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Unified Devel. Code RFP's revised D~~%duE ~<k~ MEMORANDUM April 10, 2006 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Revised RFP for Unified Development Code Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens recommends City Council approval of the revised Request for Proposal (RFP) for preparation of a Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC will combine zoning, subdivision, sign, and historic preservation regulations into a single City Code, including addressing bluff top development and big box retailers. The RFP language related to the redevelopment of bluffland sites reads "There have been controversies over the past year with proposals for private redevelopment of bluffland sites. Facilitation of an inclusive process involving the general community and stakeholders on all sides of the issue of bluffland development vs. preservation is needed to complete a comprehensive bluff plan. The City Council is concerned about the timeliness of the resolution of this component of the ordinance based on recent requests for blufftop development and it is desired that as much as possible this issue be prioritized to be resolved as early in the process as practical." I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. f11LA ~ /11L- Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Dii~~E ~<k~ MEMORANDUM April 10, 2006 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Revised RFP for Unified Development Code Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens recommends City Council approval of the revised Request for Proposal (RFP) for preparation of a Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC will combine zoning, subdivision, sign, and historic preservation regulations into a single City Code, including addressing bluff top development and big box retailers. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. AJJ ~~()~fk Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager i5U~~E ~<J<e.-~ MEMORANDUM April 11, 2006 FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager ~ TO: SUBJECT: Revised RFP for Unified Development Code INTRODUCTION This memorandum transmits a revised Request for Proposal (RFP) for preparation of a Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC will combine zoning, subdivision, sign, and historic preservation regulations into a single City Code. BACKGROUND Input on this revised RFP was obtained from the following City staff in the Planning Services, Housing and Community Development, Legal, Economic Development, Engineering, Information Services, and Building Services Departments and the City Manager's Office: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Tim O'Brien, Assistant City Attorney Chris Kohlmann, Information Services Manager David Harris, Housing and Community Development Director Rich Russell, Building Services Manager Kyle Kritz, Associate Planner Pam Myhre, Associate Planner Ron Turner, Land Surveyor Guy Hemenway, Assistant Planner Wally Wernimont, Assistant Planner The enclosed RFP has revisions shown in red text, with language to be deleted shown as strikethrough. The principal changes in the revised RFP are as follows: ;.. Ordinance issues have been added relative to creating a comprehensive bluff plan for bluffland preservation/development; design review/guidelines; design standards Revised RFP for Unified Development Code Page 2 and impact studies/impact fees for big box retailers; and screening, setbacks and visual impacts of commercial development. }o The RFP language related to the redevelopment of bluffland sites reads: "There have been controversies over the past year with proposals for private redevelopment of bluffland sites. Facilitation of an inclusive process involving the general community and stakeholders on all sides of the issue of bluffland development vs. preservation is needed to complete a comprehensive bluff plan. The City Council is concerned about the timeliness of the resolution of this component of the ordinance based on recent requests for blufftop development and it is desired that as much as possible this issue be prioritized to be resolved as early in the process as practical." }o Collaboration with the City has been rewritten to more clearly state that adherence to the project schedule and communication with the Technical Committee is expected. }o Visual Impact Analvsis has replaced the visual preference/community image survey, to integrate visual impact analysis more closely to the development of the UDC so effects of proposed regulations can be evaluated section by section. }o Preparation of the UDC has been changed, too. Input from community stakeholders, the general public, the Citizen Advisory Committee, and the Sign Review Advisory Committee will be still sought at the beginning of the process. Then, the consultant will work with the Technical Committee during the first half of the process on research and analysis, and development of the first draft. The second half of the process will involve input from the Citizen Advisory Committee, Sign Review Advisory Committee, Zoning Advisory Commission, and City Council on the first draft. Public input will also be sought. The consultant will work with the Technical Committee to develop the final draft. Having the Technical Committee actively involved up front will facilitate review of draft regulations by citizen groups. }o On-line UDC has been expanded and more specifically defined as to the expectations for an interactive user-friendly ordinance. This option has been made a bid alternate. }o Use of City Leaal Department has been added as a bid alternative. }o Consultant experience has been clarified to reflect the range of skills the City expects will be necessary for preparation of a UDC. }o The members of the Citizen Advisorv Committee include: Name Vicky Bechen Gail Chavenelle Terry Cicciarelli Tim Conlon Carla Crahan Affiliation Past Zoning Board of Adjustment Member Past Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Past Zoning Board of Adjustment Member Developers Roundtable Participant Past Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Revised RFP for Unified Development Code Page 3 David Frommelt Jim Gonyier John Gronen David Hartig Jim Holz Marty Johnson Terry Koelker Jim Kolf Chad Leitch Dan LoBianco Don Lochner Tom Luksetich Allen May Marty McNamer Terry Mozena Pat Pearson Jim Prochaska Greg Reddick David Rusk Floyd Schneider Ron Smith Rick Stein Jim Stock David Stuart Jim Urell Dirk Voetberg John White Charles Winterwood Tony Zelinskas Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Past Zoning Advisory Commission Member Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Past Zoning Board of Adjustment Member Developers Roundtable Participant Past Zoning Advisory Commission Member Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Developers Roundtable Participant Current Historic Preservation Commission Member Past Zoning Board of Adjustment Member Current Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Developers Roundtable Participant Current Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Past Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Current Zoning Advisory Commission Member Current Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Developers Roundtable Participant Current Historic Preservation Commission Member Current Zoning Board of Adjustment Member Past Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Developers Roundtable Participant Current Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Developers Roundtable Participant )> The members of the Sian Review Advisorv Committee include: Name Wayne Buchholz Kevin Eipperle Bill Gasper James Graves Dick Hartig Dan Lange Jack McCullough Mike Ruden Jim Schumacher Sue Wilke Affiliation Scenic Byways Rep Past Historic Preservation Commission Member Current Zoning Board of Adjustment Board Member On-Premise Sign Contractor Past Zoning Advisory Commission Member On-Premise Sign Contractor On-Premise Sign Contractor Current Zoning Board of Adjustment Board Member Off-Premise Sign Contractor Past Historic Preservation Commission Member Revised RFP for Unified Development Code Page 4 BUDGET IMPACT The City Council budgeted $130,000 for updating the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance. The City has expended approximately $50,000 for the contract with Lane Kendig, Inc. This contract has been terminated, and the City has demanded full reimbursement. The remaining balance is $80,000. The City Council approved the $10,000 improvement request for preparation of a comprehensive bluff plan in the FY07 Planning Services