Downtown Design Guidelines RFPTHE CITY OF Dubuque
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Masterpiece an the 1Vlississippi
2007
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Downtown Dubuque Design Guidelines RFP
DATE: March 11, 2008
The City of Dubuque has received a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office to
develop a Downtown Design Guidelines Manual.
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is recommending issuance of a Request for
Proposal for the manual.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mi ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
THE CITY OF Dubuque
DUB E
a
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
2007
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
SUBJECT: Downtown Dubuque Design Guidelines RFP
DATE: March 10, 2008
Introduction
The City of Dubuque has received a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office to
develop a Downtown Design Guidelines Manual.
This memorandum transmits the Request for Proposals (RFP) fora Manual of
Downtown Design Guidelines, for City Council review and approval.
Discussion
A goal of the 2004 Downtown Dubuque Master Plan is to establish a Design Guidelines
Manual for the streetscapes and built environment of the historic downtown.
The Downtown Design Guidelines Manual will have two components: (1)
streetscape/landscape design guidelines, and (2) architectural design guidelines. The
City's Historic District Design Guidelines and the Port of Dubuque Design Standards will
be used as models for the Downtown Design Guidelines.
A Downtown Design Guidelines Task Force with downtown private stakeholders and
key City departments will be established to work with the selected consultant.
Recommendation
I recommend that the City Council approve issuance of the attached RFP for the
Downtown Dubuque Design Guidelines Manual.
Attachment
Planning Services Department
City Hall
50 West 13~ Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-4864
(563) 589-4210 phone
(563) 589-4221 fax
(563) 589-6678 TDD
planningQcityofdubuque. org
THE CITY OF
DUB E
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MANUAL OF DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
March 18, 2008
INTRODUCTION
The City of Dubuque, Iowa is soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms to
provide professional services for the creation of the City of Dubuque Downtown Design
Guidelines, in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification
Standards for Architectural History or Preservation/Historic Architect.
The City of Dubuque has been awarded a FY2008 State of Iowa Certified Local
Government grant by the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) for the development of
downtown design guidelines. The estimated budget for this project is $65,000.
The consultant will develop a manual of design review guidelines that will aid in the
appropriate treatment and preservation of the City's downtown properties. The
consultants work on this project is anticipated to begin in April, 2008, with completion in
March, 2009.
COMMUNITY BACKGROUND
The City of Dubuque is located on the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa, adjacent to
Illinois and Wisconsin. The City is approximately 30 square miles in area, with a
population of approximately 60,000 persons. The City's annual operating and capital
budget is over $100 million and funds a full range of services. The City's web site is
www.cityofdubuque.org.
The community has a stable and diversified manufacturing base and a growing service
sector. Dubuque is the major retail, medical, educational and employment center for the
tri-state area. Dubuque is a community well known for its historic beauty and, in
particular, the Victorian architecture that makes up much of the downtown and the
surrounding neighborhoods. The historic, architectural and cultural resources of
Dubuque are the community's No. 2 tourist attraction, after the Mississippi River.
Downtown Dubuque has been designated as a Cultural and Entertainment District by the
State of Iowa.
Downtown Design Guidelines Project RFP
Page 2
As Iowa's oldest city, Dubuque has a substantial collection of historically and
architecturally significant structures. Five of Dubuque's six National Register districts are
in and around Downtown. The Downtown area includes the central business district,
transitional mixed-use neighborhoods north, west and northeast of downtown, and an
industrial district on the east.
Downtown Dubuque contains many significant institutional, commercial, and industrial
buildings that reflect a variety of styles and materials. Many buildings house a mix of
uses, with first floor retaiUoffice uses and housing on the upper floors. The historic
downtown neighborhoods include two- and three-story buildings that are still fully
residential. In addition, large brick warehouses form a historic mill-working/warehouse
district adjacent to Downtown. Downtown includes a number of landmark structures,
such as the Dubuque County Courthouse, City Hall, Carnegie Stout Public Library,
Grand Opera House, Five Flags Theater, U.S. Post Office, Ryan House, Masonic Temple,
and the Town Clock.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The project goal is to create a Design Guidelines Manual for historic Downtown
Dubuque. The manual will have two components: (1) architectural design guidelines,
and (2) streetscape/landscape design guidelines.
