City issues RFP for mixed-used Brooklyn development.

The city has issued a request for Proposals for a mixed-used development consisting of cultural, commercial and residential spaces to be located in the cultural district around the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

Resulting in at least 150 new residential units, half of which will be affordable to low-, moderate-, and middle-income families, the development will house Danspace Project Inc., a nonprofit cultural organization focused on the creation and presentation of contemporary dance, and retail space on the ground-floor.

The RFP is part of a larger effort to enhance the BAM Cultural District's existing community of renowned arts institutions by redeveloping underutilized land into affordable spaces for nonprofit arts groups and housing.

By strengthening the area's cultural community and increasing the availability of affordable housing, the development will advance Mayor Bloomberg's initiatives to revitalize Downtown Brooklyn as a 24-hour, mixed-use community.

Located at the corner of Fulton Street and Ashland Place, the proposed site will be conveyed to the designated development team for a nominal fee.

The development's residential component must be comprised of a minimum of 150 rental and/or cooperative units located above the cultural and commercial spaces. 20% of the residential units must be affordable to households of four earning up to $56,700 or up to $39,700 for a single household. A further 30% of the residential units must be affordable to households of four earning up to $92,170 or up to $64,480 for a single household.

The development is one of the first developments to adopt HPD's New Construction Sustainability Requirements which mandate design practices and materials that ensure healthy indoor air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation and the use of environmentally preferable products.

As part of the redevelopment initiatives of the BAM Cultural District, Danspace will be joined by the Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA), a classical Shakespearean theatre company to include rehearsal, theater and office spaces, which will be built as a separate development in the southeast corner of the District. Also planned for the District are several new open spaces, a series of streetscape improvements and an underground parking garage.

The designated development team will be selected based on an evaluation of innovative architectural design, professional qualifications and experience, including cultural development experience, feasibility of the proposal, affordability of residential units, and quality of design and construction, as well as other factors noted in the RFP. Proposals that incorporate a local development partner in the housing component will be given preference.

As innovative architectural design is a primary objective of the BAM Cultural District, the quality of design and construction will be given significant weight in the selection process. A pre-submission conference will be held on February 23, 2007 at 11:30 a.m at HPD and responses to the RFP are due by hand on May 4, 2007.

Electronic versions of the RFP are available on HPD's website, www.nyc.gov/hpd