FREIGHTWAY REDEVELOPMENT SITE THE VILLAGE OF SCARSDALE REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FREIGHTWAY REDEVELOPMENT SITE JULY 16, 2018 1
- 10,000 SQ FT A5-5,000 SQ FT RES C Residence C RES C Planned Unit Development 1.0 Planned Unit Development 1.4 Village Center Office 0.8 Village Center 2.0 Village Center 0.8 Village Center Retail 1.0 VCR 0.8 Village Center 2.0 VCO 0.8 RES C 2
THE VILLAGE OF SCARSDALE The Village of Scarsdale is an attractive, vibrant, small village. It has a picturesque, active, village center, framed by tree lined streets and surrounded by quiet neighborhoods. Scarsdale residents appreciate excellent schools, the local cultural and recreational offerings, and convenient proximity to job centers such as Manhattan. Scarsdale residents have a long history of active volunteer involvement in the school system, Village Government and their neighborhoods and continually work to improve the quality of life in the Village. DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE The Freightway Site ( Site ) is Village-owned and is primarily utilized as a commuter parking facility with an aging five-story structure built in 1971. The Site has long been seen as an opportunity for transit-oriented development (TOD) given its proximity to the train station, bus lines, and one of Westchester s most walkable and active village centers. More specifically, the site is located in the southwest corner of the Village of Scarsdale, just south of the Scarsdale Train Station, the second busiest stop on the Metro-North Harlem Line. Scarsdale s historic and picturesque business district is adjacent to the station. The Site is bounded by Popham Road Bridge to the north, the Metro-North train tracks to the east, privately owned mixed-use properties along Garth Road to the west, and the Scarsdale Commons apartment building located to the south just over the municipal border in the Town of Eastchester. The Freightway Site encompasses roughly 2.4 acres within the Village of Scarsdale a small portion of the southern end of the site (approx. 0.1 acre) located within the Town of Eastchester, bringing the entire site to 2.5 acres. The Freightway site includes eight different parcels, however, there are some discrepancies with the exact size of the parcels as the tax parcel data is old. In addition to the Freightway Site, the Village owns 0.84 acres of air-rights over the railroad tracks and a 0.49 acre site located on Scarsdale Avenue with an additional 77 parking spaces. A detailed land survey of the site will be conducted to verify the exact parcels and boundaries. CURRENT OPERATION OF THE SITE The 2.5 acre site is currently used for commuter parking with 601 spaces, including a five-story parking garage built in 1971 and two surface parking lots (one each to the north and south of the garage). The garage covers approximately 0.68 acres of the site and has 474 spaces. ProPark valet parks the open lot and the lower level of the garage, effectively increasing the total parking capacity to approximately 720 spaces. The Freightway site is primarily utilized for commuter parking during the work week, and general parking on the weekend. The site is divided into three parking areas, each of which requires a permit to use. The parking lot closest to the Scarsdale Train Station referred to as the Open Lot, is a surface parking lot reserved for valet parking (by ProPark). The Freightway Garage has valet parking on the ground level with self-parking on all five upper floors. The Beatty Lot south of the garage is a self-parked uncovered surface lot. 3
FREIGHTWAY SITE REDEVELOPMENT STUDY (VISIONING STUDY-2018) In the updated Village Center Component of the Comprehensive Plan ( 2010 Village Center Plan ), public outreach revealed that most residents would prefer to see the site developed as a way to achieve improved parking, a more vibrant Village Center, and features such as connectivity, open space and community facilities. In September of 2017, the Village embarked on a Visioning Study for the site to inform future planning by defining a set of realistic and publicly supported development goals and objectives for the site. It is understood that the Village would work with a private sector partner if any development were to occur. The visioning study is a guide to the Village s potential next step to development and follows previous planning efforts by providing clear, community-based guidance to ensure that any future development will enhance Scarsdale s Village Center, meet local needs, and be economically viable. This study also recognizes factors that have changed since 2010, including addressing anticipated costs to maintain or upgrade the aging garage. Market trends have also changed, as there is an increased demand for apartments in walkable mixed-use developments near transit. There has also been increasing concern over conventional retail store viability due to the impact of internet sales and changing consumer behavior. Maximizing citizen participation was an essential part of developing a vision for the future of the site. The visioning process was first and foremost about listening to residents and stakeholders and providing them with a forum to share and discuss ideas. The planning process provided numerous opportunities for public input, including three public workshops, an What word (s) come to mind when you think of online survey, what the Freightway Site should be? intercept surveys taken at the train station, walking tours with the public and Freightway Steering Committee members, stakeholder interviews, focus group meetings, and emailed comments. Please refer to the Freightway Site Redevelopment Study located at http://www.scarsdale.com/freightwayvision to review the Vision and the seven key principles that should be used to guide the redevelopment of this critical site in the Village of Scarsdale. 4
VISION FOR THE FREIGHTWAY SITE Any future development at the Freightway Site should be a signature project that positively contributes to the vibrancy of the Village Center while maintaining its current function as a commuter parking lot. A vision and set of seven principles were developed to guide any future redevelopment of the site. The principles are based on feedback from the community obtained at public workshops, walking tours, the public survey, focus groups and other stakeholder meetings. They were also tested with the Freightway Steering Committee and Village staff (i.e. Planning, Police, Fire and Public Works Departments). Principle 1. Improve Parking and Circulation Principle 2. Ensure that public benefits are achieved by any development Principle 3. Ensure contextual development (scale, bulk, height) Principle 4 Encourage mixed-use development supportive of Village Center Principle 5. Connect and integrate the Freightway Site with the Village Center Principle 6. Include environmentally sustainable development Principle 7. Plan for the long term future, within a reasonably practicable time horizon 5
