Sept. 04—Brunswick officials wasted no time Thursday in sending out their developer guidelines to Las Vegas builder John McDonald, the man who wants to raise a downtown hotel on the empty Oglethorpe block.
The city’s request for proposal (RFP) went out via email to McDonald Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Brunswick Urban Redevelopment Agency and the city commission held back-to-back meetings Wednesday at Old City Hall to get the document approved.
“I am getting ready to send it out as we speak,” Downtown Development Authority Director Mathew Hill said shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday.
The RFP outlines information the city wants from McDonald concerning his qualifications, as well as the construction procedures for the hotel. It was produced by the URA over the last several weeks at the direction of the the city commission.
The URA held a special called meeting Wednesday afternoon prior to the regularly planned city commission meeting to review the RFP. Mayor Cornell Harvey and all four commissioners attended that meeting.
At the city commission’s meeting that followed, commissioner Johnny Cason asked that the RFP be added to the meeting agenda. The commission approved the RFP unanimously.
Hill sent the RFP to McDonald’s JWM Ventures LLC company in his capacity as recording secretary for the URA.
McDonald addressed the commission on Aug. 19 with plans to build a four- to five-story hotel with 125-rooms on the Oglethorpe block, property owned by the city and located where Newcastle and Bay streets split at the north end of downtown. He wants to put a bar and restaurant on top that would be run by a local restaurateur. McDonald proposed 6,000-square-feet of retail on the hotel’s first floor.
He has not asked for any public financial assistance to build the hotel.
McDonald has until Oct. 7 to respond to the RFP.
“The next step would be for Mr. McDonald to respond to the RFP,” said Mel Baxter, vice chairman of the URA. “That timeline is now in his hands.”
The RFP includes a request for a resume of his background in hotel development, proof of financial backing for the project, business studies justifying the hotel’s viability and a confirmation of commitment from the hotelier, The Wyndham Group.
The RFP also covers the sale or lease of the Oglethorpe property to McDonald prior to breaking ground. The city will eventually have to turn the property over to either the URA or the Downtown Development Authority to expedite the property’s change of ownership to McDonald, Baxter said. There are complex and time-consuming guidelines for a municipality to execute a public sale of property, including a bid process and detailed market value studies, he said.
McDonald was the only person to respond to the URA with a viable plan following an extensive search effort.
“Eventually, to move forward with the property, if we’re dealing with just one person the city cannot just turn it over,” said Baxter, also the interim executive director of the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority. “But a downtown development (authority) or a URA, those groups can negotiate for the property.”
Baxter chaired the URA meeting Wednesday because of the resignation last week of URA chairman Page Aiken. Aiken, an associate broker with DeLoach Sotheby’s International Realty, said he felt his year of service with the URA was sufficient. Aiken added he plans to continue trying to further Brunswick’s development efforts through his real estate work.
“I served a year and I figured I’d give somebody else a turn,” Aiken said. “I think we have a fantastic board. I was thankful for the opportunity to serve and I wish them the very very best.”
Reporter Larry Hobbs writes about government, public safety and other local topics. Contact him at lhobbs@thebrunswicknews.com or at 265-8320, ext. 320.