02-15-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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,F1/ -3/a3 NWQ HOUSING DEVELOPERS NAMED Housing developers David Bernard and Sherman Associates were approved as housing developers for the Northwest Quadrant at the August 12th City Council meeting. The developers will be working with the City to construct approximately 730 new housing units, with the first phase expected to be built in 2005. The developers were selected after a competitive process, starting with staff issuing a Request for Proposals to eleven companies known to be interested and capable of handling a project of this size. Four detailed proposals were submitted, several of which represented the combined efforts of two or more organizations. The City's Economic Development Commission heard presentations by all four groups, ranked them, and discussed the merits of each team. The Commission finally recommended the David Bernard/Sherman team to the Council, by a unanimous vote. David Bernard is a division of The Rottlund Company, established in the mid -1990's to undertake the unique and challenging requirement of redevelopment projects. Parent company Rottlund has grown since its founding in 1973 to become of the nation's top 100 builders. Sherman Associates is an award-winning firm specializing in the design, construction, and financing of quality housing and commercial properties in a four -state area. Over the past 25 years, Sherman has developed over 4,000 homes and nearly 500,000 square feet of commercial and industrial property. The concept plan for the Northwest Quadrant, approved by the Council in June 2002, shows housing covering the entire western side of Old Highway 8, from I-694 on the south to Long Lake Regional Park on the north and west. The types, styles, and sizes of units will be planned and designed over the next six months, with the City working in conjunction with the developers. Townhomes are expected to comprise most of the units, but condominiums, apartments, and mixed-use structures will also be considered. The City is continuing to purchase Northwest Quadrant properties from interested sellers and study the needs for cleanup of contaminated soils. This spring, the State of Minnesota awarded a $50,000 grant to the City for environmental assessment. The Northwest Quadrant project will be eligible for other programs, and the City intends to continue to make application at the appropriate times. The Northwest Quadrant is expected to add approximately $240 million to the City's tax base over the next five to seven years. This total is greater than all the City -supported redevelopment projects constructed over the last twenty years.