City releases RFP for the Development of 1350 Cesar E. Chavez

Published on December 14, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.- The City of Grand Rapid’s Economic Development Department has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking the development of a vacant City-owned property located at 1350 Cesar E. Chavez Avenue SW. 

The City is seeking development proposals for a mixed-use project consistent with the highest and best use of the property. The Property is in an important location on a priority corridor and has the potential to serve as a catalyst for other community and economic development in the area. A high level of importance will be placed on the value of the project by its ability to serve the needs and desires of the neighborhood.

This RFP is being developed consistent with City Commission Policy 900-63, the South Division-Grandville Corridor Improvement Authority (SDG-CIA) Tax Increment Finance (TIF) and Development Plan goals, and the Grandville Avenue Area Specific Plan (ASP) vision for the Property and defines the City’s goals for development as well as the process for soliciting and evaluating proposals.

All qualified proposals submitted by the deadline will be evaluated by a committee using the following criteria:

1. Consistency with the Grandville Avenue ASP
2. Consistency with the goals of the SDG CIA TIF and Development Plan
3. Inclusion of residential units and plans to incorporate affordable units 
4. Ability to finance and complete the project on a defined timeline
5. Record of past development performance, or plan for project implementation if no prior experience
6. Plan for Minority (MBE), Women (WBE), and Micro-local business enterprise (MLBE) participation in the project construction
7. Environmental sustainability
8. Sales price (not less than fair market value)

All questions related to the RFP must be submitted in writing to econdevshrd@grcity.us by January 13, 2023, at noon. Answers to the submitted questions will be posted on the Economic Development website by January 20, 2023 by 5pm.

The Economic Development Department is now accepting proposals and the expected timeline for this process is provided below.

• RFP Release Date - December 14, 2022
• Questions due - January 13, 2022, by 12:00 pm
• All Questions responded to - January 20, 2023, by 5:00 pm
• Proposal Submission Deadline - February 10, 2023, by 5:00 pm
• Proposals Reviewed - February - March 2023
• City Commission considers approval of the proposal - March - April 2023

CLICK HERE(PDF, 415KB) to review the RFP.