The downtown design guidelines will encompass the central business district. Please
refer to the attached map. The City of Dubuque has Architectural and
Streetscape/Landscape Design Guidelines for its (5) five historic districts. The City also
has Design Standards for the Port of Dubuque. These urban design manuals will be used
as models for the Downtown Design Guidelines.
The architectural portion of the Downtown Design Guidelines Manual will include
descriptions of prevailing architectural styles and types in Downtown Dubuque. The
manual will set forth guidelines for rehabilitation and restoration of residential, office,
commercial, industrial, and institutional structures found in Downtown Dubuque's
business districts and mixed-use neighborhoods. The architectural component will cover
masonry, roofing, windows, doors, siding, porches, architectural details and painting for
residential construction. The architectural component will cover cornices, storefronts,
display windows and bulkheads, windows, entrances, awnings, lighting, signs, and
architectural details for non-residential construction. The manual will also provide
design guidelines for infill and new construction.
The streetscape/landscape portion of the Downtown Design Guidelines Manual will
include a discussion of integrating streetscape improvements in Downtown Dubuque's
historic commercial districts and mixed-use neighborhoods. The streetscape/landscape
design guidelines will cover setting and site; driveways, parking lots, and paving;
sidewalks, walkways, and curbs; fences and gates; amenities; signs and graphics;
wayfinding features; street lighting; landscaping; and utilities.
COORDINATION
Downtown Design Guidelines Project RFP
Page 3
A Task Force will be established to work with the selected consultant. The Task Force
will include such downtown private stakeholders as local design professionals,
developers, business owners, and Dubuque Main Street staff. The consultant will be
expected to effectively coordinate with the Task Force, State of Iowa, and the public.
SCOPE OF WORK AND SERVICES
The intent of this section is to provide an outline of the services that the City anticipates
the selected consultant/firm will be required to provide in order to accomplish the
development and production of the manual. The consultant/firm, in preparation of this
proposal, should not be limited by the anticipated services identified herein, but should
describe any additional services he/she believes is beneficial in meeting the project
objective.
SCHEDULE/ PROCESS
A~iril 21, 2008
The City will have selected a consultant.
Aril 30, 2008
The Consultant and the City will meet with the State project manager to discuss the project
and review the schedule for work.
May 2008
The Downtown Design Guidelines Task Force will meet with the consultant to discuss the
project.
June 2008
The Task Force and consultant will take a trolley tour of downtown.
July 2008
The consultant will attend and lead a Public Workshop with Property Owners and the Task
Force.
August 1, 2008
The consultant will submit preliminary draft guidelines to the City; the City will submit the
preliminary Draft to the State.
September 15, 2008
The State will submit comments on the preliminary draft guidelines to the City.
October 2008
The consultant will meet with the State project manager and Task Force to review the Draft
Guidelines.
November 7, 2008
The consultant will have the Draft Guidelines revised per the State's and Task Force's
comments. The revised draft is submitted to the City; the City will submit the revised draft to
the State for review.
Downtown Design Guidelines Project RFP
Page 4
November 17, 2008
City Council Work Session on the design guidelines will be held. The consultant will need to
attend and present the information and answer questions.
December 7, 2008
The State will submit their comments on the revised draft guidelines to the City.
December 22, 2008
The final draft design guidelines are submitted to the State for final comment.
January 19, 2009
The City Council will review the final design guidelines.
February
The consultant will submit to the City the required bound copies and one unbound, print
ready master copy of the final design guidelines. The City will print/copy the design
guidelines for distribution.
March 2009
The design guidelines will be distributed at a public workshop. The City will submit final
copies of the design guidelines and the CD to the state.
DOCUMENT CONTENT
The manual will contain an annotated outline of design review issues. The outline will
cover the following topics: historical character of the downtown sub-districts, description
of building types and styles; character defining features of the building types or styles
that are encountered in the sub-districts; and objectives of the design review process. The
manual will be auser-friendly resource for City staff, contractors and property owners to
identify and understand appropriate and inappropriate treatments for historic properties in
Downtown Dubuque.
DOCUMENT FORMAT
The document shall be written with the ability to be understood by the average citizen/
homeowner.
The document shall be printed on letter size paper, spiral bound with each new section
starting on the right hand page, allowing reproduction of individual sections if necessary.