Department Operating Budget. City staff recommends that creation of a comprehensive bluff plan be included in the preparation of the UDC. This request brings the UDC budget to $90,000. City staff estimates that preparation of a UDC will cost approximately $150,000. The $60,000 needed to provide the estimated budget will come from anticipated land sale income relating to the McGraw-Hili development in the Port of Dubuque. PROJECT TIMELlNE I anticipate the following time frame for consultant selection and project completion: April 18, 2006 RFP issued. May 26, 2006 Proposals due. June 2, 2006 Consultant selection committee creates short list of firms to interview. June 9-21, 2006 Interviews held and references checked. June 27,2006 Consultant selection committee recommendation to City Manager. July 5, 2006 Consultant selection committee recommendation to City Council for contract award. August 7,2006 Contract for professional services finalized and signed. It is the intent of the City staff that the project will be completed within approximately 12 to 18 months of signing a contract. RECOMMENDA nON I recommend that the City Council approve the revised RFP for preparation of a UDC, and authorize $10,000 from the Comprehensive Bluff Plan FY07 budget improvement request and $60,000 from the McGraw-Hili land sale be added to the remaining balance of $80,000 for this project. Revised RFP for Unified Development Code Page 5 Enclosure cc: Barry lindahl, City Attorney Tim O'Brien, Assistant City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Kyle Kritz, Associate Planner Chris Kohlmann, Information Services Manager David Harris, Housing & Community Development Director Rich Russell, Building Services Manager Dave Heiar, Economic Development Director Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer Ron Turner, Land Surveyor Guy Hemenway, Assistant Planner Wally Wernimont, Assistant Planner City of Dubuque, Iowa DATE: April 18, 2006 Request for Proposals PREPARATION OF UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE INTRODUCTION The City of Dubuque, Iowa is soliciting proposals from qualified professional consulting firms to prepare a Unified Development Code (UDC). Our intent is to provide a user-friendly ordinance format that implements the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan, recognizes the diverse physical characteristics of Dubuque's neighborhoods, and encourages planned and managed growth. The City would like to combine zoning, subdivision, sign, and historic preservation regulations in a UDC to meet this goal. The last comprehensive update of the Zoning Ordinance was in 1985. The Zoning Ordinance has been amended frequently in piecemeal fashion since then. The last comprehensive update of the Subdivision Ordinance was in 1991. The last comprehensive update of the Historic Preservation Ordinance was in 2001. The Dubuque Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1995 and updated in 2001-2002. An update of the Comprehensive Plan is underway in 2006. As principal tools for implementing the Comprehensive Plan, the Dubuque City Council has determined that the Zoning Ordinance and the Subdivision Ordinance need to be rewritten as a UDC. This update is supported by the City's Long Range Planning Advisory Commission, Zoning Advisory Commission, and Zoning Board of Adjustment. It is anticipated that the time frame for the project will be approximately 12 -18 months following the signing of a contract. The selected consultant will be expected to complete the contracted scope of work within the specified time frame, under the general direction and coordination of the City's Planning Services Department as authorized by the City Council. The Planning Services Department provides staff support for the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Long Range Planning Advisory Commission, Zoning Advisory Commission, and Historic Preservation Commission at their monthly meetings. The Planning Services staff facilitates and coordinates the Development Review Committee, which includes staff from the City's Building Services, Engineering, Water, and Fire Departments. The Committee holds weekly meetings to review planned unit developments, subdivision plats and site development plans with developers, architects, and engineers. 1 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 nearly $100 million and funds a full range of services. The City's web site is www.citvofdubuaue.ora. The community has a stable and diversified manufacturing base and a growing service sector. Dubuque is the major retail, medical, education and employment center for the tri-state area. Tourism continues to be a major economic force in the community. City government works in collaboration with the private sector to promote economic development. The job creation and unemployment numbers show that Dubuque is holding steady in a very volatile economic climate. Dubuque's construction numbers reveal an even more encouraging picture. Meeting Development Needs The City's long-range goals include maintaining compact and contiguous development; accommodating projected residential, commercial and industrial expansion; and facilitating planned and managed growth on the City's fringe. The city is restricted from expansion on its east side due to the Mississippi River, and is challenged by rugged terrain and limited roadway systems on the north and south. Since 1997, the City has spent approximately $13 million for land acquisition, water and sewer main extensions, construction of City streets, and site development costs for the Dubuque Industrial Center West. These investments on the west side have opened up potentially thousands of acres of land to meet development needs, with the capacity to serve those needs. From 1990-1998 the City of Dubuque averaged 350,000 square feet of non-residential construction each year. In the five-year period from 1999-2003, the City of Dubuque averaged nearly 1 million (988,203) square feet of non-residential construction each year. The year 2003 also saw continued growth in the number of residential units with 182 units being constructed. This is the second highest number since 1995 (with last year's 192 being the highest), and 40% higher than the seven previous years' average of 130 units per year. Downtown Revitalization In addition to extending City service for new industrial parks and planning for development of the urban fringe, the City of Dubuque has continued and strengthened its commitment to funding and partnerships for downtown revitalization and historic preservation. Partnerships and City investments have been key in the revitalization of Downtown. Since 1985, the following investment has occurred in Downtown Dubuque: 2 Fac;:ade Building New Real Estate Public Net New Renovation Rehabilitation Construction Sales Improvements Jobs $4,498,705 $61,800,327 $117,317,663 $76,173,696 $26,640,104 +1,744 57% since 83% since 58% since 78% since 43% since 1999 2000 1998 1999 2000 ($34,930,319) ($97,448,066) ($44,213,844) ($20,892,079) (755) Development Pattern Dubuque is Iowa's oldest city, and has a substantial collection of historically and architecturally significant structures. There are seven National Register districts in Dubuque, with six of them in and around Downtown. The downtown area includes the central business district, transitional mixed-use neighborhoods north, west and east of downtown, and a substantial industrial district east of downtown. Downtown Dubuque contains many institutional, commercial, and industrial buildings that are architecturally significant and reflect a variety of styles and materials. Other Downtown buildings house a mix of uses, with first floor retail/office uses and opportunities for uses on the upper floors. Consequently, Dubuque's development pattern varies within the corporate limits. The historic downtown neighborhoods include some two- and three-story residential buildings that are still fully residential. Other older neighborhoods include small lots in an urban street/alley grid pattern with a mix of commercial and industrial uses along with neighborhood churches, parks and schools. Newer neighborhoods reflect larger single-family lots in suburban-style subdivisions with curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs, largely separated from non-residential uses. In addition to large brick warehouses in the industrial area adjacent to Downtown, Dubuque has large-scale industrial parks along its riverfront and on the south and west ends of the community. Riverfront redevelopment is underway, with a concentration of commercial and recreational attractions. Neighborhood commercial areas are found along minor arterials throughout much of the city. Big box retailers are located in planned unit developments along major arterials on the city's west side. Campuses for colleges and hospitals generally are centrally located in the city. Most vacant developable land lies on the City's urban fringe. There is very little vacant developable land in the core of the city. The City of Dubuque has employed smart growth principles in planning and managing the community's growth and development for years before smart growth became a national buzzword. Since 1995, the Dubuque Comprehensive Plan has included goals and objectives that incorporate "smart growth" principles, such as encouraging City- County cooperation, and developing policies that enhance development of fringe areas and avoid unregulated sprawl. 