Mayor Walsh announces RFP calling for the enhancement of City Hall Plaza
Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) calling for a partner to work with the City of Boston to enhance City Hall Plaza. The ideal respondent will have an experienced team that is representative of the people of Boston, and a compelling vision for how to make the plaza both a civic space and attractive destination for residents and tourists.
"The Plaza is the front yard for Boston's City Hall, and it has enormous potential to be an engaging and activated civic space," said Mayor Walsh. "We're looking for a partner with an innovative plan to unlock this potential and transform the plaza into a must-see destination for residents and visitors alike. Together, we want to reimagine the plaza as a thriving, healthy and innovative civic space."
Working with the City, the partner will have the opportunity to add new programming elements to complement existing activities on the plaza, and add new temporary amenities over a three-year contract period. Drawing on experience spearheading similar projects, the ideal team will propose a detailed and feasible implementation plan. The RFP is deliberately open-ended in an effort to inspire creativity and diversity among respondents.
The effort to improve City Hall Plaza by calling for a plaza partner is one of three interrelated proposals that the City is considering. All share the same goal of making the Plaza a more welcoming and vibrant space for residents and guests.
The Mayor's Chief of Operations will lead and coordinate each process and all proposed activities through the appropriate city departments.
The chosen plaza partner will organize events and activities and will be an active partner in helping the City of Boston define in greater detail the scope needed for a campus plan, which was the subject of a separate Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to craft a master plan for City Hall, City Hall Plaza and 26 Court Street. The campus plan RFQ was issued on June 8, 2015, and the city is in the process of negotiating a contract with a vendor.
The third RFP will explore the possibility of engaging a partner to operate a civic/cultural entity in City Hall, whose presence would complement the cultural and historic institutions in the area. The release date for this RFP is to be determined.
The seven-acre City Hall Plaza, of which 200,000 square feet is currently programmable is located at the heart of downtown Boston.
More information about the plaza partner RFP is available here. Responses will be due no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 26, 2015.
