2009-06-05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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To: Honorable Mayor Adams and Council From: Julie Feier, City Manager Date: June 5, 2009 Subject: Weekly Update Request for Proposalsof sustainable This week we issued a for the development green homes on the five properties the City purchased from St. Louis County. The request calls for the development of 5 LEED® certified compact energy efficient homes to be built in the 6600 block of Bartmer and Crest in the northeast quadrant. Ms. Eastman has been actively promoting this development opportunity to the green community, including the local chapter of the US Green Building Council. Over 15 developers have requested the RFP and have indicated great enthusiasm for this cutting-edge concept. The RFP is attached for your information. It asks developers (or development teams) to create housing that is energy efficient, conserves water and improves the health of the residents. LEED certification will insure that these homes are as sustainable as possible, while still being moderately priced. Reduced operational costs will add to the value of the homes. To insure a better quality home by increasing the resources toward the homes themselves, we hope to offer the land at zero cost to the developer. We hope to offer tax abatement to increase the buying power of applicants, which in turn will yield a better quality home. Likewise, we have asked developers to provide information on lenders who can offer “green mortgages”, which are mortgages that take into account the reduced operational costs of the home due to its energy efficiencies, and further increase the buying power of the applicants. The RFP asks developers to consider economies of scale through development of all five properties at once and use of alternative energy to be shared by the five properties and possibly even the entire block. If successful, additional properties can be made available for further development. Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to include the neighborhood as a redevelopment area will be necessary to offer tax abatement. LCRA, Planning Commission and Council approval will also be necessary. Given that these properties have not been productive in many years from a tax perspective, limited tax abatement should significantly assist in the betterment of the entire neighborhood. Planning has begun for the development of new park designs in the three parks in the Parkview Garden neighborhood including Metcalfe, Ackert and Eastgate parks. At the City’s request, Washington University has generously provided funding for a design study and with additional funding provided by the Parkview Neighborhood Association the project is off to a great start. H3 Studio, the firm responsible for the design of Forest