Blaine St RFQ Final Draft 2_14_24 (2).pdf

REAL ESTATE OFFERING

AND REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

To Implement the Blaine Station Master Plan

Monroe, Georgia

Issued by the City of Monroe, Georgia:

215 N Broad Street Monroe, Georgia 30655 www.monroega.com http://www.monroega.com/

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Request for Qualifications: Blaine Station

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................... i

SECTION I: Project Information

Introduction

Background

Market Context

City Development Incentives and Terms

SECTION II: Proposal Contents and Evaluation Criteria

SECTION III: Additional Instructions to Proposers

SECTION IV: Appendix

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Request for Qualifications: Blaine Station

March 1, 2024

To whom it may Concern:

The City of Monroe is pleased to offer the following development opportunity on the site of the former Walton

Plaza Shopping Center, located at 140 Blaine Street in the Eastern area of Monroe. The city purchased the 96,400

SF vacant retail center in late 2017 and has rehabilitated 49,100 SF at the north end of the center to provide space for the Monroe Police Department, Municipal Court, and Utility/Infrastructure Department. We are now offering the “excess” portion of the 8.84-acre site, including the remaining vacant space within the shopping center, to the private sector for redevelopment.

In 2021 Monroe engaged Lord Aeck Sargent (LAS) to help the city develop a master plan for this site. That plan offers “a vision of a walkable, mixed-use district that serves as a destination. The vision includes stand-alone retail, restaurants and other commercial in small format settings. Commercial uses are supplemented with small public shared open space and adjacent residential development.” In late 2021 the Monroe City Council approved the Blaine

Station Master Plan and rezoned the site to enable the property to be developed for a mix of rehabilitated commercial/retail space, new construction on commercial out-parcels, and housing. The complete Master Plan report and PCD zoning are available to download as attachments to this offering.

As the property owner, the City of Monroe has the flexibility to convey the real estate in a manner that achieves the public sector’s objectives as expressed in the

Master Plan, while providing the development community with attractive financial terms to enable the Project to succeed. The City is seeking to convey development rights to an experienced developer, or multiple developers, who are willing to build the Project in substantial conformance with the Master Plan. The purpose of this document is to invite qualified parties to express interest in acquiring the site for that purpose. We encourage you to take a few moments to review the enclosed information to better understand the real estate and the full scope of this opportunity.

If you are interested in exploring this matter further, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail the primary contact person identified in Section III of this RFQ. Staff will be prepared to answer your questions, share all relevant information, and assist you in inspecting the property upon request.

We thank you for your interest in Monroe and look forward to the possibility of receiving your response.

Sincerely

Logan Propes City Administrator Monroe Georgia Enc.

Deadline for Responses

Proposals must be received by the City of Monroe at 215 North Broad Street Monroe, Georgia 30655 on or before 2:00 PM on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Request for Qualifications and Statement of Interest to Implement the Blaine Station Master Plan

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SECTION I: Project Information

Introduction

The City of Monroe (“the city”) is issuing this Real Estate Offering and

Request for Qualifications (the “RFQ”) to select one or more experienced parties to negotiate development rights to portions of

140 Blaine Street in East Monroe (“the Project”). We encourage recipients of this RFQ to take a few moments to learn more about the

Project and to seriously consider responding. The following section describes the real estate being offered, provides a brief history of the city’s efforts to prepare the site for disposition, outlines the general nature of redevelopment desired by the community and the types of financial terms/incentives the city is prepared to offer to achieve its vision for this site. This section also provides references to additional documents that will be helpful to you in evaluating the site‘s potential to be developed in conformance with the Master Plan.

For parties who may be interested in responding, Section II describes the requested contents and minimum requirements for written proposals, as well as the process that will be used to select a developer(s) to proceed to negotiation of an agreement. Section III then provides additional instructions, including proposal deadlines, procedures for submitting questions and related information.