The narrative description of the inclusive sections shall be accompanied where necessary
by black and white photographs or line drawings with a caption. Photographs shall be
taken under optimum lighting conditions and preferably in seasons when the trees have
lost their leaves so as to show as much detail as possible. All negatives, slides and
original drawing plates shall become the property of the City of Dubuque.
Downtown Design Guidelines Project RFP
Page 5
Where necessary, additional graphics (illustrations, sketches, graphs, tables, flow charts)
shall be used to better illustrate the issues within the document.
The consultant shall submit to the City a minimum of twelve (12) copies of the final
design guidelines, to include eleven (11) bound copies and one (1) unbound, print ready
master copy; five (5) bound copies will be submitted to the City.
GRANT REQUIREMENTS
All work on the project will conform to the "Secretary of the Interior's Standards and
Guidelines for Preservation Planning, Registration, and Treatments for Historic
Preservation Projects", Federal Register of September 29, 1983: to the Fiscal Year 2008
Grants Manual for Certified Local Governments; and to the CLG's grant application
submitted in August 2007.
All publication, films, exhibits, etc. developed as a part of this project must acknowledge
Federal aid and equal opportunity and nondiscrimination practices.
The selected consultant shall adhere to insurance requirements for professional services
as detailed in the attached insurance schedule during the term of the contract agreement.
Please provide confirmation that the requirements will be met. An insurance certificate
can be supplied at a later date by the successful firm.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The City of Dubuque reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate
changes with any firms. The City of Dubuque is not liable for any cost incurred by any
firms prior to the execution of an agreement or contract. Nor shall the City of Dubuque
be liable for any costs incurred by the firm that are not specified in the contract. The City
of Dubuque is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
Proposal Submission Deadline
An original and six (6) copies of each proposal shall be delivered by 5:00 p.m. CDT on
Friday April 4, 2008 to the address given below:
David Johnson, Assistant Planner
Planning Services Department
City of Dubuque
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-4864
The proposals shall be sealed and be clearly labeled: City of Dubuque Downtown Design
Guidelines Project.
Each consultant assumes full responsibility for delivery and deposit of the completed
proposal package on or before the deadline. The City of Dubuque is not responsible for
any loss or delay with respect to delivery of the proposals.
Downtown Design Guidelines Project RFP
Page 6
Questions Regarding this RFP
Questions should be directed to Assistant Planner David Johnson by telephone at
(563) 589-4210 or email at diohnson(ao,cityofdubuque.org.
The City of Dubuque anticipates award of the contract to the successful consultant/firm
for this project by Apri121, 2008. Consultants/Firms whose proposals are not accepted
will be notified as soon as the selected firm has been approved.
INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSAL
To simplify the review process and to obtain the maximum degree of compatibility, the
proposal shall include the following information and shall be organized in the manner
specified below.
Letter of Transmittal
Provide a letter of transmittal briefly outlining the consultant's understanding of the work
general information regarding the firm and individuals to be involved, and the name,
address, telephone number, fax number and E-mail address for the firm's primary contact
person for the proposal.
Profile of Firm
The proposal shall include general information about the consultant/firm, the
consultants/firm's area of expertise related to this RFP, and the consultant's/firm's
official name, address and principal officers, including the qualifications of the project
manager and other key personnel who would be assigned to the project.
Qualifications
1. The proposal shall include the name of the project manager, his or her qualifications
and experience, and the names, qualifications and experience of other key personnel
who would be associated with the project. The selection of a project manager by a
consultant/firm will constitute a contractual commitment by that consultant/firm and a
substitute manager will not be allowed without prior written approval by the City of
Dubuque.
2. The proposal shall describe the experience of the consultant/firm in preparing Design
Review Guidelines. The proposal shall include at least three references of past clients
with which the consultant has had similar projects and which have been completed
within the past five years, and the names of the key personnel proposed for this
project who worked on the reference projects.
3. The proposal shall discuss the consultant's/firm's ability to integrate this project into
the consultant's/firm's present workload.
