The City of Savannah's Purchasing Office issued RFP Event #7911 to seek proposals for development, under a Public-Private Partnership (P3), of the 67-acre parcel the City owns at 4801 Meding Street, previously known as the Fairgrounds. The City received three proposals. A staff committee evaluated and ranked them based on the RFP’s requirement for a transformational project that would meet one or a combination of the City’s strategic priorities: economic strength and poverty reduction, neighborhood revitalization, infrastructure investment, and increased public safety.

All three proposals offered mixed-use development. All three teams included local partners within the development team. Two proposals offered similar mixed-use development uses (i.e. commercial, residential, movie studios, training and recreation) but with marked difference in total investment between them. The third also proposed mixed-use but with an emphasis on recreation to develop a sports complex that would also market to host tournaments (softball, basketball, volleyball). Here is a summary of the proposed projects:

Based on the criteria in the RFP, a staff committee independently reviewed, evaluated and scored the proposals based on the RFP’s requirements, as follows:

The proposals that rated highest and second highest are separated by three points, while the third proposal finished four points behind the second highest.

Summit Smith/The Polote Corp. offers the proposal with the highest economic impact and investment. The proposal includes commercial space, medical, residential, 140,000 SF movie studios, training center, community gardens and outdoor recreation of 3.3 acres; however, the proposal with about 600,000 square feet of buildings plus up to 1,460 residential units, on 15 acres of upland area requires the highest density of development.

The P3 Partners/State Wide Healthcare and RGM Media Affiliates presents a similar mixed-use approach with 165,000 square feet of buildings plus up to 400 residential units. The proposal also includes 80,000 SF of movie studios and notes the possibility of a grocery store. The proposal includes outdoor recreation and 75,000 SF of indoor recreation (square footage included in overall count of buildings).

The Knott Development/Symbiosity presents a mixed-use project but with the primary focus on a SportsPark (7 multi-use fields) and a SportsPlex (8 indoor basketball and volley courts) to host tournaments and drive economic impact through those events. The proposal included multifamily (not identified number of units) but also a hotel, community center and trails.

Recommendation: Council contemplated that this P3 project would be the first under its Community Benefits Plan (to become an ordinance in 2021). Given the fact that only three points separated the highest-ranked firm from the second-highest ranked firm, and seven points separated the highest to the lowest, the City Manager recommends that all three proposals move to community presentations. The first presentation would be a Zoom meeting that would allow each of the proposers to submit their plans to public viewing. The second would be a live presentation at Johnny Mercer Theater (to allow for adequate social distancing). Based on the community input, Council would then vote to select one firm for staff to negotiate a Development Agreement and begin the process to bind the proposal into commitments/timeline that would be backed by performance guarantees.

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