RIVER TRAIL DRIVE - REQUEST FOR DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS (RFP)


The City of Peoria is seeking a quality developer to develop City owned RIVERFRONT property. The City Council, the Planning Commission, and the Heart of Peoria Commission have approved the River Trail Concept Plan.Preference is for new urban AND green development.



The City of Peoria seeks proposals from qualified developers for the development of the Peoria Riverfront north of downtown. The City owned property fronts a beautiful lake measuring approximately 2.5 miles by 1.5 miles, a lineal park, and a bike trail.



The south end of the property is anchored by downtown Peoria, I-74, and the Riverplex. The north end is anchored by the Detweiller Marina.Background: City staffs have developed concept plans for the Peoria Riverfront. Staff gave numerous community presentations and held several charettes to get community input.



Presentations were made to the City Planning Commission and the Heart of Peoria Commission and they approved the plans for the River's Edge Redevelopment Initiative, the Green Edge Plan, the River Trail Drive Plan, and the Cascade River Plan. All of the plans were reviewed and approved by city engineering and planning staff.



The Concept Plans begins with City owned land, as shown on the attached concept plan sketch. There are approximately nine city owned acres available for development. There is a substantial amount of privately owned land that could be added to the development. The plan is similar to the famous "Burnham Plan" in Chicago, with a lake shore drive and quality housing to help pay for it.There is a strong demand for housing in and near downtown Peoria.



Several market studies have been conducted with the most recent being completed by Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc. The Tracy Cross Residential Market Analysis indicated that there would be a demand for 194 new dwelling units a year in downtown Peoria.Downtown Peoria is the second most densely developed downtown in Illinois after Chicago, boasting over 17,000 jobs. Many of the young professionals employed downtown have indicated a desire to live close to downtown jobs, the river, and the convention center.


Employment in Peoria continues to grow with new jobs being created by Caterpillar, OSF Medical Center and Methodist Medical Center.More information is available on:








Possible City Contributions



Depending upon the quality of submittals,participation may include the following:
* Enterprise Zone incentives
* A favorable purchase price or transfer of real property at reduced cost
* Possible Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Incentives
City’s Right to Reject Proposals

The City of Peoria reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of the Request for Proposals, or to negotiate in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the City. If a minority and/or female owned small business is included, then a Business Plan for that small business must also be included.

Meeting / Inspection: City Staff invite interested parties to call or email to arrange a presentation and a walk through of the site. Submittals may be made until one is accepted and approved by the City Council.


Proposals or Questions should be sent to:

or

Craig Hullinger AICP Hullinger@gmail.com

Economic Development Department
City of Peoria
419 Fulton Street, Suite 403
Peoria, IL 61602
Phone (309) 494-8642
Fax (309) 494-8650
Printable Version of the RFP
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http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.e1114cd3-9732-47bd-bca2-8f5b35a914f2&hl=en

Heritage Harbor Ottawa Illinois


Nice development on the Illinois River in Ottawa, one hour north of Peoria.

It is similar to River Trail Drive, with new urban "green" development overlooking the River and Marina.


Possible Development Alternatives


This image and the images below illustrate possible
development alternatives for the River Trail Drive
on the lake in downtown Peoria.

The images are artist conceptions prepared by
the firm of Houseal Lavigne Associates


The images will be revised to show the existing trees
on the shoreline, parking on the riverside of the
road will be eliminated, and the actual image of existing
Constitution Gardens will be shown - no changes are
proposed.


Possible Development Alternatives


Possible Development Alternatives


Possible Development Alternatives


Possible Development Alternatives


Possible Development Alternatives


The images above illustrate possible development alternatives

The Links below provide addtional information:
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RFP


RIVER TRAIL DRIVE - REQUEST FOR DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS (RFP)
July 9, 2008

The City of Peoria is seeking a quality developer to develop City owned RIVERFRONT property. The City Council, the Planning Commission, and the Heart of Peoria Commission have approved the River Trail Concept Plan.Preference is for new urban AND green development.

The City of Peoria seeks proposals from qualified developers for the development of the Peoria Riverfront north of downtown. The City owned property fronts a beautiful lake measuring approximately 2.5 miles by 1.5 miles, a lineal park, and a bike trail. The south end of the property is anchored by downtown Peoria, I-74, and the Riverplex. The north end is anchored by the Detweiller Marina.