Fees and Compensation
Provide a proposed cost plus expenses budget for completion of the scope of services
with cost breakdowns by scope element. Quotation of fees and compensation shall
remain firm for a period of at least 90 days from the proposal submission deadline. Please
Downtown Design Guidelines Project RFP
Page 7
provide the proposed cost for each budget under separate cover. Initial screening will be
done by the selection committee without the benefit of knowing the proposed fee for
services.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee. Proposals will be screened to
ensure that they meet the minimum requirements of the proposal. A review of qualifying
proposals will identify the potential consultant/firm which most closely meets the needs
of the City of Dubuque. Consultants may be invited to an interview with the selection
committee. Factors to be considered by the selection committee will include the
following:
1. Qualifications and experience of the consultant/firm -reference checks, achievements
and completion of similar projects within the past five years.
2. Project Design Team -qualifications and experience of the principal consulting staff
proposed to work on the project, variety and application of various disciplines within
team, and availability and qualifications of any subcontracting staff.
3. Grasp of project requirements and understanding of project scope- the
consultant's/firm's analysis, preparation and level of interest.
4. Design approach/methodology in completing scope of services -technical
alternatives, creativity and problem solving ability.
5. Responsiveness and compatibility between consultant/firm and the City of Dubuque-
general attitude, ability to communicate.
6. Proposed schedule required to complete project-ability to complete the project on
time and within budget.
7. Proposed cost to complete project.
Proposed downtown Design Guidelines
Historic Districk Design Guidelines
Port of Dubuque Design Standards
National Register Properties
INSURANCE SCHEDULE C
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO THE
CITY OF DUBUQUE
1. All policies of insurance required hereunder shall be with an insurer authorized to do
business in Iowa. All insurers shall have a rating of A better in the current A.M. Best
Rating Guide.
2. All Certificates of Insurance required hereunder shall provide a thirty (30) day notice
of cancellation to the City of Dubuque, except for a ten (10) day notice for non-
payment, if cancellation is prior to the expiration date.
3. shall furnish a signed Cert~cate of Insurance to the City of
Dubuque, Iowa for the coverage required in Paragraph 6 below. Such Certificates
shall include copies of the following endorsements:
a) Commercial General Liability policy is primary and non-contributing.
b) Commercial General Liability additional insured endorsement.
c) Governmental Immunities Endorsement.
shall upon request, provide Certificates of Insurance for all
subcontractors and sub-sub contractors who perform work or services pursuant to
the provisions of this contract. Said certificates shall meet the insurance
requirements as required of
4. Each certificate shall be submitted to the contracting department of the City of
Dubuque.
5. Failure to provide minimum coverage shall not be deemed a waiver of these
requirements by the City of Dubuque. Failure to obtain or maintain the required
insurance shall be considered a material breach of this agreement.
6. Contractor shall be required to carry the following minimum coverage/limits or
greater if required by law or other legal agreement:
a) COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY
General Aggregate Limit $2,000,000
Products-Completed Operations Aggregate Limit $1,000,000
Personal and Advertising Injury Limit $1,000,000
Each Occurrence Limit $1,000,000
Fire Damage limit (any one occurrence) $ 50,000
Medical Payments $ 5,000
1 of 2 January 2008
INSURANCE SCHEDULE C (Continued)
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO THE
CITY OF DUBUQUE
This coverage shall be written on an occurrence form, not claims made form. All
deviations or exclusions from the standard ISO commercial general liability form CG
0001 or Business owners BP 0002 shall be clearly identified. Form CG 25 04 03 97
'Designated Location (s) General Aggregate Limit' shall be included.
Governmental Immunity endorsement identical or equivalent to form attached.
Additional Insured Requirement:
The City of Dubuque, including all its elected and appointed officials, all its
employees and volunteers, all its boards, commissions and/or authorities and
their board members, employees and volunteers shall be named as an additional
insured on General Liability including "ongoing operations" coverage equivalent
to ISO CG 20 10 07 04.
b) Automobile $1,000,000 combined single limit.
c) WORKERS COMPENSATION 8~ EMPLOYERS LIABILITY
Statutory for Coverage A
Employers Liability:
Each Accident $ 100,000
Each Employee Disease $ 100,000
Policy Limit Disease $ 500,000
d) PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY $1,000,000
e) UMBRELLA/EXCESS LIABILITY
`Coverage and/or limit of liability to be determined on a case-by-case basis by
Finance Director.
Completion Checklist
^ Certificate of Liability Insurance (2 pages)
^ Designated Location(s) General Aggregate Limit CG 25 04 03 97 (2 pages)
^ Additional Insured CG 20 10 07 04
^ Governmental Immunities Endorsement
2 of 2 January 2008