Coeur d’Alene nonprofit CDA 2030 has selected HVS Convention, Sports & Entertainment Facilities Consulting, of Chicago, to conduct a market analysis and feasibility study for a potential performing arts and events center in the Coeur d’Alene area, says Nicole Kahler, project manager for CDA 2030.

HVS Convention, Sports & Entertainment Facilities Consulting is the Chicago office of Mineola, N.Y.-based HVS.

CDA 2030 received 11 study proposals between Sept. 28 and Nov. 3, says Kahler.

“We felt that we received quite a few, extremely great proposals, but we felt the way (HVS) approached the financial analysis and feasibility was going to be best for our community,” she says.

Kahler declines to disclose the information in the winning proposal.

The study is expected to take about 12 weeks, she says. It seeks to better understand the demand for such a center, facility needs and resources, and to provide a “general tool to inform fiscal approaches and operational sustainability of such a center.”

According to the request for proposal CDA 2030 sent out last year, the study would act as a general overview of potential ways to build and support the facility, such as looking at project cost, building size, and building location, she says.

Ignite cda, Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency, will also be the funding party, she says. 

The request also said the ideal study should assess “present and future unmet facilities demand.”

Submittals were required to include bids for services, a projected study timeline, information about the company submitting the proposal, and other relevant material.

CDA 2030 is a nonprofit organization established in July 2013 as a project of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce. Based in the chamber’s building at 105 N. First, in Coeur d’Alene, the organization’s role is to produce and guide a long-term vision and plan for the greater Coeur d’Alene community.

The resulting CDA 2030 plan includes six main focal points: community and identity, education and learning, environment and recreation, growth and development, jobs and economy, and health and safety.

Based on input from thousands of citizens, CDA 2030 developed an implementation plan that details different actions to take in order to meet that long-term community vision plan, says Kahler. 

The performing arts and events center falls under the community and identity focus area, she says

HVS specializes in the hospitality industry, including casinos, hotels, golf courses, mixed-use developments, and restaurants. It also specializes in convention, entertainment, and sports facilities. The company has more than 300 staffers in 50 offices worldwide.