Opportunity Appalachia announced selection of 29 projects seeking over $275 MM in investment to receive Pre-Development Technical Assistance. Throughout June and July, ACC will issue requests for proposals on this page for the selected projects. If you and your organization would like to be added to our list of qualified technical assistance providers, please complete the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) linked in the section below.

Proposals should include all requested services, which may mean that multiple entities are providing services, with one identified lead contractor.

The projects with open RFPs are listed below with links to the PDF:

Kentucky

• Gateway Regional Arts Center, Mt. Sterling, KY – Expansion and upgrade of the current performing arts center in a historic 1883 former United Methodist Church to meet the booming demand for event capacity, gallery space, and community engagement. Estimated costs total $12 MM with creation of 25 permanent positions.

North Carolina

• The Old Glory Mill, Burke River Trail Association, Rhodhiss, NC – Transformation of 1907 former mill building into a mixed-use downtown center to include housing, restaurants/shops, river recreation access, town hall, event space, and more. Total costs estimated at $16 MM and creation of 54 jobs.
• Olive Dame Campbell Dining Hall and Folk School Visitor’s Center, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC – Creation of a new dining hall and expanded Visitor’s Center to strengthen the Folk School’s operations and connection to the community. Total costs estimated at $5 MM with creation of 25 permanent jobs.
• Innovation Campus, The Industrial Commons, Morganton, NC – Creation of a business accelerator and workforce training center with specialized manufacturing courses to support a hub for innovation in the textile economy. Estimated costs total $40 MM with creation of 60 high-quality permanent positions.
• Oak Hill Commons, Pathways & Procurement, Asheville, NC – Construction of 28 new townhome units to serve as affordable housing for the Asheville Community. The minority-owned project sponsor estimates costs to total $7.8 M and creation of 100 construction jobs.

Ohio

• Chillicothe Street Housing Development, City of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, OH – Rehabilitation of two centrally located downtown buildings to mixed-use structures with at least five apartments on the upper floors. Total costs estimated at $1.5 MM and creation of 10 construction jobs.
• Glass Press Buildings I & II, Ataraxia Properties, Inc., Marietta, OH – Development of commercial retail and small events venue on the ground level with office space and market-rate housing on the floors above. Total costs estimated at $8 MM with creation of 60 permanent jobs.

Tennessee

• Patton Hotel, SPARQ, South Pittsburg, TN – Redevelopment of the Patton Hotel as a catalytic downtown anchor property and boutique hotel enterprise to include dining offering. Total costs estimated at $3.7 MM with creation of 25 jobs.
• The Grove at Poplardale, Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Kingsport, TN – Construction of 130 new affordable apartments and 25 single family homes; 60 of the apartments are intended to house seniors. Total costs estimated at $52 MM with creation of 6 permanent jobs.

West Virginia

• New River Grocery Warehouse, City of Hinton, Hinton, WV – Refurbishment of a former warehouse building into a restaurant or coffee shop and bookstore/retail on the ground level with 16 apartments above. Estimated costs total $5,000,000 and creation of up to 20 permanent jobs.

If you and your organization would like to be added to our list of qualified technical assistance providers, please complete the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) linked below. We accept RFQs at any time and require a completed RFQ prior to contracting. If approved of your qualifications, you will be notified when Opportunity Appalachia has projects with open Requests for Proposals (RFP).

Proposals should include all requested services, which may mean that multiple entities are providing services, with one identified lead contractor.

The Technical Assistance contractor will report to the Program Manager of Opportunity Appalachia and work directly with the Project Sponsor. The requested Scope of Services may involve:

• development of investment prospectus, preparation of pro forma financial projections, structuring of project financing,
• market research, demand assessment
• architectural and engineering
• business plan preparation, operations planning
• identification of project developers
• investor outreach

This support will be provided on contract by experienced business and development partners. It is anticipated that support of $40,000 – $75,000 will be provided for each project, averaging $50,000 per applicant.

Request for Qualifications RFQ (PDF)

• View a list of already-approved TA providers as of June 2024 – CLICK HERE