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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[08b] Comprehensive Plan Update 11 Council Agenda Item 8b MEETING DATE: September 19, 2016 AGENDA ITEM: Request for Proposal for Comprehensive Plan Update SUBMITTED BY: Administration/Community Development PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: The City Council adopted the current Comprehensive Plan in 2002 which in 2008 was amended. In 2008 the City amended the land use section of the plan, updating the current and future land use and added a future section of St. Joseph Township as a potential growth area. Since 2008 minor amendments have been approved through the Planning Commission hearing process in reaction to a development request. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: A Comprehensive Plan is a guide on how the city wants to develop and redevelop. Generally, a Comprehensive Plan is updated every 10 years due to changes in demographics, land use pressure, relevance and the need to examine the community's vision for the future. This plan will serve as a framework for the future of St. Joseph and provide guidance in the day- to-day decision making of the city. The Comprehensive Plan will involve significant public participation through both open houses (physical and virtual), focus groups, surveys as well as other avenues to be determined yet. A comprehensive plan update typically takes several months to complete. The scope of work has not been finalized; however, the comprehensive plan will address the following components: ■ Vision and Goals ■ Demographics ■ Community Inventory ■ Mapping ■ Parks, Trails and Recreation ■ Downtown Planning ■ Economic Development/Redevelopment ■ Land Use Planning ■ Housing ■ Sustainability ■ Implementation Plan At this time staff is recommending a complete update of the Comprehensive Plan as a large portion of the document is almost 15 years old. A Request for Proposal(RFP)has been prepared for your review. The RFP process would include a Comprehensive Plan Selection Committee to review RFP's based on predetermined evaluation criteria. After the Selection Committee completes its evaluation of the submitted proposals, it will narrow down the proposals to a"short list" of consultants selected to take part in an interview process. This interview process will include a brief presentation by the consultant and a question and answer session led by the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee to be assembled would include the Administrator, Community Development Director, and a City Councilmember, Planning Commission member who does not serve on the City Council and an EDA member who does not serve on the City Council and potentially a member from the EDA and one from St. Joseph Township. BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT: At this time we are uncertain as to the cost of the new Plan. The City has been setting aside funds for the past couple of years and we are proposing to use excess building permit revenues to cover the difference. If we budget for the update it creates a spike in the budget, so the preferred method is to utilize one time funding. Once the proposal are received the funding sources will be updated and provided with any recommendation. ATTACHMENTS: Request for City Council Action Request for Proposals for Comprehensive Plan Update REQUESTED COUNCIL ACTION: Motion to Approve and initiate RFP process authorizing distribution of the request for proposals. Request for Proposals – Comprehensive Plan Update 1 City of St. Joseph, Minnesota REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE FOR THE CITY OF ST. JOSEPH The City of St. Joseph is requesting proposals from qualified firms with considerable experience in community design, land use and environmental planning, long range planning, GIS mapping, demographic and economic analysis, and citizen involvement/participation to update its Comprehensive Plan. Interested consultants must submit proposals as described by this request no later than October 24, 2016. 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION St. Joseph is located in scenic central Minnesota 70 miles from Minneapolis and eight miles west of St. Cloud so residents enjoy the amenities of a metro area while retaining its small town character. The first settlers arrived in the area in 1854 and in 1858 St. Joseph Township was organized. Many settlers moved to the area because of the fertile soils for farming. In 1890 the Village of St. Joseph was founded. In 2000, the population of St. Joseph was 4,681 and by 2015, the estimated population had grown to 6,864 people. From 2000 to 2015, the population increased by almost 47%. The City of St. Joseph is roughly four square miles and is served by two key transportation corridors, including Stearns County Road 75 and Interstate 94. The community features a growing economy and steady growth and is located within the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area. In addition to a growing economy, St. Joseph offers ample and diverse opportunities in education, recreation and the arts. Within minutes of St. Joseph are recreational sites and many lakes, streams, parks and trails, including the Lake Wobegon Trail. Education is one of St. Joseph’s hallmarks. St. Joseph is located within St. Cloud Area School District 742. Kennedy Community School located in St. Joseph is home to 750+ students in Grades Pre-K – 8. All Saints Academy, a Catholic School for Pre-K through Grade 6 is also located in St. Joseph. St. Joseph high school students are served by several public and private schools in St. Cloud and in the surrounding communities. The College of St. Benedict is located within the community and the College of Saint John’s University is located two miles west in Collegeville. 