Title
Heartwood June Update (B)
Explanation
At the March 18, 2019 CRA Board meeting, CRA Staff presented an informational update on the Heartwood project and the many moving parts of the important Eastside initiative. Since that time the CRA’s active site construction project is nearing completion with street trees installed and road paving scheduled for mid-June. Next steps include substantial completion walk-through and project closeout.
The CRA Team continues to work with General Government Housing on plans for moving the home construction forward. CRA has consulted construction management firms and a meeting with Housing’s approved home builders is being scheduled. The goal is to move forward with Housing’s four pre-approved contractors, which are all small, local and diverse. CRA will return to its governing Board with the final plan to begin home construction and associated contracts for approval at a future meeting.
A paramount concern for the Team remains how CRA communicates with the public regarding how to purchase a home at Heartwood. The May Eastside Redevelopment Advisory Board meeting included discussions around what the Board would like communicated to the community. That feedback was incorporated into a draft communications plan now being reviewed by the Team. CRA Staff contracted with a communications firm to assist with this planning, scheduling and associated materials/design necessary to help us manage the communications and create a broader reach with clear and concise messaging.
Finally, another major piece for moving the Heartwood initiative forward is contracting with a realtor to sell the homes. Staff posted a Request for Brokerage Services at Heartwood, three firms participated and the winning proposal was protested. Staff held a hearing with the participating three firms and decided to cancel the solicitation based on the feedback received from the firms. Staff has incorporated feedback from the hearing and has drafted a revised so...
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