Additional reports and data that will be helpful to proposers is also available on the city’s web site and can be downloaded using this link:

https://www.monroega.com/purchasing/page/blaine-station-development-request-qualifications

The City of Monroe greatly appreciates your interest and looks forward to the possibility of receiving your proposal. We also welcome the opportunity to answer your questions and provide any additional information you may need to respond, in accordance with the process described herein.

N

Figure 1: (above) Project location and Monroe city limits (below) approximate site boundary and nearby points of interest.

Blaine Station https://www.monroega.com/purchasing/page/blaine-station-development-request-qualifications

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Background

The site of the former Walton Plaza Shopping Center at 140 Blaine

Street includes 8.84 acres located near the intersection of E. Spring

Street and Georgia Highway 78, roughly 1 mile Northeast of

Downtown Monroe in Walton County. The original 96,400 SF shopping center consisted of two main buildings. Roughly 35,000 SF located at the north end of the shopping center was built in 1996 for a supermarket anchor and the larger section containing more than

61,000 SF was constructed in 1975 to accommodate multiple retail tenants. In late 2017, the City of Monroe acquired this property to provide new facilities for city services. The former 35,100 SF supermarket space was renovated for use by the Police Department and Municipal Court. Approximately 15,000 SF adjacent to the Court was converted to office space for the Utility/Infrastructure

Department, leaving 46,300 SF of vacant retail space and nearly 3.5 acres available to be redeveloped for private uses.

In 2021 Monroe engaged Lord Aeck Sargent (LAS) to assist the city in developing a master plan for the site. As a city-owned property, the objective of the master plan was to proactively encourage future development “in a manner that sets a tone for new compatible development on the east side and throughout the city as a whole.”

The scope of the effort included evaluating development concepts and preparing massing estimates for new construction, proposing development controls and preferred design standards for buildings, streets and public spaces, parking and signage, stormwater management and related components.

The Master Plan offers “a vision of a walkable, mixed-use district that serves as a destination,” with permitted commercial uses “supported by small public shared open space and adjacent residential development.” After holding a public hearing, the City Planning

Commission recommended approving the “Blaine Station Master

Plan” and rezoning the property from B-3 commercial to PCD (Planned

Commercial District). Rezoning was approved by the City Council in

November of 2021 and enables the property to be redeveloped for a mix of rehabilitated commercial/retail space, new construction on commercial out-parcels, and housing.

Figure 2: Existing Conditions and surrounding land uses, including potential off-site parking.

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Existing conditions are shown here, and the approved Development

Concept Plan for Blaine Station is illustrated on the next page. The complete Blaine Station Master Plan, PCD zoning requirements, market data and other relevant background material to this RFQ can be obtained at https://www.monroega.com/purchasing/page/blaine-station-development-request-qualifications.

Figure 3: Existing conditions site plan. Vacant tenant spaces identified as “B” though “D” totaling 46,300 SF are included as part of this offering. Since acquiring the property the City has installed a new roof, made exterior improvements to the building shell and removed the original HVAC systems. The interior condition of the vacant retail space has not been improved.

Utility/Infrastructure

UTILITY/

INFRASTRUC-

TURE

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Figure 4: In addition to municipal services, the development concept plan accommodates 46,300 SF of rehabilitated retail space in existing buildings, 12,000 to 24,000 SF of new commercial/retail/mixed use space and 28 to 56 residential units in multi-family, mixed-use or townhome configurations. The City’s “preferred” concept illustrated here shows 32 townhomes, including potential live-work units.

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The city is distributing this offering directly to a targeted list of developers who we believe possess the experience, financial capacity, and potential interest to undertake a project of the scale expected at this location. We are also distributing it to several area architecture, urban planning and commercial construction firms who may know clients who would be a good fit for this opportunity. However, this list is by no means exhaustive. Other interested parties who did not receive this information directly but are interested and qualified to undertake the Project are strongly encouraged to respond.

