The sentiment holds true as the new RFP, which was published Friday, outlines the detailed and complex history of the Gas Plant District, explaining the unfulfilled promises made to the Black community that once called the district home before the area was demolished and rebuilt to later accommodate the stadium.
Responses to the RFP are due Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. A release from the city said Welch “may select a proposal without discussion if it is determined to be in the public interest for intended site use.” The city said additional solutions, like providing affordable and workforce units off-site themselves, partnering with other groups to provide those housing options off-site, or financially contributing to the “construction of affordable units citywide” are also permitted.
The city also expects a portion of the office space to be reserved for “underinvested business and entrepreneurs.” And it wants interested developers to spell out an estimate of how much of their total space they’ll reserve for said businesses.The RFP said the development must “honor the site’s history and provide meaningful and significant opportunities for economic equity and inclusion.”