be below market value to provide an incentive to the
developer to allow the necessary cash flow.
Question: Is the site clean from an environmental standpoint?
Answer: Ms. Aspen replied that there was a storage facility for telephone
poles on the site. Telephone poles are soaked in creosote. There is
a letter of approval for that clean up on file but no further
environmental studies have been done.
Question: How can financial soundness of a developer be discussed without
understanding some of the financial implications of the project?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that fees will likely have to be paid by the
developer but the biggest flexibility will likely be what the land
costs will be in the long run.
Question: Since there were buildings on the site at one time, are there any
utilities where there is a credit or any utilities that may go along
with the property?
Answer: Mr. Buffington replied that we know some taps are there for
buildings that still exist there. If we can find historical evidence of
other things, credit would be given for those.
Question: Is a mid-block pedestrian connector still planned, as shown on the
Civic Center Master Plan?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that it is. There is a large storm drainage culvert
through the alley so not much will be able to be done there.
Question: Is it still planned to have a face on the mid-block and a face on
Mason Street?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that we are not looking for specific design right
now. The Civic Center Master Plan talks about focusing on the
east-west streets versus the north-south streets so we will be
looking for that in the design phase. Obviously a pedestrian spine
should have some pedestrian connections.
Question: Does the railroad right-of-way extend onto the site at the northeast
corner?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that it does. The tracks cut off a piece of the
land. It is still an active spur.
Question: Does the City own the right-of-way on that corner?
Answer: The City owns the right-of-way fee simple and there is an
agreement the railroad has with the City to use the property.
Question: Will the City participate in helping to vacate that easement across
the northeast corner?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that generally the railroad is hesitant to do that.
The City will likely not participate in that.
Question: Is there any knowledge of water table level or flood plain issues?
Answer: Mr. Schlueter replied that it is a 16x5 box without a subdrain,
except for at the lower end. We have not had any water problems
but we haven’t really had any tests on it. The flood plain is
completely contained in the street. The only thing that might enter
into it is where the inlets are on the street – there needs to be an
overflow path in case those get plugged so it can continue on down
to the river. If you have that pedestrian spine, that should work.
The box itself is to the east side of the alley. It is a 25-foot
easement and the alley is a 20-foot easement so there is a 45-foot
swath through there.
Question: How does the City expect the applicants to answer a question in
the RFP evaluation criteria when no information is known about
the financial incentives?
Answer: Ms. Aspen replied that it is actually not a question, it is a criteria
in the evaluation. If a proposal were to come through that either
requested more financial incentive than we thought was possible or
if they offered some kind of incentive to the City, that would affect
how we would rank them. Note that the weighting factor is a one:
this issue is not really as important as qualifications for this type
of project, which are weighted a three. That is in there so we have a
way to judge between different proposals. Mr. O’Neill added that it
should include what the proposal would expect from the DDA and
the City and what it would bring to the table. We are not asking for
specific proposals at this time.
Question: Are there any off-site or right-of-way improvements that the City is
going to be looking for as part of this project?
Answer: Mr. Stanford replied that we do not expect a lot of access issues
with the site. That is dependent on the intensity of the use but
generally is very flexible. We do expect the Traffic Impact Study to
look at issues such as roundabouts or signals as being possible.
Question: Do the crosswalk and right-of-way improvements along Mason
extend to the west of this project along Maple or North Howes?
Answer: Mr. Virata replied that typically those issues would be looked at in
the traffic study. We look at upgrading crosswalks to improve level
of service. At the time of the traffic study, if it is viewed that
pedestrians need something more enhanced based on the
proposal, we would look at it then. With the roadways being
improved on all four sides, we won’t be looking at right turn lanes
or anything unless the traffic study shows unusually high
numbers.
Question: Mr. Steiner asked how far beyond a request for qualifications the
City is asking.
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that we are making a clear distinction that this
is not a design contest. We are looking for a design team with
which we can partner to come up with what we want to see on the
property. We are looking for examples of similar projects and a
qualified team. Mr. O’Neill replied that we are going to select a
team based on this RFP with the team’s experience with this type
of proposal, especially in a downtown redevelopment situation.
Question: What kinds of baseline materials are available? Surveys, etc?
