East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority

Entergy Site Development Offering

January, 2016

The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority (the EBRRA) anticipates issuing a Request for
Expressions of Interest (RFEI) in March of 2016 for the Entergy Site, a 6.1 acre site on Government
Street. The RFEI is being drafted by Fregonese & Associates, on behalf of the EBRRA. Entergy deeded
this property to the EBRRA in 2014.
The RFEI is an intentionally flexible format compared to other types of development offerings. It is not
intended to be very specific regarding the detailed programming, design, deal structure, or scope (i.e.
developers need not propose to redevelop the entire site). The development of the overall site may
occur in a single phase, or in multiple phases (indeed, there may be economic advantages to a phased
approach for instance, if the vintage Entergy structures are rehabilitated with active uses such as a
brewpub or other attractors, this could result in increased values for the remaining site). Essentially, the
offering will include criteria that will inform prospective respondents of the EBRRAs requirements as
well as its aspirations for the property. Beyond this framework, it is up to developers to identify a
development approach (including phasing, deal structure, uses, densities, etc) that they believe is most
responsive to these requirements and aspirations.
Fregonese & Associates is currently drafting the entire RFEI. This paper is intended to summarize the key
elements of the RFEI, along with providing an outline of the process. Note that particular elements of
the RFEI may evolve and may not precisely match this summary.
Selection Criteria
The following are proposed criteria against which the EBRRA Board will ultimately determine which
developer team or teams to select for the project:

Catalytic redevelopment for the Government Street Corridor and the surrounding neighborhood
Preservation/Rehabilitation of Building A (essential); and Building B (unless it can be clearly
demonstrated that the rehabilitation of this building is technically and financially unfeasible)
Mixed Use/Mixed Income Residential (although it is possible that the RDA will consider projects
that dont incorporate residential development)
Quality design
Supportive of strong pedestrian environment and planned transit investment
Responsible use of EBRRA funding or other form of financial participation (as applicable)
Capacity of the project to help sustain the long term financial stability of the EBRRA
Community benefit/engagement
Demonstrated experience in delivering projects similar in scope and quality to what the
developer is proposing in response to this RFEI

Requirements
In addition to the criteria above, developers will also have to respond to the requirements that apply to
this site, including but not limited to:

Zoning: Currently zoned Industrial, EBRRA staff recently submitted an application to re-zone the
property LC3, which allows a broad mix of uses housing (at a density of 29 units per acre);
retail/restaurant; and office and other commercial. EBRRA anticipates the rezoning will take
place prior to issuance of the RFEI in late March. The development will also be subject to
recently adopted design standards as well as the requirements of a new Government Street
overlay, intended to reinforce a high quality mixed use ambience along Government (in
anticipation of the planned Government Street road improvements)
Retention of the Entergy Tower (although the EBRRA will work with the selected developer and
Entergy to see if there are ways of incorporating the tower into the projects identity)
Power Line Easement

Other Components of the RFEI

The following are other elements that will be incorporated in the RFEI:

Background Information including a brief description of the area; demographics; site

characteristics; infrastructure; summary of any technical reports as applicable (e.g.
environmental; building conditions); future high speed rail station
Description of Public Financial Tools potentially available, such as discounted land sale price or
ground lease; Federal and/or State historic tax credits; and other funds potentially available.
This sub-section of the RFEI will note that the EBRRA has limited funds, and therefore prefers
minimizing any financial participation on its part; and that any request for such participation
must demonstrate that the public investment will leverage an outstanding project
General Conditions. This sub-section will include the ground rules that developers and other
members of their team will need to observe; communications protocols; submittal deadline;
minimum submittal standards; and a description of the post-submittal process
Appendices which provide a more detailed background on certain critical issues. The following
are likely appendices to be included in the RFEI:
o Zoning standards
o Urban design standards, and draft landscaping and parking standards
o Fregonese development alternatives and hypothetical site plan
o Building Condition Report
o Relevant technical studies, such as Environmental Assessments, NOFA letter
o Easement documents
o Duany Pre-development Study
o Government Street Upgrade Plan & Section

Process
The EBRRA will issue the RFEI in March of 2016. EBRRA staff and Fregonese & Associates will
aggressively market the RFEI, reaching out to developers and others in the development field

(architects, brokers, etc.), issuing a press release, widely distributing a promotional flyer, and notifying a
large list of interested parties either by mail or email. There may be a pre-bid meeting and site tour.
In responding to the RFEI, developers will need to describe their approach (program, phasing, whether
they seek to redevelop the entire site or portions of it; deal structure, i.e. purchase, ground lease;
financing sources and uses approach, including any financial participation they are expecting of either
the EBRRA or other public funding entities). They will also need to explain why they believe that their
proposal is responsive to the above-noted criteria and requirements. They must also describe their
experience (particularly in developing projects of a nature similar to their proposal for the Entergy site).
With regard to possible financial participation in the project on the part of either the EBRRA or possibly
other public entities, the RFEI will identify a list of tools as potentially available. As already noted, the
RFEI will make clear that, all things being equal, the preference is for a project that requires less public
subsidy than more. At the same time, the RFEI will acknowledge that it may require some level of public
involvement to leverage a project that is truly exceptional in its capacity to meet or exceed the EBRRAs
expectations. A preliminary list of possible tools are (but not necessarily limited to) the following:

Land sale price write-down, (or, in the case of a ground lease, a discounted lease rate, at least in
the early years of the lease)
Possible CAFA participation in the deal, as a conduit financing entity, or in assistance with equity
for workforce housing.
Possible assistance with limited pre-development costs, including concept design, updated
environmental and geo-tech reports, survey, conditions report on existing buildings, traffic
analysis, market analysis (likely to be on a matching basis)
Possible assistance in securing other non-EBRRA or City funds, including but not limited to
Federal and State Historic Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits, EB-5 Program, Low Income
Housing Tax Credits, etc.

Following the submittal of responses to the RFEI, the anticipated subsequent steps will be as follows:

EBRRA Staff, in consultation with Fregonese & Associates and a subcommittee of the Board, to
review and evaluate the responses, particularly in light of their responsiveness to the selection
criteria and requirements noted above.
The full Board will then make a final decision as to which team(s) to select for further
negotiations. This action will take place in a public hearing, and may include Board interviews of
short-listed development teams. Note also that responses to the RFEI will be public records.
Following selection, the EBRRA will enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with
the selected developer(s), identifying specific actions that the parties will take during a
prescribed period of time to move the project forward. The ENA will include extension
provisions, as well as an early termination provision
At the conclusion of the ENA process, the parties will enter into a formal agreement (either a
Disposition & Development Agreement in the case of a sale of the property, or a Ground Lease)
which sets forth the obligations of the parties (financial terms, design qualities, program,
phasing, timelines, etc.)
Following execution of the formal agreement(s), the selected developer(s) will move forward
through the entitlement process towards the goal of obtaining building permits.