HomeMy WebLinkAboutWashington-School-RFP-final1 | P a g e
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Washington School
Workforce Single-Family Housing Submittal
Between Winnebago and School Ave., East of Bowen St.
City of Oshkosh, WI
May 1, 2026
2 | P a g e
1. Background.
a. Project Area Map. In 2024, the City bought the former Washington School site from
Oshkosh Area School District (OASD). After environmental investigations and
remediation, the City demolished Washington School in 2025. The Zoning
requirements can be reviewed here. In 2025, the City platted the site into 18 lots as
shown in Attachment A. In the fall of 2025, the City installed sanitary sewer and
water laterals for each lot to a location behind the sidewalk. As part of the utility
work, the City also installed stormwater controls in the front and rear yards of the
lots as required by the stormwater management plan. These storm water controls
are private and will be maintained by the subdivision as a whole. The lots are
prepared for home construction.
b. City Development Goals - The primary City goal is to help create more Single-
Family Workforce housing at a price that a City of Oshkosh family can afford. The
Workforce Housing project will provide new Single -Family housing for families
within 80% to 120% City Median Income from US Census based on Family size. The
Oshkosh Median Incomes by Family size is contained in Attachment 2.
c. Site Context - It is very important to the City and neighborhood that the new single-
family homes complement and blend with the existing Stevens Park neighborhood
homes. In that regard, the city has developed housing specifications that the Master
Builder must follow for the Washington School lots. The City has plated the 18 lots
with nine (9) lots to go to Habitat for Humanity Oshkosh. The City has issued this
Master Builder RFP for remaining nine (9) lots in the Washington School Plat. The
proposed Master Builder Lots are highlighted on Attachment 3.
The Stevens Park Neighborhood Association has been very active for many years
and has accomplished many improvement projects. The Master Builder should plan
to hold and/or attend periodic neighborhood meetings regarding project progress
before and during construction.
d. Oshkosh House Design Book: Housing Specifications - The City recently
completed a House Design Book that includes housing specifications that shall guide
the design construction of all the homes at the Washington School Site. The House
Design Book also includes diagrams for the construction of houses including 1-story
homes, 1.5 -story homes and 2-story homes that can be built in the Washington
School lots. The House Design Book specifications can be accessed here. Each home
shall also be built with a basement, attached or detached garage and finished
driveway and apron. The Master Builder will be responsible for constructing the 1.5-
3 | P a g e
story and 2-story homes. The other nine (9) lots for Habitat for Humanity will be 1-
story homes.
2. Environmental Conditions - There are no known Environmental Concerns located at
the Washington School Site. The City has demolished the building and removed any
hazardous material. The Phase 1 Environmental Report for the site is included here.
3. City Responsibilities: the City has prepared the lots for redevelopment. The City’s
Utility design plans for the improvements are included here. The specific City
Responsibilities are as follows:
a. Public Utilities - The City has extended Sanitary Sewer and Water laterals from the
mains into each lot and capped the laterals.
b. Stormwater Control - The City has designed a Stormwater Management Plan that
generally detains stormwater in the rear yards of the lots and the City has installed
control structures and rough grade the stormwater detention. The City has also
placed a private stormwater easement over the shared inlets in the front yards and
over the perimeter of the stormwater detention in the rear yards. Builders and
homeowners will be prohibited from altering the grades within the easement, and no
accessory structures, substantial landscaping, or woody stemmed vegetation will be
allowed within any of the easements. The prohibition of all accessory structures
would include sheds, garages, fences, garden boxes, decks and patios. The City shall
install the rough grading only.
c. Private Utilities - It shall be the Master Builder’s responsibility to apply and extend
private utilities to each new home.
4. Master Builder Responsibilities: The following requirements and conditions for the
Master builder are summarized below. The specific requirements are found in the
Attachments.
a. The Master Builder shall be responsible for all house-related construction: from
permitting, erosion control, site preparation, home construction and final
driveway and landscaping installation.
b. Lot Cost: Each lot the developer wishes to utilize must be purchased at
$35,000.00 per lot.
c. Oshkosh House Design Handbook: Housing Specifications - The City will
require the Master Builder to follow the housing specifications. The City shall
review all final plans for homes for conformance with the housing specifications
and city code as part of the building permit review process.
4 | P a g e
d. Home Buyer Approval - The City shall require the developer to find home
buyers that meet the household income guidelines in addition to normal, private
lending criteria. The Chart illustrating the household income based on a 4-person
household size from 80% to 120% City Census Median Income is located in
Attachment 3.
e. Home Buyer Input - In all possible cases, the Master Builder shall provide the
home buyer with an opportunity to select cabinets, countertops, fixtures,
flooring, and interior and exterior colors.
f. Home Buyer Residency Requirement - All home buyers selected shall be a
current City of Oshkosh resident.
