Site work for a playground / park / athletic field in Rock Island, Illinois. Completed plans call for site work for a playground / park / athletic field.

Realtor's Park SELECTING PROPOSALS Staff shall review proposals for basic completeness and make a recommendation to the City Council. The Council shall consider the staff recommendation and vote on what proposal to accept at a regularly scheduled meeting in December. Respondents shall be informed of the specific meeting date and time so they are able to address the Council at said meeting. Once a proposal is selected, additional administrative steps may need to be taken to complete the sale of the property. CONTACT INFORMATION The primary contact person for this request for proposals is listed below. Melissa Holderfield, Administrative Secretary Community Development Department holderfield.melissa@rigov.org 309-732-2909 BACKGROUND The City of Rock Island has owned the property known as Realtor's Park for several decades. The property was donated as green space because it was not developable. The property is only accessible by a public right of way too narrow for a vehicle to pass through and with insufficient frontage onto 35th Street to create a code-complaint flag lot. The parcel is approximately one and a half (1 1/2 ) acres in size but more than half of that area is wooded ravine. There is an elementary school to the north and residential properties on all other sides of the parcel. A map is attached for reference. PROPOSALS TO BE CONSIDERED Maintenance of the park is challenging due to the limited access and topography. These same factors make it difficult for the Parks & Recreation Department to program or promote the park. The park has also become a dumping ground for yard waste and other debris due to the presence of the ravine and low visibility. As a result of all this, there had been interest in divesting the City of the park for some time. The City is seeking proposals from property owners in the surrounding neighborhood who would like to purchase the property. In anticipation of selling the property, the City is rezoning it from C1 (Park Conservation) to R1 (Single-Unit Residential) so that there is consistency with the surrounding residential properties. Any proposed use for the property must comply with the requirements of the R1 zoning district. The City is also vacating the narrow public right-of-way to combine it with the parcel. Note that while the property is not suitable for any structures to be built on it, the property can be used as private park space or as a nature preserve for the neighborhood. Side or rear yard expansions are also acceptable. Proposals shall include background information on the person, group, or organization submitting said proposal with an explanation of the intended end use of the property. The proposal should also include an offer price. If the price being offered is less than market value, the proposal should explain what community benefits justify a reduced sale price. Additional information about property maintenance in the future should be included as well as any proposed site improvements or landscaping.