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Contact: Amy Bracewell
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
National Park Service Seeks Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Hyde Park Drive-In Movie Theatre
Hyde Park – The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to lease, operate, and maintain the Hyde Park Drive-In Movie Theatre at 4114 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, New York. The lease premises consist of approximately 9 acres, which have been utilized as a drive-in theatre since 1950. The site includes a single-story, approximately 2,370 SF building that contains restrooms, a concession stand for quick service convenience food items, storage, and administrative space. The site has the capacity for parking up to 670 cars. A marquee sign, ticket booth, and projection screen are also included on the site. The National Park Service is seeking a continuation of the outdoor movie operations to attract diverse visitors and serve the surrounding community as well as visitors to the park.
This lease opportunity is open to all interested persons and businesses on a competitive basis. The proposal judged best under the proposal selection criteria will be given an opportunity to negotiate a final lease agreeable to both the selected offeror and NPS. Those interested in this opportunity may obtain the Request for Proposals and other required information online at www.nps.gov/hofr/getinvolved/do-business-with-us.htm.
Proposals must be submitted electronically no later than April 14, 2023 to e-mail us and should include “Hyde Park Drive In” in the subject line. NOTICE: There is a slight revision to the deadlines and dates for this Request for Proposals. To clarify questions and confusion, the park will be accepting proposals on a rolling basis by 4:30pm each Friday, until a proposal is selected.
Site tours may be scheduled by appointment only between February 27 and March 17, 2023 and must occur Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm. Offerors must submit questions no later than March 17, 2023. All responses will be provided in writing and made available to all offerors by posting on the above website. Please contact e-mail us to schedule site visits and submit questions. We anticipate that evaluation of proposals and negotiation will require 4 weeks and that the effective lease date will be on or about May 19, 2023.
The Request for Proposals can also be found at https://sam.gov/content/home and information on the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site can be found at www.nps.gov/hofr.
NOTICE: There is a slight revision to the deadlines and dates for this Request for Proposals. To clarify questions and confusion, the park will be accepting proposals on a rolling basis by 4:30pm each Friday, until a proposal is selected.
Questions & Answers
Q: Is the rent charged only during the operating season (Memorial Day – Labor Day?)
A: The rent is charged for the weeks the lessee operates the facilities. Partial months will be pro-rated
Q: Is property maintenance the responsibility of the lessee year-round?
A: Yes, though what exactly those requirements would entail can be negotiated between a selected offeror and the NPS. It is likely that the property would have minimal maintenance requirements when it is not in operation.
Q: Can the drive-in be operated outside the listed operating season?
A: No, the official operating season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The National Park Service is required to protect cultural landscapes and this period was determined best for these purposes. The operating season was the announced season and cannot be adjusted at this time.
Q: Is there a projector included in the lease?
A: No, the current projection system is the personal property of the previous operator. A projection system is not included in the lease. It will be responsibility of any operator to provide their own projection system.
Q: Is the drive-in open weekdays throughout the summer?
A: Yes, upon award of the lease, the operator can choose their operating schedule within the operating season.
Q: Is kitchen equipment included in the lease?
A: No, the existing kitchen equipment is personal property of the previous operator. All refrigerators, freezers, fryers, cook tops, and counter top machines are personal property. The Coca-Cola fountain machines are owned by Liberty Coke and would need to be negotiated with a new operator.
Q: Are you looking for a % of the income on top of the monthly rent?
A: A percentage of revenue is not required in the Fair Market Value Rent (FMVR) that was determined for this opportunity. You may offer to pay a percentage of revenue to improve the competitiveness of your proposal as long as it is in addition to the FMVR defined in the RFP.
Q: Is there a limit as to how late the movies play?
A: Operating times shall be set by the lessee. The lessee is expected to abide by local ordinances and all applicable laws
Q: Could I stay on the property in an RV nights movies play?
A: The park does not allow overnight parking or overnight RVs/campers
Q: Do you require a security deposit?
A: It is not standard in NPS leases, but if an offeror cannot show sufficient financial stability, a deposit might be requested.
Q: Could you provide the financials for the past 5 seasons?
A: Unfortunately, the NPS does not have the financial records from the previous operator
Q: Concern over projection system and storage
A: It is the responsibility of the lessee to own, maintain, and properly store all personal equipment. Any improvements to the NPS property that the lessee proposes could be submitted for a rent payment offset, upon submission for review and approval before any work begins.
Q: Will there be an added expense to change ownership of the website? Or Facebook page?
A: The Drive-In’s existing website is owned by the previous operator of the Drive-in. You may be able to negotiate the purchase of the domain, however the NPS has no control over this situation and cannot guarantee any outcome. It is the lessee’s responsibility to create and manage a marketing plan, a website will likely be a component of any successful marketing plan, which should be included in your proposal.
Q: What happened to the previous owners/operators?
A: Through the conservation efforts of Scenic Hudson, the National Park Service acquired the drive-in property in 2011. The NPS continued the lease held by Scenic Hudson for the operation of the drive-in movie theatre. Upon the expiration of this lease, the NPS is required to publicly announce a Request for Proposals for anyone interested in leasing the space through a competitive process. Any previous operators may submit a proposal, the NPS may not favor any previous operator and must select the best proposal.
Q: If a person wanted to just purchase the Hyde Park Drive-In Movie Theatre, could they?
A: No, the drive-in is not for sale. The land and buildings are owned by the United States Government, National Park Service, and are not up for sale.
Q: What was the leasing rate that the NPS assumed when they received the property from Scenic Hudson?
A: The current leasing rate is the same as the Fair Market Value Rate that is identified in the RFP
Q: What is personal property of the previous owner and what comes with the lease?
