New life is being breathed into the Spencer’s redevelopment project in downtown Mount Airy with a disclosure that hotel, restaurant and residential entities have expressed interest in locating there.
This was revealed during a Thursday night meeting of the city council, which voted 4-1 to have the group Mount Airy Downtown Inc. develop a formal request for proposal (RFP) procedure. It is aimed at ensuring such prospects are dealt with in an efficient manner.
That arguably hasn’t always been the case with the former Spencer’s industrial property the city government bought in 2014, amid high hopes the former textile complex where production ceased in 2007 would be transformed for a variety of productive new uses.
There have been various pitfalls along the way, such as unexpected expenses, the discovery of asbestos in some buildings and plans for a Barter Theatre expansion and four-star hotel being abandoned over concerns about financial risks to the municipality.
So far, an upscale apartment complex that recently opened is the only tangible new use developed at the city-owned site.
Mount Airy Downtown (MAD), a group that exists to stimulate economic growth and development within the city’s central business district, among other goals, is now offering what commissioners are hailing as a guiding light for further progress with Spencer’s.
However, the board did seem somewhat perplexed Thursday about the direct involvement sought by MAD in the Spencer’s recruitment effort, which unlike consultants Mount Airy has enlisted in recent years will provide its services for free.
“Why now? Because we have received direct contact from developers interested in the property,” Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison, representing Mount Airy Downtown, explained during a presentation at Thursday night’s council meeting.
“This has convinced us of the need for a professional process,” said Morrison, whose group operates in conjunction with the state Main Street Program.
Morrison said Mount Airy Downtown had planned to act earlier this year on its interest in moving the Spencer’s redevelopment forward, but was deterred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think this is great,” Commissioner Tom Koch told Morrison after her presentation. “I think you’ve done a great job.”
Koch also seemed impressed with the fact that the downtown group will assist the city at no cost.
Morrison said the solicitation effort will be handled by the governing board of MAD, which includes Bryan Grote, a highly regarded local financial expert. It plans to work in harmony with city staff members including Mitch Williams, interim public works director, and Finance Director Pam Stone.
The downtown coordinator said the demolition of four unneeded, historically invaluable buildings on the Spencer’s property was completed in February, opening the property up for attractive development.
Morrison pointed out that the Sparger Building, a structure at the site, has long been eyed for a hotel. “We’re going to try our best to make that happen,” she said of one example of MAD’s involvement.
Background analysis
Due to Thursday night’s action, an official request for proposal document will be prepared and brought back to the city commissioners at an upcoming meeting.
It will get down to the nitty-gritty in “systematically” evaluating proposals from potential developers, as indicated by Morrison’s presentation. This includes requiring them to provide details on proposed financing for construction and other facets and lender commitments, along with being advised about city expectations and requirements.
The downtown group further will obtain information about individuals on the development teams of entities eyeing parcels, such as their relevant experience in historic-preservation projects similar to the Spencer’s effort.
Prospective developers additionally will be required to submit specifications, site plans and schematic renderings as part of the process.
The establishment of time frames is a key part of the effort, with Morrison saying that it is hoped the proposals would be received and processed to allow the first construction to occur in the spring of 2021.
After evaluating proposals from would-be developers, the MAD members will make recommendations to the commissioners for a final decision, according to Morrison, who emphasized that MAD’s input is to be strictly advisory in nature.
“You don’t have to go with our recommendation,” she told city officials, saying the downtown group will have no power to give anybody anything.
It has offered one suggestion for the further redevelopment effort, changing both Willow and Market streets in the area from two-way to one-way traffic with a single lane. This would provide more parking space for the new facilities, Morrison says.
Wish had done sooner
“I think this is a great presentation,” Commissioner Ron Niland reacted Thursday night, when there was general agreement in the room that had such a process been part of the Spencer’s redevelopment from the beginning it would be better off today.
“One of the criticisms we’ve had is that this has been a closed shop,” Niland — who took office in December — said of numerous closed-door meetings held on Spencer’s-related activities over the years.
“Nobody knows what’s going on,” added Niland, who believes the process outlined by Morrison will be much more transparent.
However, Commissioner Jon Cawley, who cast the lone dissenting vote on the RFP proposal, was skeptical about that, saying individual developers will want to remain anonymous for as long as possible, given the city’s experience.
Cawley also believes taxpayers elsewhere in the city should be part of the decision making for the Spencer’s redevelopment downtown, since they have been helping to fund improvements there.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com