RFP listings on this site are posted for three months unless the posted deadline is reached or the employer has notified the Association of the position being filled. Publishing on this site does not guarantee ad will be published in the Michigan Planner Magazine. Web site postings cost $75. To submit an RFP ad, email the description to kmcintyre@planningmi.org and place "RFP ad" in the subject field.
Request for Projects for a University of Michigan Urban Planning Class
The Urban and Regional Planning Program at the University of Michigan is seeking proposals for projects for a course titled UP 505: Fundamentals of Planning Practice, which will be taught during the Winter semester (January-April) of 2009. This class involves teams of first year masters of urban and regional planning students working with a client to develop a plan in response to a request for proposals developed by the client in cooperation with the course instructors. A series of assignments build towards the completion of the final plan. These assignments focus on the collection, analysis and communication of information by following a community planning process from problem identification to the development of recommendations. The course usually has between 45 and 50 students working in nine to eleven teams, with each team working on a separate project. In past years the students have worked with the Planning Department of the City of Ypsilanti, the 8 Mile Business Association, and the Systems Planning Department of the City of Ann Arbor, among others. Projects have included a feasibility study for the creation of a business incubator on 8 Mile Boulevard, a recycling collection plan for the City of Ann Arbor, and recommendations for the development of a more urban set of landscape standards for Ypsilanti. References from past clients, as well as examples of past plans, are available on request. This year we hope to identify two clients, each with 4-6 projects. We invite government and non-profit organizations involved in issues of urban policy and planning that are within a one and a half hour drive of Ann Arbor to submit proposals for projects. Proposals should briefly summarize (in 2-3 sentences each) between five and seven projects. Projects should: involve the writing of a plan; provide students an opportunity to move beyond data collection and summary to analysis of an issue and the development of goals, objectives and recommendations for that issue; and be within the capacity of a team of five students working 270 hours to complete a nine-week long project. Proposals should also specify your ability to give up to 32 staff hours over the semester to the project(s):
The instructors for the class are Gavin Shatkin shatkin@umcih,edu, Associate Professor of Urban Planning, and Megan Masson-Minock (mamasson@umich.edu), Intermittent Lecturer for Urban Planning and Planner with ENP & Associates. Please send proposals to Professor Shatkin by September 30 via e-mail. Questions can be addressed to either of the instructors.
Request for Proposals
Community-Wide Charrette for Street Design and Form-Based Code
Purpose:
The City of Howell, Michigan, is seeking a consultant or consultant team to develop a community wide charrette process that will support the Multi-Year Street Program as well as help the City move forward with incorporating form-based elements into the City’s zoning code. The charrette results will be used in four ways: a) assist City staff and engineers1 in developing the design intent for the reconstruction of approximately eleven miles of city streets, b) examine opportunities for implementing form- based code within the framework of current regulatory policies, c) form the basis for the City’s 5-year review and update of the City Master Plan and d) create a Downtown Design Plan for the City’s Downtown Development Authority. The successful bidder will be responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive, neighborhood-based process to gain public input on these issues.
Background
The City is undertaking an aggressive, multi-year program to rehabilitate approximately 11 miles of road rated as “poor” within the City. As a part of this program, the City will be seeking input from residents on how the streets can be designed to best fit in with their neighborhoods. Traffic calming measures and a secondary analysis of impacts on the City’s street grid system will be included in the program. Issues such as on-street parking, pedestrian and bicycle traffic flow, landscaping and other design amenities will also be considered in the street design process.
The City is also exploring the inclusion of form-based elements into the existing zoning code. The current zoning code is not consistent with the existing characteristics of some of the City’s most desirable areas (older neighborhoods, historic, mixed-use downtown, etc.). The City is looking to update the zoning ordinance to ensure that new development is consistent with the desired character of the City, to allow more flexibility in uses, and to preserve the integrity of existing neighborhoods.
The City hopes to use the public input process for the street program to also discuss zoning and community form with its residents and business owners. A map of the streets included in the program as well as suggested neighborhood areas is attached.
Engineering consultants Hubble, Roth & Clark have been retained by the City for the multi-year street program
Objectives:
The following are the objectives of the project:
1. Educate citizens about the best practices for street design and form-based codes.
2. Develop a shared understanding of the residents’ values and issues related to community form.
3. Present alternative street design concepts and land use scenarios for the City
4. Develop typical street cross sections for neighborhood streets and commercial streets that respond to the context of the community.