Background: City staffs have developed concept plans for the Peoria Riverfront. Staff gave numerous community presentations and held several charettes to get community input. Presentations were made to the City Planning Commission and the Heart of Peoria Commission and they approved the plans for the River's Edge Redevelopment Initiative, the Green Edge Plan, the River Trail Drive Plan, and the Cascade River Plan. All of the plans were reviewed and approved by city engineering and planning staff.

The Concept Plans begins with City owned land, as shown on the attached concept plan sketch. There are approximately nine city owned acres available for development. There is a substantial amount of privately owned land that could be added to the development. The plan is similar to the famous "Burnham Plan" in Chicago, with a lake shore drive and quality housing to help pay for it.

There is a strong demand for housing in and near downtown Peoria. Several market studies have been conducted with the most recent being completed by Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc. The Tracy Cross Residential Market Analysis indicated that there would be a demand for 194 new dwelling units a year in downtown Peoria.

Downtown Peoria is the second most densely developed downtown in Illinois after Chicago, boasting over 17,000 jobs. Many of the young professionals employed downtown have indicated a desire to live close to downtown jobs, the river, and the convention center. Employment in Peoria continues to grow with new jobs being created by Caterpillar, OSF Medical Center and Methodist Medical Center.

More information is available on:



Possible City Contributions


Depending upon the quality of submittals,participation may include the following:


* Enterprise Zone incentives


* A favorable purchase price or transfer of real property at reduced cost


* Possible Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Incentives



City’s Right to Reject Proposals


The City of Peoria reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of the Request for Proposals, or to negotiate in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the City. If a minority and/or female owned small business is included, then a Business Plan for that small business must also be included.

Meeting / Inspection: City Staff invite interested parties to call or email to arrange a presentation and a walk through of the site. Submittals may be made until one is accepted and approved by the City Council.


Proposals or Questions should be sent to:


or

Craig Hullinger AICP Hullinger@gmail.com

Economic Development Department

City of Peoria

419 Fulton Street, Suite 403

Peoria, IL 61602

Phone (309) 494-8642

Fax (309) 494-8650
Printable Version of the RFP
-
-

Islands and Plat

The images below show the River Trail Drive plan with proposed islands. They were developed by the Environmental Engineering firm, LRMG.

The islands would be built from dredge material from the Illinois River. Both islands would restore the Riverfront to a more natural setting, with wetland and ecosystem restoration. One island would have a bikeway and trail access, the other would not have access and be dedicated to bird nesting areas. These plans area conceptual, and the design refined.






Click on the Concept Plan Plat above to see more detail. This plat covers city owned land south of Spring Street. The City owns some land above Spring Street which could be included. There are also a number of privately held properties that could be purchased to expand the development area.

Potential Mixed Use Buildings


A building like this would be an appropriate use. The building should be new urban and "green". The first floor in this unit is partially garage parking, with some retail at street level. It can be built on the 60 feet deep building pads shown on the plan.

Townhouse Prototype


New urban townhomes with rear loaded garages similar to these units would be appropriate for River Trail Drive.

Peoria Lake










The proposed River Trail Drive development is located on the Peoria Lake in the lower left corner of the aerial. It looks out over a lake 1.5 miles by 2.5 miles long, anchored by the Marina on the north, and downtown and I-74 on the south.






Population and Median Household Income


Downtown Peoria is:
167 miles south of downtown Chicago
and
168 miles from downtown St Louis

Big Build Up

Click on the map above to see more detail about the amount of development in and near downtown Peoria. The proposed River Trail Drive Plan is on the mid right side of the map. Easy walking distance to our downtown, with the second highest concentration of jobs in Illinois.

Views From the Site






Views of the Illinois River and Lake Pimeteau

Peoria is looking for Developers for River Trail Drive












The City Council, the Peoria Planning Commission and the Heart of Peoria Commission have approved the River Trail Drive Plan. City Council has authorized an effort to seek a quality company to develop the site. The plan is to create quality housing overlooking the Illinois River and Lake Pimeteau. The development will create a drive along the lake, providing all people to drive along the river, similar to Grand View Drive. A kind of "low rise". Grand View. Park islands will be developed to further enhance the riverfront.

Background: City Council authorized city staff to develop and refine plans for the Peoria Riverfront, and to take those plans to the public and City Commissions. Numerous presentations and charettes have been completed. The Heart of Peoria Commission and the Planning commission have approved the plans for the River's Edge Redevelopment Initiative, Green Edge Plan, River Trail Drive Plan, and the Cascade River Plan

1. The plans implement the urban redevelopment recommended in the comprehensive Plan and Heart of Peoria Plan. These plans call for the redevelopment of older neighborhoods, and the revitalization of the Heart of Peoria with new urban development.

