News Flash

The Greenburgh Town Board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the solicitation of proposals for a part time economic development coordinator who will help the town take proactive measures to replace vacant storefronts with exciting, vibrant businesses. We also want to help current businesses succeed.   A personal goal: finding a supermarket to open up in the Fairview section of town and a landlord that will work with a qualified supermarket. This is an initiative that has been requested by many residents in recent years. The request for qualifications is due on March 20th.   PAUL FEINER
The Town of Greenburgh has identified that specialized economic development services is a viable component of enhanced business retention/expansion in the Town.  While the Town Board has taken other proactive planning steps consistent with the Comprehensive Plan with regard to economic development, a combination of persistent and existing challenges (declining retail market as a result of on-line competition, telecommuting impacts on office space viability, etc.) and economic development initiatives (promoting existing businesses, strategic business sector outreach- as example supermarket needs within Fairview portion of the Town, etc.) compel the Town to solicit the specialized services of a part time contracted economic development coordinator. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is intended to help the Town select a qualified and experienced Consultant to achieve the objectives outlined above and that follow.  Within this RFQ the Consultant shall provide demonstrable experience in performing tasks that have led to successful economic development. The content of the proposal should respond to information presented in the enclosed RFQ, and must adhere to the format outlined therein.  Respondents are required to submit one (1) original and six (6) copies of their proposal. Proposals and attachments must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2020, and should be addressed to:
Town of Greenburgh Department of Community Development and Conservation 177 Hillside Avenue Greenburgh, New York 10607 The full RFQ may be obtained at the Department of Community Development and Conservation, 177 Hillside Avenue, or at www.greenburghny.com - https://greenburghny.com/Bids.aspx If you have any questions, please call (914) 989-1538.
Sincerely,
Garrett Duquesne, AICP Commissioner

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Position Overview The Town Board recognizes that the ever changing retail market and changes in the office market (some positive/some negative) create challenges in the Town’s mixed-use corridors, as seen in the numerous vacancies that are present.  The Town has taken proactive steps to provide a wider range of permissible uses in the corridors and to provide for a more business-friendly process (modifying zoning regulations to permit car sales uses, child day care centers, broadened the usage shared parking regulations, made gyms/health clubs of a smaller size permitted uses, etc.); however, vacancies persist.  The vacancies persist despite the fact that the hard-working commercial real estate brokers doing business in the Town are doing all they can to bring viable uses to the Town.
The Town of Greenburgh has identified that specialized economic development services is a potentially viable component of enhanced business retention/expansion in the Town.  While the Town Board has taken other proactive planning steps consistent with the Comprehensive Plan with regard to economic development, a combination of persistent and existing challenges (declining retail market as a result of on-line competition, telecommuting impacts on office space viability, etc.) and economic development initiatives (promoting existing businesses, strategic business sector outreach such as for a supermarket in the Fairview area, etc.) warrant the Town to solicit the specialized services of a part-time contracted economic development coordinator. Professional Services Required The goal of the position is to assist in the implementation of the economic development policies established in Chapter 11.0 (Economic Development) of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.  While the Plan includes a variety of economic development strategies, below lists several areas of focus: ∑ Existing business retention/expansion ∑ Marketing strategies/press releases for existing and newly established businesses in the Town ∑ Particular focus on vibrancy in the Town’s mixed-use corridors of Greenburgh (Central Park Avenue – including the East Hartsdale Avenue/Hartsdale Train Station downtown area; Rt. 119 – White Plains/Tarrytown Road; and Rt. 9A Saw Mill River Road) ∑ Identification of impediments to succeeding as a business in the Town ∑ Targeted vacancy outreach (e.g., for a supermarket in Fairview area) The goal of this RFQ is to select a consultant with the best qualifications, in the opinion of the Town, to enhance, supplement and institute proactive measures with regard to economic development.  Respondents are encouraged, however, to not feel confined to focus only on the prior mentioned areas of focus.  Innovative solutions that are consistent with the Town of Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan are strongly encouraged.  The Town’s Comprehensive Plan is
The Consultant shall also demonstrate experience in this sector and provide examples of the value added to municipalities.  Experience with obtaining grants, to the extent applicable, should be included. The selected consultant will work under the Supervision of the Commissioner of the Department of Community Development and Conservation.  The initial position will be on a part time basis, with the potential for growth to a full time position based on the value added to the Town, as determined by the Town Board. All proposals shall assume that services will commence upon award of the agreement to the selected Consultant, and shall terminate upon completion of the initial length terms of engagement. Proposal Evaluation Based upon the qualifications presented within the RFQ, the Town will select a Consultant whose proposal, in the opinion of the Town, best responds to the RFQ and meets the needs of residents and businesses in the Town.  Experience, presentation, and problem solving approach will all be weighed in the initial selection process.  Costs and other follow-up information will be requested of the top qualified respondents.  Proposals will be reviewed and considered based on the following criteria, not necessarily listed in order of importance.  The Town reserves the exclusive right to weigh its evaluation criteria in any manner it deems appropriate.  The method of award will be best value to the Town of Greenburgh. 1. Responsiveness to the scope of services and procedures requested in RFQ. 2. Specific experience of the proposer in similar contexts. 3. Evaluation of professional qualifications and experience of the principal and key personnel. 4. Work plan and methodology to achieve the desired results. 5. Management capability of the proposer. 6. Proposer’s overall past performance, including adhering to an implementation schedule. Award Basis The Town will review all submitted qualifications and choose those considered by the Town to be most responsive.  The Town will then invite selected firms to review further details about the project, and provide steps they vision to solving the problem, data they would need, time to perform the work, and costs associated with their work.  Each selected Consultant will provide a supplemental response to the Town and include their costs and expected time to provide a work plan.  The Town will choose the final Consultant it deems most responsive and best serving of the Town’s needs, in its sole opinion. All proposals shall assume that services will commence upon Board Approval and award of the agreement to the selected Consultant, and shall terminate upon completion of the initial length terms of engagement.

General Provisions The Town of Greenburgh reserves the right, and at its sole discretion exercise, the following rights and options with respect to this Request for Proposals: 1. To reject any and all proposals; 2. To issue additional solicitations for proposals and/or amendments to this Request for Proposals; 3. To waive any minor irregularities in proposals received after notification to proposers affected; 4. To select any proposal as the basis for negotiations of a contract, and to negotiate with proposers for amendments or other modifications to their proposals; 5. To conduct investigations with respect to the qualifications of each proposer; 6. To exercise at its discretion and apply its best judgment with respect to any aspect of this Request for Proposals, the evaluation of proposals, and the negotiation and award of any contract; 7. To enter into an agreement for only portions, or not to enter into an agreement for any, of the services contemplated by the proposals; 8. To select the proposal that best satisfies the interests of the Town and not necessarily on the basis of price or any other single related factor. If the Town selects a proposal, a formal written contract shall be entered into between the Town and the successful proposer.  The proposal or any part thereof, submitted by the successful proposer, may be attached or become part of the contract.  The contract shall not become binding until signed by both parties and approved by the Town Attorney.