The city won’t release the “Request for Proposals” (RFP) for the Seward Park development site until January. But the NYC Economic Development Corp. is already getting the word out that the “unprecedented development opportunity is Manhattan” is about to be on the table. In an email blast this morning, the EDC officially announced the project, and detailed the basic land use program, which was approved by the City Council last month.
A community-oriented task force has convened to go over the details of the RFP, which encompasses one-thousand units of housing and a large amount of commercial space on nine parcels adjacent to the Williamsburg Bridge. The meetings were delayed due to Hurricane Sandy, but city officials say the RFP will be released on schedule, shortly after the new year.
CB3 advocated for participation from local developers, and the city agreed to encourage Seward Park applicants to team up with local affordable housing non-profits . The one-sheet notes:
Developers will be permitted to respond as individual development entities or as teams. Local partnerships are also encouraged. The timeline for the project will not be extended; therefore Developers forming joint ventures are encouraged to form their team immediately.
Members of the task force were required to sign confidentiality agreements, so the general public will only have limited information about the final wording of the RFP, which will be a lot more detailed than the brochure released today. The task force will have an advisory role in deciding which developer or developers are chosen for the 1.65 million square foot project. The selection process is expected to begin next summer.