3 City and State Code Provisions Cities have been granted the authority to plan and to zone in Chapter 364 (Home Rule Powers) and Chapter 414 (Municipal Zoning) of the Code of Iowa. They have been granted the power to promote health, safety, and morals for the general welfare of the community. Chapter 354 of the Iowa Code stipulates requirements and grants authority to cities and counties for the platting, division and subdivision of land. Chapter 303.34 (Areas of historical significance) of the Iowa Code states that a historic preservation commission shall review alterations to structures in historic districts. The Long Range Planning Advisory Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on updates to the Dubuque Comprehensive Plan, new and amended urban renewal and urban revitalization plans, the recommended five-year capital improvement program, and other special planning studies as directed by the City Council. The Zoning Advisory Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on applications for rezonings, planned unit developments, subdivision plats, and amendments to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances. The Zoning Board of Adjustment makes decisions on applications for conditional uses, special exceptions, and variances from the Zoning Ordinance requirements for bulk standards, off-street parking, and signs. The Board of Adjustment hears appeals of staffs interpretations of the Zoning Ordinance. The Board is a quasi-judicial body. Decisions by the Board are appealed to district court, not the Council. The Historic Preservation Commission conducts design reviews of proposed exterior alterations of buildings, signs, and structures that required a building permit and are visible from the public right-of-way in the City's designated historic preservation districts. HPC design review decisions may be appealed t the City Council, and then to district court. The HPC also serves as an advisory design review body to the City Council for public works projects in the historic districts. Under City Code, any revision to the existing Zoning Ordinance or the existing Subdivision Ordinance requires first a public hearing before the Zoning Advisory Commission, and then a public hearing before the City Council. The Zoning Advisory Commission provides a recommendation to the City Council, who makes the decision. Under Iowa Code, the City of Dubuque has sole jurisdiction for all rezonings, planned unit developments, and subdivisions within the corporate limits. Under Iowa Code, the City of Dubuque has extraterritorial jurisdiction for subdivision review and approval within two miles of the corporate limits. The Dubuque City Council adopted a development policy for this two-mile fringe area in 2004. ORDINANCE ISSUES CONCERNS 4 Issues Concerns with the ourront Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances have emerged over time from City staff, City officials, customers, and community stakeholders. For example: ~ The Zoning Ordinance is often difficult for the public and City staff to use and to interpret. It is not organized in an "easy to access" form, and lacks adequate graphics, charts, and other illustrations. ~ The Subdivision Ordinance is a chapter of the Dubuque City Code that is related to but not referenced in the Zoning Ordinance, which is an Appendix to the City Code. Subdivision regulations are not incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance. ~ The Zoning Ordinance has conflicting, unclear, outdated, and/or confusing use categories, definitions, and provisions, and often an "unwritten" need to reference back to other sections of the Ordinance or other chapters of the City Code to fully comply with all applicable City regulations. ~ The Zoning Ordinance lacks an amortization clause for nonconformities. ~ The Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances do not always adequately address land use, historic preservation, and urban design objectives of the Comprehensive Plan such as encouraging a more urban streetscape, mixed use, downtown housing, flexible site development, alternative transportation, and smart growth. ~ A concern exists about the number of conditional rezonings and spot zonings, and having multiple zoning designations for a single lot. ~ There are related issues in other sections of the City Codes, in City Engineering Standards, and in City plans and policies which necessitate updating the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, including: access management, parking, accessory uses, grading, excavation, erosion control, storm water runoff, signs, traffic, landscaping, street trees, outdoor storage, screening, lighting, dust, and noise. ~ There have been controversies over the past year with proposals for private redevelopment of bluffland sites. Facilitation of an inclusive process involving the general community and stakeholders on all sides of the issue of bluffland development vs. preservation is needed to complete a comprehensive bluff plan. The City Council is concerned about the timeliness of the resolution of this component of the ordinance based on recent requests for blufftop development and it is desired that as much as possible this issue be prioritized to be resolved as early in the process as practical. :>> In response to proposals over the past few years to expand and relocate junk and salvage operations, there has been interest in creating design review, guidelines, and standards for screening, setbacks, and visual impacts of commercial and industrial developments, particularly for outdoor storage. 5 ~ There are three sets of regulations affecting signs. Two are administered by the Building Services Department, and the third is a section in the Zoning Ordinance. These regulations are overly complicated and at times contradictory. ~ There is interest in design standards for big box retailers, and any impact studies or impact fees that have been implemented as a result of the location of a big box retailer. ~ The City Council desires a UDC that results in quality development, that provides for flexibility in development design, and that streamlines the development review process. At the same time, the City Council wants the city of Dubuque to remain competitive for growth and expansion of local and regional residential, office, retail, commercial, and industrial markets. PROJECT OBJECTIVES Conform with Local. State and Federal Codes ./ Ensure the UDC conforms to the City of Dubuque Comprehensive Plan. ./ Ensure the UDC conforms to the nuances of the Iowa Code. ./ Update regulations in recognition of recent Iowa and Federal case law, including day care, group homes, mobile homes, manufactured homes, churches, Federal Fair Housing requirements and the Americans with Disabilities Act. ./ Ensure that rights and responsibilities of property owners and of the City enforcement staff are clearly stated to avoid, whenever possible, disputes of interpretations. Be Relevant for Dubuque ./ Prepare a UDC that is responsive to contemporary development trends, recognizes the diverse physical characteristics of Dubuque's neighborhoods (e.g. street patterns, building types, density etc.), and encourages quality development. ./ Create coordinated regulations that facilitate development effectively, enhance neighborhood quality, and result in planned and managed growth. ./ Develop regulations that acknowledge and accommodate Dubuque's three distinct geographical areas as well as potential growth areas in the environs. Be User-Friend Iv 6 '" A customer-friendly ordinance format that is easy to use and organized to provide greater clarity for all readers, using charts whenever possible for easier reference to individual requirements. '" An illustrated UDC that graphically explains zoning, subdivision and site development requirements in simple, understandable terms, reduces the need for