Request for Qualifications

Financial/Development Feasibility Analysis

Summary: The City of Moline (City), in partnership with Renew Moline, a 501(C)(3) non-profit economic development entity ("Renew"), is requesting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) to support the evaluation of development proposals, proformas and conduct market analysis on an on-call basis.

Background:

With a population of approximately 45,000, the City of Moline is the largest city in Rock Island County, Illinois. It is one of the Quad Cities, four mid-sized midwestern cities that straddle the Mississippi River, 165 miles west of Chicago. With its neighboring cities of Bettendorf, Iowa; Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois, the area population is almost 400,000, the largest urban area between Minneapolis and St. Louis.

Moline is home to a number of corporate headquarters, including Deere & Company and KONE North American Operational Headquarters. A recent two-phase, $48 million expansion of Western Illinois University has added a new state university campus to the downtown riverfront. The region's major event space, the 12,000-seat TaxSlayer Center (originally the MARK of the Quad Cities, completed in 1993) is downtown, along with the John Deere Pavilion, a visitor and discovery center, as well as a number of national chain hotels and commercial developments. A portion of downtown Moline is a National Register Historic District. Immediately adjacent to downtown Moline is the Rock Island Arsenal, an island of 950 acres, the home of the First Army Headquarters and a major regional employment center. Moline is served by Moline Quad Cities International Airport, served by American Airlines, Delta, United and Allegiant Air. Moline hosts a number of outdoor festivals, and is an active part of the Quad Cities' vibrant arts, craft beer and music scene.

Moline is governed under a Council/Administrator form of government with a budget of over $135 million. A City Administrator oversees the budget and City departments. The City Council, comprised of the Mayor; one member from each of seven City wards; and one at-large member govern the City in weekly meetings. The Mayor and City Council have adopted a Strategic Plan for 2021-2031 that can be viewed at http://moline.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/4292/2016-Executive-Summary?bidId=

Downtown Moline is experiencing a renaissance due to a renewed interest in urban riverfront living. Completion of the Skinner Block Lofts, the LeClaire Hotel, Berglund Flats, Phillips Lofts and Enterprise lofts have resulted in mixed income and mixed-use development successes that have been a model for downtown living. Additionally, the restoration of important historic buildings is underway or recently completed including: the recent completion of The 5 & 15 Apartments hosting residential units and Chase Bank on the first floor; the Element Hotel in the historic O'Rourke Building opened in March; and the Fifth Avenue Building is currently underway. The 95-room Element Hotel by Starwood is co-located with the City's passenger rail station, anticipated to offer direct service to Chicago in the near term. The Fifth Avenue building is being restored by the Heart of America Group, a regional owner/operator and mixed-use developer.

The Quad Cities Convention and Visitor's Bureau is located in downtown Moline, as is the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. Commercial development since 2000 has included the Mills at Riverbend Commons, Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center, a regional hub of the American Red Cross, and the Riverstation and Bass Street Landing. These have contributed to a vibrant daytime population and then potential for convenient lifestyle to live and work downtown.

The development future of Moline is bright. In addition to the new Western Illinois University campus, IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union has broken ground on the construction of its $26m headquarters. A $1.2 billion I-74 bridge connecting Illinois and Iowa over the Mississippi (http://i74riverbridge.com) is currently under construction. When the existing bridge is demolished (anticipated 2020), more than 13 acres of downtown/riverfront property will be offered for redevelopment, shown as "reclaimed land" (See Attachment A). The City currently owns other properties that are being marketed for redevelopment, including the Spiegel Building, a potential National Register Historic structure that is currently the subject of a Request for Proposals (RFP).

The City of Moline recently approved an Economic Development Policy. The purpose of the Economic Development Policy is to formalize the process of providing incentives derived from the development and redevelopment of property within the City of Moline. Undoubtedly, every project is unique and individual negotiations will take place as the need for assistance is verified.

Depending on the project, the use of public economic incentives to encourage and facilitate new private development and investment in the community can be controversial. Finding the appropriate balance between legitimate developer assistance and excessive profit at public expense can be difficult. The information requested from developers in this Policy is an attempt to quantify the benefits and risks of any proposed project so that City Council will be able to make an informed decision.

