The City of Fishers has hired a consulting firm to study how the remaining undeveloped land in the Fishers District could be used, and how to attract developers to build on it.
The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety on Thursday approved a contract of up to $90,000 with Nelco Architecture, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation that refers to itself in contract documents as “Nelson.” The firm will prepare what the city calls the Fishers District Next-Generation Development Strategy.
According to the board’s agenda, the study is meant to identify development opportunities that complement what is already in the district and to set out a practical approach for drawing developers, operators and investment partners. City documents say the firm will draw on national development experience, market research and industry relationships to judge feasibility, identify potential barriers and recommend city actions and recruitment priorities.
The agenda notes the project had not previously come before the board.
Five phases
The firm’s fee schedule, dated Sept. 22, breaks the work into five phases, totaling $84,800 in basic fees:
- Discovery and development intelligence: $17,200
- A working session with city officials: $12,750
- Concept development: up to $16,750
- A developer strategy session: $25,550
- A final recommended development strategy: up to $12,550
Three phases are billed as lump sums and two are hourly with caps. The firm must notify the city as it approaches the cap, and it cannot go past that amount without written authorization.
Travel, lodging, presentation materials and similar expenses will be billed separately at 1.15 times actual cost, with receipts required. Any work outside the agreed scope, such as additional site visits or original market research, also needs written approval from the city and a separately negotiated fee.
Who will be involved
City documents say adjacent landowners, selected developers and industry experts will take part in the process. The developer strategy session is the most expensive single phase of the work.
The professional services agreement allows either side to end the contract with 30 days’ written notice. It also requires the consultant to carry liability insurance and to keep any confidential city information private.
The agreement states that the city must comply with Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act and will disclose the contract’s contents.
The city documents do not specify a completion date for the study.
In other items gaining board approval:
–The Fishers Community Center entered into a 3-year contract with City Wide Facility Solutions at a cost not to exceed $830,000 total for the 3-year period.
–W.R. Logistics will once again handle snow removal duties at the Fishers Event Center for $113,544.04, the same contract price as the previous year.
–The city will purchase 4 additional Ford Police Interceptor SUVs from Don Hinds Ford for the Fishers Police Department at a total cost of $183,585.00.