Answer: Ms. Aspen replied that there is not a lot of information. Mr. Waido
replied that there is an old plat. The Downtown Plan, Downtown
Strategic Plan, and Civic Center Plan are available but that may
not be what is needed. More information will be made available on
the City’s purchasing website shortly after we assemble what is
available.
Question: Does the City have any kind of a timeline in mind for review of
these proposals and then for project development thereafter?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that we initially thought we could do the
proposal review to the point where we would select the top
candidates for interviews in about a week to two weeks. However, if
there are a lot of proposals, that will take a bit longer. The original
timeline was to do all the screening, interviewing, negotiating, etc.
and have a contract signed in mid to late January.
Statement: Mr. Frank stated that about three weeks ago we met with City
Council and presented a report on future directions for
redevelopment strategies and some roles the City could play. The
report is on the Advance Planning website. We talked about the
possible tools the City could use to encourage the right type of
redevelopment in the right places, especially downtown with
housing. These tools included waiving and delaying fees, building
infrastructure, doing planning and problem-solving on
environmental issues. The Council was very supportive of that
report and that is a big shift in Fort Collins. One of the bottom
lines is: we need to be flexible and it will probably be designed on a
case-by-case basis. That is why we cannot give a clear answer on
the incentive question today. The options are very wide open right
now and this will probably be one of the first projects that will test
the City Council on this concept.
Question: What was the name of that report?
Answer: Mr. Frank replied that it is called: Redevelopment Tools and
Strategies in Future Directions. It is on the Advance Planning page
of the City website.
Question: How does the Building on Basics (BOB) plan affect the Mason
Street Corridor Plan and traffic-flow changes on Mason or Howes?
Answer: Mr. Jackson replied that the Mason Transportation Corridor Plan
is still part of the adopted long-range vision for the City of Fort
Collins but, in terms of short-term, no, we do not anticipate that
Mason will be revamped into a two-way street. At some point, the
Master Street Plan shows both Mason and Howes being
reconverted into two-way streets. He added that he would like to
see this proposal with ideas that do not preclude the Mason Street
Corridor Plan from happening.
BOB is basically the next round of community capital
improvements as was Building Community Choices. We have two
existing ¼ cent sales taxes: one for street maintenance and one for
capital projects. It was approved five years ago and expires in
2006. BOB is the next round talking about renewing those taxes
and projects. Discussions are currently underway with Council
and citizens about this.
Question: What does the City think the ideal development team would look
like in terms of number of people, kinds of qualifications, etc.?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that there really wasn’t a better way to address it
than what is in the RFP. It doesn’t matter how many people are on
the team as long as they can meet the niches for which we are
looking. There is no magic number. Ms. Aspen replied that it is
important that the group be well-structured and have good
internal and external communication since this will be a
partnership.
Question: Will the price of the land be negotiated at pre-development pricing
or at future high-use pricing?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that we know what we have in it and are hoping
to get more than that out of it. That may come out of the
negotiation.
Question: Could you comment a bit on the interface with the trolley barn
building, since that is not included in this project.
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that the part of the block we are not selling is
the trolley barn location. We want the design of what happens on
the other ¾ of the block to be sensitive to the trolley barn.
Buildings would need to be set back a bit and not too tall right
next to it.
Question: Is there some plan for an alternate use for that?
Answer: Ms. Tunner replied that the parking lot to the south of the trolley
barn will also be kept. Right now, the barn is being used for
storage but a number of plans have been kicked around. The back
half of the barn is used by the museum for climate-controlled
storage. If we get another trolley, it could be a place to put it and
restore it. It is a local landmark and is eligible for the state and
national registry. Mr. Steiner stated that we do have another
proposal on the table today to perhaps convert that to an indoor
farmer’s market; retaining the historic façade but making the
interior into a farmer’s market.
Question: Is the single family house on Howes Street owned by the City? Is it
historical?
Answer: Mr. Waido replied that the City owns the entire block. We are
looking to have the developer build on ¾ of the block (all except the
quarter with the trolley barn.)
At that point there were no more questions and we adjourned the pre-proposal
conference in order to cross the street and walk the site.
Mr. Waido asked that any future questions be submitted to him via e-mail.
