Bid Detail

15-096 - RFP: Redevelopment of 803-807 Liberty Street

A. Introduction

The City of Springfield is requesting proposals for the redevelopment of the mixed unit building located at 803-807 Liberty Street. The City will entertain all offers.


B. Environmental Issues & Property Conditions

Property is being sold "as is" and the City makes no representations regarding the physical or environmental conditions. The selected developer accepts the property "as is" with no exception.

The City has not made and does not make any representation or warranty as to any matter affecting or relating to the property, including but not limited to the physical condition thereof, and the selected developer acknowledges that no such representation or warranty has been made and agrees to take the property in "as is" condition on the date of this agreement. The City shall not be liable or bound in any manner by any statement, representation, or information pertaining to the property which may have been furnished to the developer by any of the City's employees, attorneys, agents, servants, or other persons.

C. Community Profile

Springfield is located along the Connecticut River 25 miles from Hartford, Conn.; 50 miles from Worcester; 80 miles from Albany, N.Y.; 85 miles from Providence, R.I.; 90 miles from Boston; and 140 miles from New York City.

Springfield has a notable history. It was the home of Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and is the location of the Springfield Museum Quadrangle, which includes the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden. It is also the birthplace of basketball, invented by James Naismith at Springfield College, and home to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Other points of interest include the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield Symphony, CityStage, the Artists at Indian Orchard Mills complex, the Community Music School and many other arts and cultural attractions. The Springfield Museums, located on the State Street Corridor, house one of the most comprehensive collections of Currier & Ives prints in the world, and the G.W. Vincent Smith Art Museum at the Quadrangle holds one of the Western world's largest collections of Chinese cloisonné. The American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons franchise is based in Springfield, as is the league's headquarters. In March 2009, the City became one of only two in New England to be awarded a National Basketball Association Development (NBA-D) League franchise known as the Springfield Armor.

From its earliest beginnings Springfield had its roots in industry. In 1776, a national arsenal was sited within Springfield, and, in 1794, it was designated by Congress as the first National Armory. With the dawning of the Industrial Revolution, Springfield experienced growth across a spectrum of manufactured goods: handguns, railroad cars, motorcycles and cars.


Beyond its distinctive historical roots, the City is home to four colleges: Springfield College, American International College (AIC), Western New England College and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), with a combined enrollment of nearly 20,000 students. AIC and STCC are located on the State Street Corridor. AIC is located directly adjacent to the Project Site. The City is engaged in an economic and cultural partnership with Hartford, Conn., and the Springfield-Hartford region constitutes New England's Knowledge Corridor, with the second-largest concentration of institutions of higher learning in New England, outside Boston.

Major and prominent employers in the City include the world headquarters of MassMutual Financial Group - which is located on State Street; Liberty Mutual also on State Street; Baystate Health; Mercy Health System; Big Y World Class Markets; Peter Pan Bus Lines; Smith & Wesson; Milton Bradley and Merriam-Webster. Of special interest, Baystate Health, which already employs 3,800, has recently completed one of the more aggressive economic development projects in the region, a $296 million dollar expansion on the 54-acre Baystate campus located in the North End of the City. BMC is also the western campus of Tufts University School of Medicine.

Springfield is the third largest city in Massachusetts and fourth largest in New England (behind Boston, Providence, and Worcester). Springfield is commonly known as the City of Homes for its vast stock and variety of historic architecture and housing styles, and as the City of Firsts for its being the home to many "firsts," such as the birth of basketball, the nation's first Armory, the first motorcycle, and the first gasoline-powered commercial car.

MGM Resorts International is going through the final stages of obtaining a state gaming license for a proposed $800 million resort style casino, on fifteen acres in downtown Springfield. It will be a mixed-use leisure development that will include a four-star luxury hotel with 250 guest rooms and 20 VIP suites, 45,000 square feet of convention space, a 7,000 square foot spa, 55,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 54 residential, market-rate apartments and 85,000 square feet of office space, in addition to amenities such as a bowling alley and movie theatre. The project is expected to create 2,000 construction related jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs.

There are proposed plans to link downtown Springfield via frequent commuter rail service to Hartford, New Haven and points thereafter including New York City. These locales are already served by Amtrak rail, with daily trips from Springfield.

D. Site Information & Restrictions

The property at 803-807 Liberty Street is located within the Liberty Heights neighborhood of Springfield.

