Tenders are invited for Site Master Planning and Preliminary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for Saint Lucias Resilient Green Affordable Housing Project Pilot Site in Balata, Castries, Saint Lucia Description Date documents can be requested until : 19 September 2025 16:00 Title : Site Master Planning and Preliminary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for Saint Lucias Resilient Green Affordable Housing Project Pilot Site in Balata, Castries, Saint Lucia Procurement No. : 100013752 Process : RFP Description : Global Green Growth Institute in St. Lucia invites eligible firms to submit their proposals for Site Master Planning and Preliminary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for Saint Lucias Resilient Green Affordable Housing Project Pilot Site in Balata, Castries, Saint Lucia ABOUT GGGI: The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was established as an intergovernmental organization with the objective of promoting sustainable development of developing and emerging countries including least developed countries. GGGI is dedicated to supporting the creation and diffusion of the model of economic growth known as green growth. The green growth model integrates economic growth, environmental sustainability, poverty reduction and social inclusion. GGGI, under the guidance of the Department of Economic Development, Saint Lucias Nationally Designated Authority (NDA) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is the Delivery Partner for a GCF funded readiness support project entitled Catalyzing Low-carbon Investment and Mobilizing Finance for Saint Lucia (CLIMB-SLU). The project, which is being implemented from March 2024 February 2027, aims to enhance Saint Lucias access to the GCF and other climate funds, develop sustainable finance instruments, and mobilize climate finance from public, private, and international financiers. One of the workstreams under CLIMB-SLU is the completion of conceptual site and community design work as well as an investment prospectus for a resilient green affordable housing (GAH) project in Saint Lucia. The GAH project aims to promote sustainability in residential housing by incorporating environmentally friendly materials, renewable energy sources, water conservation systems, and energy-efficient designs. In addition, the project aims to implement innovative financial structuring and the use of financial instruments that will allow the housing units to be affordable across various income groups. Finally, the project will deliver climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits while encouraging government and non-government stakeholders to work together to continue strengthening the resiliency of the housing sector as well as other economic sectors of Saint Lucia. The completion of concept site designs for a 10.59-acre project pilot for approx. 450 housing units in Balata, Castries is one of several activities that will be completed as part of the design phase of the GAH project. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND: Saint Lucia faces multidimensional vulnerabilities driven by climate change and aggravated by its natural and economic characteristics. Over the past decades, Saint Lucia has followed the global trend, where much of its population has migrated from rural to urban areas driven by limited availability of flat land and in pursuit of enhanced economic opportunities. As a result, development has concentrated in areas of low-lying reclaimed coastal land, or along steep slopes, making the housing stock highly vulnerable to rising sea levels and/or extreme weather events. The housing sector faces additional challenges including the absence of land use planning, leading to informality and sprawl, and limited availability of flat land leading to high construction costs that constrains affordability and increases vulnerability for certain socio-economic groups. Exacerbating the challenges faced by the housing sector is its vulnerability to, and the infrastructure disruption resulting from, increasing incidents of flooding, landslides, hurricanes, and windstorms. Between 1992 and 2011, Saint Lucia´s average annual economic losses associated with extreme natural events were equivalent to 2% of GDP. Hurricane Tomas (2010) alone, resulted in damages/losses estimated at US$ 336.2 million (or 43.3% of GDP). To reduce the risk that extreme climatic events will destroy the housing stock of the vulnerable population in the country and to supplement the number of homes available to Saint Lucians, in 2021, the Department of Economic Development in close partnership with the Department of Housing and Local Government, Crown Lands, the Saint Lucia Development Bank (SLDB), and other key stakeholders, began conceptualizing the GAH project. When completed, it is envisioned that the GAH project will deliver a total of 3,000 resilient, green and affordable homes to approximately 12,000 beneficiaries across Saint Lucia. The project has an estimated total potential investment value of US$1.4 billion. In August 2024, Saint Lucias cabinet of Ministers approved the assignment of 10.59 acres of land in Balata, Castries for a GAH pilot site (see site survey plan at Annex 1). It is anticipated that approximately 450 housing units (including multistory buildings) will be constructed, forming an eco-friendly and socially inclusive community for the benefit of approximately 1,800 people. The Balata community will be designed and operated to minimize environmental impacts; enhance resilience to extreme events; use efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy and development space; and promote healthier living spaces with better air quality, natural light and temperature control. Further, it is anticipated that the Balata GAH community will meet the requirements of globally approved green building certification standards and schemes e.g. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE). Ensuring these requirements are met will require careful planning and design to guarantee harmony of the Balata community with the environment and social context of the surrounding area. These ToRs serve to identify and contract a Consulting Firm (Consultant) to design the layout of the pilot site such that it meets all legal requirements in Saint Lucia while also ensuring resilience, sustainability and affordability targets are met. In addition, the Consultant will be required to complete a preliminary environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) as per Saint Lucias Development Control Authority (DCA) guidelines. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES & DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK: 1) Proposed Activities for the Overall Project The contracted Consultant will be required to complete a site design for the GAH phase 1 pilot at Balata. This should follow an iterative approach that will involve - consultations with potential project beneficiaries, persons from the community of Balata and surrounding areas, professionals within the housing and construction sectors in Saint Lucia as well as the Development Control Authority (DCA) to ensure the regulatory requirements are met. The Consultant is expected to use case studies and best practices from similar successful projects completed in the Caribbean and other tropical SIDS to help guide planning and decision-making. At the end of the project, the Consultant will have produced all the documents and meet the requirements for the application of an Approval in Principle for Concept to the DCA. These documents must include a site plan, of the development layout (footprints of buildings and structures, setbacks, green spaces, etc.), public access and circulation spaces (e.g. walkways, roads, parking, site entry / exit, bus stops), green and gray infrastructure (drainage systems, rain water harvesting or infiltration areas, etc.), and floor plans with two (2) elevations (at a minimum). Site profiles with the proposed buildings and infrastructure will also be necessary to allow for the visualization of the development scale, as well as some perspectives/axonometric views. The Consultant must follow DCA guidelines to ensure the completion of all the requirements for the Approval in Principle for Concept. The site plan must consider the fundamental characteristics of green buildings/communities. This includes designing with the following considerations: energy efficiency & renewable energy; water efficiency; environmentally sustainable building materials & specifications; waste reduction; toxins reduction; indoor air quality; smart growth & sustainable development; sustainable materials selection; and design principles that seek to enable the use of spaces / buildings by people with reduced mobility, visual impairments, etc.). It is anticipated that the Balata GAH community will meet the requirements of globally approved green building certification standards and schemes e.g. LEED and EDGE so these green building standards must be kept in mind as the site plan is developed. In addition, the Consultant will be required to complete a preliminary ESIA as per DCA guidelines. This preliminary ESIA should include an Executive Summary; a description of the physical environment of the development; any preliminary data necessary to identify and assist the main components which the development is likely to propose; and a draft plan to monitor the implementation of mitigation measures for the development during construction and operation of the development. The major activities that must be completed as part of the consultancy are: Activity #1: At the start of the consultancy, the Consultant will be required to attend a project planning and inception meeting with the Government of Saint Lucia (GoSL), the GGGI, and other key stakeholders. During this meeting, agreements will be reached on the workplan, roles and responsibilities matrix, stakeholder engagement plan, an Tender Link : https://www.developmentaid.org/#!/tenders/search