2. The plans are consistent with and follow the goals, objectives, and recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan and Heart of Peoria Plan.

3. The plans were subject to extensive citizen participation, including meetings with neighborhoods groups, environmental groups, developers, individuals, the Heart of Peoria Commission, Park District staff, the Park District Board, the Corps of Engineers, IDNR, FEMA, public hearings before the Planning Commission, and a charrette with citizens and the Planning Commission. They were also subject to a charrette attended by a number of environmental professional agencies and governments.

4. The plans were presented to Planning Department staff, the city manager, Public Works and the One Stop Shop.

5. The Cascade Plan was developed in response to comments made at the Planning Commission public hearing and at other public meetings, where a number of people objected to blocking views of the River such as created by PMP, the Riverplex, and other developments. They also suggested that we put more effort into redeveloping the neighborhoods back from the river. The Cascade Plan calls for maintaining and improving views to the River as buildings are demolished, and also calls for revitalization of the neighborhoods.

6. The Heart of Peoria Commission considered the plans, and recommended their adoption (They did not see the Cascade Plan, which was developed later.)

7. A number of developers have been contacted about these possible developments, and some have expressed interest.

8. The plans are similar to and consistent with the plan of Grand View Drive, which incorporates views of the River, parks, a drive providing overlooks of the lake and park, and housing on the side away from the river, providing the tax resources to pay for the streets.

9. The plan is similar to the famous "Burnham Plan" in Chicago, which created the lake front park system with Lake Shore Drive and housing to help pay for the drive. The Burnham Plan calls for open views of the water, with parks adjacent to the water, bike trails, a road, and housing on the side away from the water - similar to our plans.

10. The plan would eventually interconnect Water Street and downtown with Grand View Drive. This will likely take many years to complete, and relies on the voluntary support of 8 land owners. All these land owners were contacted, and asked to consider donating the part of their land that lies between the River and the flood way line. They were also asked to donate an additional 50 feet of right of way for the eventual construction of River Trail Drive. Some of the eight owners are actively considering this donation.

11. The Planning Commission after public hearings, site investigations and a design charette, approved the River’s Edge Redevelopment Initiative Concept Plan, including the Green Edge Concept Plan, the River Trail Drive Concept Plan, and the Cascade Concept Plan.If the City Council approves, we will look for a developer. The City prefers new urban, "green" development.



More info under:

































The Cascade Plan covers the area west of the Illinois River, north of I-74, and east of OSF. It is a logical expansion of the River Trail Drive Plan, which creates new housing overlooking the Illinois River and Lake. The name "Cascade" refers to the concept of opening up vistas of the Lake from streets leading down to the River.
Several buildings in the past have blocked River views - this plan calls for opening up and preserving or restoring the vistas where possible. The development of the River Trail Drive Development should improve market demand for housing in this great neighborhood. The area will be conserved and promoted as a great urban infill community.

Cascade Plan

This plan shows the extension of River Trail Drive north of Spring Street, and extending north through the parking lot of the Detweiller Marina. New housing would be built on the first 60 feet of parking lot east of the railroad tracks overlooking the Marina and Lake. The road could be extended all the way north to Abbington Road, creating a one mile scenic drive from Water Street north to Abbington.

This land is owned by the Detweiller Trust, and any development decision is up to their Board. Quality housing could improve the Marina, providing security for the boats, housing people who appreciate and support boating on the River. The sale of a sixty food wide property would provide revenue to the Trust, and new middle class housing in the Heart of Peoria overlooking the River and Lake.


Riverfront Planning and Development


Click on the drawing above to see more detail on the Concept Plan Plat.



________________________________





Discuss what Peoria can do to encourage continued improvement in Riverfront Planning.

Saturday 8:00 am to 12:00, Gateway Building at the Illinois River south of I-74

8:00 a.m. Welcome - Ray Lees, Planning Commission

8:10 a.m. Tom Tincher- Heartland Water Resources Council

8:30 a.m. Terry Kohlbuss - Tri-County Regional Planning

8:45 a.m. Craig Hullinger- Economic Development

9:00 a.m. Break-out session of 10 person planning group.







Discuss ideas, goals and proposals.

11:00 a.m. Present outcome to group

12:00 p.m. Adjourn

The citizen’s input will be placed on the City of Peoria blog at peoriaed.blogspot.com and incorporated into Riverfront planning efforts, and considered by the Planning Commission for incorporation into the Comprehensive Plan.