RECEIPT OF THIS ADDENDUM MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY A WRITTEN STATEMENT ENCLOSED WITH THE BID/QUOTE
STATING THAT THIS ADDENDUM HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
The City of Fort Collins, Colorado
Community Planning and
Environmental Services (CPES)
Request for Proposal
P955
Block 33--A Mixed-Use Residential
Development Project
RFP Opening Date: 3:00 P.M. (Our Clock) November 15, 2004
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The City of Fort Collins is requesting proposals from Development Teams for the development
of Block 33 as described in the RFP contained herein. Nine (9) copies of written proposals will
be received at the City of Fort Collins' Purchasing Division, 215 North Mason St., 2nd floor, Fort
Collins, Colorado 80524. Proposals will be received before 3:00 p.m. (local time), November
15, 2004. Proposal No. P955. If hand delivered, they are to go to 215 North Mason Street, 2nd
Floor, Fort Collins, CO 80524. If mailed, the address is P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522-
0580.
A pre-proposal conference will be held on Wednesday, September 29th from 2-4 pm in the
Community Room of the Civic Center Office Building at 215 N. Mason St., Fort Collins, CO
80524.
Questions concerning the scope of the project should be directed to Ken Waido, Project
Manager, Chief Planner, at kwaido@fcgov.com.
Questions regarding proposal submittal or process should be directed to Jim O’Neill, Buyer, at
joneill@fcgov.com.
A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) may be obtained as follows:
1. Call the Purchasing Fax-line, 970-416-2033 and follow the verbal instruction to
request document #3955.
2. Download the Proposal/Bid from the BuySpeed Webpage,
https://secure2.fcgov.com/bso/login.jsp.
3. Come by the Purchasing Department at 215 North Mason St., 2nd floor, Fort
Collins, and request a copy of the RFP.
Sales Prohibited/Conflict of Interest: No officer, employee, or member of City Council, shall have
a financial interest in the sale to the City of any real or personal property, equipment, material,
supplies or services where such officer or employee exercises directly or indirectly any decision-
making authority concerning such sale or any supervisory authority over the services to be
rendered. This rule also applies to subcontracts with the City. Soliciting or accepting any gift,
gratuity favor, entertainment, kickback or any items of monetary value from any person who has
or is seeking to do business with the City of Fort Collins is prohibited.
Collusive or sham proposals: Any proposal deemed to be collusive or a sham proposal will be
rejected and reported to authorities as such. Your authorized signature of this proposal assures
that such proposal is genuine and is not a collusive or sham proposal.
The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any
irregularities or informalities.
Sincerely,
James B. O'Neill II, CPPO, FNIGP
Director of Purchasing & Risk Management
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Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE PROJECT
A. Vision and Context 4
B. Site Context 5
C. Architectural Program 6
D. Process 6
III. INSTRUCTIONS FOR STATEMENT OF PROPOSAL
A. Inquiries 7
B. Submittal Deadline and Location 7
C. Proprietary Information 8
D. Conditions of Statement Submittal 8
E. Evaluation of Statements of Proposal 9
F. General Qualifications Required 9
G. General Evaluation Criteria 10
H. Statement Format 12
IV. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A. Site Map 14
B. City of Fort Collins Resolution #2004-081 15
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Request for Proposal
City of Fort Collins
Block 33-- A Mixed-Use Residential Development Project
I. INTRODUCTION
The City of Fort Collins, hereafter referred to as “The City” invites Development Teams to
submit Proposals and, upon notification of selection by the City, to design, build, lease and
manage multi-tenant, mostly residential, mixed-use buildings and a structured parking
facility to be located on approximately two and one third acres of Block 33 in the City’s
Downtown Civic Center District (see attached site map), and to privately finance the
purchase of this property from the City.
The City seeks to evaluate submitting Development Teams on the basis of interest level,
qualifications and capacity to deliver this project. The City will conduct a special RFP
process in order to accomplish this goal: NO schematic plans for this site will be
considered in this RFP process. The Selection Committee will evaluate the
Teams’ qualifications only, NOT specific architectural proposals. The City’s intent
is to identify a Team that is qualified to engage in this project without involving Teams in a
laborious and expensive design process. After interviews have been conducted with the top
Teams, the chosen Development Team will enter into an exclusive negotiating contract with
the City to purchase and develop the property according to established requirements. The
benefits of this special RFP process are reduced cost and labor on the part of the submitting
Teams and a selection process that transcends a “beauty contest of building styles” and
allows the City to achieve important policy objectives.
