Title

Inner Harbor Park Redesign – Solicitation for planning, design, and/or engineering services

Scope

The City of Syracuse will begin to implement its New York Department of State funded Local Waterfront Revitalization program plan currently under development by preparing a design for improvements to the 2.9-acre Inner Harbor Park along Onondaga Creek. The redesign of the park will include additional passive recreational opportunities, pedestrian and bicycle connections, visitor amenities, and safety improvements. These enhancements to this waterfront park will complement the ongoing development of the area and promote additional investment in the Inner Harbor.

The project will be led by the City’s Planning Division, with additional coordination involving other City departments, including the Parks Department. Inner Harbor Park is a city-owned park located at 396 West Kirkpatrick Street on the City’s Inner Harbor. The park currently features off-street parking, a waterfront amphitheater, and a portion of the City’s Onondaga Creekwalk trail, which is also part of the New York State Empire State Trail system. Although the park is underutilized, it is a frequent pass-through location for trail users and provides easy parking and access to the trail network. The park also hosts several larger festivals and events throughout the year.

The project goal is to redesign this underutilized public space by capitalizing on the existing uses and providing new amenities to make the park a destination for residents and visitors. This project will accomplish this goal through a design process that will produce construction documents to update and refresh Inner Harbor Park. Specific design elements that will be considered during the planning process include:

a) The layout of the park, including reducing impervious areas and reestablishing trails and open space areas to allow for a larger gathering area and greenspace, such as patios, pavilions;

b) Safety improvements, such as lighting and emergency call boxes;

c) Trail improvements, such as surface repairs, new or revised routes, and wayfinding signage;

d) Streetscape enhancements (along Van Rensselaer & Kirkpatrick Streets), and bicycle/pedestrian improvements to better connect the park to the surrounding areas; and

e) Installation of other amenities such as benches, bicycle repair stations, drinking water stations, technology, and/or public art to complement the City’s development of a new accessible playground and concession area on another portion of the site. The accessible playground and concession area is a separate project being led by the City’s Parks Department that is scheduled to start in summer 2024.

The expected deliverables are a planning and design process, which will include some stakeholder and public engagement, to produce construction documents for a redesigned park area. While the park redesign will not be constructed as part of this contract, the project deliverables will provide a foundation on which to construct the proposed park improvements and ultimately provide a safer, more effective community gathering place.

Key dates

3/28/2024: City issuance of RFP. The City issues this RFP

4/18/2024: Written questions due with Firms/Consultants are permitted to submit written questions, for purposes of clarifying this RFP until this date.

04/25/2024: Proposal Submission. Proposals are due by 2:30 p.m.

For full RFP, click here.