Members of the Johnson Property Ad Hoc Committee decided to wait until Jan. 23 and then edit the Request for Proposal if needed. Robert Campbell, vice president and civil/site group leader with Qk4 speaks to members of the Johnson Property Ad Hoc Committee on Jan. 13. Michael Crimmins/Glasgow News 1
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Members of the Johnson Property Ad Hoc Committee agreed to wait until the Request for Proposals due date before possibly tweaking the request.
The members of the Glasgow finance subcommittee previously set Jan. 23 as the Request for Proposals due date in hopes of getting better responses from developers during their Oct. 28 meeting. Qk4’s Vice President and Civil/Site Group Leader Robert Campbell said 20 developers have the city’s request for proposals with five having conversations with the city and one visiting the site.
However, due to the lack of questions they’ve received, Campbell mentioned possibly tweaking the request to lessen the risk involved for developers. While still hypothetical, Campbell mentioned possibly having the city retain land ownership while development occurs instead of the current request, which involves selling the land to developers.
“Based on no questions received, I think we’re getting no responses…, and the reasons are pretty clear — the current economics of the circumstances in terms of interest rates, housing market movements and risk,” Campbell said. “The format of the way we shaped this [Request for Proposal] puts more risk on developers because we’re looking for them to purchase the land and develop it…. A different direction [the committee] could go would be to have the city continue to hold the property.
“The payment to the city would come when the property sells, so you’re taking a bunch of risk off the table, which I think would entice developers,” he added.
As Joint City-County Planning Director Kevin Myatt, who is a member of the committee, explained the hypothetical plan would entail some form of lease that allows developers to work on the land while Glasgow retains ownership of it.
There was a brief discussion involving the placement of the potential county sports complex. Fifteen acres of the former Johnson property were earmarked for the county as a location for its sports complex in May 2025.
The ad hoc committee members agreed to wait until the Jan. 23 due date and see if any proposals are received, after which time they can edit the request if that is needed.
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