HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LAUREL and LHA ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT, INC.
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT PARTNER SOLICITATION
The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel (LHA) is a public housing authority authorized to participate in the development, maintenance, and management of public housing and other affordable housing developments in the City of Laurel, Mississippi, and the area within a five-mile radius of the city limits thereof (together, the “Area of Operation”), with oversight and funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), among other sources. LHA Enterprise Development, Inc, is LHA’s housing and community development instrumentality and is the entity through which LHA participates in affordable housing development.
The purpose of this solicitation is to procure services from one or more qualified development teams to be Development Partners with LHA in the development or redevelopment of rent- restricted and income-restricted housing in the Area of Operation utilizing a variety of public and private funding sources and a mixed-income approach. Rent-restricted and income-restricted housing includes units subsidized as or operating under public housing operating and capital funds, Section 8 project-based vouchers, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and may include other financing structures, which results in long term commitments to housing affordability.
LHA is currently planning to develop and redevelop its public housing units through a combination of conversion to Section 8 under the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program and a Mixed Finance approach. It is also planning for the development or redevelopment of non- public housing affordable housing properties. As further described below, LHA will use Section 18 Disposition of its public housing properties, public housing capital and operating funds, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds, and other eligible sources of funding. For purposes of this solicitation, there are various LHA properties that will be under consideration for redevelopment by the procured Development Partner(s). Certain properties represent sites that at this time will undergo a review by HUD for Section 18 demolition and/or disposition. As such, the LHA Board of Commissioners has designated these sites as priority parcels and anticipates awarding them for redevelopment before other parcels. Other properties are not currently being considered for disposition under Section 18 and as such, those properties will not be developed in the short-term.
In its discretion, LHA may change the sites to be developed, the priority of the sites to be developed, or add additional sites to the list of properties. After Board selection of the Development Partner or Partners, LHA will coordinate the development of the properties with
the selected Development Partner or Partners, which will include the Developer Partner(s) submitting a development plan that leads to a development term sheet. The LHA Board of Commissioners shall approve all development term sheets prior to formal parcel award. During a Pre-bid meeting, LHA may outline a list of priority properties it is seeking to develop. LHA, in its sole discretion, may assign a selected site to the preferred Development Partner or may assign another site in which case the preferred Development Partner may decline such site. The LHA Board of Commissioners may also assign a parcel to multiple preferred Development Partners. In this case, the preferred Development Partners will submit a development proposal for review by the Board. After evaluation of the proposals, the Board of Commissioners shall designate a Development Partner for such site or multiple sites. An outline of the selection and site designation process in Section 4.1 of this solicitation is included.
Potential respondents should register with LHA’s procurement officer so that all future addendum or notices can be sent directly to the firm. The firm may register by contacting the following: ayoung@laurelha.net (Ailrick Young, Executive Director). Please send an email containing all contact information for the firm and the email and telephone for the firm’s key contact.
The Request for Qualifications package consists of the instructions and requirements governing this solicitation, as well as the scope of services to be performed, and other pertinent information. The Solicitation documents may be obtained electronically at the LHA website www.laurelha.net, or in person, during regular business hours, at the LHA Headquarters,701 Leontyne Price Blvd. Laurel, MS 39440.
All firms must provide to LHA an email address and other contact information where all subsequent communication will be sent.
LHA invites all interested firms to a pre-proposal meeting scheduled for December 5, 2024, at 10:00 am located at 701 Leontyne Price Blvd. Laurel, MS 39440.
Sealed responses (an original and five (5) copies, plus a flash drive) are to be delivered no later than 3:00 pm on January 16, 2025 to the LHA Administration, located in the LHA main office. 701 Leontyne Price Blvd. Laurel, MS 39440.
Responses will be evaluated and scored based on the criteria set forth in Section IV of the RFQ. The designation of the preferred Development Partner list by the LHA evaluation committee is subject to approval of the LHA Board of Commissioners. LHA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on sex, gender identity, sexual orientation/preference, race, age, national origin, religious creed, civil status, war veterans, and handicap or disabled status.
LHA reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals and to waive any informality in the procurement process. LHA will not be liable for any claims, loss, damages or respondent costs resulting from any part of this Request for Qualifications process. This solicitation complies with the requirements of applicable federal and local laws and regulations.
Ailrick Young
Executive Director
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LAUREL