What Should Be Built at the Employment Security Building?

For the latest Patch Visions for Vacancies post, I wanted to take a look at the Employment Security Building at 32-34 S. Main St. in Concord’s Downtown.

The city of Concord issued a request for proposals in January for potential developers interested in a public-private partnership to develop the property. The 341 page PDF can be found here (RFP 11-13).

The city is asking for $1.75 million for the parcel but is also willing to work with a developer on incentives, property tax relief, and even the construction of a new parking lot on the site or use of other parking facilities, according to the filing. The RFP notes that the city might be interested in utilizing up to 40,000 square feet of the new building as a new location for the Concord Public Library.

The RFP was recently extended to May 1, allowing for more bidders to come in. Matt Walsh, the assistant for special projects, said recently that there wasn't anything new to add beyond the extension of the RFP.

While most of the conversation has been about the potential for a new library at the site and the difficulty in finding office space tenants in another building downtown, due to other developments along South Main Street, some people have suggested that the parcel would be a good location for accessible housing, a ground floor restaurant, bar, or cafe, or even a high-end hotelier, similar to the Centennial Inn.

What do you think should be built on the site? Leave a note in the comment section of this post.