The objective is to receive responses from qualified firms who are experienced in developing walkable in-town communities and are interested in executing the Project in substantial conformance with the Master Plan and PCD zoning. From the responses received, the city will select a preferred proposer and grant that party a period of exclusivity to undertake due diligence. The due diligence period will conclude with the submission of a proposal to acquire the real estate subject to permitting, and including financial terms; any actions, incentives, or other obligations required of the city, and related conditions.

The city’s preferred option is to select a single entity or a joint venture that would agree to execute the three main components of the

Master Plan that are illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. However, we also realize that some proposers may only be interested in undertaking the residential or commercial component, but not both. If the city determines that it is in the public interest to do so, it is willing to consider segmenting the site into sub areas (shown on the next page) and conveying them separately, with adequate provisions to ensure coordination among the respective developers and the timely completion of the Project.

Figure 5: 3-D Site Model. Additional information is contained in the Blaine Station Master Plan included with Attachment A.

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Figure 7: Downtown Monroe, 1.0 miles southwest of Blaine Station.

Market Context

Monroe has an estimated population of roughly 15,000, located in

Walton County. Monroe is situated along GA Highway 78 roughly 20 miles east of Snellville in eastern Gwinnett County, 26 miles southwest of Athens and the University of Georgia, and 15 miles north of

Interstate 20 at Social Circle. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Walton County’s population has been growing at a 1.6% annual rate since 2010, significantly above the State average, and reached nearly

99,900 as of July 1, 2021. The estimated 2020 median income of

32,100 county households was estimated $65,500, nearly 7% higher than the statewide median, while the County’s poverty rate was 2.6 percentage points lower than the state average.

Figure 6: Sub Area Map. This map shows the potential to subdivide the portion of the site not retained by the City into three distinct sub areas, consistent with their intended future uses.

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The U.S. Census also estimates that 76% of Walton County households are homeowners. The local 2023 median home value in Monroe was

$321,059, nearly 7% above the statewide median. The median listing price for homes in January 2023 was $434,900. The median gross rent for rental housing was estimated at $1,045 in Walton County.

According to CoStar, the City of Monroe contains slightly more than

2.0 million SF of leasable retail space in 160 buildings. The retail vacancy rate is currently below 3% and the average “overall NNN rent” is $12.82/SF. After more than a decade of no significant inventory growth, the development of the Monroe Pavilion power center added more than 385,000 SF (a 23% increase) to the city’s total retail inventory in early 2022. Despite this expansion, CoStar estimates total available vacancy at less than 63,000 SF. (2024 preliminary estimates are even less available inventory).

From 2020-2023, 4,013 permits authorizing new privately-owned housing units were issued within Walton County (including Monroe).

Although multi-family housing is allowed by zoning, because a large percentage of these recently permitted and planned developments include multi-family apartments, the city’s “preferred” residential unit mix for Blaine Station would be for-sale townhomes. However, a proposal that incorporates multi-family housing in place of townhomes will not be rejected if the proposer can demonstrate that such a plan is financially necessary or in the city’s best interest to approve.

Walton County is also characterized by high labor force participation and historically low unemployment. The county’s most recent unemployment rate was reported at only 2.70% according to

November, 2023 reporting. Abutting counties have similarly low

Extensive demographic, housing, economic and labor market information for Monroe and

Walton County are reported in the City of Monroe, Georgia 2022

Comprehensive Plan Update, which was adopted in April. The comprehensive plan is included among documents available for download as part of this RFQ.

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City of Monroe Retail Inventory and Vacancy History: 2002 - Present (Source: CoStar)

Inventory SF Vacant SF Total Vacancy Rate

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unemployment rates ranging from 2.10% in Oconee to a high of only

4.5% in Newton County.

