Panel puts brakes on RFP for site of stations

A request for proposals to redevelop the site of Port Washington’s police and fire stations when they move to the new public safety building next summer was put on hold by the city’s General Government and Finance Committee earlier this month.

“We’re not ready for it to go without more discussion,” City Administrator Melissa Pingel told the committee. “This is, in my opinion, too early to talk about it. We have to know what we want.”

Among the questions yet to be answered, committee members said, is whether the city will raze the buildings on the 1.6-acre property, what uses should be considered for the land and even what price the city should ask for the land.

“I just don’t see how you’re going to get anybody to respond because there are so many questions,” Ald. Dan Benning, the committee chairman, said.

While the proposed request for qualifications — similar to a request for proposals — notes that residential development has been envisioned for the land and the city’s downtown plan calls for as many as 20 townhouses to be built there, committee members questioned if that’s what the city really wants there.

“Are townhouses the best use of the site?” Ald. Jonathan Pleitner, a committee member asked.

“I’d like to see developer’s ideas and suggestions,” Benning said. “That (townhouse plan) was someone’s idea at the time.”

“This is a unique, special spot,” Pingel said. “There might be ideas out there we haven’t thought about.”

The condition of the property is another question, members said.

“To tear down the existing buildings is going to cost a pretty penny if its done by the city or the developer,” Benning said. “We don’t know what’s under the ground.”

“What kind of stomach do we have to clean up the land?” Pleitner asked.

Whenever the city seeks proposals for the property, it is sure to get a number of them, Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said.

That’s especially true since the property is downtown and utilities are available on the site, he said.

“What’s the difference when we do this?” Pleitner asked.

The Plan Commission last month reviewed the request for qualifications, with member Mike Ehrlich saying he likes the idea of townhouses of two and three stories designed with architectural elements that complement the character of downtown Port.

“I was very concerned it was going to be much more dense. This makes more sense,” he said.

Mayor Ted Neitzke, the Plan Commission chairman, told the panel he believes it’s important to seek ideas for the property as soon as possible.

“I felt it was really crucial for the City of Port Washington to understand, and the council to understand, the value of the land, what would potentially come from the land and, most importantly, what revenue could come from the sale of that property to offset the cost of the police and fire center,” he said.

Pingel said city staff members will discuss the matter before bringing it back to the committee and the Common Council for approval.