The Liberty Heights neighborhood is comprised of several smaller neighborhoods including Hungry Hill, Lower Liberty Heights and Atwater Park and is located in the northwest quadrant of the City, beginning about one mile from the Central Business District. It contains 1,384 acres, plus rights of way, and is the fifth largest of Springfield's seventeen neighborhoods. Its principal boundaries are Chicopee to the north; the Boston & Albany Railroad to the south; St. James Avenue to the east; and portions of Chestnut Street, Cass Street, and Jardine Street to the west. The neighborhood has easy access to I-291 and I-90.

The neighborhood contains a portion of Van Horn Park and there are portions of the neighborhood's real estate that line the borders of the park. Van Horn Park is the second largest park in the City of Springfield. While the park is primarily scenic and wooded, it also and has many amenities including baseball diamonds, basketball courts, walking/bicycle paths and two dams.

The Liberty Heights neighborhood is primarily residential but contains several commercial corridors along Carew, Chestnut and Liberty Streets, which also houses the Liberty Plaza. The neighborhood is home to Mercy Medical Center and bordered by Baystate Medical Center, two of the region's largest employers. Shriners Hospital for Children is located along Carew Street within the neighborhood and the private Elms College is located within close proximity in nearby Chicopee. The neighborhood is also home to the Academy Hill School, which serves children grades K-8, who show early signs of exceptional ability in academics, creativity and/or leadership.

The building at 803-807 Liberty Street is a brick, mixed-use building constructed in 1916, it contains 12,906 square feet of living/commercial space and is located on a 5,000 square foot lot and is zoned Business A. The assessed value is $423,100.00. The property has four floors and contains approximately nine residential units and two commercial units on the ground floor. There previously was a fire that occurred in the property and the interior residential units have been almost entirely gutted. The property is being sold with the vacant lot at SS Stockman Street (11200-0046).

The property is considered to have a pre-existing, non-conforming use, that has been closed for more than two (2) years and has more than four (4) units, a special permit is going to need to be obtained by the City Council in order to re-establish this use (Article 10, Section 10.1.40).

The City is most interested in proposals that will improve the existing property in a way that compliments the surrounding neighborhood. While financial benefits (i.e. price paid for the property) of a proposal are important to the selection of the developer, coupled with all selection criteria, the City will also consider the broader fiscal and economic developments to be realized from the development project. The City will not be obligated to select the proposer offering the highest purchase price if another proposal better satisfies the selection criteria and other requirements of this RFP as a whole.

The City is most interested in proposals that creatively integrate the site with the surrounding area, respecting zoning, and in a manner that creates a viable redevelopment opportunity and enhances the aesthetic appeal of the streetscape. Proposers should be familiar with abutting uses and mindful of such when developing a redevelopment project and program to ensure the project is respectful of existing neighbors.

All bidders are buying property subject to all current zoning and building restrictions. Property is being sold "as is" and the City makes no representations regarding the physical or environmental conditions. The selected developer accepts the property "as is" with no exception.

If a nonprofit organization is chosen preferred developer, it will be expected to enter into an agreement with the City to make an annual in-lieu-of-tax payment, the amount of which will be fifty percent (50%) of the tax that would otherwise be paid by a for-profit venture.

This Request for Proposals is for the real property only. All contents of the property and any personal property therein may not be included in this sale at the discretion of the City of Springfield.

The City of Springfield has made all efforts to ensure that the information is accurate. However, it is the buyer's responsibility to investigate to their satisfaction any matter as it may relate to the property.

E. RFP Review Committee

A review committee will be established to review complete proposals and will be composed of representative(s) from the Springfield Office of Planning & Economic Development, Office of Housing, City Treasurer, City Council and neighborhood representative(s).

The Committee may, in its sole and absolute discretion, reject any and all, or parts of any and all proposals; may re-advertise this RFP if so inclined; postpone or cancel at any time this RFP process; change, adjust, or modify the anticipated schedule of events. The Committee further reserves the right to waive any minor informalities pertaining to any proposals received. The determination of the criteria and process whereby proposals are evaluated, the decision as to who will receive preferred developer status, or whether or not an award shall ever be made as a result of this RFP shall be in the sole and absolute discretion of the City.

