REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROPERTY LEASE/PURCHASE & ADAPTIVE REUSE

Former St. Andre’s Church
75 Bacon Street, Biddeford, Maine

ISSUED BY:

Southern Maine Affordable Housing & Biddeford Housing

Announcement:    May 22, 2017
Proposals Due:    June 16, 2017

*Please Forward and Distribute*

I.	INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE 

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit and select a lease/purchaser for the former St. Andres Church property at 75 Bacon Street in Biddeford, Maine who will execute a quality adaptive reuse plan for the building (“project”).

The former church property is now owned by Southern Maine Affordable Housing. The mission of SMAH its board of directors is to improve the quality of housing in the region and to help rebuild neighborhoods.

SMAH’s goal is a positive community impact for the transition of the former church property. SMAH and Biddeford Housing will evaluate RFP submissions based on the following considerations:

•	The offered lease/purchase price 

•	The intended use for the property 

•	The development schedule and time line for executing the project 

•	Historic preservation of the building 

•	The project’s fit with neighboring uses in the context of its urban setting 

•	The financial feasibility of the development plan 

•	The Purchaser’s financial capacity to execute the project and experience developing other unique properties 

•	The project’s consistency with SMAH’s community development goals 

•	The overall community benefit of the proposed use. 

II.	PROJECT HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS 

SMAH purchased the church property in 2014, and it has remained vacant since then except for storage of materials and church related items.

III.	SELECTION PROCESS 

Biddeford Housing will coordinate the RFP process for Southern Maine Affordable Housing. The Biddeford Housing and Southern Maine Affordable Housing Boards of Directors are the final decision-makers regarding this selection and it reserves the right to reject any or all responses or to terminate the development negotiations at any time. Southern Maine Affordable Housing will review and evaluate responses to this RFP. Individual board members should not be contacted directly. The selection of a buyer who will adapt the building will involve the following steps:

•	RFP Issued May 22, 2017 

•	Interested respondents may tour the property on May 30, 2017 from 10am to 2PM. Or by appointment with Guy M. Gagnon (ggagnonbha@maine.rr.com)

•	Respondents may be asked to submit additional information and/or make a presentation to some or all members of the Biddeford Housing or Southern Maine Affordable Housing Board of Directors

All responses become the property of Southern Maine Affordable Housing and will not be returned. Confidential materials should be submitted in a sealed envelope and labeled “CONFIDENTIAL.” The Southern Maine Affordable Housing will make every effort to maintain confidentiality during and after the selection process as permitted by law when respondents properly identify such information.

IV.	RFP SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

In order to facilitate review and evaluation by the Southern Maine Affordable Housing Development Committee, all respondents are requested to structure their responses in conformance with the outline presented below.

Each respondent’s Proposal should be prepared according to the following outline:

1.	Proposal Letter - An official letter with name and address of entity 
2.	Proposed lease/purchase price for 75 Bacon Street 

3.	Proposed use for property and schematics showing space utilization 
4.	Timeline for executing proposed adaptive reuse plan 

5.	Anticipated impact of project on surrounding community 
6.	History and background of entity submitting Proposal 

7.	Development and construction budget 
8.	Plan for financing project and sources and uses of funds 
9.	Examples of experience with similar projects 

•	Description of experience relating to development projects in urban settings and involving adaptive reuse of buildings 

•	Demonstration of experience completing projects of the scale and complexity envisioned in this project 

•	Specific relevant project experience, including name and address of project(s), photographs and brief description(s). 
o Project descriptions should include construction and completion dates, locations, land uses, sizes (total net leasable square footage of each use, overall gross square footage and height) construction costs, roles of development entities and any public financial assistance or incentive 
o Any innovative aspects of previous projects that may be relevant to this project should be described in detail. 
10.	The names, addresses and responsibilities of all key personnel participating on the development team. Identification of any other relevant organizational, consultant or other available resources that will be committed to this project. 

Respondents’ proposal materials due: 3:00PM, June 16, 2017  

Electronically to: 	ggagnonbha@maine.rr.com 
If desired, a hard copy may be sent to: 

Attn: Guy M. Gagnon, President
SMAH
22 South St.
Biddeford, Me. 04005

V. CONTACT / FURTHER INFORMATION  

The point of contact for responses regarding this proposal shall be:  
Guy M. Gagnon, President SMAH.  

