Amendment for Howard Town Center RFP

HOWARD UNIVERSITY

APPENDIX 1

AMENDMENT FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 08/056I/CIB

FOR

HOWARD TOWN CENTER

MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECT

SUBMIT BY 5:00PM JUNE 24, 2008

Addendum No.1: May 20, 2008

This supplement is provided to assist you in completing your proposals for the development of the Howard Town Center.

Howard has decided to extend the date for proposal submission from 5:00 P.M. June 10, 2008 to 5:00 P.M. June 24, 2008, to allow developers additional time to prepare a well-conceived and accurate proposal. All other dates referred to in the RFP as decision making benchmarks, will be extended by two weeks. As a reminder, six copies of the proposals and a CD/DVD with an electronic version will be required. All proposals should be limited to no more than 100 pages of text.

The following are answers to questions asked to date:

1. Please clarify the required payments stated in the RFP?

In addition to the ground lease payments Howard will require the following:

  • A non-refundable security deposit of $25,000 to be paid by the selected developer to enter into exclusive negotiations with Howard.
  • A non-refundable payment of $250,000 upon signing of the Development agreement to reimburse Howard for previously incurred pre-development expenses.
  • A minimum payment of $250,000 upon execution of the Ground Lease.

2. What are the plans for the surrounding properties?

We have recently selected the HOK Planning Group as our Master Campus planners for the Central Campus to assist us with our campus plan, which must be updated every ten years. The area surrounding the Howard Town Center has many parcels owned by Howard, and will be included in the planning process. We recognize the importance of the Howard Town Center’s contribution to the revitalization of Georgia Avenue and the positive impact it will have on both the surrounding community and the University’s 15,000 students and employees.

3. Does Howard own everything to the west of the site?

No, the area to the west of the site is owned partially by Howard as well as other property owners.

4. Does Howard have CADD capabilities that it can use to send exhibits, maps etc. to respondents?

We will work with our architects to determine if we can provide documents utilizing CADD. If so, they will be posted on the website.

5. Can Howard provide a property ownership map to the respondents?

We do not have one available at this time.

6. Is the new President of Howard on board with the Howard Town Center initiative?

Real Estate Projects are long-term strategic initiatives. Therefore, it is the University's Board Of Trustees that approves the University's Real Estate Projects. The Board Of Trustees has approved the Town Center Initiative. The new President will start in August 2008. During this interim period he is being briefed on a number of the University's on-going strategic initiatives.

7. Is affordable housing required to be incorporated into this project?

The University will comply with all District of Columbia legal requirements applicable to this project.

8. Is the adjacent parking lot owned by Howard? Leased by Howard?

The majority of the adjacent parking lot is owned and operated by the University.

9. Can the adjacent parking lot be incorporated into the plan?

The parking lot is not part of this RFP process. Although we encourage you to think creatively about future opportunities, there are certain time constraints associated with this property and the need to finalize a Development Agreement by December of 2008 is critical. If the adjacent properties owned by the University would contribute to a more viable proposal, we are willing to entertain such proposals as long as the timing of the agreements on the subject site are not jeopardized. If you have suggestions for later phases of the project, we are open to your suggestions and discussions as we proceed with the Master Campus Plan.

10. Can the deadline be extended?

We have considered this request and understand that the deadline for submission of your proposal is very short. In order to allow you to prepare the best possible proposal, we have decided that we will extend the submission date by two weeks to 5:00 P.M. June 24, 2008. All other deadlines will be extended by two weeks, based on the dates included in the RFP. Please note that proposals are limited to 100 pages (excluding schematic drawings) and we are requesting 6 copies plus an electronic version of the proposal to be submitted.

11. Why was the timeline so compressed?

The timeline is compressed as a result of a timeline with certain benchmarks established in the land Exchange Agreement between the District and the University regarding the Bond Bread Building. A Development Agreement must be signed and completed by the end of 2008.

12. Is there a particular program of uses that are required to go on the site?

The use restrictions have been included in the RFP and include a minimum number of residential units as well as a 35,000 square foot grocery store. Please see the RFP for other requirements.

13. Will there be a sample development agreement and ground lease agreement for respondents to review?

We are in the process of completing a sample Development Agreement and Ground Lease Agreement for your review and comment. We anticipate that these documents will be posted on the Website in approximately two weeks.

14. Is student housing allowed to be programmed on the site?

At this time market rate rental housing is the preferred use. We will review proposals that include other target markets that meet market demand and provide a reasonable return to the University.

15. Will the attendance list from the Pre-Bid meeting be made available?

It is the policy of the University not to post an attendance list on our website.

16. Are there any third party reports available for the project?

At this time there are no reports that we can provide.

17. Does the University prefer to have the future development reflect previous design schemes?

The University looks forward to proposals in response to the RFP that present creative and financially viable projects that will contribute to the neighborhood and the District. As stated in the RFP, there is an opportunity to increase density of the project to take advantage of an 8.0 FAR though the PUD process. All proposals for the Town Center project will require original design and architectural schemes that will meet each proposer’s market, site, construction and development requirements.

18. Will the University require the developer to maintain ownership of the project for a specific period of time?

As stated in the RFP, no assignment or transfer of the lease shall be permitted prior to three years after stabilization.

19. Will proposals be accepted from Developers that did not attend the pre-bid conference?

We recognize that the pre-bid conference was scheduled only one week after the notification of availability of the RFP and understand that some developers were unable to attend. Therefore, we will accept proposals from developers that were unable to attend the pre-bid conference.

20. Does Howard University own the McDonald's?

The University does not own the McDonald’s.