More information at http://peoriaed.blogspot.com/ under







Green Edge

Riverfront Drive

Sustainable Development




Maps







Eagle View

For more information contact:

Craig Hullinger, Director Economic Development

309.494.8640





















REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS







The City of Peoria seeks proposals from qualified developers for the purchase or lease and redevelopment of a City-owned building located at 121 Morton Street. This building is located near Constitution Park, along the Illinois River next to the downtown.

121 Morton Street

This building is one-story with a small, second story loft area 150 sq. ft. at the southern end of the building. The total size of the building is approximately 6,000 sq. ft. The exterior walls of this building are concrete block, and brick veneer with long rectangular windows facing the river; interior flooring is concrete; interior walls are concrete block and brick veneer; the roof is built-up with a ¼” per foot pitch; downspouts are on the exterior of the building. The building was originally used as the Rock Island Railroad Depot, but more recently has been used for storage and a small office area.

A City-owned parking lot containing 45 parking spaces is located adjacent to the property.

The building is currently zoned for R-3, single family residential, but proposals containing other zoning will be considered.

Possible City Contributions

• City of Peoria Enterprise Zone incentives
• Low interest loan programs
• TIF

Submission Requirements

• A development plan shall be submitted consisting of a narrative, maps and design schematic.
• The Developer shall submit evidence of qualifications consisting of developer’s experience and three (3) references competent to speak to the developer’s experience.
• A statement of experience managing project(s) of similar size; a statement identifying any defaults and bankruptcy; and a list of financial institutions as references shall be submitted.
• A preliminary development proforma showing assumed sources and uses of funds shall be provided.

Review and Selection Basis for Proposals

Each criterion in the evaluation will be ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 equals the highest ranking of submittals received. A rank of 10 for any criterion indicates the most qualified firm for that criterion. Each numerical ranking will be multiplied by the weighted value below. A total point value for each submittal will be determined by the composite evaluation of the Selection Committee. The firm with the highest overall point total will be ranked first.

Request a copy of the RFP to see the requirements for submittal and decision by the City.

All proposals will be evaluated by City staff review committee. The committee may consist of members of the following Departments: Public Works, Economic Development, Planning and Growth Management. Final recommendations will be made to the City Council. Final authorization to enter into a contract can only be made by City Council; and until that occurs, there are no commitments by the City.

Proposal Process

Seven complete sets of the proposal and all supporting documentation must be submitted. Proposals shall be sent to:

Craig Hullinger
City of Peoria Department of Economic Development
419 Fulton, Suite 403
Peoria, IL 61602

Proposals will be accepted at the above address until 4:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on May 16, 2008.

Questions shall be directed to Craig Hullinger at: (309) 494-8639, chullinger@ci.peoria.il.us

City’s Selection Process

The City will enter into negotiations with the top ranked firm, if negotiations cannot be reached, the City will suspend negotiations with that firm and go to the next firm on the list. This process will continue until a firm is selected.

The City of Peoria reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of the Request for Proposals, or to negotiate in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the City. If a minority and/or female owned small business is included, then a Business Plan for that small business must also be included.

Meeting / Inspection City Staff will conduct a meeting for interested parties on May 5, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. at 121 Morton, which will include a walk through of the building. This meeting is mandatory for anyone submitting an RFP.






Peoria Journal Star Cartoon


This plan covers property owned by the City of Peoria just north of I-74, overlooking a beautiful lake. The property is anchored by Detweiller Marina on the north, and downtown on the south. New mixed use development could be constructed from Water Street to Spring Street, providing access to and parking for the park and attractive vistas over the Illinois River and Lake.
To replace the approximately 7 acres used for the road and park, 7 acres of new ecosystem restoration park islands would be added from River sediment. This plan proposes two islands, one for wildlife habitat and one for pedestrian access. The interior lagoons would provide improved fishing habitat.
The area is in a TIF and in an Enterprise Zone. Detailed plans and autocad drawings are available from the City of Peoria Economic Development Department. Contact Craighullinger@gmail.com 309 643 0482 for more information.
The Green Edge Plan would extend the River Trail Drive plan north to War Memorial Drive, connecting to Grand View Drive. This development is on privately owned property.

All the documents on this Blog are early drafts, and have not been adopted by City Council. Staff are presenting the concept plans to citizen groups. More info at:
3 River Front Park Alternative
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