Quince Street Property Development

The Florence Urban Renewal Agency is working toward the development of the Quince Street Site located directly across from the Florence Events Center near the intersection of Highway 126. In 2018, the Agency purchased the 13.4 acre previous site of the Siuslaw Middle School in order to directly support the redevelopment of the site for a hotel or other type of lodging facility with potential for other ancillary developments to support the hotel.

June 23, 2022 Quince Street Development Update

At their meeting on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA) took the next steps forward for the hotel development on Quince Street, across from the Florence Events Center. The FURA Board authorized its Executive Director to proceed with executing the Development and Disposition Agreement (DDA) with Braun Hospitality and proceed with the public private partnership that includes the transfer of a 3.12-acre portion of the property.

The hotel development will result in a four-story, 86-room Wyndham Microtel-branded hotel located on Quince Street across from the Florence Events Center. The site plan will provide parking, trailer parking, outdoor green space, outdoor patio, two vehicular egress paths and stormwater detention. The hotel fronts Quince Street with pedestrian circulation throughout the site and to the adjacent Florence Events Center. Braun Hospitality has submitted the land use application for the hotel development to the City of Florence Community Development Department. It is currently under review and will follow the land use process as regulated by Florence City Code.

September 15, 2021 Quince Street Development Update

At their meeting on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, the Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA) discussed the unsolicited proposals received for the Quince Street property located directly across from the Florence Events Center. The FURA Board has chosen to move forward with the proposal submitted by Braun Hospitality, LLC, and will enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the developer for the site.

Braun Hospitality is a developer working with Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. In their proposal for the Quince Street property, Braun Hospitality proposed working with the Agency to develop an 81-room, 4 story Microtel Moda by Wyndham as a first phase on a portion of the property. They will also be considering possibilities for a second phase development on the remaining property such as mixed use and residential.

The ENA serves as the next step in negotiating the property acquisition/lease and final design for the site. During the ENA time period, the two parties will negotiate terms of a development agreement. In addition, the developer, Braun Hospitality, will also be finalizing financing, design and site layout, hotel management agreements, and participating in land-use pre-development meetings in preparation for their land-use application. The Agency and Braun Hospitality will be negotiating the terms of the development agreement over the coming months.

July 29, 2021 Quince Street Development Update

At their meeting on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA) received an update from staff related to the Quince Street development progress. The FURA Board had previously entered into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with Sycan B. Corp./Merete’ Hotel Management as a result of the Requests for Expressions of Interest solicitation in 2020. That ENA, and its subsequent extension authorized on May 26, 2021, expired on July 1, 2021. Unfortunately, Sycan notified the FURA staff that they would not be pursuing the project further and therefore did not request further extensions of the ENA.

Subsequent to the execution of the ENA, on January 13, 2021, the Agency authorized the use of $44,000 in Agency funds for “critical path” due diligence activities, at the request of Sycan. These activities included an ALTA survey, a geotechnical survey and analysis, and a hotel market feasibility analysis. Since the FURA Board funded these reports, they are the property of FURA and remain essential for future development. Of note, the hotel market feasibility report indicated strong demand for additional lodging in Florence.

Next Steps

After discussion by the FURA Board, it was determined that any unsolicited proposals for development of the Quince Street property would be accepted at least through August 31, 2021. The Board reactivated the Selection Advisory Committee to review any proposals that may be received during that time.

Any developers interested in submitting a proposal should review the information outlining the Board’s objectives for the development offering and follow the criteria outlined in the previously published Request for Expressions of Interest. For questions related to the project, prospective developers are encouraged to contact Megan Messmer at megan.messmer@ci.florence.or.us.

The previously published Request for Expressions of Interest is available on the FURA website at https://www.ci.florence.or.us/urbanrenewal/quince-street-request-express....

If FURA receives proposals prior to August 31, 2021, the Selection Advisory Committee will meet with staff to review. The full FURA Board would then meet for review of staff recommendations. If FURA does not receive any unsolicited proposals, staff will bring recommendations to the Board for a second Request for Expression of Interest to include reaffirmation of the development objectives, a structured timeline, and a streamlined process in order to continue the momentum of the Agency.