Three Design-Build Teams Competing for New Roy Wilkins Recreation Center in Queens are Largely M/WBEs

DDC: Ian Michaels, 646-939-6514, michaelia@ddc.nyc.gov

(Long Island City, NY – June 6, 2024) NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley announced today that most of the firms comprising the three design-build teams the City has selected to compete for the ability to design and build the new $128 million Roy Wilkins Recreation Center in Queens are M/WBEs (Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises). The new roughly 50,000-square-foot Center will be one of the first City projects completed using the design-build method of contracting and is expected to be completed on an accelerated schedule by fall 2028.

“DDC builds in every neighborhood and working with diverse teams of M/WBEs helps us create projects with a strong cultural connection to each community,” said DDC Commissioner Tom Foley. “Using design-build we anticipate completing this project a full 2.5 years faster than we could have before under the old lowest bidder system. We’re doing everything we can to provide a building the neighborhood will be proud of and we’re using every tool to do it as quickly and efficiently as the law allows.”

The new recreation center will be located in Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans, Queens, and will feature a swimming pool with men’s and women’s lockers, gymnasium, running track, weight and fitness rooms and multi-purpose space.

The design-build project delivery approach offers several advantages over the traditional lowest bidder contracting model that the City has historically been required to use, including best value selection as well as reduced project costs and project timelines. DDC is also using design-build to create the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn and the Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Staten Island, saving at least two years on each project.

The three design-build teams that have been shortlisted to respond to the project’s Request for Proposals (in alphabetical order) are:

Citnalta-McKissack JV/Urbahn Architects PLLC
Hunter Roberts/Urban Architectural Initiatives
Triton-Elite JV/Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners

The three selected teams previously responded to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) with their Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) demonstrating their ability to develop and implement innovative designs that will bring maximum value to the City while creating a superior recreation center. After a review by DDC that demonstrated a track record of exceptional project delivery along with experienced personnel that understand the importance of the City's MWBE program, three design-build teams were selected to respond to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project.

The City highly encourages participation by Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and will set significant requirements for M/WBE participation in the program’s Design-Build contracts. To learn more about how eligible firms can become certified as an M/WBE, please visit Certify With the City.

More information about design-build contracting opportunities at the NYC Department of Design and Construction is available at https://designbuild.ddcanywhere.nyc/.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams’ long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $33 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.