CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – We’ve marked another deadline for developers interested in the city’s current Browns Stadium property and surrounding waterfront land.
The project, formally known as the North Coast Yard Project and Downtown Cleveland Lakefront Development, received 10 questions from interested parties by Aug. 29.
The city of Cleveland, North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation and CBRE publicly posted Monday their responses to the questions.
Haslam Sports Group announced plans to build a Cleveland Browns stadium, opening 50 acres of waterfront land for the Cleveland, including 15 acres of public park or privately accessible space to develop.
The city of Cleveland believes the current stadium would be demolished by 2029.
However, the city says developers are welcome to propose a reuse of the existing stadium.
The 50 acres of land is available for up to a 75-year ground lease with two 50-year extensions.
Selections for proposals, interviews, and final development partners will be made by members of the NCWDC Board, who are all appointed by the city of Cleveland and will include representatives from the city itself.
Parties interested in the property submitted the following questions, and the city has just posted their answers.
Cleveland Lakefront RFQ Question Responses:
Is there an RFQ # for this?
The RFQ does not have an identifying number.
With this being a digital submission would an 11×17 layout be acceptable and would that count as one page or two?
An 11”x17” layout is acceptable and will be counted as one page.
What, if any, technical due diligence has been completed on the site? If any due diligence has been completed, when will it be shared?
Existing due diligence possessed by NCWDC will be shared with development teams selected to move forward. Existing due diligence includes preliminary geotechnical, preliminary environmental, and an assessment of the existing bulkhead.
The site is flat and currently accommodates a 65,000-seat stadium, a pop-up park, and surface parking. As stated on page 21 of the RFQ, current infrastructure estimates are +/-$40 million for the entire site and include bulkhead work, minimal environmental work, utilities, and street grid construction. Utility extension costs will be dependent on specific projects proposed on the site.
Will there be a component of any city/state/municipality agency willing to long-term lease any of the components of the project?
There are currently no public entities with a use contemplated to occupy a portion of the project under a long-term lease. The entire project site is eligible for a 75-year land lease and two 50-year extensions. A master developer could lease the entire project site or individual developers may lease areas of the project site.
How much, in rough acreage, is the City of Cleveland planning to retain as part of infrastructural or public access land?
Consistent with the Lakefront Master Plan, +/- 15 acres is contemplated to be devoted to public space. The +/- 15 acres would be net of roadway, sidewalks, and other to-be [1] determined infrastructure needs.
The development team(s) selected can work with NCWDC and the City to determine how much space is retained by the City or developed as public or privately operated public space, as well as the grid required to appropriately service those areas.
Please describe the general and site-specific incentives available to Development Teams.
General and site-specific incentives can be found on page 25 of the RFQ document.
Is there an outline of requirements associated with the $130M Federal grants, $20M State of Ohio grants and $134M Shore-to-Core Cleveland TIF Districts?
These grant and TIF dollars are allocated to the first phase of the North Coast Connector project described on page 17 of the RFQ. The first phase of the North Coast Connector is a $284 million infrastructure project that will construct a pedestrian land bridge connecting Downtown to the Lakefront and reconstitute the Shoreway from a limited access freeway into a City Boulevard. Construction of this project is required to commence in 2027 and the City is targeting completion in Q3 of 2030.
Does the City of Cleveland have a preference between the following opportunities: a Master Developer to partner with the city and develop in multiple phases over time, or a team to immediately take over and initiate projects on the parcels or portions they claim?
The City and NCWDC do not have a preference. We are eager to start work as soon as possible and we are interested in development team(s) able to initiate work and begin construction quickly.
How does the lakefront project timeline and potential absorption align with the riverfront project and other new large-scale developments in the market?
NCWDC and the City are confident that the Cleveland market can absorb the multifamily, hospitality, entertainment, recreation, commercial, and office uses of both the Bedrock Riverfront project and any new development on the Lakefront. Both of these projects are operating on decade-long time horizons. A housing study produced by Downtown Cleveland Inc. is included in the virtual deal room for this RFQ.
Our organization provides specific services or materials for large scale development projects. We’d like to be included on the bid list for the Downtown Cleveland Lakefront Development project. Are we able to put in a proposal?
You are more than welcome to submit qualifications in response to the RFQ; however, developers or contractors will not be required to partner with any specific vendors. Your information will be provided to the selected development team(s) and we would encourage you to also reach out to the Developer(s) and/or General Contractor(s) once they are selected and made public
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