Marion County and the City of Knoxville are requesting proposals from real estate development companies interested in acquiring, rehabilitating, owning, and operating two historic buildings on the former VA Hospital site.

Per the agreement in acquiring the land that was signed by local leaders in February, buildings 27 and 28 must be on the market for a total of 60 days. The 60 days will end on August 14, 2020. If no interest is shown in the buildings, Marion County can choose to demolish the buildings for future development.

Interested developers may attend an open house on Wednesday, July 15th at 10:00 a.m. at the Marion County Offices at 3014 E Main Street. Attendees are required to RSVP to Glenn Lyons by emailing glenn@571polson.com or calling 515-782-1721. Given the current COVID-19 situation, steps will be taken to ensure that social distancing procedures are maintained.

The process in acquiring proposals will be conducted in two steps. Developers will first have to submit an Expression of Interest and Request for Qualifications (EOI/RFQ). The City and County will then review the EOI/RFQ’s and invite any number of qualified applicants to move on to step two and submit a Request for Proposals (RFP). The Iowa State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will also act as an advisor during the review process. The deadline for submitting the EOI/RFQ is Friday, August 14, 2020 at 5:00 pm. For more information regarding the Request for Proposal, submission requirements and selection criteria can be found at knoxvillevadistrict.com.