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Temple Terrace council allows Unicorp to fly solo on redevelopment Ken Salgat TEMPLE TERRACE -- With a 3-2 count and two out, the Temple Terrace City Council allowed a single: Unicorp National Developments Inc. Unicorp, based in Orlando, was the last remaining master developer on the city's roster to partner in a $300-million downtown redevelopment. Last week two developers, Trammell Crow Co. of Dallas and Downtown Renaissance Alliance of Miami, pulled out of the running less than a week before proposals were due. The city council was then left with a decision: move forward with only one option or step back and extend the proposal deadline so that at least one other developer could propose a project. The second approach involved inviting the fourth of five originally selected developers, Villagio, to begin the RFP process and to extend the deadline to Aug. 24 to allow Villagio equitable time to develop a proposal. With the vote June 21, the council went with moving forward with Unicorp as its sole option. Unicorp will submit its proposal to the council June 27 and proceed with a public presentation process beginning July 7. Upon the developer selection committee's review of the proposal, a recommendation will be made to the Community Redevelopment Agency on whether or not to proceed with contract negotiations with Unicorp. The city review agency and the city council will then vote on July 19. The city is seeking a master development partner to help finance, build and retain substantial ownership of a town center on 38 acres of commercial real estate the city owns. Last year it purchased 35 acres for the town center with financing through a series of short-term borrowings totaling $25.5 million. The town center is only a fraction of the entire redevelopment plan, which would affect a total of 224 acres and add as many as 1,000 new residents. The city will contract with a third-party consultant to review Unicorp's proposal. "We're new at this," said Mayor Joe Affronti, addressing the room June 21. "We've never done anything like this before, so we're going to get as much help as we can to ensure the citizens get a fair deal." Council members Frank Chillura and Glenda Venable voted to halt the process until at least one other developer, namely Villagio, presented its plans. Chillura especially expressed concern over only having just one developer on board. Venable had laryngitis and couldn't physically speak. "This is the biggest issue and largest debt the city has ever faced," said Chillura. "I don't know if I can provide justice for our citizens by going with only one choice." Ralph Bosek, community services director, acknowledged losing two of the top three developers was a hurdle but added it wouldn't be the last in a process that is sure to span years in development. Chad Martin, a spokesman for Villagio, acted more like a Unicorp advocate than a company representative fighting for his firm's chance to compete. "You have a wonderful project and a wonderful developer still standing," said Martin, referring to Unicorp. "They've done everything asked of them, but if you want competition, we'll give them competition." With the exception of Chillura and Venable, the majority of the council decided competition wasn't on its agenda. © 2005 American City Business Journals Inc. June 24, 2005.
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