Submitting Development Teams need to show ability to provide market research,
professional planning, engineering, architectural and related technical services. Submitting
Teams should demonstrate financial strength, experience in downtown environments,
experience with infill/redevelopment and experience with mixed-use development. Interest
in and experience with sustainable and green building techniques is highly desirable.
II. THE PROJECT
A. Vision and Context
Downtown Fort Collins is the vibrant heart and soul of this community, with a history and
neighborhood fabric warranting preservation and enhancement. Downtown Fort Collins is
anchored by a historic retail and entertainment district, Old Town Square, and an area of
unique and vital businesses located along the several blocks between College Avenue and
Meldrum Street.
The City has made significant strides to create an identifiable Civic Center paralleling
College Avenue to the west of Old Town along Mason St. First proposed in the 1996
Downtown Civic Center Master Plan, the Civic Center has been further outlined and
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described in the recently completed Downtown Plan and the Downtown Strategic Plan. The
Civic Center has begun to take shape: a mixed-use Civic Center Parking Structure was
built in 1999; the new Larimer County Justice Center and the City’s Downtown
Transportation Center were built in 2000; the City’s Civic Center Office Building was built
in 2001 and the new Larimer County Courthouse Office Building was built in 2003. These
anchor what will eventually be a unified public realm including a main public library, a
performing arts center, and a hotel and conference center. The civic center is and will
continue to be organized around a grand pedestrian civic spine. A Capital Improvements
Levy called “BOB: Building on Basics” will go to voters in 2005 and may provide funding for
the new library or performing arts center if passed.
The Downtown Strategic Plan identifies several strengths and weaknesses of the downtown
in an attempt to help the City clarify how to protect, manage, leverage and blend the
economic and cultural vitality created by the core retail and entertainment district. One of
the primary weaknesses identified is a lack of housing in and adjacent to the Downtown
core and the attendant service-oriented businesses that housing brings.
Housing is intended to accomplish a variety of goals in the downtown setting. These
include:
• Creating a 24-hour downtown, with residents who feel ownership in the area as “their
neighborhood”
• Providing housing close to the downtown employment center, thereby reducing traffic
and air pollution
• Returning under-developed property to a higher use, with increased public revenues
• Reinvigorating older public investments, particularly schools
• Bringing more disposable income to the downtown to support retail, especially stores
that cater to frequent residential needs; e.g., market, hardware, etc.
Currently, five private sector projects are underway to provide more urban housing
opportunities: the Pine Street Lofts and Cortina, which are under construction, and the
Cherry Street Lofts, Old Town Lofts, and Mason Street North project which are in the
City’s development review process. Cortina will have 20 units ranging in price from
$400,000 to $1,000,000; Pine Street Lofts will have 14 one and two bedroom units (some
plus office and/or studio) from $219,000-669,000; Cherry Street Lofts will have 10 one and
two bedroom units from $214,000-273,000; Old Town Lofts will have 17 one bedroom units
from $155,000-230,000 and Mason Street North will have 5 three bedroom units, 4 1
bedroom units and 11 two bedroom units from $159,000-$400,000.
The city’s strong support for residential development is set forth in the Downtown Civic
Center Master Plan, the Downtown Strategic Plan Update, the Downtown Plan and recent
Downtown Development Authority actions in support of residential projects.
B. Site Context
“Block 33” lies in the transition between well-established neighborhoods to the north and
west, and the evolving Civic Center to the south and east. Lee Martinez Park is just a half
block north of the site with its ball fields, working farm and open space. The Poudre River
and the Poudre Trail meander through the Park, just a ½ block from the site. “Block 33” is
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bounded by Cherry St. to the north, Maple St. to the south, Howes St. to the west and
Mason St. to the East.
The City-owned Trolley Barn on the northwest corner of Block 33 reminds us of the
industrial heritage of the site. This building is a significant historic asset, and in 1992 was
designated as a Local Landmark. It will be retained in City ownership and not included in
this property offering. The historic significance of the brick Trolley Barn will guide the
choice of materials and architectural detailing of any development occurring within Block
33.
