Solicitation of Interest

Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (LMG) seeks a unique proposal to create and implement an innovative and sustainable development plan for property at 768, 810 and 850 Barret Avenue, 1235 E. Breckinridge, and 814 Vine Street, the former Urban Government Center (the "UGC Property").

The development plan should model outstanding environmental values and incorporate current and future innovative development trends while:

• reflecting the historical character of the area;
• offering inclusive, mixed-income housing options and mixed-use spaces;
• providing green space and amenities for community and neighborhood activities;
• encouraging cross-generational interactions; and
• enhancing access and connectivity to surrounding commercial, educational and cultural resources.

The redevelopment of the UGC Property should reflect the goals established in Vision Louisville, a city-wide visioning process, and reflect the ambitions of the neighborhood and greater community. These include:

Sustainability- Showcase sustainable planning and building technologies that demonstrate outstanding environmental values.

Economy- Provide and attract local retail/commercial opportunities that serve the needs in both products and price points, of neighborhood residents.

Livability- Create inclusive mixed-income housing options.

Connectivity- Create a distinctly walkable, well-connected, multi-modal community.

Creativity- Allocate space for community activities and organizations as well as for educational opportunities.

Health- Provide accessible green and open spaces with opportunities for recreation, reflection, and relaxation.

Authenticity- Reflect the unique character and history of the surrounding neighborhoods in the design.

For more information about Vision Louisville, see: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/vision-louisville.

The redevelopment of the UGC Property also should reflect community priorities established through a series of visioning meetings held through Summer and Fall 2016. A summary of these priorities is available here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/urban-government-center

PROPOSALS ANDSUBMISSION DEADLINE

Responses to this Solicitation should reflect:

• All elements of this document;
• The values expressed in Vision Louisville; and, The community's vision for the UGC Property.

Responses to this Solicitation should include:

• A concept plan showing the general pattern of development proposed, mix of uses, and unit counts where applicable;
• An explanation of financing, including sources of funding proposed and any city and state incentives anticipated to be requested; and,
• A list of development partners who will participate in each aspect of the proposed project.
• An explanation of the development team's qualifications for undertaking a project of this size and scope.
• A commitment to adhere to the fair labor standards contained in Chapter 37 of the Louisville
• Metro Code of Ordinances pertaining to minority, female and handicapped business enterprises.

Responses shall be due no later than March 15, 2017 and must be provided in PDF format on a flash drive, with all files clearly named for ease of understanding.

Respondents are strongly encouraged to attend at least one of two informational sessions intended to provide an opportunity to view the UGC Property and to ask representatives of Louisville Metro Government to explain or clarify any aspect of this Solicitation. These sessions will take place on January 26, 2017 at 5:30 P.M. and February 4, 2017 at 10:00 A.M. at 768 Barret Avenue, on the UGC Property. Written summaries of questions and Louisville Metro Government responses will be posted online at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward no later than one (1) week following the final informational session.

THE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY

A. Neighborhood and surrounding area

The UGC Property totals 11.85-acres, as shown below, and is located in the Paristown Pointe neighborhood.

Paristown Pointe is a small neighborhood of roughly 48 acres containing 113 households and approximately 225 residents. The neighborhood consists of a residential core with a mix of single and two-family properties bordered by commercial and institutional uses. Residential structures include single-story shotgun-style homes, bungalows and newer one and one-half story homes. It is bordered by Barret Avenue on the east, East Breckinridge Street to the north, Beargrass Creek and Vine Street on the west, and Broadway to the south. Area commercial uses include Louisville Stoneware, the Café, Wiltshire Pantry, and the Peak 10 data center. Originally settled by French Huguenots, this small neighborhood has a distinct character and strong identity. Paristown Pointe is less than one mile from downtown Louisville.

Four (4) urban neighborhoods border Paristown Pointe, each with their own distinctive character. Three of these neighborhoods, Smoketown, Shelby Park and Germantown, are described in more detail in the Louisville Central Rail Corridor Plan, which can be viewed at the following link:

https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/advanced_planning/lcrc_plan_report_for_print.pdf

The Smoketown neighborhood, to the immediate west of Paristown Pointe, was developed in the 1850s by an influx of freed slaves from rural Kentucky. It has remained a historically African American neighborhood and features a large collection of shotgun-style homes. The presence of brick kilns and other manufacturing facilities that burned large amounts of wood and coal may have contributed to the neighborhood's name. Smoketown is experiencing a redevelopment as a result of the reconstruction of a former public housing complex, Sheppard Square, as mixed income housing. A number of community-driven redevelopment efforts related to hospitality, job training, the arts and healthcare are taking place in the area.

Germantown, to the south of Paristown Pointe, was settled in the 1870s by German immigrants primarily employed in the stockyards and meatpacking industry. Germantown's collection of shotgun-style homes is one of the largest in the city, and the neighborhood retains a number of corner stores, neighborhood bars and restaurants. Germantown is experiencing new life, as two large former mill properties have been redeveloped for loft apartments and related commercial space, leading to ancillary area investment.

