The work concerns 1101, 1165 and 1120 Monroe Avenue NW, including the former Coldbrook pumping station and the Development Center. The city is selecting a qualified team to test environmental conditions, infrastructure, market demand, financing and development options. It is not awarding an already approved construction scheme or promising a particular number of completed homes.
Teams need planning, engineering, environmental, design, real-estate finance and community-engagement expertise, supplied by staff or named consultants. The RFQ asks for comparable project experience, an engagement strategy, financial-capacity information, an insurance certificate or insurer letter, a schedule and conflict disclosures. Respondents should follow the full document’s section-specific limits and its overall 40-page limit, which excludes the listed supplementary materials.
Submit an electronic PDF to econdevshrd@grand-rapids.mi.us and ten printed copies to Economic Development at 300 Monroe Avenue NW. The department’s current page states November 16 at noon Eastern as the submission cutoff. Written questions are due October 19 at noon Eastern; the RFQ designates Economic Development Director Sarah Rainero at srainero@grand-rapids.mi.us for questions and restricts other solicitation-related contacts.
Some supporting dates need clarification. The current webpage says answers will be posted October 26, while the PDF says October 23. The optional site visit is listed for October 20, but its RSVP instruction pairs October 15 with a weekday that does not match the 2026 calendar. Ask the designated contact to confirm the visit arrangements and use the department page for later amendments rather than choosing a date by assumption.
Selection leads to a professional-services agreement and a community-engagement process. The RFQ describes a conditional right of first refusal in a later property-disposition process, not an immediate transfer of city land or an unconditional development entitlement. Maintaining Development Center services, public river access and the handling of environmental and utility constraints remain part of the planning work.