The current zoning (D – Downtown District, Civic Center Subdistrict) permits a broad
range of residential, institutional, commercial/retail, and accessory uses. It also allows a
limited number of low-impact industrial uses. It is a true mixed-use district. Mixed-use
development is a concept that Fort Collins has embraced as a priority for downtown, in
order to create a 24-hour downtown presence and community. Possible mixed-use
components that have generated positive local support for this site include:
• A day care center
• General office use and residential support services (such as dry cleaners)
• A small movie theater
• Specialty restaurants
There is tremendous policy support and political direction for downtown as a stable
residential neighborhood in addition to its many other public and private functions. The
City’s intent is to expand the Civic Center as planned, to promote revitalization of the north
end of the downtown civic center, to provide housing options in a more urban setting and to
provide a catalyst to future development to the north.
C. Architectural Program
Based on a cursory initial look at the numbers, the site constraints and the City’s desires, it
is anticipated that the architectural program will likely contain the following elements,
though market research and further investigation could determine some alternatives:
• Approximately 90 dwelling units
• Underground parking
• Street front retail / office space
D. Process
The City hopes to attract a Development Team which is most qualified to produce a
successful result for this property and thereby help the City achieve a major policy
objective—downtown housing. This special RFP arrangement is low risk for submitting
Teams, who can propose their interest in the site with limited financial commitment.
The City will enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the top ranked Team.
Expectations will be further defined during this agreement and the Team will prepare a
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market analysis, provide a preliminary development plan or vision for the site, a conceptual
design for the project and propose financial arrangements.
The City plans to eventually dispose of its ownership in the property. Pending successful
negotiations with the City, the Development Team will then design and construct the
components of the project in accordance with agreed upon development objectives,
development review and other benchmarks. The ultimate outcome of this RFP process is a
built mixed-use residential project on Block 33.
III. INSTRUCTIONS FOR STATEMENT OF PROPOSAL
A. Inquiries
Interested parties can follow the instructions to download, register and print the Request
for Proposals from the City’s website at https://secure2.fcgov.com/purchasing . The registration
is an acknowledgement of the download and is necessary to receive any subsequent
notification of all communications regarding this RFP.
An informal pre-proposal conference will be held on Wednesday, September 29th from 2-
4pm in the Community Room of the Civic Center Office Building at 215 N. Mason St., Fort
Collins, CO. The pre-proposal conference is not mandatory but is an opportunity for all
interested parties to ask questions about the process and the project.
To maintain the integrity of the selection process, the City will not respond to phone or fax
inquiries, and prohibits prospective submitting Teams from contacting other City Staff or
any member of the selection committee. All inquiries shall be made via email and all
responses will be provided via email. To this end, it is critical that prospective submitting
Teams provide a valid email address when downloading the RFP from the City’s website.
To be answered, any inquiries about the process or the project must be received at least (10)
calendar days prior to the date established for the submittal of the Statements of Proposal
to ensure consistency and accuracy in the exchange of information.
B. Submittal Deadline And Location
All Statements of Proposal must be received no later than:
3:00 PM (our Clock), November 15, 2004 at:
If Delivered:
City of Fort Collins, Purchasing 2nd Floor
215 N. Mason St.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
If Mailed:
City of Fort Collins, Purchasing
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Statements must be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked, “REQUEST FOR
PROPOSAL P-955 Block 33 Project” and addressed to above address.
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Statements that do not conform to the requirements contained in this RFP will not be
accepted. Late statements will not be accepted under any circumstances and will be
returned to the submitting Team unopened. Submitting Teams will be solely responsible for
the timely delivery of their submittal.
In addition, Statements sent electronically will not be accepted.
The successful top Development Teams, screened by the Selection Committee, will be
notified of their invitation to continue in the selection process.
The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject any and all Statements of Proposal, in
part or in whole, and to award to the most responsive and responsible Development
Team(s) as deemed in the best interest of the City; further the City reserves the right to
waive any formalities or informalities contained in said Statements. All statements and
copies thereof are to be prepared and submitted at the submitter’s expense and, upon
submittal to the City will become a City record and therefore a public record, with the
exception of information marked proprietary as described below.
C. Proprietary Information
The City of Fort Collins is subject to public information laws, which permit access to most
records and documents. Proprietary information in your response must be clearly
identified and will be protected to the extent legally permissible. Proposals may not be
marked 'Proprietary' in their entirety. Information considered proprietary is limited to
material treated as confidential in the normal conduct of business, trade secrets, discount
information, and individual product or service pricing. Summary price information may
not be designated as proprietary as such information may be carried forward into other
public documents. All provisions of any contract resulting from this request for proposal
will be public information.
