In an effort to fulfill a longtime goal of increasing availability of high quality mixed income housing in Parramore, the City and CRA issued a Notice of Invitation for proposals for the development of mixed income housing on 6.06 acres of vacant land owned by City and CRA.  The CRA owns approximately 5.07 acres and the City owns approximately .99 acres.  The land is located on the northwest, southwest and southeast corners of Parramore Avenue and Conley Street. The Notice of Invitation was issued on November 5, 2015 and proposals were due by December 4, 2015.    

A five (5) person selection committee consisting of Thomas Chatmon, Walter Hawkins, Oren Henry, Laurie Botts, and Paul Lewis was established to evaluate and rank the proposals.  Six (6) proposals were received on December 4, 2015, and over the next several months, the selection committee met to review and discuss the proposals, held presentations from the top four (4) teams and narrowed selections down to two (2) development teams at its final meeting on April 7, 2016.  The rankings are as follows: InVictus Development, LLC first (top-ranked) and Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation second.  The committee felt the two (2) ranked proposals most closely resemble the City/CRA’s vision for revitalization in Parramore.    

Top-ranked:  InVictus Development, LLC has proposed to build a 211-unit project, bringing a mix of new market rate and affordable housing (include permanent supportive housing) opportunities to Parramore.   20% of the units will be at market rate and 80% affordable (5% of which will be set aside for permanent supporting housing).  The development will be constructed in two phases and will include two-story and four-story buildings with a blend of one, two and three bedroom apartments and townhomes.   InVictus proposed to pay the City/CRA $460,000 to purchase the land and requested a $130,000 contribution from the CRA. 

Ranked 2^nd:  Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation (ONIC) proposed to build a 112-unit project with a mix of one, two and three bedroom apartments and townhomes in two-story buildings, all developed in a single phase.  25% of the units will be at market rate and 75% affordable (5% of which will be set aside for permanent supporting housing).  ONIC proposed to pay the City/CRA $500,000 to purchase the land and requested a $3,000,000 contribution from the CRA. 

Key Goals of the Redevelopment Project include:

• The City and CRA are committed to and focused on revitalizing the historic Parramore neighborhood.
• This Project furthers the City’s effort to ensure our residents have access to quality, safe and affordable housing and aligns with recommendations from the recently-completed Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan which outlines a path for growing a vibrant Parramore community and increasing housing opportunities, specifically those that support mixed income.
• This Project supports the City/CRA’s efforts in creating high quality, mixed income, residential developments that increase the availability of safe, affordable housing serving low and moderate income households.
• The Project supports the City/CRA’s efforts in decreasing homelessness by increasing the inventory of permanent supportive housing.
• The Project furthers the City/CRA’s efforts by fostering community development that enhances the surrounding neighborhoods and serve as a catalyst for revitalization of the Parramore neighborhood. 
• Compliance with the City’s W/MBE policy & Living Wage policy was required by the solicitation and all development teams provided a plan to comply.  The Selection Committee felt InVictus’ proposal demonstrated the strongest commitment to W/MBE participation.   

On April 27, 2016 the CRA Advisory Board recommended the CRA authorize staff to negotiate a Contract for Sale and Purchase and Developer’s Agreement, for the CRA owned property, with InVictus Development, LLC and should such negotiations be unsuccessful, authorize staff to enter into negotiations with Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, Inc.