A: The National Park Service owns and will include:
- Water heater
- Sinks, toilets, and bathroom fixtures
- Marquee letters
- Exhaust hose for projector
- All projection system equipment including
- Projector
- Computer system
- Back-up supplies
- Exhaust motor
- A/C unit
- All kitchen equipment, including:
- Freezers and refrigerators
- Bun and popcorn warmers
- Ice machine
- Fryers and grills
- All popcorn machines
- Table-top machines including butter warmer, pretzel and nacho machines
- Double pizza oven
- CO2 canisters
- 3 picnic tables
- All office furniture and computer equipment including ticket booth machines and concession registers
- Paper products, cleaning supplies, general supplies, and trash cans
Hershey’s ice cream freezer is owned by Hershey’s
Q: Can the concessions operation be sub-leased?
A: yes, with advanced approval by the National Park Service
Q: Would capital improvements that offset rent carry forward in years?
A: Yes, but they would expire at the end of the lease. If there are any remaining offsets at the end of the lease, they would not be returned to the lessee.
Q: Is the building currently up to fire code and safety standards?
A: That is unknown at this time. The selected lessee would be required to operate up to code and within health and safety standards.
Q: Would responsibility for building coming up to code, safety, fire, and health standards be addressed by NPS or current operator prior to lease transition.
A: No, not as identified in the RFP. Rent payment offsets will be considered and can be negotiated prior to the execution of the lease, to cover those costs.
Q: Is the drive-in on a septic tank/leech field? Who pays for that utility to have it emptied?
A: The drive-in does have a septic thank/leech field. It is the responsibility of the lessee to maintain the septic system
Q: Would the NPS allow adding a second screen to the drive-in?
A: Adding a second screen may be possible, but would require advanced approval from the National Park Service Washington, DC office. The timeline would not be in time for the 2023 operating season. If it were approved, it would have to be done through a lease amendment at a future date.
Q: Please specify or provide qualification for what costs for repairs/replacements/improvements are expected to be recovered as a rent payment offset.
A: The National Park Service cannot guarantee any offsets prior to the Lessee submitting proposals for improvements. The lessee would propose improvements they would like to make before the NPS would considered what will be allowed for an offset.
Q: Can you clarify if the lessee can use the property for the entirety of the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends?
A: Yes, the intent of the lease is for a lessee to utilize the property for the entirety of the holiday weekends.
Q: Is there any understanding of where the major systems (HVAC, septic, roof) are at in their lifecycle?
A: We do not have information at this time on the lifecycle of these systems
Q: Is it allowable to have insurance tailored to the specific use between Memorial Day and Labor Day (i.e. Business Interruption not necessary Labor Day to Memorial Day?).
A: The NPS would recommend any lessee to cover their needs. Hypothetically, if there is a flood in May, that could ruin the entire operating season, which would not be covered without Business Interruption insurance.
Q: Is heating necessary in the winter months? If so, how much oil is used every year to heat the building?
A: The NPS does not have data on past utility consumption. We recommend you include a robust winterization plan/schedule with a maintenance plan with your proposal to show how you will protect the site and any personal equipment from freezing.
Q: Can the electrical bill history be shared for review?
A: The NPS does not have data on past utility consumption
Q: For sustainability purposes, would the NPS consider the retirement of oil-supplied equipment and/or less efficient HVAC equipment with newer more efficient equipment, possibly earlier than their typical lifecyle?
A: Pending government funding availability, this could be possible.
Q: Please clarify if there are plantings in planters or other specific required planting to be placed and maintained on the premises
A: There are no provided planters or required plantings on the property. As stipulated in the RFP, the lessee is responsible for the maintenance of the grass and any proposed landscape features.
Q: Please clarify tree maintenance
A: The National Park Service maintains the trees on the property, to include those along the roadways and the forests surrounding the north and east perimeters of the property.
Q: Would the NPS consider commercial use of the property to include use during weekdays (for example ice cream, restaurant, casual dining and/or snack shop) acceptable?
A: The NPS could consider operations that fit within the existing concessions building, with advanced review and approval.
Q: Would there be any consideration for extending the window of commercial usage to the April through October maintenance window?
A: No, the official operating season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The National Park Service is required to protect cultural landscapes and this period was determined best for these purposes. The operating season was the announced season and cannot be adjusted at this time.
Q: Is there a weighted system to identify the importance of each of the factors listed in the selection criteria?
A: Yes, but we do not provide the weights to our submission review panels before they are reviewed by the NPS solicitors office.
Q: Are the hood, Ansul System, and 3 bay sink staying?
A: yes, these fixed units are included in the building
A: The NPS would need to consider these types of proposals through the cultural resource compliance review process, with State Historic Preservation Office concurrence.
A: Yes, there are no restrictions in the leasing regulations for this
A: A temporary/non-permanent structure would be allowed for the storage of equipment
A: The NPS would require a Special Use Permit or Commercial Use Authorization for any functions outside of the scope of the drive-in operations. These events should meet the mission and purpose of the parks for preservation or education related endeavors. These events would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
A: Lease amendments would not be required and we would allow for rent payment offsets in the lease language. All other compliance and approval processes would still be required.
A: Pets are allowed but required to be on a leash.
A: The NPS does not have information at this time on the lifecycle of the roof.
A: The NPS does not have information on the past septic maintenance schedule
A: With advanced permission and review of treatment plans, the NPS will work with the lessee to identify acceptable products and required record keeping.
A: These items are listed on the website after the RFP document
A: Operating times shall be set by the lessee. Upon award of the lease, the operator can choose their operating schedule, which is expected to abide by local ordinances and all applicable laws.
A: No, rent is not charged before the facility can be opened. Upon award of the lease, the NPS and operator will determine appropriate start of the lease agreement.
A: Yes, the operator will have access to the site for preparations and clean-up before and after the operating season.
Last updated: April 14, 2023