Riviere Hotel

VILLAGE OF SWANTON
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF BROWNFIELD PROPERTY

To: Not-for-Profit Housing Agencies, State Housing Agencies, Private Developers with redevelopment experience
From:  William Sheets, Swanton Village Manager
Date: June 2024
RE:  Redevelopment Plans for Village owned property
Former Hotel Riviere, 6 South River Street

OVERVIEW

The Village of Swanton hereby request proposals for the redevelopment of a Village owned property located in the Village of Swanton, at 6 South River Street, which is the former site of the historic Hotel Riviere.

BACKGROUND

The Hotel Riviere was a historic building with local significance, but the building had languished for decades and was an abandoned fire hazard when the Village purchased it in October of 2020. The Village entered the Brownfield Program to evaluate contaminants on the site and establish a clean-up plan. The integrity of the building was evaluated for potential rehabilitation, but it had been neglected for too long and was razed and remediated. There are remaining contaminants in the soil and a Phase 2 Archaeological Assessment is being completed to qualify for funding. The final cleanup plan is being reviewed by the EPA and the Village would ideally work with a potential developer to address the remaining contamination based on the accepted redevelopment plan. The Executive Summary from the Brownfield Evaluation of Corrective Action Alternatives (ECAA) is attached to this RFP. The full report is available from the Village upon request.  The proposals received will be evaluated by the Village Trustees, not on price alone but on the best fit for the community.   Additional housing is a state and regional priority and will be a focus of this redevelopment.

The property is a 25,997 S.F. (0.60) acre lot facing South River Street (east), with residential properties on both sides (north and south), and the New England Central Railroad to the rear (west). The property is connected to Village water, sewer, and electric utilities. The property tax map is SO0006, and the warranty deed is available at the Swanton Town Clerks office volume 381 page 233, key deed reference Volume 24 page 284.  The property plat is recorded at map slide 418A and attached to this RFP.

PROPOSALS

A. Concept

Describe your concept for the redevelopment of this property and the basis of your interest. Please provide as much detail as possible.

• What are your goals for the property?
• What form will that take? Single family dwelling, duplex, triplex, commercial
• Do you intend to own and occupy the property? Own and rent? Resell?
• Why are you interested in this parcel?
• How will your plan benefit the community?
• Will your project be aesthetically pleasing and a good fit for the site?

B. Experience

Please describe your experience with similar projects.

• Can you provide references of past private/ public collaboration?
• What challenges did you encounter in those projects?
• Describe your level of knowledge of local and state permitting requirements. 
• Did the project finish on schedule and on budget?
• What have you learned from those experiences that would help you be successful with this project?
• What is your timeline for the redevelopment?
• What would make you the best choice for this project?

C. Capacity

Please describe your ability to bring the project to completion. 

• What resources would you be able to dedicate to the project?
• What is your timeline for redevelopment?
• Describe your financial strength and capacity to secure necessary financing to complete your vision.
• Would you be able to make commitments about completion?
• If you intend to own and rent the property, describe your capacity to maintain it in good condition.

D. Evaluation Criteria
The Village purchased the property with the intention of bringing a blighted Village property back into vibrant use to the benefit of the Grand List and the general public. The criteria below will be the focus of the evaluation process.

• Financial strength and capacity to complete the project successfully
• Experience with similar projects
• Knowledge of public private collaborations
• Benefit of the proposal to the community
• Long term viability of the proposed use
• Taxable valuation of the redeveloped parcel

F. Evaluation and selection process

The Village Trustees and or a subcommittee will review the proposals and evaluate them based on the criteria. They may seek further information from any of the submitters and they may perform interviews with any or all the submitters.

• Proposals will be reviewed by a subcommittee selected by the Trustees. They may seek further input on any submittals. The submissions will be ranked on the overall benefit to the community and price will be only one of the consideration criteria.
• Decisions will be made when the Trustees believe they have sufficient information to decide on the best interest of the community.

The Village of Swanton reserves the right to accept, reject, or seek modifications to any response.

PROPOSAL DUE

Responses to this RFP are due by 2:00 p.m., July 1, 2024.

Responses shall be provided in PDF documents and submitted via email to William Sheets, Swanton Village Manager, at wsheets@ swanton.net or 802-868-3397.

Questions- contact wsheets@ swanton.net or 802-868-3397.

The Village of Swanton is committed to providing minority and women-owned business enterprises equal access to opportunity for participation in this contract and encourages M/WBE firms to participate in the bid process.