The Coos Bay Urban Renewal Agency could select the consultant to help develop the Empire waterfront at its next meeting.

The Hollering Place, located near the intersection of Newmark Avenue and Empire Boulevard, was purchased by the city in 2000 after a bar, the Bay Club, burned to the ground in August 1998. Efforts to build on the property have ebbed and flowed for years, though no improvements have been made.

Discussion groups have met to provide the city with ideas of what they would like to see at the location. They are looking for input again with this next stage in the project.

In March, the city received applications from three firms interested in the master planning of the Hollering Place. They included Crow/Clay & Associates of Coos Bay; Oregon Downtown Development Association of Salem; and Alpha Community Development, with offices in Tigard and Gresham.

Consulting teams from each firm have made presentations to the agency at previous meetings. All three have presented similar plans. All three agree on the need to find private developers to build up the property. They said it is unlikely to proceed with development without a public/private partnership.

One difference between the groups is the size of their bids. The downtown association submitted the low bid of $122,858; Crow/Clay was second at $143,371; and Alpha put in a $184,400 proposal.

The agency is scheduled to discuss the proposals, and accept public comments, at the conclusion of the City Council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20.