Kerr Avenue Development - RFP (Closed)

The City of Urbana is seeking proposals from developers to build an affordable model sustainable neighborhood on a 3.2 acre site on Kerr Avenue.The result will be a community of single-family homes, duplexes, and townhouses that use substantially less energy than conventional construction, incorporate green approaches to community design, and which are held to an affordable level meeting the needs of families making 80% or below the median family income for the area per HUD guidelines.

The City is seeking an innovative development team to achieve the goal of creating a nationally-recognized sustainable and affordable model infill project. The City intends to transfer the Kerr Avenue site to a qualified developer to build and market 25 to 50 housing units which are affordable to residents earning up to 80% of the area median income and able to meet the qualifications for HUD housing assistance. The goal is for these units to consume 75% less energy than conventional homes and for the development to incorporate a number of sustainable development features, such as the use of innovative stormwater treatment. A market study for the area and a preliminary design study outlining what is possible on the site have been completed.  Please see the Master Plan Report below for details.

Questions pertaining to the RFP are due by December 31, 2011, and all answers to questions will be posted on this page by January 6, 2012.

All Proposals are due by Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. CDT.

Questions may be directed to:

Jen Gonzalez, Grant Coordinator
Community Development Services
City of Urbana
400 South Vine Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 384-2335
jmgonzalez@urbanaillinois.us

Answers to Inquiries (as of 12/22/2011):

• Question: Is there a local, community-minded lender that may be willing to partner with a developer for the proposed project?
• Answer: A list of local lenders in our area who participated in the most recent Annual Housing Fair can be found here.
• Question: Is the development range for this project expected to be below $10M, or greater than $10M?
• Answer: Below $10M.
• Question: Must this project be structured under an ownership model?
• Answer: No, rental proposals will also be accepted.