5. Recommend appropriate traffic calming solutions, taking into account the impacts of the street reconstruction schedule on subsections of the City’s grid network
6. Produce a plan identifying character districts, opportunities for public spaces, street types, and streetscape elements.
7. Understand the city’s current land use regulations; explain how they either discourage or encourage the desired community form, and identify what changes to the regulations would be required so that they only encourage the desired community form.
8. Gather public input that will form the basis of the City’s Master Plan update (scheduled for 2008) and the Downtown Design Plan being undertaken by the DDA.
The public involvement process and resulting plan will serve as the foundation for identifying and shaping future city projects to be executed through future requests for proposal.
Deliverables:
1. Attendance at kickoff meeting with staff and elected/appointed officials
2. Conduct a series of 7-8 neighborhood-based charrettes during September 2008 (see attached map for streets and potential neighborhood areas).
3. Conduct a downtown meeting to get input on the Downtown Design Plan
4. Presentations at approximately two City Council meetings
5. Presentations at approximately two Planning Commission meetings
6. Presentations at approximately two DDA meetings
7. Approximately 4 work sessions with the staff
8. Attendance at other meetings as needed
9. Final report, divided into three parts:
A. Street Designs –
i.Documentation of the process followed
ii. Community input results
iii. Analysis and conclusions
iv. Typical street cross sections for all streets identified in the proposed street program (on the attached map)
v. Implementation plan for conceptual street designs
B. Master Plan and Form Based Code
i. Documentation of the process followed
ii. Community input results
iii. Analysis, conclusions, and overall vision for community form
iv. Assessment of current master plan and identification of updates and changes needed
v. Assessment of the current zoning ordinance and identification of what changes should be made
vi. An implementation plan including recommended character districts
C. Downtown Design Plan
i. Existing streetscape element inventory including appropriateness of design and condition assessment.
ii. Analysis of existing downtown street/pedestrian network and built environment.
iii. Summary of downtown urban character.
iv. Summary of community input.
v. Analysis and conclusions.
vi. Design guidelines for infill downtown development that will provide basis for form-based code amendments.
vii. Detailed streetscape plan including recommended location, type, and design for all streetscape elements.
viii. Detailed Specifications for all streetscape elements.
ix. Recommendations for transportation, access, and walkability improvements.
x. Recommended implementation plan for streetscape design, including priorities, timing/phasing and cost estimates.
Timeline:
The deadline for submitting proposals is July 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm. We anticipate that the contract will be awarded at the August 11, 2008 City Council Meeting. The community charrettes will take place during September 2008. The portion of the final report dealing with the street designs must be completed no later than early October, with the remaining portions of the report to follow.
Proposal Format:
Six copies, one unbound original and one digital copy (PDF or MS Word format) of the proposal shall be provided at the address provided below with six copies of the cost proposal provided in a separate sealed envelope. Included in the proposal (not in the cost proposal) shall be a breakdown by task by person hours of each person working on the effort. The proposal shall also include a detailed timeline of the work to be completed. The cost proposal shall include an estimate of direct expenses, overhead expenses and the fixed fee.
Office of the City Manager
City of Howell
611 E. Grand River Ave.
Howell, MI 48843
The content of the proposal shall include, at a minimum:
1. Project Understanding
2. Firm Background (including a description of who will be the primary contact person and lead firm if a collaboration between multiple firms is proposed)
3. Description of qualifications, including:
a. resumes of key personnel
b. overview of similar projects
c. references
4. Work program and timeline, including a proposed outline for community charrettes
5. Work products/deliverables
6. Fee schedule as described above
Evaluation:
Proposals will be evaluated by staff and representatives of the City Council, Planning Commission and Downtown Development Authority. Criteria used in our evaluation will include (but are not limited to):
• Understanding of the project goals and desired outcomes
• Experience with neighborhood based charrettes
• Experience with gathering public input regarding street design
• Experience with form-based code development
Face to face interviews may be scheduled at the discretion of the City.
Contact person
All questions regarding this proposal shall be provided in writing to Erin Perdu at eperdu@ci.howell.mi.us or 611 E. Grand River Rd., Howell, MI 48843 no later than noon on July 21, 2008. No telephone questions will be accepted. All questions and the responses will be provided on the City of Howell website at http://www.cityofhowell.org under RFP’s/BIDs.
Posted July 11, 2008
