NORRISTOWN — The story of the Norristown State Hospital land conveyance is on the verge of starting a new chapter as the request for proposals process gets underway.
But what or who will develop the 68 acres has yet to be written. Its potential is “unprecedented,” Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Rebecca Swanson observed, as there’s “no 68-acre parcel anywhere in the county” or the region with this kind of development opportunity.
“The site’s ready. It has infrastructure; it has utilities. There’s no known environmental issues. So it is a blank canvas without really any obstacles for developers,” Swanson said.
The land conveyance was nearly six years in the making, with an agreement of sale between the state and local entities formally reached last February.
“You talk about this being the heart of Montgomery County, and that’s what I hear all the time,” said Municipal Administrator Crandall Jones. “I think finally now it’s going to be treated like the heart of Montgomery County.”
The county redevelopment authority owns the land, but Swanson stressed the agreement permits Norristown Municipal Council members to choose which developer to sell the land to. Around six developers have expressed interest in touring the site, Swanson said, but it’s not yet known how much interest there’d be in actually developing the property.
The document’s main parameters stress the importance of showing economic viability and securing financing, Swanson said. But in terms of a wishlist, officials stress that will be left to whoever will eventually transform the land.
“That’s why this RFP process is so critical. We’ve left it open in that it’s going to encourage creativeness,” said Jayne Musonye, Norristown’s director of planning and municipal development.
With a property of this size, ideas for commercial, residential and light industrial have been brought up, but Jones emphasized the need for feasibility as well as generating revenue for the municipality.
“The wish for me is rateables,” Jones said. “We’re looking for ratables, and … it really comes down to what will work, what does the market say will work, what does an economic analysis say is real, and that’s what ends up happening.”
Jones said over the years he’s heard numerous possibilities ranging from a sports complex to senior housing.
“What we want to be is a viable, thriving community like any other community. We want to have commercial, residential, retail — all of the things that make a community vibrant.
While speculative budgetary figures were not yet available, officials suspect it could end up being a “multi-multi-million” dollar project.
“This is a huge undertaking there’s no doubt about that,” Musonye said.
The buzz about upcoming development opportunities has produced housing stability in nearby neighborhoods, Musonye said.
“You can tell they do believe this is going to be something that’s worthwhile,” she said.
The request for proposals process also involves area residents and the surrounding community, according to officials, who stressed the importance of providing public transparency and the chance for input.
“Successful developers always make sure they have good citizen participation,” Musonye said. “They don’t want the pushback when they’re going through the process.”
The ongoing saga prompted some controversy as the facility, the county’s largest and only homeless shelter and resource services agency, was also located on the land. It closed earlier this summer as overseers, Resources for Human Development, work to build another location. However, Jones said they hadn’t heard from other social services organizations since the buildings were vacated over the summer.
Eleven buildings have been demolished on the property so far, Jones said, with the demolition expected to wrap up in November. However, Swanson said she expects a phased approach to the building process.
The request for proposals is expected to include a map of the site and buildings on the property. Following a question and answer period, final submissions have a June 5 deadline. After council members select a developer, they will need to go through the municipal land development and zoning processes. The current property is zoned institutional, but officials said it would be rezoned regardless of the outcome to provide some flexibility.
Whatever the plan may be, municipal officials said they hope it’ll bring some activity back to a town that has been quiet for a long time.
“I know it’s going to be the most transformational project for this community ever,” Jones said. “When you think about (it) 68 acres, is almost a mini city that can be built in terms of commerce, industry, residential. So it means a lot in terms of jobs, in terms of taxes, revenue, and releasing some of the burden off the taxpayers now in terms of it.”
