Project scope:
The City of Lawrence, Kansas is proposing to contract with a qualified team of professionals for services to assist the City in the creation of a parallel development code based on Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND). The TND-style parallel code will be a development option applied citywide.
Proposals due: 3:00 p.m.
Xxxxxxxx (45 days from issue date)
Submit five (5) copies of proposal. In addition, an electronic version (MS Word or PDF format) of the proposal shall be submitted to dwarner@ci.lawrence.ks.us
Submit to: Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department
P.O. Box 708
Lawrence, Ks 66044
City Contact: Dan Warner, AICP, Long-Range Planner
(785) 832-3162
(785) 832-3160 (fax)
Proposal: The City of Lawrence has initiated a public information and education process that focuses on developing better neighborhood design. Central to this is the Community Design Committee, which was formed in the summer of 2005. Among other programs, the Committee developed a public education program that has been presented to various groups in Lawrence. In addition to this public education effort, City Staff and members of the Committee have attended training conferences geared towards Traditional Neighborhood Design. These include the CNU Conference, APA National Conference, and the Form-Based Codes Training Institute. The Committee has also researched other communities that have developed TND codes, and subsequently researched those codes. Most recently, the Committee has been reviewing the SmartCode model.
When all is said and done, what the Committee hopes to do is provide the community with a TND-style parallel development code that gives developers options and encourages them to create liveable, sustainable Lawrence neighborhoods. It is understood that this code should be Form-based and include clear and unambiguous graphic and illustrative material to guide developers and the general public.
In addition, the City was recently awarded a grant from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program in 2006. The collaborative SDAT will bring together architects and other professionals assembled from across the country to provide a roadmap to assist Lawrence with improving our future sustainability. The team selected for the parallel code project will be expected to coordinate efforts with the SDAT program.
Scope of Work: The scope of work may include, but will not necessarily be limited to the following:
· Inventory and analyze the existing conditions that make Lawrence’s traditional neighborhoods so special.
· Outline and conduct a community visioning process, culminating with a multi-day design charette, which will provide a strong base for the key elements of the new parallel code.
· Develop urban standards that will regulate the design and character of Lawrence’s new neighborhoods.
· Write an innovative and effective parallel code that is legally strong and presented in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner that is understandable to the general public.
· Identify how the Comprehensive Plan, Horizon 2020, doesn’t support the new code and provide staff with the necessary framework to make changes to the Comprehensive Plan.
· Outline an adoption process for the new code and be available throughout that process.
· Recommend how to integrate the new code into the current development process.
· Make recommendations on budget and staffing impacts of the new code.
· Provide training to assist staff implement the code after it is adopted.
· Coordinate with the SDAT program.
Background: Lawrence, Kansas is located approximately 38 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri and has a population of approximately 89,000. When urban planners and economic development professionals describe the city of Lawrence, Kansas, it is usually in terms of the community’s “charm” and “quality of life.” In general, these abstract terms refer to the patterns, trends, and designs that make up the community’s neighborhoods. In this project, the City’s intent is to examine and codify the basic Lawrence urban DNA which created livable, lasting, sustainable, and thriving neighborhoods to live in, work in, and enjoy.
Lawrence is unique among cities that are of similar size in that it currently supports a thriving mixed-use downtown area, two universities, and clearly identifiable individual neighborhoods. Moreover, Lawrence has consistently embraced diverse lifestyles which contribute to an invigorating urban form. Nevertheless, many proposed developments have become disconnected from the urban core which has diminished the ambience of Lawrence. This suggests a lack of emphasis of the fundamental building blocks – community vision, policies and codes – which give direction to a community. The scope of this project is intended to specifically address these three building blocks.
Project Organization and Approach: The team shall identify the key personnel associated with the project throughout its duration, including the Project Administrator, Project Manager, and any other key technical personnel. An experience resume must be provided for each person that details specific work experience related to a project of this nature. Also included shall be a description of their availability to work on this project. The proposal shall describe the work each key person will perform and identify their office location. The project approach shall be detailed in the proposal to the extent possible and include any issues of concern to be considered.
Level of Effort: The proposals shall include an estimate of the costs and hours to complete each of the required tasks.
Schedule: Proposals shall indicate schedules for completion of work, including City staff review.
Client References: At least three (3) and not more than five (5) previous client references shall be provided in the proposals. The team shall provide the name, address, telephone number and title of a contact person familiar with the work of the professionals on a similar project and who can be contacted by the City of Lawrence.
Selection criteria will be applied as follows:
1. Capability to perform all aspects of each portion of the project (staffing, schedule, etc.).
2. Recent experience in municipal code writing, understanding of Kansas land use law, comprehensive planning, urban design and applying TND issues and concepts.
3. Understanding of the community and its relationship to the proposed projects.
4. Qualifications and reputation as an experienced team in the fields of municipal code writing, Kansas land use law, land use planning and TND.
5. Quality of previous projects of a similar nature.
6. Ability to meet schedules within project budget.
Estimated hours and hourly rate information, to include breakdown of direct and indirect costs, shall be used to determine appropriate billing rates to assist in the evaluation of the team’s understanding of the work and final negotiations of a contract.