formal code interpretations, and refers to other sections of the UDC and other chapters of the City Code. '" A reorganized code available to the general public on-line at the City's web site, in an "easy access, easy lookup" format with electronic query capability, by search terms and by process type, that allows future amendments to be easily incorporated into the on-line presentation format. Streamline the Process '" Streamline the tasks undertaken by the Zoning Advisory Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment and City staff by crafting regulations that reflect the Comprehensive Plan's goals and objectives. '" Reduce the case loads of the Zoning Advisory Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, City Council and City staff, by crafting regulations that require fewer requests for variances, special exceptions and rezonings. '" Identify opportunities for process simplification and flexibility, consistent with identified community goals and project objectives. CRITICAL ISSUES INVENTORY The consultant will prepare a written inventory of the critical issues that must be addressed and resolved to ensure that the UDC is complete in its scope and coverage and addresses the Ordinance Concerns and Project Objectives listed above and identified during the Background Research and Evaluation phases. The consultant will review this written evaluation with the Technical Committee. As a preliminary guide, the following subject areas are considered priority areas of interest: '" Provide organization/format for combining the Zoning, Subdivision, and Historic Preservation Ordinances and various sign regulations into a user-friendly UDC. '" Make the final document easy to follow, highly illustrated, and available on the web. '" Review, improve and update lists of permitted uses and standards for each zoning district, recognizing different patterns of development, scale and massing. 7 ./ Provide clear statements of which uses are permitted in each district and what standards must be met, rather than reference back to other sections of the code. ./ Organize the standards specifically addressing signs in each district (what type permitted, where permitted, height, number, size, etc.). ./ Review, improve and update definitions, to assure clarity, necessity and compatibility with commonly accepted definitions. ./ Ensure that definitions are consistent with other related ordinances and codes. ./ Reference other sections of the revised code and other chapters of the City Code when appropriate. ./ Evaluate Planned Unit Development (PUD) options, "buildable area" provisions, and floor area ratio provisions. ./ Ensure density, setbacks, and other dimensional requirements fit with the existing and desired neighborhood scale. ./ Review, improve and update standards for site plan and subdivision reviews, and modernize existing zoning and subdivision development standards. ./ Revise existing provisions regarding site development review and evaluate the creation of new or improved flexible and illustrated site development standards, ./ Evaluate options for design review process, guidelines, and standards for screening, setbacks and visual impacts of commercial and industrial developments, particularly for outdoor storage. ./ Review, improve and update parking standards and requirements to prevent excessive and unnecessary parking areas, particularly in the central business district and surrounding historic neighborhoods. ./ Evaluate current ordinance provisions pertaining to inclusionary zoning and housing replacement. ./ Evaluate potential accessory apartment provisions. ./ Evaluate smart growth/green building design options. ./ Evaluate open space protection and bluffland preservation/development regulations, policies, and other appropriate measures. ./ Evaluate design standards for big box retailers, and any impact studies or impact fees that have been implemented as a result of the location of a big box retailer. 8 PROJECT SCOPE OF SERVICES The following information describes specific minimum components which should be included in the Scope of Services. The consultant should describe the means or strategy by which the consultant would satisfy the Scope of Services, and/or an alternative or hybrid strategy recommended by the consultant - what process and outcomes the consultant would suggest to make the project better. The City is open to suggestions other than those listed in this proposal, which consultants believe would be of value to producing a UDC. The final scope of work is expected to be finalized with the selected consultant. Collaboration with City Citv Interface: The consultant and the Planning Services Staff will cooperatively interface with the Technical Committee and other City officials, including: . Meet with the Technical Committee to review and discuss "in process" and completed work plan components; . Conduct public meetings with community stakeholders and the general public to solicit input with assistance from the Technical Committee; . Solicit comments from the Zoning Advisory Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and Long Range Planning Advisory Commission to discuss existing zoning and subdivision issues and potential strategies and tools for consideration; . Conduct regular update meetings with the Planning Services Manager, Corporation Counsel, and City Manager; . Submit written project status reports monthly to the Planning Services Manager; . Conduct public meetings with appointed and elected officials to discuss completed work plan components prior to making final recommendations; and · Prepare the presentation of the final draft for adoption and attend the public hearings of the Zoning Advisory Commission and City Council. Proiect Schedule: The consultant and the Planning Services Staff will cooperatively establish a project schedule that will identify at a minimum: . delivery dates for all work products and project status reports; . meeting schedules with the Technical Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee, and Sign Review Advisory Subcommittee to monitor and assist in the progress of the project; · public meetings with community stakeholders and the general public; . focus group meetings with key community stakeholders for creating a comprehensive bluff plan for bluffland preservation/development; . work sessions with the Zoning Advisory Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and Long Range Planning Advisory Commission; 9 . monthly written project status reports to the Planning Services Manager measuring progress towards each of the specific goals/tasks of the work program; . regular update meetings in person or by teleconference with the Planning Services Manager, Corporation Counsel, and City Manager; and . public hearings with the Zoning Advisory Commission and City Council for review/adoption of the first draft, proposed final draft, and final UDC. Presentations: Presentation of the first draft, proposed final draft, and final draft for review / recommendation by the Zoning Advisory Commission and review / adoption by the City Council will be a collaborative effort by the consultant and the Planning Services Department. The appropriate members of the consultant team shall be responsible for facilitating all public work sessions and/or hearings before the Zoning Advisory Commission and City Council regarding review and approval of the UDC. Assistance from the Technical Committee will also be provided as needed. The consultant will be responsible for preparation of all necessary and associated correspondence, documents, staff reports, and detailed minutes of public workshops meetings. The Planning Services Department will be responsible for scheduling and managing the public hearings, interactions with public officials, publication of hearing notices as required by Iowa Code, and transcribing meeting minutes. Work Products: Review copies of all work products must should be provided to the Planning Services Department in hard copy and/or electronic format using Microsoft Word in accordance with the established project schedule. If The charts, graphics, illustrations, maps and/or photographs are provided through the process, these products must should be delivered in hard copy and/or electronic formats compatible with the City's computer software and hardware and in accordance with the established project schedule. 