Just to the southwest of Paristown Pointe, the Shelby Park neighborhood developed shortly after Smoketown in the mid-1870s. Shelby Park's population consisted primarily of European immigrants, with a strong concentration of Germans. The neighborhood became more desirable after the construction of a streetcar line, and the completion of Shelby Park, a Frederick Law Olmsted park, on the site of the city's former circus grounds. Today, Shelby Park is experiencing significant small business development, including a coffee roaster, a bakery/café, co-working space, and other artisanal businesses.

Paristown Pointe is bordered to the east by the Original Highlands, located to the east of the UGC Property. The Original Highlands neighborhood development was closely linked with historic transport routes including toll roads and streetcar lines that connected this and other early residential neighborhoods to the city center in the late 19th century. Today the Original Highlands is a highly desirable neighborhood consisting of moderately-priced, predominately two-story, single-family homes, and an active local commercial/retail corridor along Baxter Avenue.

Area development of note includes Kindred Hospital and related medical and professional offices to the northeast of the UGC Property. This facility provides a variety of specialty and long-term in-patient care. Immediately north of Kindred, a private developer is constructing 195 apartments along East Broadway, and Jefferson County Public Schools operates Breckinridge Metropolitan School. To the southeast of the UGC Property, a number of neighborhood-scale restaurants, including the former well-known Lynn's Paradise Café, and retail businesses are clustered along Barret Avenue. Properties to the northwest and northeast are predominately residential.

B. Existing Buildings on Site

There are currently four (4) buildings on the site: 810 Barret Avenue which is the largest and most prominent building, 850 Barret Avenue, 768 Barret Avenue, and the steam plant to the west of 850 Barret Avenue. An appraisal, environmental report and historic preservation report for these properties are included as attachments to this document.

810 Barret Avenue is a seven (7)-floor, approximately 200,000 square foot, brick building originally constructed in 1924 as the Kentucky Baptist Hospital. Annexes were added at later dates to each end of the original structure, including an entrance area and elevator shaft in what is now considered to be the front of the building. Most recently, the building housed local and state government offices. The original hospital building has historical and sentimental value to many in the community but also has considerable design-related, environmental and mechanical issues, including an aging boiler and related systems, water damage and asbestos, which may affect the economic feasibility of its adaptive reuse.

850 Barret Avenue is a three (3)-story, 26,300 square foot, brick and concrete building built in the mid- to late-1900s. It formerly housed the offices of Louisville's Air Pollution Control District. It is considered a non-contributing structure, and has a number of structural and environmental issues, including extensive water damage on upper floors.

768 Barret Avenue is a four (4)-story, 65,100 square foot building originally constructed in 1940 as housing for nursing students. The building currently houses the Louisville Metro Police Department and an office of the Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA). A post-modern addition was added to the west elevation in more recent years to accommodate LMHA's offices. An underground tunnel currently connects 768 Barret Avenue and 810 Barret Avenue. 768 Barret Avenue has a number of structural and environmental issues, including water damage and mold, which may affect the economic feasibility of its adaptive reuse. In addition, there is a Louisville Metro Government Emergency Management equipment array located in 768 Barret Avenue that must be relocated as part of any redevelopment scenario. The estimated cost of this relocation is approximately $1.25 million. All proposals shall include a plan for financing this relocation.

Associated with these structures is a 7,850 square foot steam plant constructed with the original Kentucky Baptist Hospital. The steam plant features a smokestack that is widely regarded as a neighborhood landmark.

C. Zoning

The UGC Property is currently zoned R-6, Multi-Family Residential, OR-2, Office Residential, and C-2 Commercial, and is located in the Traditional Neighborhood Form District. To achieve redevelopment of the UGC Property, and particularly to achieve some aspects of the community vision expressed in the attached summary, it may be necessary to change the applicable zoning districts. All costs associated with obtaining any required zoning change and development approvals are expected to be borne by the developer of the property.

D. Connectivity

Immediately to the north of the UGC Property, a local developer is investing $28 million to redevelop the northern portion of Paristown Pointe into an arts and cultural district that will include a 2,000-seat performance venue for the Kentucky Center for the Arts, an expansion of the existing Louisville Stoneware, and a variety of food and beverage concepts to support these uses. A retention wall and berm (10 feet at its highest) currently separate the UGC Property from this developing arts and cultural district, and presents a significant challenge that must be overcome to ensure connectivity between the two (2) areas.

The UGC Property currently features a driveway that connects Barret Avenue with Vine Street. Many area residents rely on this driveway to avoid having to traverse the numerous one-way street configurations in the area, and have requested that it remain open to through traffic and pedestrian access.

A TARC route runs along Barret to the east of the UGC Property. Five (5) additional TARC routes are located within a ¼ mile of this location, including Bus #23 which is a high-frequency cross-town route. Most area sidewalks are intact, making the neighborhood very walkable.

E. Community Review Process

Louisville Metro Government engaged in a process to gather information on the community's vision for the redevelopment of the UGC Property, and is committed to facilitating redevelopment that best reflects the needs and desires expressed by residents and other stakeholders during this process. To that end, members of the community will be involved in the selection of a development team and will have access to all materials provided as part of a response to this Solicitation of Interest.