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The City of St. Joseph intends to proceed with an update of its 2008 Comprehensive Plan and anticipates utilizing some of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan’s content. The Comprehensive Plan update will revisit prior plans, including the City’s Downtown Revitalization Plan (2006), Park and Trail System Plan (2008) and the orderly annexation agreement between the City of St. Joseph and St. Joseph Township (2010). The City of St. Joseph is undergoing a comprehensive plan update to continue to provide a foundation for the future and promote balanced growth of the community. Updates should reflect existing conditions, future trends and desired community vision as well as establish specific, feasible actions and policies. The Comprehensive Plan update will engage residents, businesses, and stakeholders in a process defining a progressive and exciting vision of the future, as well as fostering support and partnerships that will implement the plan recommendations. The purpose of this update is to develop a plan that is reflective of the residents’ needs, desires and vision of its future and provide measures to reach these goals. It is crucial that the plan identifies opportunities for Request for Proposals – Comprehensive Plan Update 2 City of St. Joseph, Minnesota development, directs the growth of the community but preserves the “small town feel” that residents expect. This plan will serve as a framework for the future of St. Joseph and provide guidance in the day-to-day decision making of the City. 3. PROJECT COMPONENTS The comprehensive plan update will address the following matters and others to be identified through community engagement and discussion: Vision and Goals. An extensive community engagement process will be undertaken to formulate current goals and objectives for the community and focus areas. Demographics. The City of St. Joseph and its surrounding metropolitan area have experienced growth and change in demographics since the 2000 decennial census. The comprehensive plan update will compile the latest demographic information on a broad-range of social and economic topics. Community Inventory – The comprehensive plan will update relevant background information regarding community facilities, assets, and systems. Determine if existing facilities are capable of handling future growth. Identify deficiencies in community facilities and recommend changes. Mapping. The comprehensive plan update will create a series of maps depicting existing condition and future planning objectives. Parks, Trails and Recreation. The Park Master Plan will be revisited and incorporated as appropriate into the Comprehensive Plan update. Develop policies, goals and implementation strategies. Downtown Planning. The Downtown Revitalization Plan will be reviewed and incorporated as appropriate into the Comprehensive Plan update. The City’s downtown offers infill and redevelopment opportunities and the Comprehensive Plan Update shall identify these areas and design elements and strategies to market and attract investment. Engagement of downtown businesses and stakeholders utilizing innovative participation techniques is essential. Economic Development/Redevelopment. An assessment of retail, office, and industrial markets will be required of the consultant to fuel discussion of economic development and land use policies and strategies. Review current and future market conditions. The City offers infill and redevelopment opportunities. The identification of targeted uses and design elements for selected redevelopment sites is essential to marketing those properties and advancing reinvestment. Land Use Planning. Analyze existing land use and recommend changes to include updating the future land use map. Housing. Analyze current housing and population trends. Provide methods to ensure a cohesive, complimentary mix of residential, commercial, agriculture and industrial uses for current and future residents. Forecast future housing trends and needs. Sustainability. Integrate the latest measures the City should pursue and policies that are recommended to achieve a sustainable community. Implementation Plan. The Comprehensive Plan update will include recommendations for implementation strategies. Benchmarks should be established. Request for Proposals – Comprehensive Plan Update 3 City of St. Joseph, Minnesota 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The City considers citizen participation essential to a successful Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan process shall be structured to maximize citizen involvement and participation. The consultant shall be responsible for designing a public engagement strategy that incorporates effective and innovative participation techniques and encourages participation throughout the development of the Comprehensive Plan. Participation by residents, businesses, agencies, organizations and officials is a must throughout the planning process. The proposed public engagement strategy must include the latest technologies and be creative, inclusive, and reliable with the goal of channeling this input into realistic alternatives for consideration by the public, the Planning Commission and the City Council. The consultant team must demonstrate extensive expertise and experience in the public participation and facilitation processes. In regard to public participation, the consultant team must have strong leadership and creativity to provide clear direction in participation techniques that result in inclusive yet timely decisions. 