10 Project Work Program The anticipated planning process Project Work Program for preparing the UDC will involve the consultant working principally with a Technical Committee for the first half of the project, after initial input meetings with the Citizen Advisory Committee, Sign Review Advisory Committee, and other key community stakeholders such as focus groups meetings for a comprehensive bluff plan. The second half of the project will involve testing the draft and final versions with key City staff, key community stakeholders, community groups, Zoning Advisory Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and City Council. and periodically with a Citizen /\dvisory COFRmittee and a Sign Review SubcoFRFRittee. Technical Committee: The consultant will work closely on the preparation of the UDC with a Technical Committee with staff from the following City Departments: . Planning Services . Building Services . Legal . Engineering . Economic Development . Housing and Community Development . Information Services (for UDC computerization and web-based applications) Work Proaram: The consultant will prepare a draft Work Program for the UDC preparation process, including necessary research and analysis, detailed schedules of dates, document delivery dates and document review periods, administrative meetings, public participation workshops and activities, time schedule and document preparation milestones, public meeting dates, City Council work sessions, public hearings before the Zoning Advisory Commission and City Council, etc. The draft Work Program will be presented to City Manager and City Council for review and approval. Background Research & Analysis The consultant will need to conduct background research into the community's characteristics, planning documents, and regulatory codes and processes. Document review will include the following: ~ Conduct Review with the Technical Committee, a detailed analysis of critical issues related to witR the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance identified by the Planning Services staff. ~ Review with the Technical Committee, an analysis and inventory of the City of Dubuque's existing development patterns prepared by the Planning Services staff to identify opportunities for ordinance revisions. 11 ~ Review with the Technical Committee, an evaluation of Zoning Board of Adjustment cases and limited setback waivers prepared by the Planning Services staff to identify opportunities for revisions of zoning and sign regulations. ~ Review with the Technical Committee, the following plans and studies to ensure that the UDC is consistent with and implements appropriate elements of these documents: o Dubuque Comprehensive Plan o 2001 Affordable Owner-Occupied Housing Committee Report o 2004 Downtown Master Plan o Urban Renewal plans o 2006 Annexation Study Update ~ Review with the Technical Committee, the present zoning classification boundaries as shown on the Official Zoning Map and the Zoning Ordinance provisions in contemplation of new or reorganized zoning districts and overlays. ~ Review the 2002 CompFOl:1ensive Plan in suffioient detail to ensur-o that the update of tl:1e Or-Elinanoes is oonsistent v.'ith and implements the Plan's J'lolioies, geals and oBjecti'Jes. ~ Review with the Technical Committee, the sign regulations in the Building Code, and identify how to consolidate the City's three sets of sign regulations into one. ~ Review r-ooommenaations of the 2001 ,^Jfordable Owner Oooupied Housin!l Cemmittee, and inoorporate aJ'lplioable recommendations into the Ordinanse update. ~ Review !loals ana oBjeoti'Jes of the 2001 Downtown Master Plan, and inte!lrate applioable !loals ana oBjectives into the Ordinanse update. ~ Review with the Technical Committee, the City Engineering Department's subdivision and site development design standards. ~ Review the land use ana development J'lrovisions of the City's variol,ls Urban Renewal plans for ovorlappin!l and oontradictin!l rcquir-cments. ~ Review the regulatory options for developing a comprehensive bluff plan for bluffland preservation/development. ).- Review options for design review process, standards, and guidelines for screening, setbacks, and visual impact of commercial and industrial developments, particularly for outdoor storage. 12 y Review options for design standards for big box retailers, and any impact studies or impact fees that have been implemented as a result of the location of a big box retailer. y Complete field studies with Planning Services staff to evaluate current conditions and observe unique conditions and/or circumstances; review with the Technical Committee. Evaluation of Ordinances and Standards: The consultant will prepare a written evaluation of the Background Research findings above. Zoning OrdinaRoe, Sl,lselivisiaR OreliRaRoe, sign r-egl,llations, City Engineering Department's sl,lselivision and site develapment design standards, and Offioial Zoning Map. This written evaluation will include detailed commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of the existing ordinances and standards with particular regard to comprehensiveness, clarity, and coverage gaps. It will identify conflicting, unclear, outdated and/or confusing use categories, definitions, or provisions in the ordinances and standards, and ways to resolve and clarify the same utilizing current state-of-the-art relevant zoning and subdivision techniques, technologies, and tools that should be considered for incorporation into the new UDC ordinance based on the evaluation completed. The consultant will be expected to bring considerable experience with effective approaches and relevant regulations used by other communities and to evaluate such approaches for their appropriate applicability to the new ordinance. will be e'/aluated and oonsider-eel as to their appropriateness for inolusiaR in the Dubuque ordinanoe. This will facilitate providing the City of Dubuque with options on different approaches. Recommended options must be evaluated in terms of their visual impact, fiscal impact, and regulatory impact, including consideration of installation and maintenance costs, land and development costs, and costlbenefit of using new technologies such as green building design options, pervious pavement, etc. The oaRsultant will work with tAe Teohnioal Cammittee and Citizen .'\dvisory Committee to identify opportunities for prooess simplifjoation, oonsisteRt witA identified goals. ,II, preliminary analysis has identifieel issues in the existing Orelinanoes that should se addr-essed as part of the update (see Or-dinanoe issl,les listed above). Ne'.... T eohniEll,les: The oonsultant ...:ill pr-epar-e a written aRalysis of the ourr-eRt state of the art relevaRt zoning and subelivision teohniques, teoARologies, and taals that should be oonsidereel for inoorporation iRto the nev: ordinan6e eased on the e'.'all,lation oompleted. Impast .'\Ralvsis: Prepare an impaot analysis af various site ele'/elopment staRelarels in terms of their installation and mainteRan6e oosts, land and development oasts, and oast/benefit of l,lsing new teohRalegies suoh as gr-eeR building desi!:!R options, pervious pavemeRt, eto. 13 Other Data Collection!Research: The oonsultant will undertake tl:1e sallestion of data and other af)prof)riato r-csearoh suffioient to ensum that all nesessal)' information for the update is available for oonsideration in the drafting prooess. Visual PrefereRGe/CemmuRity Image SUFVey The City of DubllEllle wallld like to Ilse a visual preferenoe/-community image survey as a f)lanning anel public partioipation tool for UDC. One survey would be on site de'/elopment elesign, anel the other wOllld be on signs. The surveys oan be ooml3ineel. The foous of Dubuque's survey willl3e an site clevelopment design. This survey would The consultant will be expected to use contrasting images of various types of site development design for signs, building designs, screening, landscaping, and parking lots; and different development types such as industrial, waterfront, neighborhood commercial, various densities of residential, etc. The images ...:ith the highest negative and highest pasitive averages indioate where them is the most oonsensus. .'\fter learning about clevelof)ment design alternatives thrallgl:1 the survey, oommunity members tl:1en oan develop a common vision of the physisal ohar-aoteristios they 'Nould like to see in the futur-c design of their oommunity. This vision oan then be inoorf)orated into the oommllnity's zoning and subdivisisA regulations and site develof)ment standar-cls. The intent of the survey will be to iclentify the characteristics aor-ess tl:1e community that define and distiAgllisl:1 a neighborhood or development tyl3e from one another for the f)urposes of: · establisl:1ing af)prof)riato density, setl3asks, and other dimensional reEluirements; . e'/aluating possible Fe delineation of zoning distriots; and . or-eating flexible site ele'.