The City of Roeland Park is accepting statements of qualifications for a design-build project to remediate the void left by a mine and stabilize the site above the former mine for development at 4800 Roe Parkway.
Year-to-date homebuilding is up 29 percent in the Kansas City area, and Johnson County is leading homebuilding for the area with more than 1,400 new single and multifamily permits this year. The City of Roeland Park is looking to capitalize on the growth in residential development and encourage engagement in its community through the commercial development of a key property along the community’s main thoroughfare, Roe Boulevard.
The site, which was originally a mine, includes a sizable void, which presents a challenge to development. It had been used most recently as a swimming pool, but was shut down after demonstrating instability. As the City’s on-call engineer, McClure Engineering Company (MEC) recommended using a design-build approach for the project to allow contractors and geotechnical firms to submit an array of solutions for the City to consider as they look to fill the property’s void and prepare it for development.
For the project, MEC is serving as the owner’s representative. In this role, MEC developed the project’s RFQ, which was opened and posted on the City’s website on July 14. MEC will also develop the RFP, assist in the evaluation and selection of a design-build team, and assist with the observation of the construction project.
Also serving as the owner’s representative, CBC Real Estate Group has performed a redevelopment study and assessed the potential economic impact of a several of development concepts for the site, including the marketing of the land for a retail, hotel and entertainment/sports uses.
“We are working to identify those who would best use this strategic location to maximize the benefit of the development for the City,” said Jason Glasrud, development manager for CBC.
The deadline for submission of statements of qualifications for the mine remediation is July 29, with the project targeted to start in mid-September and with a planned completion date of Feb. 1, 2017. The project is the first substantial design-build project completed by Roeland Park. Design-build is becoming more prevalent as a procurement model across the country. Recently, in nearby Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon signed design-build legislation that opened this procurement option up for use by all political subdivisions in the state.
The design-build procurement model is often used to condense a project’s timeline, reduce the project risk taken on by the project’s owner, and to encourage innovative project solutions.
