This update is provided on behalf of Marcy Langrock, chairperson, and the rest of the Holly House Development Task Force (HHDTF). Back in June, the congregation voted to develop the Holly House property – so that is the primary objective of the current task force. In January, we received responses from our Request for Proposals (RFP) solicitation for either an Affordable Housing solution or a market rate proposal. Acceptable proposals will be required to align with our mission and vision as a congregation.
The HHDTF was formed last July and completed the initial organization and formal charter by September. The task force members include: David Baumgart, Lee Dorigan (recording secretary), Seth Hamilton, Marcy Langrock (chairperson), Benji Langrock, Jason Puracal, and Bob Weiss. You may recall that Lee and Bob were the co-leaders of the previous task force. Our professional liaisons include: Abbie Birmingham (Legal support), Craig Nelsen (Real Estate Broker support), and Lee Winstrom (RFP support).
In October and November, the team renewed the work of the previous task force – compiling the list of relevant organizations, reaching consensus on the RFP, and then distributing that RFP to 20 organizations. In our effort to reach a wider audience, we also published a notice in the Seattle Times, Real Estate classifieds, in December. We are currently in contact with 25 different organizations.
We have received a variety of inquiries and questions, and are now compiling a FAQS list (frequently asked questions) on our public website. By sharing all questions and responses each of the bidders will have access to consistent information. If you are curious to review the information, go to https://esuc.org/connection/member-groups/holly-house-development-task-force/
We have requested of all the bidders that they submit their proposals by January 31. Each proposal will be reviewed and evaluated to determine their relative merits, based, in part, on these criteria:
- Financial impact
- Social and Economic Justice
- Timing – how long will it take for the project to be completed
- Green building design
- Impact on the Congregation
- Risk/liability
Our first Town Hall in 2018 is now scheduled for February 11, right after the church service, and if you are interested in joining the discussion, we hope that you will attend. We will provide an update on all the responses received, to date.
We are requesting that you take this survey to provide guidance on how much weight to assign to each of the criteria in the near future.
The results of the initial evaluations of these proposals will be shared with the Board at their February meeting. “Next steps” will largely depend on the number of proposals received and the quality of those proposals. We anticipate a second Town Hall in March and potentially a congregational meeting in April.
Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns.
David Baumgart – Board Liaison for HH Development Task Force