The above data points suggest that the market area surrounding

Monroe is at full employment, characterized by increasing population, households, and income levels. The region’s tight labor market is likely to become even more so with the recent announcement by Rivian

Automotive to build a $5.0 billion EV and battery plant on a nearly

2,000-acre site located off I-20 east of Social Circle, roughly 15 miles south of Monroe. That single facility could eventually employ more than 7,500 workers and increase the total number of jobs located in the surrounding rural counties by more than 5% over existing conditions.

City Development Incentives and Terms

When it acquired the former shopping center, the City Council’s main objective was to provide needed expansion space for municipal operations. Receiving revenue from the sale or lease of the remaining retail space and surplus parking area was not critical to that decision.

While receiving some form of compensation for development rights will factor into the disposition process, the City Council’s main policy objective is to see the property developed in a manner that reflects, to the greatest extent possible, the vision of a walkable, mixed-use district described in the Master Plan and PCD zoning. The city is seeking to partner with a developer(s) who share that vision and will structure a development agreement that sets a tone for new construction in East

Monroe and throughout the city. (Various images from the Blaine

Station Master Plan, which depict preferred architectural styles for commercial, residential, and mixed-use development, appear on the next page.)

The city is open to negotiating the following deal points with a potential development partner:

Ownership and Control: The city has full control of the property and can convey the Project site to the selected proposer(s).

Flexible Compensation Terms: The terms of a purchase contract for city-owned property are open to negotiation. The city would consider an up-front purchase of the entire development site, a phased take-down, ground lease of the commercial space, or some combination thereof. The city will select the proposer(s) who offers the best combination of quality product and compensation terms, which in its sole judgment, best reflect the

Master Plan and will have the most positive economic impact on surrounding neighborhoods and the city as a whole. These terms may or may not reflect market value.

Participation in Public Improvements: The city would be open considering supportive investments in on-and off-site public improvements and common area amenities, if necessary to significantly enhance the Project’s quality or make the development financially feasible. These may include public improvements to surrounding streets, streetscapes, common areas, negotiating access or creating additional nearby off-site parking.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal to participate in all or part of this development, the requested structure and contents of your proposal are addressed in the next section. Additional instructions and helpful information, including submission deadlines, city contacts, arrangements to inspect the property, and related information are provided in Section III.

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Figure 8: Preferred archituctural styles for new commercial infill (above) and rehab (below).

Figure 9: Preferred architerctural styles for residential and mixed-use buildings.

Interested proposers are encouraged to download the Blaine Station Master Plan for guidance on preferred architectural styles, materials and details; shared open spaces, placemaking, signage, parking, stormwater and related design features.

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SECTION II: Proposal Contents and Evaluation Criteria

This RFQ is seeking responses from qualified developers who are interested and experienced in building sustainable, walkable in-town developments or communities. In this context, the terms “Developer” and “Developer Qualifications” apply to the development entity itself and the proposer’s professional team assembled to execute the project.

The City of Monroe is seeking a developer and supporting professional team that possess the strongest combination of the following qualifications and experience.

A successful track record in developing historically sensitive, innovatively designed commercial and/or mixed-use developments in “in-town” settings, particularly in smaller cities and suburban counties, Experience in developing quality market rate for-sale or rental housing in walkable settings, Experience in developing projects involving public-private partnerships and/or in locations with strong community and stakeholder interest, Experience in developing projects that have demonstrated proven market acceptance and resulting positive impacts in attracting investment to nearby properties, and

Evidence of a strong financial position, access to equity and debt financing, and a well-performing portfolio of past and current projects.

Proposals must address the four subject areas described below. While the requested contents are described in each section, the organization of the proposal and level of detail provided are left to the proposer’s discretion. Respondents are encouraged to be concise and limit the body of the proposal to 20 pages if possible. The proposal may be organized to provide supporting information, such as resumes or project descriptions, in an appendix.