<elof)ment standards that ar-e sensiti'/e to surrouAeling laAel Ilses and site ohaHloteristios to ensure oompatiBle clevelopment. The prsl3asal should inolude tl:1e methodology to be useel the visual pFeforenselcommunity image survey. The consultant will review this written Evaluation of Ordinances and Standards with the Technical Committee. Preparation of UDC Workina Outline: With advice and assistance from the Technical Committee and Citizen .'\elvisory Committee, the consultant will prepare a working outline of the UDC listing the pertinent sections and the scope of their coverage. Following the City's review and approval of the outline, the consultant shall prepare a first draft of the update. 14 First Draft: The first draft of the UDC will incorporate the results from the Research & Analysis tasks above and any supplementary material; the draft UDC must include references to the current Ordinances so that comparisons can be made. The first draft of the UDC will be discussed in detail with the Technical Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee, Zoning Advisory Commission, City Manager and City Council. The Sign Review Advisory Subcommittee will be included in the review of the revised sign regulations. The first draft of the UDC will also be presented by the consultant and the Technical Committee in appropriate ways to the general public, key stakeholders, and community groups for review and commentary. All of the existing, updated and new sections of the UDC will be reviewed with the Technical Committee, and then prepared to reflect the work program, public input received, and input and direction from public officials. The UDC should establish internal consistency, be at or above industry standards, and ensure legal compliance with all current State and Federal Laws. Prooosed Final Draft: Taking into account the commentary received concerning the first draft of the UDC, the consultant will prepare a proposed final draft of the UDC. The same review mechanisms applicable to the first draft will be utilized for the proposed final draft. The consultant will review the proposed final draft with the Technical Committee. The consultant will provide the Planning Services Department with two Microsoft Word computer disk file copies of the proposed final draft of the update: one in a strike- ouUnew text version (with graphics, charts, and illustrations), and one final clean-copy version (with graphics, charts, and illustrations), that can be loaded onto the City's web site. Final Publication: Taking into account the commentary received concerning the final UDC as adopted by the City Council, a final submission, complete with maps, graphics, charts, and illustrations suitable for publication and distribution in both hard copy and in electronic format on CD will be provided to the City for its review and approval. The consultant will provide a final copy of the adopted UDC, in the following formats: a) In reproducible paper format, including all text, maps, charts and drawings; b) In electronic format, acceptable to the City Clerk's Office, which allows the City of Dubuque to maintain, publish and distribute the updated Ordinance(s) on paper, on the Internet, and on text-searchable CD-ROMs. Public Involvement .^.n extensive pUBlio partioipation program is aRtioipated. The consultant will be expected to work closely with the general plll3lis, Technical Committee, Citizen Advisery 15 Committeo, aRe! ~ublio offioials for the duration of the process, attend all meetings and workshops, and facilitate "hands-on" programs that will involve workshop participants. Public Outreach: With the expected high level of general public involvement or interest in the update process, a methodology of oomR'l(,lRioation public outreach, beyond the public meeting format, must be included in the proposal. Public outreach may be accomplished through public forums/hearing notices, web site announcements, media releases, cable television announcements, targeted mailings, etc. The City of Dubuque has a website and a local access channel available to assist in the communication effort. Citywide community workshops / meetings and stakeholder / focus group meetings are anticipated to solicit input on issues that may be relevant to r-esidontial neighborhood associations, City Boards and Commissions, and the business community. It is also anticipated that smaller group workshops may be necessary with selected participant groups to focus on the review of individual sections, such sign contractors to discuss the sign regulations. Interviews of key staff and stakeholders may also be appropriate. It is expected that all of these meetings would be attended by one or more members of the consultant team. The goal is that citizens are given the greatest possible opportunity to have input into the UDC through public forums, workshops, and on-line submissions. The consultant should suggest innovative and proven communication methods. Such alternatives should be clearly described in the proposal. The proposal should include the projected number of public meetings / presentations to be held by the consultant. Citizen Advisorv Committee: The consultant will work with a Citizen Advisory Committee. The Citizen Advisory Committee will provide initial input on issues and process, react to first draft UDC and proposed final draft UDC, and then forward recommendations to the Zoning Advisory Commission and City Council as part of the process. The Citizen Advisory Committee will include representatives from these key stakeholder groups: . Developers . Architects . Engineers . Realtors / Appraisers . Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce · Greater Dubuque Development Corporation (regional economic development) . Zoning Board of Adjustment . Long Range Planning Advisory Commission . Zoning Advisory Commission . Historic Preservation Commission Sian Review Advisorv Subcommittee: As part of a comprehensive review and update of the Dubuque City Code, City staff identified the need to coordinate and consolidate 16 three sets of sign regulations. A Sign Review Advisory Subcommittee will provide initial input on issues and process, react to the first draft and the proposed final draft of the consolidated sign regulations, and then forward recommendations to the Technical Committee and Citizen Advisory Committee as part of the process. The Sign Review Advisory Subcommittee will include representatives from these key stakeholder groups: . Building Services Department . Planning Services Department . Scenic By-Ways . Zoning Board of Adjustment . Historic Preservation Commission . On-Premise Sign Industry . Off-Premise Sign Industry Comprehensive Bluff Plan: As part of the process for preparing a comprehensive bluff plan there are a number of key community stakeholders that should be invited to focus group sessions for bluffland preservation/development. These stakeholders include: the City Council, Long Range Planning Advisory Commission, Zoning Advisory Commission, Environmental Stewardship Commission, Historic preservation Commission, Four Mounds Foundation, Preserve Our Bluffs, Dubuque Main Street Ltd., Neighborhood Associations, Board of Realtors, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, Dubuque County Historical Society, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, Dubuque Homebuilders, Dubuque Federation of Labor, and Alliance for Construction Excellence. Additional community stakeholders may be identified during the process. Additional Resources: Additional resources from the City organization and the community will be drawn on as needed for the update process, including: . City Manager's Office (Neighborhood Development Specialist, GIS coordinator, and Public Information Officer) . Human Rights Department (fair housing) . Legal Department . Health Services Department (related code enforcement) . Planning Services Department (zoning enforcement and administration) . Board of Directors of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce . Board of Directors of the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation . Board of Directors of Dubuque Main Street Ltd. (downtown redevelopment) . Members of the Developers' Roundtable. Public Records and Ownership Any and all information, in any form, supplied to the City under this Request for Proposal or any subsequent agreement shall become the property of the City of Dubuque upon delivery and is subject to the Iowa Open Records Law, Iowa Code Chapter 22. 