PHOENIX — A former firehouse near Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix is planned to get a second life as a restaurant, and the city of Phoenix wants to incorporate small, local businesses into the project.
The city is planning to issue a request for proposals to adaptively reuse the firehouse, at First and Moreland streets, but ahead of the request, the city is hosting a “Shark Tank”-like business pitching event. At the event, local businesses can pitch themselves to developers or proposal teams to be part of the proposed project.
Organizers of the event said all sorts of businesses are welcome to pitch their product or services, ranging from food production, creative services, building services, local artisans and any other type of business that could work with a team creating the new restaurant.
“This is a really great opportunity for small businesses,” Michelle Pierson, deputy director of community and economic development for the city of Phoenix, said. “This brings a local and small business flavor to a cool project.”
At the event, called Firehouse Fastpitch, businesses will be given a three-minute time slot to complete the pitch, and an additional two minutes to answer any questions. Attendees who intend to submit a proposal can decide which, if any, businesses to work with and add to their proposal teams.
