Pre-Advertisement Notice for Blue Heron Nature Preserve Redevelopment

The City of Atlanta, through its Department of Parks and Recreation, is seeking a qualified Developer/Operator team to redevelop the 30-acre Blue Heron Nature Preserve at 4055 Roswell Road NE in Atlanta, Georgia, into a purpose-built nature center focused on environmental education, community engagement, and natural resource stewardship. The selected team will be responsible for the full lifecycle of the project, including design, financing, construction, and a 20-year operational commitment under a net lease agreement with an annual rent of one dollar. The facility must include a parking lot, publicly accessible educational spaces, restrooms, and flexible community gathering areas, with a conceptual floor plan detailing space allocations. The project site encompasses four distinct habitats—meadows, woodlands, wetlands, and riparian corridors along Nancy and Mill Creeks—and all work must comply with Georgia state building codes and City of Atlanta regulations. Proposals must demonstrate proven experience through at least three comparable projects completed within the past ten years, a minimum of five years in business providing similar services, and a history of on-time delivery. Teams must submit a compelling preliminary conceptual design and a detailed development timeline covering fundraising, design, permitting, construction, and occupancy. Submissions are limited to 40 pages, excluding cover letter and table of contents, and must include two printed copies and one PDF on USB, labeled appropriately. The deadline for proposals is June 26, 2026, with a pre-solicitation conference and site visit scheduled for June 4, 2026. The selected developer must satisfy stringent insurance, bonding, and compliance obligations, including maintaining workers’ compensation coverage with limits of $1 million per accident, per employee, and per policy; professional liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence and annual aggregate with a three-year extended reporting provision; and a builders risk policy covering 100 percent of the project value. The City of Atlanta must be named as an additional insured on all policies, and coverage must be primary and non-contributory where permissible. All bonds must be issued by firms listed in U.S. Treasury Circular 570 with an A.M. Best rating of A- or higher and a financial size category of Class VII or above, authorized to operate in Georgia. The lease requires adherence to a strict compliance regime, including prompt reporting of insurance cancellations to the City’s Risk Management office within two days and annual rent payments on the lease anniversary. The City retains audit rights for one year after the lease