The city of Batavia is looking for qualified development partners to redevelop four city-owned properties downtown.
The city recently issued requests for proposals for the former First Baptist Church site, two former Larson-Becker sites and property where the Boardwalk Shops are situated.
The Batavia Community and Economic Development departments will accept sealed bids for an approximately 2.2-acre site at Wilson and Washington streets, the former location of the First Street Baptist Church and the site that was pegged for the One Washington Place project, a nearly $55 million mixed-use development that ended suddenly when Geneva-based Shodeen Group pulled plans for the residential and commercial project.
Two other requests for proposals are for an approximately 1.6-acre site on the west side of North River Street, between State and Franklin streets, which is currently a parking lot and the former site of the Larson-Becker factory, and a .68-acre site on the east side of North River Street which is known as the Larson-Becker east property.
The city is also interested in a private-public partner for a .64-acre site at the southeast corner of Washington and Wilson streets, which is where the Boardwalk Shops are located.
Batavia is requesting project proposals for all four sites that will establish public-private partnerships to create sustainable, private, mixed-use development with commercial uses on the first floor and up to three additional stories with residential units above, along with possible public parking components, city officials said.
“Batavia’s comprehensive plan goals for these properties include breathing new life into underperforming individual properties while supporting and enhancing our reputation for being a walkable, bikeable and thriving community with access to commerce, recreation and the arts,” Batavia City Administrator Laura Newman said.
The city decided to promote the properties when City Hall was notified Dec. 29 that Shodeen Group intended to exercise its rights under a redevelopment agreement to terminate the One Washington Place project.
The plans, initially introduced in 2016, were to build 186 luxury apartments and street-level commercial space as well as an underground parking facility at the site that the city would own.
The city had invested in some of the privately-owned property at the site including the old First Baptist Church.
The developer was prepared to begin construction in 2022 but had made the city aware of rising construction costs due to the pandemic.
“When we were planning for the Shodeen project to get underway, we knew it was going to have a substantial impact on our downtown while the construction was taking place. But since we received notice from the developer the project would not move forward, it opened a door for the city to seek proposals for redevelopment on that and the city’s three other sites in the downtown that we expect will have similar opportunities for development,” Newman said.
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The city is open to a multi-year plan for redevelopment of the properties, she said.
All four sites are located within a tax increment financing district. Under a tax increment financing district, the property tax amount collected is essentially frozen at the time the district is created. As property values increase with development, the additional tax dollars are placed into a city fund to help finance public improvements.
“The properties within a TIF district affords the city an opportunity to provide an incentive that will help close the gap and assist with the projects coming to fruition,” Newman said.
The city is interested in creating a partnership for redevelopment of the sites in the near future, rather than selling the properties to a private group that could hold on to them indefinitely.
“We would require the project get underway in a specific period of time otherwise the land would revert back to the city and we would look for a new development,” Newman said.
Sealed bids are due to the city by noon July 22.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.