19I - RFQ - RENOVATIONS YMCA - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

INTRODUCTION The City of Santa Ana (the "City ") invites responses to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) by qualified developers to develop the best available option for the renovation and reuse of the historic YMCA building. The YMCA's location and its iconic architecture presents a unique opportunity to return this underutilized building to its former prominence. The City is determined to find a suitable project which will incorporate the buildings historic architecture into a new and innovative use. The site is located directly adjacent to the Civic Center Complex that includes City, County, State and federal offices, and close proximity to the City's dynamic downtown. The purpose of this RFQ is to offer the opportunity for qualified developers to present creative ideas for restoring this unique building in a manner consistent with its National Register of Historic Places designation and the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. Possible uses may include, but not be limited to retail, office, hotel, residential, and entertainment. The City envisions a two -step process for selecting a qualified developer. The first step involves issuance of an RFQ to identify a group of qualified developers, and the second step involves the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to a short list of the top respondents to the RFQ. This process will ensure that the City and development community can most efficiently deliver the best project for the property. SANTA ANA AND ITS DOWNTOWN Founded in 1869, Santa Ana is located between two major freeways in central Orange County and shares its boundaries with the cities of Orange, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove. It serves as the county seat of Orange County, and is home to many federal, state and county facilities, including the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse. Today, this historic city serves as Orange County's downtown. A diverse population of over 350,000 call Santa Ana home. Residents and businesses alike are attracted to the City's distinctive housing choices along with Santa Ana's abundance of entertainment and shopping venues, such as the notable Discovery Science Center, Bowers Museum and MainPlace shopping mall. DOWNTOWN Santa Ana's downtown has a district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This area is roughly bounded by Civic Center Drive, First Street, Ross Street, and Spurgeon Street. This historic city serves as Orange County's downtown rich with a mix of shops, artist enclaves, restaurants, entertainment venues and loft housing. In addition to the changing uses, the hours of operation for the downtown span over a wider period of the day, from coffee shops that open early to retail businesses that are opened during the day to restaurant and entertainment venues that are open into the evening hours. The increased activity requires preserving the current level of parking availability to accommodate all the surrounding uses. I I P a ,, C 191 -9