SILOAM SPRINGS — As part of an effort to develop plans for it’s property use, the city issued a request for proposal for 27 undeveloped acres on Cheri Whitlock Road, directly east of Progress Plaza, northeast of the high school.
The land was once part of a proposed housing development that fell into foreclosure.
Applicants have until Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. to submit their proposals to the city. There will also be an optional pre-proposal meeting in the city annex building at 410 N. Broadway Street on Sept. 6 at 2 p.m. to discuss the request and answer questions.
The request comes a few months after the city was approached by an interested developer, said Don Clark, community development director.
“With publicly owned property, we can’t just put a ‘for sale’ sign out there,” Clark said.
The city will accept proposals until Sept. 21 before opening proposals and extending queries to the top applicants. Next, city staff will choose a proposal to recommend to the city directors. The recommendation is projected to be discussed during the Nov. 7 board meeting. The agenda item would essentially ask for permission to allow the city administrator to begin negotiation to sell the land.
Any submitted proposals would be expected to include a description of the development, entities involved, a market study, public benefits and a proposed timeline.
“It has to fit us,” said Holland Hayden, communications manager. “It has to fit who we are.”
The property could be part of what officials expect to be it’s next major developing area, Clark said. The city would be looking to fill one of its existing needs with any potential developer on the property. Clark said the city was looking for a development to fill either by a product or service not already in the city or a residential development to address the area’s housing need.
“It’s community development and economic development hand-in-hand,” said Clark. “Let’s see if we can match these up, what needs we have and see if there’s going to be a developer that’s going to bring what we want,”
“This is a big project, and we hope that there’s a lot of attention and a lot of interest in it,” said Hayden.
Michael Burchfiel may be reached by email at mburchfiel@ nwadg.com .