5. SCOPE OF WORK AND BUDGET The project budget has not been established. Interested consultants must provide a scope of work, methodology, and a practical budget for undertaking the project. The scope of work will be finalized once a consultant is selected. The scope of work should be comprehensive and innovative while understanding the constraints of balancing costs and benefits. The scope of work should focus on the City’s needs, concerns and opportunities and devise specific, feasible solutions. The final document should have aesthetic appeal with high quality design elements, be user friendly and easy to understand. It should include concrete goals with an appropriate timeline, and a set of guidelines for making decisions according to the plan’s goals and intentions. Interested consultants shall account for the following factors in submitting their proposed methodology and budget: A community-based task force comprised of the Planning Commission and representatives of numerous agencies, associations, institutions, and stakeholders will serve as a project advisory committee. Focus groups may be required to address specific topics or engage particular stakeholders. Presentations to other advisory boards and commissions may be required upon request. The plan will be reviewed by the Planning Commission and adopted by the City Council. A variety of innovative public participation techniques are wanted to collect input from a broad cross-section of the community and inform the plan recommendations. Summary of Desired Community Engagement Methods Request for Proposals – Comprehensive Plan Update 4 City of St. Joseph, Minnesota The consultant will have access to the Community Development Department to supplement its services and reduce project costs. City staff will be available to assist in meeting facilitation, communications, and other planning tasks. City Hall is equipped with media projection equipment. 6. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS AND RESOURCES Community Development Webpage: http://www.cityofstjoseph.com/index.aspx?nid=110 Comprehensive Plan: http://208.107.62.154:8080/weblink/Browse.aspx?dbid=0&startid=175461&cr=1 Park and Trail System Plan: http://208.107.62.154:8080/weblink/Browse.aspx?dbid=0&startid=243277 Downtown Revitalization Plan: http://www.cityofstjoseph.com/DocumentCenter/View/274 7. DELIVERABLES The consultant will be responsible for providing the draft and final documents in electronic formats allowing reproduction, revision, and web posting by City staff. The consultant shall provide one (1) unbound copy and six bound copies of the draft and final Plan documents to the City, including graphics. Relevant GIS data and digital map documents used in the creation of maps and other supporting documentation in the Plan Update shall be provided to the City at the end of the project. AutoCAD and/or GIS data formats and standards shall be created in consultation with the City of St. Joseph to ensure the data can be used later in City operations. Relevant metadata, if applicable, shall be created and provided to the City as well. 8. PROJECT TIMELINES Every effort will be made to adhere to the following schedule: Distribute RFP September 23, 2016 Proposal Submission Deadline October 24, 2016 Consultant Interviews and Selection November, 2016 Project Launch December, 2016 Present Draft Report August 14, 2017 Present Final Report October 18, 2017 9. REVIEW OF SUBMISSIONS The City requests that consulting firms utilize the following structure in preparing their proposals. The City will consider these criteria in selecting the successful consultant: Request for Proposals – Comprehensive Plan Update 5 City of St. Joseph, Minnesota The consultant’s understanding of the assignment and familiarity with the community, The consultant’s proposed methodology and schedule, The consultant’s experience and past performance with similar comprehensive planning initiatives, The consultant’s experience working in concert with City staff on similar initiatives Adequacy of project personnel in number, availability, professional and academic qualifications and experience to perform the proposed work and to provide the proposed services, The budget estimate, and References (provide a minimum of three references). 10. SUBMISSIONS Five paper copies and one digital copy (email, CD, USB drive, Dropbox or similar system) of the proposals are required. The proposals shall be retained by the City and will not be returned. Sealed envelopes marked “Request for Proposals, Comprehensive Plan Update”, with the proponents name and address on the upper left hand corner of the envelope will be received by the City Offices at 25 College Avenue North, PO Box 668 St. Joseph, MN 56374 prior to noon on October 24, 2016. Faxed or emailed proposals will not be accepted. 11. GENERAL INFORMATION The consultant should be aware of the following: The lowest proposal will not necessarily be accepted. The City reserves the right to award the contract, negotiate the specific terms of the contract, and make other adjustments as required in consultation with the successful bidder. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any nonmaterial irregularities or information in any RFP, and to accept or reject any item or combination of items. 12. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION If you have any questions regarding this RFP, please email Therese Haffner, Community Development Director: Mail: City of St. Joseph Therese Haffner, Community Development Director PO Box 668 St. Joseph, Minnesota 56374 Email: thaffner@cityofstjoseph.com