D. Conditions of Statement Submittal
1. Submitting Teams shall comply with all conditions, requirements, and
specifications contained in this RFP; failure to do so is sufficient cause for
the City not to consider the Statement of Proposal.
2. The statement must be signed by a duly authorized official of the
submitting Team.
3. No Statement will be accepted from any person, firm, or corporation that
is in arrears for any obligation to the City, or that otherwise may be
deemed irresponsible or unresponsive by City Staff or City Council.
4. Only one statement (and the required number of copies of same) will be
accepted from any person, firm, corporation or team.
5. Statements do not need to be bound in expensive binders. Promotional
material does not need to be included.
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6. All costs, including associated travel and expenses, incurred in the
preparation of the Statement shall be borne solely by the submitting
team.
7. The City will not return Statements, or other information supplied to the
City by the submitting Teams.
E. Evaluation Of Statements Of Proposal
All Teams responding to this Request for Proposals with valid submittals will be considered
candidates for review. The selection committee, approved by the Executive Director of
Community Planning and Environmental Services (CPES), will screen all submittals
received in response to this RFP.
When the screening process is completed, all candidates will be notified. The most qualified
Development Teams, as determined by the Selection Committee, will be notified and placed
on a short list. All of the short listed teams will be given an opportunity for an interview
with the selection committee, and will be given ample time to prepare for the interviews.
Detailed information about the interview process will be provided to each team on the short
list at the time of notification. It is anticipated that the interviews will occur within three
weeks after the deadline for submitting statements. Once the interviews have been
conducted, the short list will be revised and put in rank order.
The City will invite the top-ranked Development Team to enter into an exclusive
negotiating agreement with the City. If the City is unable to reach accord with the top
ranked Team, the second ranked Team will be invited to enter into an exclusive negotiating
agreement, and so on, until the City successfully executes a contract with one of the top
ranked Teams. If negotiations are unsuccessful with any of the top ranked Teams, the City
may reinitiate the process.
F. General Qualifications Required
The Development Team for the project must possess all of the following capabilities:
• Site Planning, Architecture and Landscape Design
• Structural, Civil and Mechanical Engineering
• Cost Estimating, Life Cycle HVAC Analysis
• Marketing
• Financing, Finance Management
• Construction Management and Contracting
• Experience with Sustainable or Green Building Practices is highly desirable
Experience presented in the RFP must show experience sufficient to qualify as expert in the
field of residential/mixed use development. Resumes showing relevant experience shall be
submitted for all key personnel that will actually provide the desired services to the City.
References for relevant past experiences are required.
If the Lead Firm does not have an existing office within Fort Collins, it must associate with
a local planning or architecture firm that will maintain a local presence and office during
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the length of the contract. The Development Team will be required to assign sufficient
personnel to its local office to provide full authority for decision making and immediate
availability for ongoing daily contact.
G. General Evaluation Criteria
The selected Team will be chosen based on the Statement of Proposal, the personal
interview, reference checks, financial ability and the best interests of the City of Fort
Collins. The rating scale shall be from 1 to 5, with 1 being a poor rating, 3 being an average
rating, and 5 being an outstanding rating.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate candidates’ written proposals and interview
sessions:
WEIGHTING
FACTOR
QUALIFICATION STANDARD
1.0 Presentation Does the proposal show an understanding of the project
objective, methodology to be used and results that are
desired from the project? Is the written Statement of
Proposal thorough, accurate and succinct? Is the
interview presentation clear, well organized,
informative and succinct?
3.0 Capacity to Deliver Does the Team have the financial capacity to undertake
this project? Is there sufficient evidence of pertinent and
successful prior experience in residential, mixed-use,
downtown development projects? Have previous
projects been delivered on time, at or under budget,
attractive, sensitive to their context, functional outside
and inside, built with sustainable or green technology?
2.0 Personnel
Qualifications
Are all of the required qualifications represented
sufficiently on the Development Team? Do the persons
who will be working on the project have appropriate
skills, training and experience?
1.0 Personnel
Availability
Is sufficient staff with the requisite skills assigned and
available to engage in the project? Does the
Development Team have a local presence with sufficient
dedication of staff to make decisions, attend frequent
meetings and perform day to day tasks?