1. Part I – Cover Letter: Responses should include a cover letter that introduces the respondent’s company, professional team, firm experience, and areas of expertise. The letter should:

a. Include the name, address and telephone number of the firm and the person who will serve as the proposer’s primary point of contact during the evaluation phase,

b. Identify the organizational structure/composition of the firm as well as the names and addresses of key principals,

c. Outline the team’s professional qualifications and experience in development, financing, and marketing of comparable residential, commercial, or mixed-use projects,

d. Summarize why the firm is interested in this project (or a part of the project if applicable); and

e. Be signed by an authorized representative with the authority to negotiate with the city and commit the proposer or the proposer’s team to an agreement if selected.

2. Part II – Proposed Development Vision and Program: Proposers are invited to comment upon the vision and desired development program for Blaine Station. This may be based on the site plan included in the Master Plan or reflect the proposer’s additional thoughts and analysis. While the city is committed to the overall vision illustrated in Master Plan, it also recognizes that flexibility

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may be needed for economic or other reasons. This part of the proposal can address, but not necessarily be limited to the following subject matter, in no particular order:

a. The proposer’s initial thoughts regarding the design and estimated price ranges (or rents) for proposed residential units and/or commercial components that could succeed at this location, supported by photographs, renderings, or floor plans of comparable examples, as applicable,

b. Discussion of alternatives if more than one concept is under consideration,

c. Potential on- or off-site issues/concerns or plan elements that may require city financial support or participation,

d. A timeline and list of due diligence activities the proposer would undertake if selected for the project,

e. The potential terms and length of an agreement the proposer would require from the city in order to invest funds for due diligence,

f. A preliminary suggested phasing plan/schedule from initial selection to closing, and through the construction period, if selected,

g. A conceptual framework for determining compensation to the city for the real estate, and the timing of such compensation, and

h. A preliminary estimate of the potential total construction cost and end value of the proposer’s investment in the site.

This part of the proposal should address key deal points the proposer would see as necessary to commit financial resources to due diligence, and outline steps following due diligence, assuming that findings are favorable. The city recognizes that this discussion is intended to serve as a starting point for negotiation and would not be binding on either the proposer or the city.

Proposers are also encouraged, but not required, to include a general form of agreement that could serve as a template if selected to undertake the Project. This may be in the form of a generic draft MOU, Purchase and Sale Agreement or similar document, a redacted example of a similar agreement executed with other parties, or a narrative discussion of the main contents of such an agreement.

Part III – Development Team Experience: At a minimum, this section must contain sufficient information to enable the city to identify and understand the identity of the proposer. Provide the complete legal name, the location of the proposer and the names/locations of all legal entities that comprise the respondent if proposing as a team.

Also provide brief history and describe the legal structure of the entity. In the case where the respondent is a partnership, joint venture, or affiliation of two or more firms, please provide information for all participants and the nature of the business relationship. This should include a brief description of the respective roles, rights, and responsibilities of the parties. If applicable, the respondent should include a statement and/or organizational chart that clearly identifies the level of authority vested to each member within the team’s management structure to make decisions. In addition, this section should address the following:

a. Relevant Projects: The city expects proposers to describe their relevant experience with developments that are most comparable to this Project. The city is interested in projects that were successfully completed or are still in active development, as opposed to planned projects that were never executed or are still pending. “Project experience”

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listed in this section should also prioritize developments executed by the proposer over projects attributable to members of the consultant team. The city is also more interested in receiving detailed descriptions, focused on a few highly relevant and more recent project examples, than in receiving minimal information on a larger number of examples which are less relevant. For each example cited, discuss why it relevant to Blaine Station and Monroe’s situation. Also describe the specific role of the respondent and or the responsible team member in executing the project, the location, development cost and the year in which the project was completed or is planned for completion.

b. Personnel: Provide summary resumes of key personnel, including the persons’ name, title, relevant experience, professional background; education and employment history.

