PROPOSAL for the selection of a Master Developer for Downtown North, Bryan, Texas RFP # 09-042 Submitted by: TDG Management LP April 15, 2009
MARKET ASSESSMENT Other major cities in the United States have seen the need for revitalizing their downtowns; this approach has proven successful when collaboration among the private and public sectors has taken place. These efforts have helped strengthen the image of cities and provided for better identity, attracting new residents and services to these redeveloped areas. It is our belief that bringing a balanced strategy of public and private investments to the re-development area will make this revitalization effort of the downtown a great candidate for success. According to the Master Plan summary prepared in 2001 by LRK: In a survey of visitors to Bryan/College Station, respondents indicated that the third ranked local attraction, behind only the George Bush Presidential Library and Texas A&M University, is Downtown Bryan. This indicates that Downtown Bryan is a significant attraction to the area, and efforts must be made to maintain and enhance it. Page 1
PROJECT OVERVIEW The City of Bryan and its efforts for the revitalization of the downtown area have been clearly identified by the Master Plan published in September 2001. The overall Master Plan defined the area of Downtown as one that holds the most varied mix of economic, civic and social functions. It is also a place where everyone can meet and interact, where monuments are located, where speeches are made, where parades are held and people are entertained. More than anything else, downtown gives a community its collective identity and thus its pride (Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie, Changing Places). The overall Master Plan identifies opportunities that will be developed over time, with the ultimate goal of creating a Downtown for Bryan, a place with a heart and soul. The area of study for this proposal includes a total of 7 blocks that have been assembled by the City. These 7 blocks are located to the north of the already re-developed South Main Street and occurs along the North Main Street corridor beginning at the intersection of 22 nd street on the south, and terminating to the north with the historical Ice House, along Martin Luther King Street. Page 2
STRATEGIC VISION To position Downtown Bryan as a viable and attractive place to live, work, recreate and invest. It is the intent of the proposed NORTH POINTE development to create a vibrant, well balanced development that promotes activity, stimulates public and private investment, and successfully defines a place, integrating and complementing the already developed area of downtown. To reinforce the goals set by the concept, our proposal creates opportunities for a variety of land uses, public and private that can co-exist and are complimentary of each other. The creation of successful public spaces will attract people, which will in turn, attract private investment. Vehicles for funding and stimulating these investments should be planned and will need to be discussed further with the City s economic development team, ensuring an attractive economic environment for local and national investments. PUBLIC FEATURES / ATTRACTIONS. Our plan calls for the creation of public spaces that could become a regional attraction and the catalyst for the re-development of the area. Planned are Bella Dancing Waters a full featured dancing water fountain, outdoor performance theatre and a 30 feet wide pedestrian promenade which is planned to from the south side of 22 nd street (and recommended to be extended to 23 rd street and connect to the already developed area of downtown) extending north to the intersection of Martin Luther King. The Promenade has been located on the west side of N. Main Street to maximize the environmental conditions of the Texas weather, allowing the creation of shaded people s places during the hottest times of the day. It will be lined on the west side with 2 to 3 story buildings built to the property line and with shade trees on the east side of the walk. The promenade will contain places for people with benches, lighting, places for public art sculptures and functions, and a cultural/historic walk creating a walk that encourages people to explore and discover the various points of interest. The west side of the promenade will be lined on the ground floor with buildings that will provide uses such as restaurants, galleries, shopping specialties, theatres, etc. The architecture concept calls for buildings provided with shade canopies and overhangs, dining terraces, storefronts that would promote window shopping and stimulate people to move around. The east side of N. Main Street is planned to be provided with a 15 feet wide sidewalk, with diagonal parking set on the west side of the walk, lined with shade trees and on the east side of the walk with 2 story buildings with shade canopies. The ground floor of these buildings will also contain retail and service oriented users that will be needed by the residents of the area. The dancing water fountain, or Bella Dancing Waters plaza is located at the south west corner of N. Main and 21 st streets and will contain a water feature that will be a must see place. This fountain will create both an interactive and a viewing experience for people. It is expected to become the centerpiece and attraction of the public space for the re-development area. The outdoor performance theatre will be located east of N. Main and at the terminus of 21 st street. In is anticipated that this amenity will hold outdoor music, theatre and art performances, a probable use on the south would be to locate a local radio/broadcasting station that could provide a symbiotic relationship with the stage. Page 3
