OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the City of Olympia have issued a request for qualifications and proposals to sell a parcel of WDFW property near the Olympia Farmer's Market for development of a mixed-use housing project.

Last November, the city and state agency agreed to a partnership to sell the 33,000-square-foot parcel, which is one of the three properties WDFW owns in the north end of downtown Olympia.

The sale agreement was developed following a study by the state to determine the most cost-effective options for selling the property and for meeting the goals of the City of Olympia's downtown development plans. The site contains a two-story wood frame office building that has housed state and private-sector offices since it was built in the 1950s.

Joe Stohr, WDFW deputy director, said, "The partnership with the city provides an opportunity for the state to dispose of surplus property and help the community realize its vision for developing a prime downtown location."

The memorandum of understanding between WDFW and the city calls for the city to take the lead in marketing the property and provides WDFW with the sole authority to accept, reject or negotiate sale proposals.

Bidders have until 4 p.m. June 3 to submit their proposals.

The RFP/RFQ document is available on the City of Olympia's website: http://olympiawa.gov/city-services/engineering-and-construction/rfp-and-rfq.aspx