1.0 Financial Incentives
to/from the City
What is the amount of financial incentives due to or
from the City for the use/purchase of this property.
2.0 Communications
and Team Work
Does the Development Team have previous experience
working successfully together and/or working
successfully on municipal projects or projects of similar
size, scope, and nature? Does the Development Team
show an understanding of effective communication
methods when interacting with municipal development
review teams or similarly sized or diverse reviewing
groups?
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Members of the Selection Committee will check references of the top ranked Teams using
the following questions. The evaluation rankings will be labeled
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
QUALIFICATION STANDARD
Overall Performance
Was their performance on projects similar
in size, scope and complexity to the Block
33 project satisfactory? Did they
adequately demonstrate the skills required
by the project?
Financial Capacity
Has the Lead Team (or firm providing
financial backing) shown consistent
financial stability over time?
Timeliness Were projects similar in size, scope and
complexity to the Block 33 project
completed in a timely manner? Were
interim deadlines met?
Communications Have they interacted successfully with
development review agencies? Were they
responsive to agency requirements? Did
they anticipate problems or issues? Were
problems or issues solved creatively,
quickly and effectively?
Project Success Was initial market evaluation performed
accurately? Was the project marketed
successfully? Has the project enhanced its
surroundings?
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H. Statement Format
Interested Teams shall submit 9 copies of their Statement of Proposal. The statement shall
be well composed and shall concisely present the Team’s qualifications for the project.
Lengthy submittals are discouraged. All statements shall contain all information as
requested in this RFP, and any additional information that the submitting Team deems
necessary. The Statement shall be limited to a maximum of twenty (20) 8 ½ “11 inch pages,
in the form of 20 single sided sheets or 10 double sided sheets. The Statement may include
appendices. However, submitting Teams should not assume that appendices other than
resumes will be read. All Statements must adhere to the following format:
1. Letter of Introduction and Interest addressed to The Block 33 Selection Committee.
This letter should include the name, address, and telephone number of the Lead Firm
and the signature of the person having authority to make the Statement for the Team
and the authority to enter into a formal contract with the City. (Maximum of 1 page in
length but does not count toward the 20 page maximum.)
2. Summary of the Lead Firm’s organization and management. Include location
of local office, size of staff, phone number, website address, and years in existence.
(Counts toward the 20 page maximum.) Define financial capacity to develop this project.
3. Describe the relevant experience of the key personnel of the proposed Development
Team that will actually provide services to the City. Indicate ability to assign sufficient
experienced personnel at all levels as needed to ensure the success of the project.
(Counts toward 20 page maximum.) Resumes of principal personnel who will work on
this project may be included in the appendices which do not count toward the 20 page
maximum.
4. Profile of the overall organization of the Development Team and any sub-consultants in
a concise organizational chart. Indicate areas of responsibility. (Counts toward the 20
page maximum.)
5. Examples of previous project work, demonstrating relevant experience in the design and
construction administration of mixed-use multi-family residential projects. Examples
shall be identified by photograph, project name, location, plans and elevations, brief
description, and responsibilities. These pages only may be 11x17 inches and folded
within the bound document for clarity if needed. Experience that does not include at
least some members of the proposed project team will be considered irrelevant and
should not be included. (Counts toward the 20 page maximum)
6. References: Provide at least 5 appropriate references for similar projects in which
similar services have been provided to a municipality. Provide contact names, current
addresses, phone numbers which the City may contact. For each reference include a
brief description including the location and approximate cost of the project. (Counts
toward the 20 page maximum)
7. A list of the Development Team’s clients, including name, address and telephone
numbers. This list will be considered proprietary if so requested by the submitting
Team and will be destroyed at the end of the selection process. List projects completed
and cancelled with reasons for termination. (Counts toward the 20 page maximum)
8. List of awards, honors, or examples of projects indicating design excellence. (Counts
toward the 20 page maximum)
9. The Statement must include a brief response to the following question:
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Why is it in the City’s best interest to select (the submitting Development Team) for the
project? (Counts toward the 20 page maximum)
10. The Statement should include any other information deemed necessary by the
submitting Development Team. (Counts toward 20 page maximum.)
The City of Fort Collins appreciates the interest of submitting Development Teams in this
project and looks forward to receiving Statements of Proposal.
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