Photo courtesy of the town of Manchester

Manchester officials have issued a request for proposals to the real estate industry for a 2.38-acre property at the southern gateway to the city’s Main Street.

The publicly-owned 942 Main St. site is currently home to a large parking lot, plus the former site of some small-scale retail buildings that the city demolished last year. it sits across the street from the town’s future main library and a Catholic church, and it’s within the area where the town plans to spend $20 million on streetscape improvements.

According to bid documents, Manchester wants proposals for one or more 1- to 5-story buildings with a mix of housing and commercial uses, with storefronts along Main Street. One of those retail, restaurant or office tenants, the town hopes, will be “transformative.”

The bid documents indicate the town is “flexible” regarding the number of car parking spaces provided on-site. In addition, between 10 percent and 20 percent of proposed housing units must be set aside as affordable housing to meet state grant criteria.

“While the site can accommodate varying layouts and building sizes the Town is most interested in what is financially feasible while meeting the other goals stated in this RFP,” the document states.

The town hopes to sell the property to the developer who’s ultimately selected, but bid documents state it “is open” to a ground-lease deal.