5. Master Builder Proposal Elements:
a. The Master Builder shall be responsible for all house-related construction: from
permitting, erosion control, site preparation, home construction and final
driveway and landscaping installation.
b. Proposal Content and Organization: To achieve a uniform review process and a
degree of comparability, the proposals shall be organized in the following order
and contain all of the following elements :
i. Title Page: Show the proposal title, name of firm, address, telephone
number(s), name of a contact person, date, and other relevant company
information.
ii. Builder Qualifications and Credentials: Provide a narrative describing
the builder’s background, history, and construction experience, including
comparable projects successfully completed by the builder.
1. Contractor(s) License # ___________________
2. Provide Evidence of City’s Insurance Requirements
3. Provide names and contact information for three project
references.
iii. Team Members: State the names and titles of key members of your
building team, including proposed Subcontractors (if possible, provide
resumes for the identified members), Real Estate Sales, Financial
Institution, if any, Closing agent, and/or any key other members.
iv. Builder Legal Structure: Provide evidence of corporate status including,
where applicable, Articles of Incorporation or a partnership certificate or
agreement. In addition, identify by name and title entities holding an
ownership interest of 20% or more.
5 | P a g e
v. Project Description: Provide a one-to-two-page narrative describing
what is proposed for construction and the expected timetable for
construction.
vi. Financial Concept: Provide a description of anticipated general
financing for the construction of the project. Include the following details:
1. State of builder’s financial ability and resources at the builder’s
disposal.
2. Business concept including target market for the planned houses
and what the anticipated offer prices for the homes would be.
3. Required investment and expected level of City participation in
the project (if any). This must be clearly outlined.
6. Optional Master Builder Submittals
a. Option - Floor Plans and Elevations: Builders are invited to provide floor plans
and elevations of homes that they have built or will build at the desired
maximum home/lot package prices. These plans are not required for the RFP
submittal.
b. Option - A Neighborhood meeting with the Master Builder and City staff
assisting may be scheduled at the City’s request.
7. Estimated Project Timeline
a. Proposal Submittal deadline: June 5, 2026, 4:30 PM
b. Questions due by: May 22, 2026
c. Answers released: May 27, 2026
d. City Option - Interviews/presentations: June 8 – 12, 2026
e. Master Builder Selection: June 12, 2026
f. Development Agreement executed between City and Master Builder: June 26,
2026
g. Construction Completion: no more than 2 years from date of executed
Development Agreement.
8. Decision Criteria.
The City will consider the Proposals from the responsible Master Builders using the
following criteria:
a. Master Builder Team experience in building and selling homes that are within
the target design/quality and price the City seeks.
b. Master Builder Team capacity, both staffing, technical and financial, to complete
all the houses as specified in the RFP.
c. Proposed Schedule for construction start, phasing and completion.
6 | P a g e
d. Master Builder Team proposal to deliver the homes/lots according to plans and
according to price points.
Staff will review the Proposals and conduct research into the Master Builder
proposals. Staff will make a Master Builder recommendation to the City Council.
The City Council will make the final Master Builder selection.
9. Terms and Conditions
a. The City may request answers to specific questions about the proposals orally or
in writing prior to making a final selection. Questions by interested Developers
along with the City’s responses will be publicly available to others upon request.
Selection will be based on the overall strength of each proposal. The City
reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals or portions thereof
without stated cause.
b. It is possible for the Master Builder to propose to build less than 9 houses. The
Master Builder proposal shall indicate upon which lots the Master Builder would
build. If there is a minimum number of houses that are necessary for a Developer
to build to make this financially viable, then that minimum number needs to be
identified. The City reserves the right to select more than one Master Builder if
multiple proposals are in the City’s best interest.
c. Upon selection of a Master Builder(s), the City shall attempt to negotiate and
reach a final Development Agreement with the Master Builder. If the City, for
any reason, is unable to reach a final Development Agreement with this Master
Builder, the City then reserves the right to reject such Master Builder and
negotiate a final Development Agreement with another Master Builder who has
the next most viable proposal. Either the Master Builder or City may walk away
without further obligation to each other if the parties are unable to reach an
acceptable Development Agreement. A tentative acceptance of a proposal and
negotiations towards a Development Agreement does not in and of itself result
in the Developer acquiring any interest in the property or the project. The City
may also elect to reject all proposals and re-issue a new RFP.
d. The City reserves the right to waive any formalities, defects, or irregularities, in
any proposal, response, and/or submittal where the acceptance, rejection, or
waiving of such is in the best interests of the City. The City reserves the right to
disqualify any proposal, before or after opening, upon evidence of collusion,
intent to defraud, or any other illegal practice on the part of the Builder.
e. Any current licensure or non-discrimination claims against the Builder and those
having occurred in the past five years, especially any resulting in claims or legal
judgments against the Builder must be disclosed in the proposal. Selected
7 | P a g e
Builders shall provide the City with proof of a contractor’s license as per DSPS
(Department of Safety & Professional Services).