17 On-line UDC (optional quote) Devolol3FRent and subFRissioR of aR iRteraGtive wob based versien of tho UDC will bo provides to the City for its r-o'lie'l.' aRS al3l3r-o':al. The consultant or sub-consultant shall provide a user-friendly, interactive UDC application accessible via the internet (web-based). Scope of this project shall include at a minimum application design, application creation including but not limited to a fully searchable, web-based UDC application with linking capabilities, application installation, implementation planning, and creation of a user-interface for updating. The UDC application shall be fully documented and supported by the consultant or sub- consultant with easy to use and searchable help functions for both the use and administration of the site. Contractor or sub-contractor shall convert all data contained in the UDC including but not limited to text and graphical images to the web-based UDC application. The conversion of the data to be used in the web-based UDC application should be shown as a separately priced line item in the proposal. Updating of information contained in the web-based UDC application should not require the use of a web master or anyone with advanced technical or programming skills. It is desirable that the updates be done by City of Dubuque personnel so that updates can be done on a timely basis and quickly verified for accuracy of content. It is desirable that the updating interface has the look and feel of common Microsoft Office products such as Word and use common templates for the addition or change of new features of the UDC. A spell check function must be included on any portions of the update interface that involve text based information. Access to the updating interface should be secure with logins and access maintained by a City of Dubuque systems administrator. The web-based UDC application must operate as a hosted application on servers designated by the consultant or sub-consultant. Consultant or sub-consultant must provide information regarding the servers, backup schedules, off-site storage and hot sites maintained to insure availability of the application and the data. Support must be available to respond to questions and issues Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm CST. Holiday and weekend support terms should be stated and separately priced. Data contained in the UDC web-based application remains the property of the City of Dubuque. In the event that the consultant or sub-consultant cease to do business or be able to provide the necessary support of the applications created the consultant or sub- consultant agree to provide any data to the City in a common digital format contained in 18 a common machine readable format. Consultant or sub-consultant should describe how this would be accomplished and any costs associated with doing such. It is desirable that this application operate as its own domain. The City of Dubuque will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining any domain names associated with this site. Any links on the site shall be subject to the City's current website linking policy. The consultant or sub-consultant will be responsible for any technical domain management responsibilities. The City desires a customized web-based UDC application and would not be interested in entertaining proposals utilizing current "off-the-shelf' web-based searchable code applications such as Sterling Codifiers. CITY RESOURCES The City will make its ArcView GIS mapping and data analysis capabilities available for this project as well as staff contact/resource persons in both the Planning Services Department and in the Legal Department. Material included with the RFP: Zoning Ordinance and Official Zoning Map Subdivision Ordinance Building Services Department's sign regulations Historic Preservation Ordinance Comprehensive Plan Material to be provided or readilv available: City of Dubuque Code of Ordinances Affordable Owner-Occupied Housing Committee Report Downtown Dubuque Master Plan Engineering Department's subdivision and site development design standards Additional information can also be obtained from the Planning Services Department's section of the City of Dubuque website, www.citvofdubuaue.ora. INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN PROPOSAL The Proposal should address all of the points outlined in this Request for Proposal (RFP) excluding any cost information which should only be included in a separate sealed envelope labeled "UDC Cost Estimate". The proposal should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straight forward, concise description of the firm's capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. To simplify the review process and to obtain the maximum degree of comparability, the proposal shall include the following information and shall be organized in the manner 19 specified below. While additional data may be presented, the following subjects must be included. They represent the criteria against which the proposal will be evaluated. Letter of Transmittal: Provide a letter of transmittal briefly outlining the consultant's understanding of the work and the name, address, telephone number, fax number and email address of the consultant's primary contact person. Profile of Firm: Provide general information about the firm and its area of expertise as regards this RFP, including the qualifications of the Project Manager and other key personnel who would be assigned to the project. State the size of the firm, the size of the firm's professional staff, the location of the office from which the work on this project is to be performed, and the number and nature of professional staff to be employed on a part-time basis. Indicate other information that will reflect the philosophy of the firm regarding its approach to this project and how this approach will result in the successful completion of the project. Discuss the firm's ability to integrate this project into the firm's present workload. A statement should also be included with regard to whether the consulting team currently has the capacity to undertake the project or whether it intends to engage additional staff or team members. Proposal Qualifications: It is the City's expectation that qualified consultants will assemble a team with education and experience in urban planning and land use regulation; evaluation, updating, and administration of unified development codes and land use regulations -- especially zoning, subdivision, sign and historic preservation ordinances; land use law; civil engineering; design review, GIS, group facilitation, oral and written presentation skills, and graphic arts. List the names of the anticipated Project Manager and other key personnel associated with the project and their qualifications and experience. Identify the principal supervisory and management staff, including partners, managers, other supervisors and subject matter experts who would be assigned to this project. Provide as much information as possible regarding the number, qualifications, training, and any relevant continuing and professional education of the specific staff to be assigned to this project. Project Manager, partners, management, other supervisory staff and specialists may be changed if those personnel leave the firm. These personnel may also be changed for other reasons with express written permission of the City of Dubuque; however, in either case, the City retains the right to approve or reject replacements. Other personnel may be changed at the discretion of the consultant, provided that the replacements have substantially the same or better qualifications or experience. Team Experience: Describe the experience and success of the firm, as well as the experience and education of the team of key personnel proposed for the Dubuque UDC project, in performing similar projects, including the following activities: 20 . Experience and education in urban planning and land use regulation; evaluation, updating, and administration of unified development codes and land use regulations -- especially zoning, subdivision, sign and historic preservation ordinances; land use law; civil engineering; design review, GIS, group facilitation, oral and written presentation skills, and graphic arts. . Experience, education and success in working with zoning and subdivision code revisions and preparation of UDC's in cities similar to Dubuque. . Experience, education and success in working with zoning and subdivision code revisions and preparation of UDC's in Iowa. · Experience, education and success in working with zoning and subdivision code revisions and preparation of UDC's involving utilization of visual code components. · Experience, education and success in working with zoning and subdivision code revisions and preparation of UDC's which support and encourage