PRIVATE FEATURES / ATTRACTIONS The centerpieces for the planned private investments are the Ice House Movie Grill and the North Pointe Theatre. The Ice House MG will renovate the 1912 Ice house into a Dining, Brewery and 4-dining movie theatres, it is anticipated that this building will be the northern attraction of North Pointe, creating a tension point that will promote people to walk from the public plazas and places to experience a oneof-a-kind dining and entertainment venue. Just to the south-west of the Ice House will be located the Bella-Inn, a 3-story hotel that will provide 72 suites, large emphasis is placed on the enhancement of the street activity and focus, while an interior courtyard containing a day-spa will provide a more tranquil setting. Adjacent to this facility there will be a 4,500 Square Feet banquet hall which will cater to the Inn and the existing Church at the corner of N. Main and West Pruitt Streets, providing for a new outdoor event plaza and a wedding garden. The North Point Theatre will be located along the promenade, south of the water fountain park, and is planned to provide a 400 seat theatre that would promote cultural growth in the community by providing music concerts, dancing and theatre venues. Alongside the theatre and adjacent to the water park, it is anticipated to have restaurants that will provide the required services to the people visiting or living the main street district. select from the various regional attractions such as George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, The Children s Museum, Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, Brazos Valley African American Museum, Carnegie Center of Brazos Valley History, Sam Houston Sanders Corps of Cadet Center, and TAMU Lettermen's Association Athletic Sports Museum. Additionally, we would provide a tour of Messina Hof Winery and Resort. By pairing with Messina Hof, we can introduce wine enthusiasts and history buffs to the six generations of tradition and heritage involved in the making of Messina Hof. To conclude the tours, we will implement a route through Texas A&M University along Wellborn Road and provide some history about the university before returning to Downtown Bryan. Marketing will be provided as a group of businesses through television, radio, newspapers, flyers and email. The focus will be on the Bella Dancing Waters and Light Show and will include background music and sounds of the Bella Dancing Waters and other features offered in the newly created North Pointe District. TDG Management LP will provide marketing with directional street signs including the North Pointe logo at strategic points along Texas Ave., Hwy 6, Hwy 21 and Wellborn Road. We will purchase 4 passenger vans with advertising on the sides and rear of the vehicle which can be used for tours, as well. All tours will originate at the Bella Dancing Waters location and continue to different stops of interest. Part of the proposal would offer a museum tour in which visitors can Page 4
TRANSPORTATION The proposed development will provide the required parking created by the more intense land use. It will also rely on the extension of a trolley system and provide for shade canopies / stops for this service. Also planned is a transit center for a rail system that would utilize the existing rail lines to the east of N. Main Street and connect Bryan with the southern cities of College Station and Wellborn. The hope for the future is that this link is expanded to other major cities such as Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. STREET PARKING AND LANDSCAPE Accessible surface parking has been provided along the redevelopment blocks. It is the intent of the concept to provide 45 degree parking with a 28 feet wide street. This design will keep small street sections while maintaining adequate traffic mobility. At the corners and crosswalks of the east-west streets the pavement width will become 22 feet wide, while along N. Main it will remain as a 28 feet wide section. The diagonal parking is planned to be provided with concrete pavers that could provide easy access to repair of utilities, while creating the image of narrower streets lined with colored paving, which will in turn create a sense of intimacy necessary in creating a pedestrian scale to the development. Page 5
