RFP to Lease the Dun Glen Ark in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

SUMMARY OF LEASING OPPORTUNITY This Request for Proposals (RFP) provides the opportunity for any interested individual or organization, hereinafter referred to as “Offeror” to submit proposals to the National Park Service (‘NPS’, ‘Lessor’) to lease NPS property at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (‘New River Gorge’, ‘NERI’, ‘the Park’) for a Commercial Use under the following general terms and conditions. The selected Offeror (‘offeror’, ‘you’, ‘your’) will have exclusive negotiation rights to enter into a lease based on the attached Sample Lease (See Attachment A). Elements of your proposal may be incorporated into the Lease at Lessor’s discretion. OBJECTIVES New River Gorge has seen a 40% increase in visitation since 2020. In 2023, the Park saw 1.71 million visitors and expects growth to continue into the coming years. Visitors to the national park spent ~$80 million in local communities around the park in 2021 and 2022, representing just a fraction of the $9 billion consumer spending on West Virginia outdoor recreation annually according to Outdoor Industry Association’s recreation economy report in 2022. New River Gorge has an extensive inventory of historic buildings throughout the park requiring rehabilitation and day-to-day maintenance. The Park is looking to revitalize these properties by seeking out qualified individuals to establish commercial businesses that are aligned to the Park’s mission and willing to take on all associated rehabilitation and maintenance costs. New River Gorge’s objective is to lease historic buildings to Lessees who demonstrate they can undertake rehabilitation of the structures in accordance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the treatment of Historic Properties and demonstrate the financial capability to carry out the rehabilitation they propose to undertake. OVERVIEW OF THE PROPERTY OFFERED FOR LEASE The Dun Glen Ark, commonly known as the Ark, is located at 136 Dun Glen Parking Lot (McKendree Road), Thurmon