Provide an organizational chart of the respondent's management structure. The organizational structure should clearly identify the management team, and the roles of the associated individuals/firms.

c. Consultants and Subcontractors: Use this section to identify relevant architectural or engineering consultants, legal and/or financial advisors, contractors, or subcontractors the respondent typically uses, and/or is most likely to retain to assist in executing this project. The city does not require respondents to identify their entire consulting team in advance of being selected. However, this part of the proposal should communicate that the respondent understands and will acquire sufficient technical expertise to work through permitting, engineering and coordination challenges associated with this project. The format for presenting the qualifications of consultants should follow the same general format as used for the developer.

d. Financial Capability: In this section the respondent is expected to submit information which demonstrates the proposer's capability to raise sufficient equity and obtain financing to execute a project of the expected size and cost of Blaine Station. If the respondent is a partnership, joint venture or newly formed legal entity, financial information should (at minimum) be provided for the entity or individual(s) that own and control a majority interest.

“Evidence” of financial capacity may be in whatever form the proposer chooses, including company financial statements, letters or endorsements from third-party lenders, project portfolios or related information.

However, a proposer’s failure to adequately cover this requirement may be interpreted by the city as an admission of inadequate financial capacity.

Part IV – Disclosures: Should the proposer be aware of any conditions or significant contingent liabilities, such as guaranteed loans or other obligations which could affect the proposer’s ability to obtain financing for this Project, this final section should contain a disclosure statement that describes the applicable situation. Proposers should also describe any disputes involving the respondent which the city should be made aware of. Proposers are also expected to disclose any outstanding business relationships or disputes with the City of

Monroe, Walton County Government or any other relevant agencies and organizations.

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Evaluation Process and Selection Criteria: Upon receipt and review of the proposals, the city, at its sole discretion, shall determine which respondents meet or exceed the minimum qualifications and rank respondents in order of qualifications. Submissions will be reviewed by an Evaluation Committee consisting of elected and/or appointed city officials and professional staff with expertise in real estate development and related issues. The committee will conduct an evaluation of the submissions using the following general criteria:

a. Experience of the Developer/Development Team in successfully executing comparable-scale mixed-use communities in walkable, in-town settings which possess characteristics similar to those described in the city’s objectives for this property,

b. Composition and qualifications of development team members, professional staff and consultants assembled to execute the Project,

c. The applicability of the proposed development vision and program; compliance with and achievement of the city’s stated objectives and the usefulness of comments, insights, recommendations, and approach to develop the site,

d. Evidence of the financial capability of the developer/team to contribute equity and secure necessary debt financing to execute the Project, and

e. The attractiveness of the proposed framework for performing due diligence, leading to the negotiation of a development agreement.

Upon completing its review of written submissions, the Evaluation

Committee will notify each respondent in writing with respect to whether their submission was complete, whether the submission satisfied minimum qualifications and whether the Committee will consider the proposal further. Before completing its review, the

Evaluation Committee may at its discretion submit additional questions to or invite respondents to make oral presentations to the

Committee before making a final determination. Proposers should expect that the Evaluation Committee will take up to 30 days to complete its work depending on the number and quality of proposals received.

Upon completing the initial evaluation process, the city intends to either (a) continue negotiations with two or more finalists before deciding, or (b) choose to negotiate with one preferred proposer. The expected conclusion of this process will be an agreement granting the selected proposer (or more than one proposer if the residential and commercial components are awarded separately), exclusive development rights for a reasonable period of time to conduct due diligence and negotiate terms. If after completing due diligence the developer intends to proceed, the city would expect to negotiate terms and execute a potential purchase and sale agreement and/or subsequent agreements leading to an eventual closing on all or parts of the site.

Deadline for Responses

Proposals must be received by the City of Monroe on or before 2:00 PM on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Important instructions to proposers, including the packaging and delivery of proposals, procedures for submitting questions, arranging a site inspection and related requirements are included in Section III.

