The deadline for interested developers to send Request for Interest (RFI) submissions for the Diamond District redevelopment closed on February 15. The Evaluation Panel has received 15 submissions from the following teams (listed alphabetically):

• 4Most Sport Group
• Acquest Realty Advisors, Inc.
• Diamond District Gateway Partners
• Diamond Legacy Partnership
• Edgemoor-Gotham Ballpark Partners
• Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners
• MAG Partners
• Metropolitan Virginia VIII, LLC
• Richmond Community Development Partners
• Rising Tide RVA, LLC
• RVA Diamond Partners
• Turnbridge Equities
• Urban Atlantic
• Vision300 Partners, LLC
• Weller Development Company and LMXD

The short list of invited RFO respondents will be announced publicly on www.rva.gov/economic-development/diamond.

About the Diamond District project

The Diamond District project is just one aspect of Richmond 300: A Plan for Growth, which has been awarded the 2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan by the American Planning Association. The plan provides a detailed roadmap to ensure “Richmond is a welcoming, inclusive, diverse, innovative, sustainable, and equitable city of thriving neighborhoods, ensuring a high quality of life for all.”

About the Diamond District Evaluation Panel

The Evaluation Panel is comprised of 10 members, including City Council members, city administrative staff, and VCU administrative staff. The panel will be assessing each of the submissions based on the evaluation criteria laid out in the RFI document. The criteria can be grouped into four categories:

• Development team qualifications – financial capability, years of experience, diversity of team, and more;
• Experience with urban mixed-use projects – experience with urban mixed-use redevelopment projects and proven capacity to deliver project requirements;
• Equitable development benefits – employment opportunities, affordable housing, sustainability, resiliency, and more; and
• Project understanding & financing approach – a solid understanding for accomplishing the city’s goals, having provided a financing approach that minimizes public investment.

After evaluating each submission against the criteria, the Evaluation Panel will select the top-scoring teams for their short list. The short list is anticipated to be released to the public in March 2022. This short list of teams will then be invited to respond to the Request for Offers (RFO) with more detailed information on their submissions.

Communication with the Panel: Members of the public can send comments/questions to the Diamond District Evaluation Panel by using this form. This form is publicly posted on the project page. Do not email the Evaluation Panel members, facilitator, or advisors about the Diamond District project (emails sent directly to the Evaluation Panel about this project will not be read). Comments/questions will be reviewed every other week and distributed to the Evaluation Panel during the evaluation process.

Evaluation Panel Members

1. James P. Duval – Investment and Debt Portfolio Manager, Finance Department
2. Sharon L. Ebert – Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Planning and Economic Development
3. Karol Kain Gray – Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Virginia Commonwealth University
4. Katherine Jordan – Council Member, Second District
5. Ann-Frances Lambert – Council Member, Third District
6. J.E. Lincoln Saunders – Chief Administrative Officer
7. Leonard L. Sledge – Director, Department of Economic Development
8. Caprichia Smith Spellman – Interim Director, Office of Community Wealth Building
9. Robert C. Steidel – Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Operations
10. Stephen M. Willoughby – Director of Emergency Communications

Evaluation Panel Facilitator: Maritza Mercado Pechin, Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Development Review, is the Project Manager for the Diamond District redevelopment process and will run the evaluation panel meetings, coordinate logistics, and serve as the official point of contact between the evaluation panel and the RFI/RFO respondents.

Evaluation Panel Advisors: These individuals will attend evaluation panel meetings and offer expertise as needed.

• Matthew A. Welch – Policy Advisor, Planning and Economic Development Portfolio
• Lynne S. Lancaster – Deputy Director, Department of Public Works

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