Last night, city officials appearing before Community Board 3’s land use committee offered a very brief update on the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project. After several consultations with a community-oriented task force, the New York Economic Development Corp. is preparing to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 1.65 million square foot project in the next week or two. They indicated the RFP is “99% complete” and is now undergoing some final edits.
In keeping with previously agreed guidelines, the RFP allows for one-thousand apartments (half affordable, half market rate), around 600,000 square feet of commercial space, a new Essex Street Market and a small park. Developers will be permitted to submit proposals for a single site, multiple sites or the entire project. Task force members were allowed to review the draft RFP but confidentiality requirements prevent them from discussing any details.
David Quart, EDC senior vice president, said proposals would be due in early May. At that time, task force members will be given summaries to review. The city expects to select a developer or developers before the end of the year.
There will be an information session regarding the RFP on February 11. It’s primarily for developers planning to submit proposals, but the general public is welcome to attend. We’ll have more information on this event once the RFP is released.