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SECTION III: Additional Instructions to Proposers

The City of Monroe is pleased to offer a 3.45-acre development site and remaining vacant commercial space that was once part of the

Walton Plaza Shopping Center, for mixed-use development adjacent to the police station and municipal court. Important instructions to parties interested in submitting proposals are provided in this Section.

1. Delivery Location and Deadline for Proposals: Responses to this

RFQ must be delivered to:

City of Monroe 215 N Broad Street Monroe, Georgia 30655 on or before 2:00 PM on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Unless the city at its discretion chooses to extend this deadline for all interested parties, any submissions received after this specified day and time will be rejected.

2. Packaging of Submissions: RFQ responses must be sealed and clearly marked identifying the following information on the front of the package:

Blaine Station Master Plan – RFQ Response

Respondents are requested to submit one (1) paper copy with original signatures and one electronic copy in PDF file format either included within the submission package or delivered separately via e-mail. Respondents are also asked to include a table of contents/index and to organize their presentation into sections which correspond to the order of requirements indicated in this RFQ (See Section II). Only delivery of the sealed submission package by the specified date and time (not electronic copies submitted via e-mail) will be considered responsive to the deadline. If there is any discrepancy in the contents of the submitted paper and electronic versions, the city shall rely upon the signed original when evaluating the submission.

3. Acknowledgement of Interest and Submission of Questions to the

City: Any party who directly or indirectly receives this RFQ and is interested in responding is strongly encouraged to notify and send contact information to the city's primary contact person for this

RFQ, Christopher Croy, Central Services Director, City of Monroe

Phone: (770) 266-5172 e-mail: CCroy@MonroeGA.gov to be placed on a distribution list to receive attachments, subsequent correspondence and addenda related to this RFQ.

Questions should be submitted in writing to this same e-mail address. Questions can be submitted at any time prior to and until

12:00 noon on Thursday, May 23, 2024. The city reserves the right not to respond to questions received after that date/time.

Answers given to substantive questions will be provided in writing to all parties who supply their contact information, in the form of one or more addenda to this RFQ. Only written replies to questions appearing in the Addenda should be relied upon as being official positions of the City of Monroe and binding upon respondents. Final Addenda with all submitted questions and answers will be published on the website with the RFQ document no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, May 24, 2024.

4. Property Inspection: As a courtesy, city officials wish to be informed of any inspection of the subject property. If interested

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in accessing the vacant retail space, arrangements to conduct an interior inspection/site visit can be arranged by notifying the primary contact person indicated above, during normal business hours. Staff will be available by appointment to accompany proposers on property inspections conducted during normal business hours between and including the dates of March 4 through May 23, 2024. Proposers requesting a site visit are asked to coordinate their teams so that all needed information can be gathered in a single visit.

5. Availability of Electronic Documents: This document and all accompanying attachments and background information referenced herein will be distributed by electronic means. Any responding party accepts full responsibility to ensure that it is responding to the correct version, including any addenda issued by the city. The proposer acknowledges and agrees that in the event of a conflict between the RFQ in the respondent's possession and the latest version maintained by the city, the version maintained by the city shall apply. This document and all attachments listed in Section IV can also be obtained by contacting Christopher Croy via e-mail using the above address, or by visiting the city web site at https://www.monroega.com/purchasing/page/blaine-station-development-request-qualifications.

6. Minimum Qualifications: Respondents must provide information outlined in Section II to be considered qualified to participate in this Project. For purposes of this RFQ, a proposer or respondent may include a single development firm or a team of two or more firms that will assume responsibility for implementing all or some

Project components. In cases involving “team proposals”, the combined qualifications and experience of all team members will be applied to determine minimum qualifications. Respondents who meet/exceed the minimum qualifications may be invited to meet with city representatives to present their submissions in more detail. Upon completion of the initial evaluation process, the city intends to either (a) continue negotiations with two or more finalists before deciding, or (b) choose to negotiate with one preferred proposer.