10. Development Agreement Parameters
a. Selected Developer must enter into a Development Agreement in a form
provided by and acceptable to the City and approved by the Common Council,
prior to lot conveyance. The Development Agreement will be drafted at a later
date; however, it will contain at least the following minimum provisions:
• Construction/Minimum Build Specifications
• Developer shall construct a code-compliant new home that
complies with the City’s minimum housing specifications, which
will be incorporated into the Development Agreement as an
Exhibit.
• Developer shall be responsible for all design, engineering (if
required), permitting, inspections, construction, and construction
management.
• Sale Requirements /Owner-Occupancy and AMI Qualification
• Developer shall sell the home to a buyer who is a current City of
Oshkosh resident and who will occupy the home as their primary
residence.
• Developer shall sell the home to a buyer meeting the income
qualification for the program, which is 80% - 120% AMI, using the
City’s stated AMI source and methodology.
• Developer obligations include locating, screening, and verifying
prospective buyers, compiling documentation, and submitting
eligibility materials to the City for review and verification prior to
closing.
• City Verification
• The sale of the home may not close until the City has had the
opportunity to verify buyer eligibility based on documentation
provided by Developer. The City reserves the right to undertake
any steps it believes is necessary to fully verify the qualifications
of the buyer. The Developer agrees to fully cooperate with the
verification process.
• 5-Year Owner-Occupancy
• A homeowner meeting the income qualifications must use the
property as their primary residence for a minimum of five
years. Developer’s obligations include ensuring the qualified
buyer remains the owner and occupant of the home for five (5)
years after closing, or, if the home is sold during that period,
8 | P a g e
ensuring it is sold to a program-eligible buyer meeting the same
Oshkosh residency, owner-occupancy, and AMI requirements. It
is the developer’s responsibility to use appropriate and lawful
methods to ensure the five-year period is met. This may include
contracts, deed restrictions, or other lawful and enforceable
methods to accomplish this requirement.
• Penalty/Recoupment
• If the Development Agreement is breached - including failure to
meet the requirements for buyer eligibility, primary residence, or
the 5-year ownership requirement - the City will recoup from the
Developer, the full cost of all City of Oshkosh infrastructure
expenditures attributable to the lot that resulted in its initial
affordability and the achievement of the City’s housing goals. The
amount of infrastructure expenditures that the City will recoup
will be reduced annually through the five-year occupancy
requirement in accordance with a schedule to be provided and
defined in the Development Agreement.
• The Development Agreement will further define the applicable
Developer obligations, including default events, enforcement
rights, documentation and notice requirements, etc. between the
City and the Developer.
• Insurance, Indemnity, other standard municipal contract terms
11. RFP Submittal Requirements
a. Master Builder responses to the RFP must be submitted by the due date and time
as indicated in this RFP to be considered. The Master Builder shall submit their
proposal as described below:
b. Submit one (1) electronic copy of the proposal via file sharing. Email subject line
should contain “Washington School Site Redevelopment - Workforce Single-
Family Housing Submittal”
c. Submit three (3) bound originals (hardcopy) of the completed proposal.
d. Submit one (1) digital copy of the completed proposal (USB/Jump Drive).
e. The hard copies and jump drive shall be submitted to:
City of Oshkosh Community Development Department
Attention: Community Development Director, Sara Rutkowski
Address: 215 Church Ave. Room 201
Oshkosh, WI 54901
9 | P a g e
f. The Master Builder shall be responsible in obtaining confirmation from the City
that the City has received the Master Builder’s response to the Request for
Proposal (RFP).
12. City Contact Information
Sara Rutkowski, Community Development Director
srutkowski@oshkoshwi.gov
920-236-5055
Census Oshkosh
4- Person
Household
Median Income
= $106,094
106094 28% of income
for PITI
Monthly
Mortgage
Payment
Loan Amount of
95%
Downpayment of
5%
Annual Private
Mortgage
Insurance
(approximate)
House Purchase
Price: Loan +
Downpayment
80.0%$84,875 $23,765 $1,230 $190,615 $10,026 $2,000 $200,641
100%$106,094 $29,706 $1,676 $259,733 $13,662 $2,600 $273,395
120.0%$127,313 $35,648 $2,129 $329,935 $17,355 $3,100 $347,290
Assumes Taxes
and Insurance of
about $7,000 per
year.
30-year fixed @
6.7% interest
Many variables -
including credit
score
1