Press Advisory for Immediate Release June 4, 2008 District Seeks Development Partner for SW Fire Station Sites (Washington, DC) – The District on Monday issued a solicitation for a development partner to redevelop a pair of city-controlled properties at Fourth and E streets SW, including the current Fire Engine Co. 13 property. “There is a real opportunity to leverage these assets to cover the cost of a new fire station at no cost to taxpayers,” said Neil O. Albert, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “At the same time, we can put these properties back on the District tax rolls and create spaces for new businesses.” The District is looking for a highly-qualified development team with the financial capacity to complete this complex project. The solicitation includes two development sites – an A and B parcel. The District prefers to select one team to build on both sites. The A parcel is about 34,000 square feet, located along Sixth Street, between School and E streets SW. It is currently occupied by Engine Co. 13, a two-story fire station that serves the surrounding neighborhood. The fire station must be either incorporated into the development program for either the A or B parcel or it can be relocated no more than two to three blocks away, but it must remain operable throughout the project. Any proposal that does not include a new fire station will not be accepted. The B parcel consists of a 19,000 square foot vacant lot bordered by 4th Street, E Street and the Southwest/Southeast Freeway. Both sites are located immediately adjacent to the Metropolitan Police Department’s First District headquarters, where the District is planning to build a new 240,000 square foot Consolidated Forensic Laboratory. The site is located among primarily office buildings, but the District does not require a specific use for the site. Community leaders said they would also like to see a community center incorporated in the development plans. Any development will require the developer to designate at least 35 percent of any contracts to certified local, small or disadvantaged businesses and at least 51 percent of the new jobs created by the project must go to District residents. The District will host a pre-offer conference later this month. Proposals are due on August 15, 2008.