7. Limited Offering: The City of Monroe is distributing this offering directly to a pre-screened list of firms that we believe possess the experience, financial capability, and potential interest to undertake this Project. The city does not view this list as exclusive.

Other interested parties who have received this offering indirectly but satisfy all qualifications herein are both invited and encouraged to submit a proposal.

8. Inappropriate Contact: All respondents and/or representatives of respondents are requested NOT to contact any elected or appointed city officials, employees, members, or any third-party representatives of the city on any matter pertaining to this RFQ, aside from the contact person designated above. Attempts to make inappropriate contact and/or influence the evaluation of proposals may result in disqualification.

9. Additional Submission Requirements/Original Signatures: Each proposer is responsible for the costs of preparing and submitting responses to this RFQ. Requested contents of submissions are outlined in Section II and the failure to respond fully to those requirements may result in disqualification. Submissions must be signed by a principal of the respondent with the authority to enter

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into an agreement or contract with the city or in the case of joint proposals, a single individual that is designated to speak for and serve as the primary point of contact for the joint venture/partnership. By submitting a proposal, each respondent acknowledges and agrees that their submission will become the property of the City of Monroe for its respective use, without compensation.

10. Representations of the Proposer: By submitting a Qualifications

Statement to the City of Monroe, the proposer acknowledges, represents and warrants that: (a) it has read the entire RFQ and accepts its terms and conditions; (b) the signatory to the proposal is the respondent (or respondent's duly authorized agent or employee with authority to bind the respondent); (c) any information or disclosure provided in the response is an accurate representation as of the submission date; and (d) it agrees that it will voluntarily notify the city immediately if any information or disclosure provided during any part of the evaluation process changes, is no longer accurate or would be misleading.

11. Insurance Requirements: Respondents are advised that the proposer selected to undertake the Project will eventually be required to maintain in effect during and following construction, at their sole expense, usual and customary insurance coverage with appropriate coverage limits. In general, the city will require evidence of the following types of insurance: (a) Commercial

General Liability, Bodily Injury and Property Damage, including

Contractual Liability and Products/Completed Operations

Liability; (b) Georgia Statutory Workers Compensation coverage and Employers Liability; (c) Automobile, Bodily Injury and Property damage Liability; (d) Professional Liability and (e) Builders Risk.

The City of Monroe must be listed as an Additional Insured on all policies as applicable. These coverages must be secured from insurers and on forms of policies acceptable to the city and include provisions that such insurance cannot be canceled, nor limits reduced, without at least thirty days prior written notice.

The selected proposer(s) will be required to provide certificates of insurance as evidence that all such insurance is actually in effect prior to commencing work and while work is ongoing, provide like evidence of the extension, renewal, or replacement of expiring or lapsing policies at least 30 days prior to such occurrences, until all work has been completed.

12. Rejection of Submissions, Cancellation of RFQ or Waiver of

Technicalities: This RFQ does not obligate the City of Monroe to select or negotiate with any development team(s) or to accept offers which the issuer determines, in its judgment, are not in the best interest of the city. The city reserves the right to reject any

Proposal or all of the Proposals, to waive any technical defect in a

Proposal or to cancel this RFQ at any time.

13. Protests: Any protest or objection to this RFQ or the solicitation process related to the RFQ must be submitted, in a timely manner and in writing to Logan Propes, City Administrator for review and response. The city will develop an appropriate response to resolve protests if/when such a protest occurs.

Page 17.

SECTION IV: Appendix

As noted previously, all documents referenced in this RFQ are available electronically and can be downloaded from the City of

Monroe web site.

https://www.monroega.com/purchasing/page/blaine-station-development-request-qualifications.

Documents available for download include the following:

Blaine Station Master Plan, Final Report

Absorption Information

Site Survey

Traffic Study Reports

City of Monroe, Georgia 2022 Comprehensive Plan

2023 Monroe Housing Study