Ronstadt Transit Center Joint Development

 

MAYOR AND COUNCIL SELECT PEACH PROPERTIES TEAM FOR THE RONSTADT TRANSIT JOINT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - November 17, 2015

Following an Executive Session today, the Mayor and Council publicly announced the selection of Peach Properties to enter into negotiations with the City to develop a mixed-use project with transit on a 4.7-acre key downtown site.  The City-owned site is currently utilized as the Ronstadt Transit Center and two parking lots.  This selection is consistent with the unanimous recommendation to Mayor and Council of the project Evaluation Committee comprised of members representing bus riders, downtown businesses and neighborhoods, the development community, and City departments.

The Peach Properties proposed project features a transit mall integrated with a mix of residential, retail, commercial, and public space uses.  The concept includes an open-air public market located adjacent to a newly built transit mall and a Marriot boutique concept hotel on the corner of 6th Ave. and Congress.  The streetscape on both Congress and 6th will be activated with retail uses.  The Peach Properties team is led by local developer Ron Schwabe and includes several equity partners, including Scott Stiteler.  The team includes local architecture firms Swaim Associates and FORS Architecture + Interiors, general contractor Ryan, and transportation/transit consultant, HDR.  Also part of the team is Melody Peters, the public artist who created the tiles that decorate the existing arcade. 

The final project components, phasing, and design review process will be determined through a Development Agreement to be negotiated between the City and Peach Properties; reviewed by the Federal Transit Administration, which has a financial interest in the site; and approved by Mayor and Council.

This selection by the Mayor and Council is the culmination of a two-year process that included meetings with stakeholders to develop project goals, the issuance of a Phase I and a Phase II Request for Proposals (RFP), public presentations of proposed concepts, and the formation of an Evaluation Committee to review and make recommendations to Mayor and Council on the Phase I and Phase II RFP submittals.

The City received two responses to the Phase I RFP which focused on team qualifications.  The two respondents were Peach Properties and the Alexander Company.  On December 16, 2014, the Mayor and Council, consistent with the Evaluation Committee’s recommendation, directed that both teams be invited to continue to Phase II, which required providing a proposed project design, with uses, schedule, and costs. 

The two teams submitted proposals in June 2015, and on July 22, 2015, each team publicly presented its proposed project.  The public was invited to provide written comments during a two-week review period, and the two teams were asked to provide responses.

NEXT STEPS

Staff anticipates bringing a preliminary development agreement outline to the Mayor and Council in the spring. Following direction from Council, a public meeting will be held to present the updated project concept and the Federal Transit Administration will be asked to begin their review of the joint development proposal. Mayor and Council direction included taking into consideration the Evaluation Committee recommendations regarding the development agreement and project implementation. Evaluation Committee Recommendations

SELECTED TEAM
 
 
 
TEAM NOT SELECTED
 
 

RESPONSES TO PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE RTC PROJECT

The following links provide the RESPONSES to public comments and questions from the two teams proposing on the Ronstadt Transit Center Joint Development Project and from the City. These comments and questions were provided by members of the public on Comment Cards provided at the July 22, 2015, presentations by the two teams, or subsequently by email between July 23, 2015, and August 3, 2015. There are two links for each team; the first provides the responses to the Comment Cards, the second offers responses to the emailed comments. At the end of the documents provided in the second link are some comments that were inadvertently missed in the original documentation of emailed comments. There is one link for the City responses; this link includes both comments and questions from the Comment Cards and from the emails.
 
Please note that we received many emailed comments and questions, and worked to acknowledge each email and to provide all the comments and questions to the teams for review and response. If you emailed comments during the comment period and you do not see them in the linked documents, please contact Rebecca Ruopp at Rebecca.Ruopp@tucsonaz.gov.
 
Alexander Team Responses
 
Peach Properties Team Responses
 
City Responses

Link to responses to comments & questions provided on both Comments Cards at July 22, 2015, public presentations and emailed betwee July 23 and August 3, 2015

 

August 27, 2015 Amendment to the Request for Propsoal No. 140983 regarding public art

 

July 22, 2015, RTC Joint Development Project Public Presentations

Additional Questions/Comments Inadvertenly Missed.

A Few Questions/Comments Inadvertently Missed.

Written Questions/Comments submitted by attendees.

Emailed Questions/Comments received.

Watch the July 22, 2015 videos of both teams' presentations.

 

The Alexander Company/Oasis Tucson Proposal

Peach Properties Proposal

RTC Joint Development Project Evaluation Committee

The above link provides the list of people who comprise the Evaluation Committee chosen through an application process to review and make recommendations regarding the Phase I and Phase II of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for the Ronstadt Transit Center Joint Development Project. Development of the Phase I and II RFPs was the subject of a series of stakeholder meetings.  More information about the RFP process can be found on this webpage.

The  Committee members  represent a mix of City professionals with project-related expertise and stakeholders representing a variety of interests, including transit users, neighborhoods, downtown businesses, and the development and design professions.

During this active review period for the Phase II RFP process, Evaluation Committee members have been asked not to discuss their opinions regarding the projects outside of committee meetings, which are overseen by the City of Tucson’s Procurement Department.

Any questions about the Evaluation Committee should be directed to Dan Longanecker, the City’s Procurement Officer for this project, at Dan.Longanecker@tucsonaz.gov.

 

Phase II Request for Proposals (RFP)

The Phase II RFP, released on March 12, 2015, will require among other things a detailed design concept for a mixed-use development with transit to be located on the 4.7-acre downtown site.

Public Process     Estimated Timeline     Comment Summary     RFP Content Summary

Phase I Request for Proposals (RFP)

Following an Executive Session on December 16, 2014, Mayor & Council publicly announced approval of the 13-member Selection Committee’s recommendation that two firms be invited to continue to Phase II.

 

Additional Project Information

Project Background Information

Other Helpful Links