LAND USES The proposed land uses are compatible with the intent of the Downtown District (DT) designation for the area, accommodating the protection of significant existing structures (such as the Ice House), and to include a wide variety of retail, office, institutional and multi-family uses. BUILDING TYPES The building types planned for the development will be of mixed occupancy, built to comply with the local, state and federal applicable codes. Building types and mixed occupancies include: Restoration and new building construction with structured parking at the Ice House 3 level Inn with precast plank concrete construction over a precast plank concrete parking garage 1 level Conference center over a precast concrete plank with a roof terrace A 2 story building with 1 story of wood frame residential lofts over a precast or cast-in place concrete construction over A 2 story steel and bar-joist building retail and services on the ground floor and professional offices and services on the second floor Single story Grocery, steel or precast concrete construction with roof deck access Parking structures with precast of cast-in- place concrete TENANTS / END USERS Will include mix of tenants that will be carefully selected to complement each other and ensure that they fulfill the features and services required. It will be the intent of the development team to create opportunities for local and national merchants. These uses will include (but not be limited to) the following: Ice House Movie Grill with 4 theatres, dining and brewery experience Inn-Hotel with conference facilities Church adjacent to conference facilites Theatre with 400 seats Small Grocery with specialty whole foods Fine Dining (Across 21 st street from the water feature) Casual dining such as Panera Bread, La Madeleine French Bakery and Freebirds Family Restaurants Pappas chain or Landry s chain Coffee Shop - Starbucks (on the outer corner of the Inn) Candy/Sweet Shop Bookstore Borders Books Art Gallery - Benjamin Knox Coldwater Creek women s clothing Coach leather/handbags Jewelry/Accessories 2nd floor Gym (next to grocery) Pharmacy Night Club/Jazz/Comedy/Karaoke/Sports Bar Radio Station Phone Services (Verizon/Sprint etc) Hair Salon/Nails/Spa Pottery Barn Professional Office space (2 nd floors of buildings on block 500) Residential Lofts (2 nd floors of buildings on block 600) Page 6
DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC OPEN / GREEN SPACE The proposed development, with the creation of the promenade along N. Main Street, the Bella-Dancing Water Fountain, the Outdoor Performance Center, the Event Plaza and Wedding Gardens adjacent to the existing church, along with the enhancements of the streets adjacent to the major streets that define the re-development area meets with the objectives of creating public spaces that enhance the social and cultural aspects of the residents and users of the district, and creating a well connected and balanced framework for pedestrian level activities. REFER TO PEDESTRIAN AND OPEN SPACE SYSTEM EXHIBIT C PHASE II PHASE III PHASE IV Develop the mixed use occupancy building on Block 600 B, that will include retail and fine dine restaurants along with a total of 16 new residential lofts and on-site and parallel parking that fulfill the ordinances. Develop the mixed use occupancy building on Block 600 A, that will include retail / services along with a 2 nd floor office space for professional and service oriented users. Also in this phase, a structured and surface parking will be completed. The construction of the Bella-Inn, banquet facilities and parking will complete the construction efforts of this Master Plan. PHASED BUILDING PROGRAM Essential to the success and viability of the improvements will be a phased development strategy that will bring a balance of public and private investments to the district. REFER TO PHASING PLAN EXHIBIT B Our team is proposing the following phasing scheme: PHASE I Develop Blocks 500 A, B and C which include the Bella Dancing Fountain, Outdoor Performance Theatre the Ice House Movie Grill extending The Promenade from 22 nd street to Martin Luther King. Also in this phase is the development of the Retail / Casual-Family Restaurants and Office buildings on Block 500 A, the retail/office and theatre in block 500 B and the surface parking on block 500 C including the street parking adjacent to these blocks Page 7
ON-SITE INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS Full assessment of the condition of the existing infrastructure will be conducted, ensuring that while working with the public sector, the phased development takes into consideration the required improvements to these necessary services. As part of the infrastructure improvements will be the removal of overhead power lines, and the construction of new water, sewer, storm and other necessary utilities. New street lighting standards will be implemented; District boundary markers / gateways and street signalization standards will be develop to define the area while integrating with the current Downtown area COMMUNITY OUTREACH As an effort to reach into the community and maintaining a balance of cultural and social values, a management district for North Point will be established, utilizing a percentage of the sales tax revenues and created property tax value to operate this organization. The roles and responsibilities of this office will be to work with the City