PROPOSAL Responders shall submit proposals that conform to the following components: A narrative of desired conceptual development plan and how it incorporates elements outlined in the February, 2018 Freightway Site Redevelopment Study; The conceptual development plan should integrate a mixed-use facility that includes housing, retail space, public space and parking to serve current capacity; Develop a new zoning paradigm illustrative of desired setbacks, height of structures, formula for number of housing units, square footage of retail, open space, public amenities, project required parking spaces, public parking spaces, linkages to Village Center core, open space and other site elements; Illustrative elevations displaying the north, south, east and west views; Description of architectural features that can be used to decrease the appearance of massing on the site; Design features of the housing units that appeal to mature adults and millennials; Illustrative view of Scarsdale Avenue, Garth Road and Popham Road traffic lanes, traffic movements, sidewalk, landscaping, lighting and other pedestrian amenities in context with the proposed structure; Description of the project s public and financial benefits and other amenities to the Village which may include cash considerations; Statements supporting the financial viability of the proposal and identifying potential financial sources, or methods available to the firm/organization; General description of the legal and transactional structure that can be utilized for the development that addresses ownership, rights and obligations, (e.g., fee ownership, long-term lease or air-rights transaction) during construction and with respect to the future operation and maintenance of the housing, retail and parking components of the project. The Village shall not be liable for costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFEI or in conjunction with any presentations before the Village Board of Trustees or local agencies. Responders are required to submit twelve (12) copies of the proposal in a form that is bound, paginated, indexed and numbered consecutively. Submission of an electronic copy is also required. All materials developed under the RFEI shall become the possession of the Village of Scarsdale. 6
BACKGROUND OF FIRM/ORGANIZATION Submissions must have a brief presentation of the organization s background, breadth of experience, professional training and education, experience of principals, noted projects completed locally and nationally and any awards or recognitions received in the last five years, and must include the following: description of the organization s history and ownership; specific experience in developing projects in the Northeastern part of the United States, listing the projects with year completed, financing method, illustrations/photographs and references from individuals involved with projects completed in conjunction with a governmental or public agency; experiences that demonstrate the ability to work in a difficult urban environment on a site with sub -surface rock, unique drainage needs, concerned abutters, staging commuter parking and the construction of residential and retail space with subsurface parking facilities; financial resources that demonstrate the firm s/organization s ability to successfully complete a mixeduse development project of this scale and scope; any information pertaining to the experience of working with government entities including major transportation agencies (e.g. MTA or the like) elaborating on knowledge of local zoning, local planning board processes, New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), neighborhood associations and business groups; specific experience building adjacent to, and possibly over, major transit right of way; a presentation that illustrates the firm s/organization s commitment to excellent design, use of premium materials and quality workmanship in regard to construction. References from previous clients should be included with photos and other graphics of completed projects; description of the project team that will be assigned to the Freightway Redevelopment Project specifying the lead design firm, primary consulting engineer, environmental consultant and other parties required for specialties such as noise and light analyses, with the inclusion of relevant credentials. SUBMISSION All proposals, fully completed, must be submitted to the Village of Scarsdale Village Manager s Office by Friday, October 15, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Twelve (12) copies shall be submitted to the attention of Ingrid Richards, Assistant Village Manager and time stamped in the presence of the Responder or a representative. Packages containing proposals shall be sealed, bearing on the outside the Responder s name, address and plainly marked RFEI Freightway Site Redevelopment. A pre-submission conference will be held in the public meeting room at Village Hall located at 1001 Post Road in Scarsdale, NY on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. EST, to review information and answer questions about the RFEI. The Assistant Village Manager and Village Planner will be present. In addition, general questions about this RFEI, submission requirements, technical questions regarding the proposal and/or requests for any documents cited in this RFEI must be made in writing to the Assistant Village Manager at irichards@scarsdale.com. Responders are required to limit their contact with the Village regarding this RFEI to the Office of the Village Manager. 7
EVALUATION 1. All proposals will be evaluated by the Village Board under the guidance of the Board s Land Use Committee. Meetings of the Land Use Committee are subject to the open meetings law (Public Officer s Law Article 7). 2. The following criteria will be used, without limitation, in determining the firms/organizations that will be invited to submit an RFP to the Village further defining the proposal, specifying public benefits and listing all aspects, rights, responsibilities and obligations of the parties. Completeness and responsiveness to the requirements of the RFEI. Content, quality and clear concise presentation of the conceptual plan both in narrative and graphic description. Demonstrated qualifications and professional experience and competency in analyzing, designing and building downtown mixed-use projects. Financial position of the firm/organization, financial viability of the proposal and reputation in the real estate financing industry. Innovative nature and extent of creativity in addressing various aspects of the proposal. Conformance with the Freightway Site Redevelopment Study. Demonstrated understanding of the project scope as evidenced by the quality of the submission. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Additional information may be obtained by Respondents on the Village s web site, www.scarsdale.com. Revisions to proposals are not permitted once submitted, however, proposals can be withdrawn any time prior to the submission deadline by presenting a written request from the firm s/organization s principal, to the Office of the Village Manager. Requests for withdrawal prior to the submission deadline will allow for the return of the twelve (12) submitted unopened proposals and electronic submissions to the Responder. Notwithstanding any other provision of this RFEI and without prejudice or liability to any prospective responder, the Village of Scarsdale reserves the right to modify or waive any requirement of this RFEI or withdraw in its entirety. Garth Rd. Community Edgemont Neighborhood Garth Road Freightway Site Scarsdale Station Scarsdale Ave. Overhill Neighborhood Village Center 8