RFP - Former Public Works Department Site, 98 Penobscot Street, Town of Orono

RFP - Former Public Works Department Site, 98 Penobscot Street, Town of Orono Start Date: March 26, 2024 End Date: April 26, 2024 Type: Requests for Proposals (RFP) Email: mstone@orono.org REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Former Public Works Department Site 98 Penobscot Street Town Of Orono March, 2024 Purpose of Request: The Town of Orono is excited to announce that it is accepting proposals for the redevelopment of the former Public Works Facility site located at 98 Penobscot Street in Orono, Maine. Nestled in the east side of town near the University of Maine, dense student housing areas, quiet residential areas, and an extensive recreational trails system; the Town is excited to explore options with interested developers to repurpose this property. Successful proposals will meet the Town's goals to support environmentally responsible development that can build community, provide opportunity for affordable housing and small business

growth, and support continued expansion of the tax base consistent with the comprehensive plan. Deadline for Response: A proposal that responds to all aspects of this request for proposals (RFP) marked “98 Penobscot St Redevelopment Proposal” or via email is due by 4:00 pm April 30, 2024. The Town reserves the right to reject any and all responses to this request and, if deemed necessary, re-open the search. Send Response to: Orono Town Office Attn: 98 Penobscot St Redevelopment Team 59 Main Street Orono, ME 04473 or, via email with the subject line “98 Penobscot St Redevelopment Proposal” to:Mitch Stone, Economic Development Director at mstone@orono.org Contact for Questions: Mitch Stone, Director, Office of Community Development mstone@orono.org Background: The former site of the Orono Public Works Department located at 98 Penobscot Street in Orono, identified on the Town of Orono's Tax Map 20 as Lots 8 & 9, and further described in Book 1956, Page 30 at the Penobscot County Registry of Deeds ("Site'') has been unoccupied since the Town moved Public Works operations to a newly constructed facility in December of 2015. The Site consists of two parcells totalling approximately 3.47 acres, and has historically been used as a municipal public works facility. The Site is adjacent to residential properties in an area of primarily residential development and includes the former Public Works Garage - a 7,000 square foot maintenance building. The building is a metal sheathed building with a steel member frame and is served with three phase power, domestic water from the Orono-Veazie Water District, and has an available connection to the Town’s sanitary sewer system via a pump station located on-site. In preparation for redeveloping the site, the Town has conducted two environmental site assessments: ● Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Town of Orono Public Works Facility, 98 Penobscot Street, Orono, Maine, March 15,2012, Sebago Technics; and ● Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, Former Town of Orono Public Works Facility, 98 Penobscot Street, Orono, Maine, March 29, 2017 (and revised October 5,2017), Sebago Technics. Using this information, the Town pursued protections provided by the Voluntary Response Action Program (VRAP) law administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP). The Town successfully completed the requirements for the program and was issued a No Action Assurance Letter (NAAL) in February of 2018. As part of the DEP review process, proposed future development of the Site included commercial/industrial use, managed multi-unit residential development, single-family housing, and mixed use comprising two or more of these use types as allowed in the C-2 zoning district. Contract zoning for other uses may be allowed with the Town Council’s approval and DEP review. Strategies outlined in the NAAL for assuring safe use of the site and to prevent the migration or transfer of potential contamination may include removal of contaminated media, institutional controls, and/or engineering controls. Most use scenarios will require a groundwater use restriction that would not allow the installation of a drinking water well and a soil management plan for guiding the handling of spoils from intrusive site work. In addition, each of the proposed reuse scenarios would require a different set of institutional and/or engineering controls. For example: ● Commercial/industrial uses of the Site may require only maintenance of existing cover and a digging restriction. ● A managed multi-unit residential development or mixed commercial/multi-unit residential use scenario may be feasible with thinner cover consisting of more carefully designed and maintained landscape features, paved surfaces, and property use restrictions. ● Single-family housing may require a 24" soil cover system to prevent contact with untested surface soils. The cover system would be paired with periodic inspection and a digging restriction. Some of these restrictions could be removed pending an exhaustive soil testing plan that eliminates the risk associated with the property’s previous use and is approved by Maine DEP. Documentation for both Environmental Site Assessments and the NAAL for the VRAP process are available upon request. In March of 2019, the Town engaged a consultant to conduct a fee simple market value appraisal of the property. In 2019, the report valued the property at $75k -$125k depending on the type of proposed use. This report is also available upon request. With all of these assessments and evaluations in-place, the Town is ready to move forward with the redevelopment of the property. The Town is excited to explore options with interested developers to repurpose this property. Successful proposals will meet the Town's goals to support environmentally responsible development that can build community, provide opportunity for affordable housing and small business growth, and support continued expansion of the tax base consistent with the comprehensive plan. Submittal Requirements: 1. Project - Provide detailed information about your project and the proposed redevelopment plan. This should include enough information for the review committee to understand the goals of the project and how those goals align with the goals of the community, what elements of the project will be included in the development, and the intended uses of the property. Narrative descriptions, drawings, conceptual designs, and illustrations of the finished product would be encouraged. 2. Qualifications of the Developer - The Town is interested in working with a qualified developer to ensure the success of this project; provide information to support that. Demonstrated successes with other projects, financial stability, references, letters of support, and resumes outlining qualifications and certifications of specific development team members would be expected. 3. Purchase & Sale Proposal - Describe the purchase and sale expectations of the project. Provide proposed terms and conditions, including financial expectations of the proposal. 4. Timeline - Provide a proposed schedule for the development project 5. Other Information - Provide any other information that can demonstrate why your proposed project will be the highest and best use of the Site for the Town and why it would be in the best interest of the Town to move your proposal forward. Format - Written proposals can be submitted at the Town Office as follows: Orono Town Office Attn: 98 Penobscot St Redevelopment Team 59 Main Street Orono, ME 04473 All written proposals must include a pdf digital version of the full proposal on a USB compatible memory device. In lieu of a written proposal, pdf digital versions of the full proposal will be accepted and can be submitted via email with the subject line “98 Penobscot St Redevelopment Proposal” to: Mitch Stone, Economic Development Director at mstone@orono.org Selection Criteria: All proposals will be reviewed for completeness by Town Staff and then be reviewed by the Orono Town Council. At that time, the Town Council may direct staff to set up interviews, ask questions, or provide feedback to the development team before a decision is made. The final decision to move forward with a proposed project will be made by the Orono Town Council. Any accepted proposal will be subject to Planning Board Review and Code Enforcement compliance including all applicable state and local permitting, site laws, building codes, and local ordinances. Thank you for your consideration of this request for proposals; we look forward to your response. 59 Main Street, Orono, Maine 04473 ⸱ (207) 866-2556 ⸱ www.orono.org The Town of Orono is an equal opportunity employer and service provider that celebrates diversity and is committed var addthis_config = addthis_config ||{ }; addthis_config.lang = 'en'; addthis_config.ui_language = 'en';