of Bryan public sector / city manager to ensure that the area plans and implements enough community outreach activities to attract a variety of functions that stimulate the area, these activities include (but are not limited to), sidewalk art festivals, weekend marketplaces, youth musicals and performances, indoor and outdoor; food festivals, synchronized dancing with the Bella-Fountains, etc. It is also envisioned to bring the ultimate technologies available in telecommunications, and an area wide public access internet, allowing businesses, residents and visitors to enjoy an intranet capability and service while in the North Pointe area. SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES As part of the development strategy and with the goal of establishing a sustainable development, the site and building development will follow the standards and recommendations set forth by United States Green Building Council (USGBC). It is the intent of the development to set a standard requiring a minimum certification as set forth by this agency. Page 8
PROJECT GRAPHICS The following documents depict the Proposal for the Redevelopment of the 7 blocks, and present the type of environment and development that has been envisioned. They are as follow: Master Plan Exhibit A Development Summary Exhibit A-1 Development Probable Cost Exhibit A-2 Phasing Plan Exhibit B Pedestrian and Open Space System Exhibit C Vehicular Circulation Plan Exhibit D The Promenade from 22 nd street Exhibit E Bella-Dancing Fountain & Outdoor Performance Theatre Exhibit F Church, Banquet and Bella-Inn - Exhibit G Bella-Inn, Sidewalk Art and The Ice House Movie Grill Exhibit H Bella-Inn and Banquet Hall Architectural Character Exhibit I Lofts over Retail Architectural Character Exhibit J Page 9
PLANNING PROCESS ORGANIZATION The project development team will be lead by Alton Ofczarzak, with TDG Management LP, working directly under TDG and leading the Planning and Architecture team will be Antonio Flamenco, AIA with the firm of INsite Architecture Inc. It is expected that the City of Bryan will assign a project representative which will be the liaison between the Development Team and the City. Under the direction of these two leaders, it is expected to create a North Pointe team which will contain an Architect, Civil Engineer, Landscape Architect and a group from Public works, under the direction of this team, the following will be established: Further definition of project goals and objectives Setting project deadlines, meetings, etc. Preparing design solutions / proposals Developing cost Establishing and monitoring marketing campaigns Attending public presentations and hearings Monitoring progress Page 10
DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY EXHIBIT A 1 Retail (SF) Office (SF) Restaurant (SF) Theatre / Seats Entertainment (SF) Banquet / Conference Bed N'Breakfast Rooms Church / Seats Residential (Units) BLOCK 500 A 1st Floor 16,395 66 82 2nd Floor 9,837 33 98 82 (16) Required Parking Provided Parking Parking Over / (Under) BLOCK 500 B 1st Floor 15,470 400 142 2nd Floor 15,470 52 193 42 (151) BLOCK 500 C 1st Floor 262 2nd Floor 170 0 432 432 BLOCK 600 A 1st Floor 16,395 66 74 2nd Floor 16 32 98 74 (24) BLOCK 600 B 1st Floor 16,918 6,000 143 2nd Floor 16 32 175 66 (109) BLOCK 700 B 1st Floor 4,500 20 150 106 2nd Floor 26 26 3rd Floor 26 26 BLOCK SUMMARY 4,500 72 150 158 112 (46) BLOCK 800 A 1st Floor 480 7,100 167 180 167 180 13 DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY 65,178 25,307 6,000 880 7,100 4,500 72 150 32 889 988 99 SF SF SF Seats SF SF Rooms Seats MF Units Spaces Spaces Spaces Parking Requirements Retail 1 Space per 250 SF Entertainment 1 Space per 100 SF Office 1 Space per 300 SF Banquet/Conf 1 Space per 400 SF of meeting space Restaurant 1 Space per 80 SF Bed N'Breakfast 1 Space per 1per Guest Room Theatre 1 Space per 5 Seats Church 1 Space per 2Seats Residential 1 Space per 1 Bedroom
DEVELOPMENT PROBABLE COST EXHIBIT A 2 Retail (SF) Office (SF) Restaurant (SF) Theatre (SF) Entertainment (SF) Banquet / Conference (SF) Bed N'Breakfast (SF) Church (Existing) Residential (SF) Garage Parking (SF) Inn Parking (SF) Surface Parking (SF) BLOCK 500 A 1st Floor 16,395 22,686 2nd Floor 9,837 BLOCK 500 B 1st Floor 6,470 9,000 7,740 10,342 2nd Floor 15,470 BLOCK 500 C 1st Floor 63900 2nd Floor 63900 BLOCK 600 A 1st Floor 16,395 20,730 2nd Floor 16,395 BLOCK 600 B 1st Floor 16,918 6,000 19,830 2nd Floor 16,918 BLOCK 700 B Basement Floor 28,050 1st Floor 6,000 14,015 N/A 7,361 2nd Floor 13,115 3rd Floor 13,115 BLOCK 800 A 1st Floor 7,800 5,530 20,090 GROSS AREA 56,178 25,307 15,000 15,540 5,530 6,000 40,245 N/A 33,313 147,890 28,050 80,949 Cost Factor ($/SF) 120 120 180 160 180 120 120 N/A 120 42 35 12 CONSTRUCTION PROBABLE COST $6,741,360 $3,036,840 $2,700,000 $2,486,400 $995,400 $720,000 $4,829,400 N/A $3,997,560 $6,211,380 $981,750 $971,388 WATER PARK $1,500,000 OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE THEATRE $800,000 PROJECTED DEVELOPMENT COST $35,971,478 Note: Construction Costs are preliminary and are based on average U.S. median price and should not be used to determine final feasibility of the project.