Fort reuse panel waiting for RFPs to come back Public Input Committee formed to gather input on specific topics BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer A big step forward has been taken in the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth. The Request for Proposal notice seeking a planning consultant to provide a reuse and redevelopment plan, and an economic revitalization study, is available for firms interested in moving the Fort Monmouth redevelopment forward. The RFP became available Feb. 27 and completed responses are due on March 26. Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA) Director Frank Cosentino noted in February that this is an important first step in the reuse and redevelopment of the 1,126-acre site. During the authority's meeting last month, Cosentino reported that he had been to a conference in California where he met colleagues from around the country who were in various stages of base realignment. "It was an enormous learning experience," he said, adding that the purpose of the conference was to gather executive directors and their associates, board members and mayors who are affected by base closings. Cosentino said he went to the conference with Rick Harrison, FMERPA's deputy director. Cosentino explained that there were a series of discussions and presentations by Department of Defense personnel, as well as communities that have been involved with base realignment for a decade or more. "We also took the time to visit the Tustin Base and El Toro Marine Air Base in Orange County, Calif., to view the early stages of their redevelopment," he said, adding that they looked at how these communities have planned for, and are in the process of redeveloping, the military bases into mixed uses that include affordable housing and open space. He noted that it is encouraging to see how other communities are handling the issues. "I was surprised at how many things we were doing correctly. It's always good to receive reinforcement on some of the processes that we are working though," Cosentino said. The city of Tustin in Orange County is where the former Marine Corps Air Station had been located. It was realigned and closed in July, 1999. The City of Tustin Base Closure Task Force was formed to guide the preparation of the reuse plan. Tustin Legacy partners, a joint venture of Centex Homes and Shea Properties, is the master developer of more than 800 acres of the 1,584-acre property, which includes more than 2,100 dwelling units and approximately 6.7 million square feet of commercial and light industrial uses. According to an article on the Urban Land Institute Web site dated November, 2005, a key feature and focus of the Tustin Legacy plan is the development of a 170-acre linear park that will traverse the site. The article also notes that the City of Tustin is fulfilling its state affordable housing mandates through a home ownership program, with close to 880 homes that will be available at affordable prices. "Currently, only 11 percent of Orange County residents can afford to buy a median priced home." the article states. In addition, the project includes housing for the homeless and transitional housing at the Orange County Rescue Mission, land that includes the former Marine barracks that are being refurbished to house the nation's largest transitional facility for homeless families. El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, located near Irvine, Calif., also in Orange County, was also completely decommissioned in 1999. Earlier, the proposed closing of MCAS El Toro ignited a battle between two factions, one that wanted it to be developed as a major commercial airport and those that did not. Those against the airport prevailed and the Department of Defense announced it would sell the land, which encompasses 3,719 acres, to private interests to be developed into Orange County Great Park. According to an article on the Business Wire dated February, 2005, a bid of $650 million was accepted for all four parcels of land comprising the former MCAS El Toro. The winning bidder was Heritage Fields LLC, a joint venture between developer Lennar Corp. and several other firms. Called Heritage Fields, it encompasses homes, research and development, two retail commercial centers, a college campus, the city's first cemetery, a golf course complex and 1,375 acres of public land including the Great Park. In other business, Cosentino said that during the Feb. 21 meeting of the authority, a new advisory committee, called the Public Input Committee, was forming. "I plan to put out an advance announcement of the meetings and a topic, or possibly two, and ask anyone interested in those topics to come and talk to us," he said. Other advisory committees are emergency services, environmental, transportation, commercial industry, educational consortium, veterans affairs, social services, planning/development, infrastructure and historical. Cosentino said later in the week that the Fort Monmouth property is among the most valuable property that is currently being turned over by the Department of Defense, but he said he doesn't know the assessed value yet.