development. · Experience and success in working with technical and citizen task forces. · Understanding of the planning, public administration and legal context of zoning and subdivision regulations and preparation of UDC's. References: Include at least 3 client references (including individual contacts and telephone numbers) with similar projects that have been completed in the last five (5) years. List the names of the key personnel proposed for Dubuque UDC project who worked on the referenced projects. Describe the name and location of other sub-consulting firms that would be used by the firm in the project and the approximate percentage of the work that would be performed by each of these firms. Include the experience and qualifications of the sub-consultant firm and its key personnel in working on similar projects. Identify any minority or women- owned business enterprises. Scooe of Services: Describe the means or strategy by which the consultant would satisfy the Scope of Services, and/or an alternative or hybrid strategy recommended by the consultant - what process and outcomes the consultant would suggest to make the project better. Include a section which establishes a work plan for the firm's approach to the completion of the project. The work plan, at a minimum, should include those components outlined in the RFP. The consultant should indicate in the proposal those aspects that might be completed by City staff or interns. All results from this project will remain the property of the City of Dubuque. For this RFP, the City of Dubuque expects that the consultant will utilize the firm's in- house legal staff or sub-consultants to provide a review of proposed UDC language with respect to nuances of the Iowa Code. Respondents must identify the capabilities of their firm's staff and/or any sub-consultants with respect to this aspect of the scope of service. If this service will not be included, the respondent shall provide a separate quote for the bid using the City of Dubuque Legal Department for this service. 21 Proposed Proiect Schedule: Provide a project schedule outlining the time period and estimated completion date of the proposed scope of work. This should include a schedule for and description of all deliverable products throughout the period. Products should be delivered in hardcopy and electronic formats compatible with the City's computer software and hardware. It is the intent of the City that the project will be completed within approximately 12 -18 months of signing a contract. Certificate of Insurance: The selected firm will be required to meet the City's insurance requirements for professional services (see attached Insurance Schedule C). Fees and Compensation: Provide a proposed cost plus expenses budget for completion of the proposed scope of services with cost breakdowns by scope element. Include hourly rates of personnel to be assigned to the project. The consultant should also include in the proposal their typical schedule or reimbursable activities and associated expenses. Quotation of fees and compensation shall remain firm for a period of at least 90 days from the RFP submission deadline. Please separate the proposed budget from the other portion of the RFP submittal. Initial screening will be done without knowing the consultant's proposed fee for services. BID ALTERNATES The City of Dubuque is interested in receiving a separate quote for one or more of the following alternates: 1. On-Line UDC (optional product). For this bid alternate, the consultant would provide a user-friendly, interactive ordinance that uses the accessibility and technology of the Internet. Respondents must identify the capabilities of their firm's staff and/or any subconsultants with respect to this option. If this option is included, the respondent must provide a separate quote for this option. 2. Use of Citv Leaal Department (alternative approach). For this bid alternate, the consultant would utilize the City of Dubuque's Legal Department to provide a review of proposed code language with respect to Iowa law. If this approach will be used, the respondent must provide a separate quote for this bid alternate. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals will be screened to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements of the proposal format. A selection committee will review qualifying proposals, and may interview the short-listed firms. The following criteria are among those that will be used to evaluate submitted proposals. 22 1. A high level of professional competence and a proven track record in urban planning and land use regulation; evaluation, updating, and administration of unified development codes and land use regulations -- especially zoning, subdivision, sign and historic preservation ordinances; land use law; civil engineering; and graphic arts: a. Qualifications and experience of the firm and any sub-consultants. b. Demonstration of professional and technical expertise and experience of the principal consulting staff and sub-consulting staff that will work on the project. c. If a joint venture, the track records of team members' experience working together. 2. A high level of professional competence and a proven track record in the preparation of Zoning Ordinances, Subdivision Ordinances, Unified Development Codes, Visual Preference/Community Image Surveys, and the implementation of public participation programs: a. Qualifications and experience of the firm and any sub-consultants. b. Demonstration of professional and technical expertise and experience of the principal consulting staff and sub-consulting staff that will work on the project. c. If a joint venture, the track records of team members' experience working together. 3. Design approach/methodology in completing scope of services: a. Grasp of project requirements and level of interest. b. Creativity and problem solving ability. c. Ability of consultant team to demonstrate initiative, motivation and knowledge of the City of Dubuque. 4. Responsiveness and compatibility between consultants and City: a. General attitude and ability to communicate. b. Ability to listen, be flexible, and follow and/or implement direction and/or ideas or concepts. c. How the consultant team interacts with the general public, City staff, and public officials. 5. Ability of the consultant to maintain a high level of direct interaction and communication with City officials. 6. Public facilitation capabilities and experience working with the public, as well as citizen committees, in diplomatically crafting standards and/or criteria to be incorporated into the UDC. 7. Quality of the proposal. The proposal should clearly demonstrate: a. Understanding of the City's overall objectives in the UDC process. 23 b. Ability to produce high quality documents that are user friendly with high quality graphics. c. Ability to make high quality oral and visual presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint. 8. Cost of preparing the UDC in relationship to the services offered. 9. Proposed schedule required to complete project. 10. Review of references and work product. The committee shall recommend the selection of a successful consultant to the City Manager, who in turn will make a recommendation to the City Council. Final determination of the selected consultant shall be made by the Dubuque City Council. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS An original plus eight (8) copies of the proposal and one (1) version on CD, all labeled Preparation of Unified Development Code must be received in the office of the City of Dubuque's Planning Services Department, 50 W. 13th Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001 no later than 5:00 p.m. on or before May 26,2006. Proposals should be addressed to Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager, at the above address. Questions can be directed to Ms. Carstens by telephone at (563) 589- 4210, by fax at (563) 589-4221, or by email at Icarsten@.citvofdubuque.orq. There should be no dollar units or total cost included in the proposal document. All quotes should be submitted with the proposal copies, but in a separate sealed envelope labeled UDC Cost Estimate. 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. The City of Dubuque reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate changes with any consultant. The City of Dubuque is not liable for any cost incurred by any consultant prior to the execution of an agreement or contract. Nor shall the City of Dubuque be liable for any costs incurred by the consultant that are not specified in any contract. The City of Dubuque is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. 24