Renew Moline: Renew Moline, is an award-winning, non-profit economic development organization devoted to working with the City of Moline on riverfront and other development. Renew Moline is the link between the development community; elected officials and staff; regional and state economic development partners; local businesses; and business owners and entities interested in investment in Moline. Through those relationships, development planning and visioning comes to fruition. The organization provides professional services with a primary focus on coordinating private land development investments and working to secure public improvements to enhance those developments. Partnering with the City of Moline to implement the City's comprehensive plan, especially as it relates to the riverfront, is Renew Moline's priority.

Renew Moline assists developers and businesses by designing and managing development strategies through a partnership with the City. Renew Moline's mission is to be the non-profit economic development entity planning for the future; facilitating development; connecting resources and people; and advocating for public policies and programs in order to realize opportunities for continued investment in and positioning of Moline, Illinois' riverfront into the place to live, work, play and learn.

Scope of Work: It is the intent of Renew and the City to identify qualified and interested consultants available for individual contracts an as-needed basis. This solicitation is intended to result in the selection of one or more consultants to provide support to Renew Moline and the City of Moline in the evaluation of the downtown real estate market, development projects and other analytical tasks related to downtown redevelopment.

The City and Renew anticipate seeking individuals and firms ("Consultant") qualified to conduct tasks including but not limited to:

• Analyze the financial feasibility of proposed development projects based on pro forma documentation provided through the City's entitlement process;
• Evaluate the project in consideration of the City's Economic Development Policy (Attachment B); including any request(s) for financial assistance or use of public resources;
• Analyze the project budget implications of project amenities (e.g. green roof, additional parking, etc) proposed by the developer or included at the request of the City/Renew;
• Assess the development potential of certain areas and/or sites downtown, evaluate demand for certain uses, and/or make recommendations on highest and best uses for newly available sites;
• Evaluate the required level of development to generate Tax Increment Funding (TIF) adequate to support certain public projects (e.g. parks); and
• Present the results of such investigation/analysis (orally and in writing) in an accurate, clear and understandable manner for decision- and policymakers such as the Planning Commission and City Council as well as members of the public.

Selection of Consultants and Contract(s) for Service(s): Renew and the City anticipate that work in the areas described above will arise from time to time. Upon identifying a need for certain information or analysis, Renew and the City will develop a Scope of Work, including specific tasks and deliverables. The Scope of Work will be provided to the selected qualified consultants for a cost proposal. Contract awards will be made based on a "best value" basis.

Time and Meetings: After establishing a contract, the Consultant will be expected to meet with City and Renew staff to obtain knowledge and information adequate to conduct the analysis. Consultant may also be asked to participate (by phone or in person) in other meetings relevant to the project or the Scope of Work.

Statement of Qualifications: Consultants are asked to submit a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) consisting of the following:

1. Cover letter signed by an officer of the firm authorized to execute contracts with the City and/or Renew Moline;
2. A summary of the Consultant's qualifications, years in business, location of office(s) and areas of expertise along with those of any proposed subconsultants;
3. A list of pertinent projects or contracts involving similar scopes of work provided for a public agency or non-profit development partner (including references and total contract amount);
4. Billing rates for each classification of staff member, reimbursables and fees (i.e. overhead, printing, markup for subs and any other cost not included in billing rates); and
5. Any other information that would assist the City and Renew in evaluating SOQs (limited to two pages total).

Evaluation of Submittals: SOQs will be evaluated by a panel consisting of City and Renew Moline representatives. Selection of no more than three Consultants will be made based on:

• Knowledge and experience of key staff
• Availability of key staff personnel and resources
• Experience and demonstrated competence on similar projects

Submittal Timeline: Consultant shall submit four (4) hard copies of the Statement of Qualifications to:

Renew Moline
Attn: Alexandra Elias, AICP
1506 River Drive
Moline, IL 61265

Submittals shall be received no later than Wednesday, August 15, 2018:

Schedule:

RFQ issued: July 27, 2018

Deadline for submittals: August 15, 2018

Panel Evaluation: August 16-17, 2018

Notification to Consultant(s): August 22, 2018

Other: All Statements of Qualifications become the property of the Renew Moline and the City upon submission. This RFQ does not commit Renew Moline and/or the City to select a Consultant, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a SOQ for this request, or to produce or contract for services. Renew Moline and the City reserve the right to accept or reject any or all SOQs received as a result of this request, or to modify or cancel in part or in its entirety the RFQ if the City determines it is in the best interest of Renew Moline and/or the City Moline to do so.

Questions related to this RFQ should be directed to:

Alexandra Elias, President & CEO, Renew Moline
Tel: 309.762.9194; email: aelias@renewmoline.com