City seeks developer for 4 acres downtown

Later this month Avondale Estates is releasing a Request for Quotation relating to the development of 4 city-owned acres on North Avondale Road just west of the Tudor Village.

Preliminary plans for the property, which the city closed on last year, include a “town green” that’s 2 to 2.5 acres and two retail/restaurant buildings fronting North Avondale.

Essentially the RFQ will allow the city to narrow the list of potential firms who will design and develop the site along with helping craft a long-term financial strategy.

After the RFQ , the next step is releasing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for specifically selecting a designer/developer.

City Manager Patrick Bryant anticipates the RFQ and RFP process lasting most of this year.

City officials have often described the future development of this site as “the centerpiece of downtown.”

Both city commissioners and Downtown Development Authority members agree on basic broad stroke details: building height of a minimum two/maximum three stories, a long patio overlooking the park and a band shell or amphitheater on the property’s northeast corner.

Both boards also agree with the commercial structures they mostly want to avoid the Tudor style permeating the downtown business district.

Also this week the DDA closed on a 1-acre tract adjacent to the main 4 acres, which includes longtime businesses Finders Keepers and Edwin Jarvis along with about 80 parking spaces behind them. BILL BANKS FOR THE AJC