Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) - Manchester Roundhouse Remediation and Redevelopment

A pre-submission meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 from 1:00PM – 2:30PM at the Manchester Village Hall, 8 Clifton Street, Manchester, NY 14504. This is an optional meeting for interested entities who would like to stop in during this timeframe with questions about the RFEI. If you would like to join us virtually, please follow this link for login information: https://www.ontariocountyny.gov/1205/Manchester-Roundhouse-Site-Remediation-a.

The Manchester Roundhouse was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1916 and is one of the last surviving roundhouses in the eastern United States. Redevelopment of the Roundhouse site - consisting of two currently abandoned, known brownfield parcels in tax delinquency - is a goal that Ontario County, the Town and Village of Manchester, and Finger Lakes Railway (the “partners”) have been working cooperatively toward. A great deal of information concerning the building, the properties, and the extent of contamination has been developed by the partners with additional financial and technical aid from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Empire State Development Corporation.

Accordingly, the County issued this Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) soliciting remediation and redevelopment ideas from experienced entities (‘developers’) for this key site in the core of the Village of Manchester. Ontario County, as the governmental entity with tax foreclosure authority, intends to review responses to the RFEI and choose the developer with the best experience, capability, and project proposal to work with to finalize the project and transfer title to. The partners have developed criteria to rank the capability and experience of entities submitting responses to the RFEI and the remediation and redevelopment project proposed. To that end, in responding to the RFEI please keep in mind the following related to the County’s evaluation of responses to the RFEI:

Historic Preservation and Rehabilitation - Project proposals within a response to the RFEI involving preservation and/or rehabilitation of the historic Roundhouse site are preferred.  The site has already been deemed eligible for listing on the State Register of Historic Places. While a formal application is still required, the listing will make it eligible for various tax credits if rehabilitated.

Compatibility with Adjacent Neighborhood - The proposed redevelopment project should complement the surrounding uses and provide an appropriate transition between the residential neighborhood to the east and the industrial area to the west. Proposals will be judged on how they conform to the Village’s comprehensive plan and zoning, or how, with modifications to such, are compatible with the neighborhood. The Village of Manchester is committed to working with a developer to appropriately rezone the parcel to accommodate uses compatible with the neighborhood and community. A wide variety of uses, be they industrial, commercial or residential, would be considered by the County and the Village. 

Viability - Proposals will be judged as to the viability of the project proposed to ensure long term success of the project as an asset in the core of the Village of Manchester. The level of investment and the provision of jobs on site and in the community will also be considered.  Multiple entity partners in a project are acceptable, although the County requires a single entity as the point of contact for the developer. Finally, proposals that return the subject properties to the tax roll - which involves making them subject to town, village, school district, and county property taxes - are preferred.

Rail related use - Rail has a long history in the Village of Manchester and is an important part of the community’s identity. The Roundhouse and surrounding railyard provided employment, economic development, and pride within the community. Proposals involving some type of rail-related or rail-enabled development are preferred. Please note that there is no requirement for the entire property or Roundhouse to be dedicated to rail-related use. Thus, project proposals that involve multiple uses, one or more of which are rail-related, are encouraged though not required.

Qualified Developers - Developers should be experienced in redeveloping brownfields, which would include remediating a site to the satisfaction of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Once a developer is chosen and the redevelopment and brownfield remediation plans are finalized to the County’s satisfaction, the County will conclude the tax foreclosure process on the two subject properties and petition the Court to transfer ownership to the developer.   

Financial Capability - Developers should possess the resources to complete remediation and redevelopment, including the provision of environmental insurance. The level of experience and the extent to which remediation is assured is extremely important.