NORTHAMPTON — Despite interest from some developers, the city’s efforts to attract a buyer for the prominent former home of the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds on King Street enticed no takers this summer.

That’s prompted the city to tweak its request for proposals for the 33 King St. property it took ownership of from the state in June 2023 and open up bidding for a second time. The deadline for a second round of proposals is Sept. 6.

The property is situated on 1.46 acres next to the Calvin Theater and across from the Hotel Northampton. Despite its prime location within the city’s downtown commercial district, there were no bids submitted by the July 30 deadline following the original RFP put out by the city in March.

Carolyn Misch, director of the city’s Office of Planning & Sustainability, said there was interest from prospective developers, all of whom ultimately balked at purchasing the property due to having to buy it before receiving permits allowing them to build what they are proposing. That made financing a purchase more difficult, Misch said.

“There were interested buyers, but we modified the RFP because we weren’t allowing enough due diligence,” Misch said.

Patrick Goggins, a longtime Realtor in the city and former president of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the requirements put forth by the city to prospective bidders likely drove away any interest.

“The city tried to have its cake and eat it too,” Goggins said. “To hope for a site that satisfies all the needs of the city, and provides a viable building in the end for the developer, is a very tall order.”

The property may be used for either housing or commercial purposes.

In addition to asking bidders to commit to using a ground-source heat pump to heat and cool any building developments, the first RFP would have scored proposals based on the size of the project (with more stories given higher scores); how many parking spaces would be provided (with 50 or more parking spaces given the best score); and whether the proposal calls for mixed-income housing, with a 60-40 split of market rate housing to affordable housing or commercial use being considered most beneficial.

Goggins also noted that the current state of the market made new building developments less attractive, with interests rates remaining high and increasing the risks of recuperating costs for building.

“The environment that developers would be involving themselves is still quite high as far as interest rates are concerned,” Goggins said. “That pushes the price of all aspects of development up to such a point that makes the margin of potential profitability much less.”

The new RFP, released at the end of July, makes a few alterations to the original request for the city.

The minimum bid for the property has been lowered by $400,000, from $2.5 million to $2.1 million; a required deposit for interested bidders has been reduced from 10% to 2.5% of the asking price; and a criterion asking developers to show the financial benefit to the city over the next 10 years has been given a $500,000 lower estimation. The timeline for construction to commence after permit review has also been reduced by more than a year, from 30 months to 12 months.

Goggins said if the deadline for the current RFP comes and goes without a buyer, then the city may have to meet with developers to discuss the terms for what needs to be done to sell the building.

“I just don’t think they’re modest enough,” said Goggins of the city’s new RFP. “In my view, the city may very well have to let developers propose what can work for them and least bring them to the table this way.”

The property had been owned by the state before the City Council approved an order by former mayor David Narkewicz in 2021 to accept it as surplus and enter into a profit-sharing agreement for an eventual sale. But the transfer wasn’t completed until the end of June 2023.

The location currently consists of parking spaces and the former registry of deeds building, which would be demolished to make way for a new development. It is also within the city’s Central Business Core zoning district, allowing for both commercial and residential uses for any interested developer.

The current building was reportedly constructed in 1975, according to the city, and was used as the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds, Family Court, and Probate Court until 2019, with the family and probate courts moving to Atwood Drive and the registry of deeds now located on Railroad Avenue. Since then, the property has been mostly vacant or used for state building storage.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.