Visit EDC's website to download the RFP
City seeks proposals for industrial-use lots in parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. On June 25, 2012, the Economic Development Corporation issued a rolling request for proposals for the purchase or lease of four City-owned industrial parcels in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. The sites are: North Zerega in Unionport, Bronx; Chestnut-Dinsmore in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn; Moore McCormack in Sunset Park, Brooklyn; and College Point in the College Point Industrial Park section of Queens. The RFP is a part of EDC’s efforts to support the retention and growth of industrial businesses in the City, and complements the 22 industrial initiatives announced by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn in June 2011. The goals of the RFP include increasing access to affordable industrial spaces and aligning City resources with industrial businesses’ needs. All four lots are eligible for the City’s Brownfield Incentive Grant program and federal Environmental Protection Agency grants. The sites are zoned for manufacturing, which allows manufacturing, industrial, and most commercial uses.
North Zerega Site. The North Zerega site is a 95,000-square-foot lot located at 2399 Watson Avenue in the Bronx’s Zerega Industrial Business Zone. The lot is primarily vacant and zoned M1-1. EDC has already obtained ULURP approval for the site’s unrestricted disposition. According to EDC, the site may contain contaminants, including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition to the City’s Brownfield Incentive and EPA grants, the site may be eligible for a low-interest cleanup loan from the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation.
Chestnut-Dinsmore Site. The highly-visible 80,000-square-foot corner lot is located at Atlantic Avenue and Chestnut Street in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn and zoned M1-1. According to EDC, a Phase I initial environmental assessment of the site indicated that some remediation may be required. Chestnut-Dinsmore is within the East New York Brownfield Opportunity Area, and may be eligible for up to $100,000 from the Brownfield Incentive Grant program.
Moore McCormack Site. The Moore McCormack site is a 53,000-square-foot lot located at 24th Street and Third Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The lot is located on the upland portion of the 25th Street Pier and is part of the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Business Zone and the Sunset Park Significant Maritime and Industrial Area. The M3-1-zoned site is available on a long-term ground lease basis. EDC will favor proposals that generate additional industrial maritime activity across the bulkhead or through the 25th Street Pier. The site is occupied by three deteriorated buildings which the developer may need to demolish. A third party holds an approximately 9,300 sq.ft. easement along the site’s northern end. According to EDC, a 2004 Phase I and a 2008 partial assessment of the site indicated the possible presence of asbestos and lead-based paint. The site is within the Sunset Park Brownfield Opportunity Area.
College Point Site. The College Point site is a 40,000-square-foot lot located at the intersection of 28th Avenue and 122nd Street in Queens’ College Point Corporate Park. The site is zoned M2-1, and is at the northwestern edge of the Special College Point District. EDC expects to deliver the site vacant, and the developer would be responsible for remediating any existing contamination.
Through this RFP, and other initiatives, the City is seeking to create, preserve, and revitalize up to 9 million sq.ft. of underutilized industrial space; create and retain up to 30,000 industrial jobs; and generate annual payroll earnings of $900 million and more than $150 million in tax revenue.
The RFP’s rolling deadline allows developers to submit proposals prior to any of four quarterly deadlines over the course of nearly one year. These deadlines are: September 13, 2012; December 13, 2013; March 14, 2013; and June 13, 2013.
EDC: Request for Proposals – NYC Industrial Sites (June 25, 2012).