F. Submission Deadline

COMPLETE SUBMISSION PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 12, 2014 AT 2:00 P.M. by
LAUREN STABILO, CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER
SPRINGFIELD OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT
36 COURT STREET, CITY HALL 3RD FLOOR, RM. 307
SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 01103

The submission package proposal must be submitted as follows:

Proposer's name, address, phone and fax number marked on the outside of eight (8) envelopes, each marked "Request for Proposal for Redevelopment of 803-807 Liberty Street - Bid No. 15-096". One (1) unbound original proposal and seven (7) bound copies of the proposal must be submitted simultaneously in eight (8) separate envelopes.

G. Pre-Proposal Assistance

Assistance in the completion of a submission including any assistance in assembling a development team and/or financial analysis cannot be provided.

Questions regarding the RFP may be submitted in writing to the Procurement Department. In order to provide prompt answers to questions, the City requests that all proposers submit written questions to the City of Springfield's, Chief Procurement Officer by October 29, 2014 by 4:00 P.M. EST. Questions may be faxed or emailed. The Procurement Department's fax number is (413) 787-6295 email: Lauren Stabilo at lstabilo@springfieldcityhall.com. The City will compile written answers which will be mailed to all Proposers who requested a copy of the RFP, no later than November 5, 2014.

To maintain a fair and impartial competitive process, the RFP Committee can only answer written questions. Please avoid private communication with any RFP Committee Member from the release date through the selection of Preferred Developer. Proposers who initiate private communication or attempt to violate the process outlined herein may be disqualified.

Site Visits

Site Tours will be conducted on October 15, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. and October 22, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Those attending site tours should wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Access will only be available to common areas and vacant units, access to occupied units will not be allowed. Additional access to the property, beyond the scheduled site tours, may be scheduled by contacting Amber Gould at (413)886-5050. Please note additional access will scheduled at the convenience and sole discretion of the Office of Housing, during regular business hours.

H. Submission Evaluation Criteria

Acceptable proposals will be judged in accordance with the following Comparative Evaluation Criteria (See Attachment B - Comparative Evaluation Criteria).

1) Proposer History and Capacity
2) Project Feasibility
3) Achievement of Public Policy Goals
4) Readiness to Proceed
5) Direct Financial Benefit


I. Anticipated Schedule of Events

The anticipated schedule, which is in the sole discretion of the City and can be modified, is as follows:

October 8, 2014 RFP advertise in Springfield Republican October 8, 2014 RFP advertise in MA Central Register
October 8, 2014 RFP issued
October 15, 2014 Site Tour at 10:00 a.m.
October 22, 2014 Site Tour at 2:00 p.m.
October 29, 2014 RFP questions due by 4:00 p.m.
November 5, 2014 RFP questions answered
November 12, 2014 RFP responses due by 2:00 p.m.
November 2014 Proposals Reviewed
November 2014 Recommendations to Mayor
November 2014 Preferred developer selected
December 2014 - January 2015 Developer refines plans as needed
February 2015 RFP Review Committee reviews amended proposal
March 2015 City Council reviews and approves disposition
March 2015 Mayor approves disposition

Available Solicitations

As of 6:04 am Saturday, April 20, 2024

24-222 - For Sale: Redevelopment Boston & Albany Railroad at Factory Road/Hendee Street
End date: Monday May 13, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-221 - Mary O. Pottenger School Parking Lot Improvement Project
End date: Thursday May 2, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-220 - Frank H Freedman School Parking Lot Improvement Project
End date: Thursday May 2, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-219 - Daniel B. Brunton School Parking Lot Improvement Project
End date: Thursday May 2, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-180 - Roadway & Sidewalk Improvements - Arterial and Residential Streets including Sidewalks
End date: Wednesday May 1, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-205 - Request for Proposals for Springfield's 2024 Public Mural Program
End date: Monday April 29, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-226 - Flooring Installation at Mary O. Pottenger Elementary School
End date: Friday April 26, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-225 - Abatement at Mary O. Pottenger Elementary School
End date: Thursday April 25, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-224 - Abatement at Samuel Bowles Elementary School
End date: Thursday April 25, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-223 - Abatement at Springfield Public Day Middle School
End date: Thursday April 25, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-203 - RFP: Review and Update of Historical District Guidelines, Policies and Procedures
End date: Wednesday April 24, 2024 at 2 p.m.

24-213 - Purchase of Bituminous Concrete
End date: Tuesday April 23, 2024 at 2 p.m.

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