St. Petersburg launches a second RFQ for a new redesign of the Pier

The City of St. Petersburg is going in for attempt #2 in selecting a new architect to redesign the iconic St. Petersburg Pier in Florida after the first proposal, "The Lens",  was met with controversy and never built.

In hopes that a new iconic Pier can be built this time around, the City recently set up a two-stage Request for Qualifications where balancing community input will be key. Once the September 5 deadline passes, each Statement of Qualification will be reviewed by the seven-member Selection Committee who will shortlist up to eight teams to be invited to Stage II. Shortlisted teams will each be given a $30,000 stipend and 10 weeks to submit a full initial design concept.

Scroll down for more about the RFQ.

After a technical review to analyze the concept's feasibility and budget, the committee will select the finalists, whose concepts will be presented to both the committee and the general public. The public will then have the chance to vote in a public survey. The committee will take results from the survey into account along with each finalist team's presentations and the technical review upon choosing the winner.

The winning initial design will present a compelling vision and theme that stays within the $46 million budget (and an anticipated $33 million construction budget) and is capable of being permitted. Most importantly, the winning concept will best address the various public concerns and demands derived from The Lens proposal and was classified by the Pier Working Group, which is a 21-member volunteer citizen committee appointed by the city mayor.

The winning team will work with the City of St. Petersburg to develop a more detailed proposal. The City expects that a final plan will be approved and contract negotiations will begin with the winning team early next year.

Will the City learn from its past mistakes now that the public has more say?

For the full RFQ, click here.