Just a couple of weeks after the administration posted a request for proposals to outsource Planning and Zoning, a new notice has been published seeking proposals for "professional real estate and redevelopment consulting services."
The first one would replace the city's in-house Planning Division staff, ostensibly to save $200,000. Bids will be opened at 11 a.m. on - whoops, this must be a typo - Wednesday, Oct. 1. (My calendar has Oct. 1 down as a Thursday.) Hmm. I was going to say Thursday would be too late to meet the City Council's strict deadline of noon Wednesday for resolutions and ordinances, in this case for the Monday, Oct. 5 agenda-fixing session.
Wait a minute, that was what the RFP on the city web site said, but checking the legal notice published in the Courier News, there it says Thursday, Oct. 1. Unless it is added as a new item at the Oct. 13 regular meeting, it would have to wait until November, when the council has a combined agenda-fixing and regular session on Nov. 9. We shall have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, the new RFP for professional real estate and redevelopment consulting services has a bid opening date of Thursday, Oct. 15. Maybe we can find out whether this impacts the Economic Development office headed by Deputy City Administrator Carlos Sanchez. The legal notice ran Sunday in the Courier News.
Another legal notice was published Friday memorializing preliminary and final site plan approval for a 125-unit apartment complex at East Third and Richmond streets. The property is the former Cozzoli Machine Company site. In 2003, the company moved to a new 100,000 square-foot location in Somerset. Crown Real Estate Holdings, Inc. received Planning Board approvals for the apartment project, but according to a notice on the Crown Bank web site, the property is for sale, as-is, for $5,625,000. The notice states that the city has approved it for 125 units.
All these notices are interesting, but the impact on the city remains to be seen. Certainly the outsourcing of Planning & Zoning has raised many concerns, from the loss of institutional knowledge to worries about accessibility of outsourced land use staff. The City Council will have to approve any contracts with outside consultants and a majority has blocked the administration's initiatives at times. Stay tuned.
--Bernice
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Hi Ms Paglia this is off topic but I had to post this. I have been at the meetings when the talks of the town hall meeting were bought up. I don't know why dan damon and his blog reports never tell the truth. It's always incorrect information. I asked councilmen Storch about a town hall meeting in the 2nd ward and I wax told there will be one in October. Will dan damon say that's political also. The only blogs report facts are yours, docs, and Mr. Rutherfords
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Dan Damon will say it's political, but will Bridget or the others in the gang of 4? Will they make the big deal?
DeleteSo, if Cory has a meeting in Oct. I hope you will support him by being against those who think it is political.
All of this,mess,do not pass the smell test
ReplyDeleteWill the redevelopment consultant save us the taxpayers any money that's the question everyone should be asking
ReplyDelete"does not pass the smell test."
ReplyDeleteBob rob what ever your name might happen to be please get a life.
ReplyDeleteYAWN.. I have a life... I have a name... I'm not some spineless given a free political no show do nothing job who is afraid to sign my name .. you dear anonymous ( which I'm sure the whole actual process of setting up an account with your name is the real issue.. probably a little bit above you're 8th grade education from 1978 isn't it ?? ) are as old and tired as the gang of 4 on the city council..
DeleteBob rob Tom Jane doe your mad and miserable no one is listening to you lol. You are defiantly a joke
ReplyDeleteI'm Bob not Rob and learn to spell. I'm not a joke, but I am defiant.
DeleteSomeone floated a number...$200,000. Where is the analysis from which this remarkable amount was derived? The only meaningful response to the RFP for replacing the Planning Department will be if the bid states that the Consultant will perform all the work currently performed by the Planning Department for a guaranteed Lump Sum, which is $200,000 less than the present annual cost of operating the Planning Department. It is my prediction that any meaningful response will consist of a fee schedule and bear no resemblance to a guaranteed fixed price. On October 15th we will find out. Bill Kruse
ReplyDeletemore outsourcing... more consultants... if this is the best they can do they really aren't trying... try fixing the roof before replacing it
ReplyDeleteThe total Planning Department Budget for this fiscal year is $365,650.00. In order to save the City $2000,000.00, the outsource would have to do all the services the Planning Department does now for $165,000.00/year. Good Luck getting any qualified company to agree to a $165K fix-priced contract.
ReplyDelete