All questions shall be submitted in the form of an email to ggagnonbha@maine.rr.com.  

All the questions and answers will be forwarded to all interested parties so that everyone receives the same info at the same time.

VI. OFFERING OVERVIEW  
 
SMAH is seeking a lease/purchaser for the former St. Andre’s Church property located at 75 Bacon Street.   (Draft lease/option agreement is attached) 

The church, built around 1910, is situated on the corner of Bacon Street and High Street.

•	Zoning:	 Main Street Revitalization Zoning District(MSRD2)–providing for areas of	medium density with a	purpose of preserving	residential and	 historic	character of	existing building.
•	Located in the heart of Downtown Biddeford	providing easy	access	to Main and Pool	Streets	while still in close proximity to	Route 1and I-95.
•	Site area is 19,458sf or 0.45 acre. 
•	106.19 feet frontage on Bacon Street; 176.08 feet frontage on High Street
•	Approximate Gross building square feet on the property: 
9,640sf. Upper level (not including balconies)
7,950sf. Lower level + 1,760 sf sublevel (not including area under stage)   

As-Built drawings are attached for reference.

VII. SITE DETAILS  
 
The available property includes a two-story church building with sanctuary, lobby, two upper level balconies, lower level mechanical area, etc…, 

There is off street parking available in the adjacent large parking lot north of the building.  While the property is believed to have been adequately maintained and to be in overall fair to average condition, SMAH makes no representation to its condition. Therefore, the sale will be 
as–is.  It is incumbent upon the buyer to fully investigate the property with all customary real estate due diligence.  

A site survey has been attached for reference.
 VIII. NEIGHBORHOOD SURROUNDINGS  
  Location:       The subject is located in the northeastern quadrant of Biddeford, a few blocks eastof the central business district. The immediate neighborhood surrounding the subject is bordered to the north by the Saco River, Water Street and Cleaves Street, to the east by Lafayette Street, to the south by Pool Street (Routes 9/208), and to the west by Alfred Street and Main Street (Routes 9/111). 

Access and Linkages: Primary highway access to the overall Biddeford‐Saco area is via the Maine Turnpike (I‐95), which provides direct access to the community via Exit 32 (Route 111). Travel time from this majorarterial to the subject is approximately 10 minutes. The state highways servicing the community
include Route 1, which runs north‐south through Biddeford; Routes 9 and 111, which run east‐west,and route 208, which runs southeast to northwest. Overall, the primary mode of transportation in 
the area is the automobile. 

No traffic count data has been collected in the immediate vicinity of the subject property.
According to the Maine Department of Transportation, the closest count was taken near the intersection of Pool Street with Route 111, about three blocks west and two blocks south of the subject.The average daily  traffic count on Pool Road just south of this intersection was 8,290 vehicles per day as of 2010, which  is the most recent data available. The average daily traffic county along Alfred Street to the north of Pool Street was 9,140 vehicles per day in the same year. The subject street is much less traveled than both of these numbered thoroughfares. 

Demographic Factors:  
The current population within a 3‐mile radius of the subject is approximately 30,000 and the average household size is 2.3. Population in the area has grown since the 2010 census, and this 
trend is projected to continue over the next five years.  
Median household income is $46,000, which is lower than the household income for York County.  and median owner occupied home values are also lower. 

Land Use:  The area is suburban in character and approximately 97% developed. 
Land uses immediately surrounding the subject are predominantly single family and multi‐family residential, with typical ages of building improvements ranging from 30 to 125 years. Property 
Types adjoining the subject include apartments, single family homes, and a few mixed use 
buildings containing ground floor office or retail and upper floor residences.  The property is a short walk away from a number of businesses and cultural destinations.  The well-documented trend toward urban living and working environments has created a strong demand for urban housing as evidenced by the successful revitalization of many of the urban neighborhoods in and surrounding downtown. The immediate neighborhood is characterized by a variety of both newly constructed and historic mid-to-low rise residential buildings. 
 
Historic:	The Church and adjacent Convent and Rectory buildings are part of the Mission Hill campus recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  As a result, The National Park Service may be required to review any plans for construction that takes place in or on the property.