Chicago-based firm Hunden Partners will guide process to assess Burnside Island’s development potential

Following a competitive request for proposal process, Dream Big Burnside Authority has selected Chicago consulting firm Hunden Partners to prepare a feasibility study and market analysis for developing General Burnside Island as a public-private partnership. 

The Dream Big Authority — a City of Burnside agency with representatives from the City of Somerset, Pulaski County Government and the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) — issued the RFP in July after receiving funding from the Kentucky General Assembly to pursue the project. The group has been working to create a plan for developing the island since its inception in 2021.

Hunden Partners is a full-service real estate development advisory practice specializing in feasibility studies for transformative destination assets. With professionals in Chicago, San Diego, and Minneapolis, Hunden Partners provides a variety of services for all stages of destination development in the following areas: arts, entertainment, and theme parks; convention and conference centers; expos and fairgrounds; RFP processes and owner’s representation; mixed-use and destination districts; hotels; transit-oriented and master planning; and sports facilities and events.

SPEDA President and CEO Chris Girdler, who serves as Dream Big Burnside chair, said the group was pleasantly surprised by the interest in the RFP. A review panel initially narrowed eight proposals to three. Those three made virtual presentations to the group Aug. 26, with Hunden selected as the winning firm.

“While there has been a lot of talk about developing Burnside Island for decades, there has never been a more exhaustive and collaborative effort to pursue something of this magnitude,” Girdler said. “I’m very grateful to (Burnside) Mayor (Robert) Lawson, the Dream Big Board, our state legislators, and local elected officials and business leaders who have been unwavering in their support of this endeavor. We will continue to push forward and go beyond to do our very best to bring this project to fruition.”

Since its founding in 2006, the Hunden team has worked on more than 1,000 destination projects or studies, with more than $20 billion in successful projects built or currently underway. The firm has completed more than 100 studies in Kentucky over the past two decades. Girdler said Hunden has a successful track record of implementation expertise and specialty in public-private partnerships, being able to move from study to execution and having a great reputation of being “truth tellers” and using specific data, statistics and facts to support results. 

The board has asked Hunden Partners to complete the feasibility study by Nov. 22. It will assess the long-term potential for adding lodging, restaurants, a conference center, and entertainment amenities to the island, part of the Kentucky State Parks system. It will be conducted with five goals in mind: (1) describing consumer demand for the project, (2) estimating economic impacts on the region, (3) providing details on similar projects, (4) estimating development costs, and (5) identifying potential funding sources and options to move forward. 

Developing General Burnside Island would accomplish what the late Gov. A.B. “Happy” Chandler set out to do in 1958 when the U.S. Congress transferred the title for Burnside Island to the Commonwealth of Kentucky to create a public park. According to the Congressional Record, following an initial development phase that included a recreation area with a swimming pool, picnic tables, grills, a group camp, tent/trailer area and golf course, Chandler envisioned the second phase of development would include “a central building, eating and sleeping accommodations, and the like,” according to a letter from the state’s commissioner of conservation at that time.

More than 65 years later, General Burnside Island continues to resemble the first phase of this vision, despite the creation of Dream Big Burnside and a 2022 directive from the General Assembly to develop a comprehensive statewide proposal to enhance Kentucky’s state park system through public-private partnerships. 

Burnside Mayor Robert Lawson said taking another step forward in this process is refreshing for his community.

“Completing this study will better inform Dream Big, the City of Burnside, and a statewide audience of leaders, partners, and the public of the island project’s capability of success,” Lawson said. “My genuine gratitude lies with our state legislators who solidified the funding needed to execute this study, regional supporters of our vision, as well as with the Dream Big Board, and Chris Girdler, DBB chair, whose careful judgment guides the direction of project completion. The project is in early stages of development, but the momentum at which we are completing steps to reach a brick-and-mortar reality of our goals is astounding.”