REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS/QUALIFICATIONS

Elizabethtown is a city of 30,023 (2017 estimate) with a land area of approximately 26 square miles. It is the county seat of Hardin County and is located 45 miles south of Louisville at the intersection of I-65, US 31W, Bluegrass Parkway, and Western Kentucky Parkway. Hardin, Meade, and LaRue counties make up the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox MSA. Elizabethtown has a diversified economy that has exhibited strong growth in the manufacturing, medical, retail, and service sectors.

Description of the Project

The consultant will prepare a new comprehensive plan to replace the current plan adopted in 2004. The plan must meet all requirements of KRS 100 as well as address topics described elsewhere in this document. The plan must be written in a non-technical format that is easily understood by the majority of laypeople.

All data collection will be the responsibility of the consultant. The City of Elizabethtown will provide copies of any studies or reports it has commissioned that would be useful in developing the plan. The City will also provide ArcGIS shapefiles maintained by its GIS staff.

A steering committee will be used to guide the plan's development. Staff of the City's Planning and Development Department will be the primary point of contact for the plan, will attend (but not lead) public meetings, and will be available to provide limited assistance. The staff will not be directly involved in the plan's research and development. Other City staff will be available to answer questions in their areas of expertise and experience working in the community. The City has an ongoing contract with Stantec for storm water engineering. The City will make Stantec available for any consultations necessary for development of the plan and will fund those consultations separately from the plan.

Current Comprehensive Plan

Elizabethtown's current comprehensive plan was adopted in 2004. It is a hybrid map and policy plan that divided the city into ten sub areas. For each of those, the plan has sections on the existing land use and area character, planning issues and opportunities, recommended land use pattern, specific planning criteria, and recommended land use map. In addition, each sub area has targeted planning areas, which received more intense analysis and guidance due to their importance to the sub area or the community as a whole. The analysis, recommendations, and overall approach of the current plan have worked well. While there is no objection to the new plan utilizing the same approach, we are open to considering alternatives. The plan is available on the City's website at www.etownky.org.

Public Input

The current plan utilized public meetings in each of the ten sub areas to gain input. Staff thought the attendance at those meetings was good and the input provided was very useful. Due to changing tastes, demands on personal time, and technology, the City realizes that approach will likely need to be enhanced. This is a very important aspect of the plan and the City expects the chosen firm to encourage the participation of all stakeholders in the community.

The City anticipates unveiling a new website in early 2019. The consultant is expected to create and maintain its own site for the comprehensive plan with the City providing a link on its website.

Special Issues

In addition to the topics traditionally examined by a comprehensive plan and required by KRS 100, the following have been identified as needing particular attention.

There currently is a Downtown Mixed Use zoning district that encompasses the traditional downtown and a large area surrounding it. The new plan should help define the downtown area, the transitional areas around it (of which there will be more than one), and suggest general land use controls or approaches for downtown and the transitional areas.

Annexation of property into the city has been on a voluntary basis for a number of years and only when it is advantageous to the city as a whole. There is limited sanitary sewer service in unincorporated Hardin County, so Elizabethtown's system provides an impetus for annexation. In addition, the City's Class 2 ISO rating provides a significant reduction in property insurance rates and often offsets much of the City property tax. The new plan should prioritize annexation areas, suggest appropriate land uses, and explore the impacts.

The City adopted design guidelines for retail buildings, restaurants, and shopping centers approximately ten years ago to regulate the appearance of buildings and site improvements. An evaluation of the guidelines' impact and recommendations of changes should be provided.

Elizabethtown is proud of its park system. Its largest parks include Freeman Lake Park which features a 170-acre lake for fishing and boating and the Elizabethtown Nature Park which has 104 acres devoted to passive recreation. The Elizabethtown Sports Park is one of the largest youth sports venues in the country and hosts national, regional, and local events on its 12 ball diamonds and 12 multi-sport fields. Smaller parks provide opportunities for baseball, softball, soccer, swimming, and other active recreation. There also is an extensive trail system throughout the city. The plan is expected to provide direction on the general location, type, and size of additional parks.

The City has been quite successful attracting new manufacturers as well as the expansion of existing facilities. The Elizabethtown Hardin County Industrial Foundation has fully-served sites available, but the community needs to remain ready for continued growth well into the future. Suggestions for expansion of existing industrial areas and creation of new industrial parks should be provided in the plan.

Selection Process

A selection committee will evaluate the proposals/qualifications that are submitted. From those, the best will be invited to make presentations to the committee. It is anticipated that three or four firms will be invited, but the number will depend on the strength of the proposals/qualifications. The selection committee will choose one of those firms with which to enter into negotiations for a contract to prepare the plan.

The City of Elizabethtown and the selection committee reserve the right to issue a new RFP/RFQ should it determine the proposals/qualifications submitted or the subsequent presentations indicate the firms are not able to meet the City's needs.

All inquiries are to be directed to Jim Shaw, Director of Planning and Development, at 270-765-6121, ext. 220, or james.shaw@elizabethtownky.gov. All interested firms are asked to send contact information to the email address above so clarifications and corrections can be provided, should they be necessary.

Budget

The City's FY 2018-2019 budget includes $75,000 for this project. Since work will continue into the next fiscal year, it will be necessary to gain approval of funding in the next budget.

Tentative Schedule

After a contract is awarded, the new plan must be ready for adoption within 18 months.

Submissions

Responses to this RFP/RFQ are to be in a bound, 8 ½ x 11 inch document. Maps or other graphics may be 11 x 17 inches, but must be within the document. A minimum of seven copies must be provided.

Submissions must identify key staff that will perform the majority of the work and identify their respective primary areas of responsibility. For the successful firm, that information will be included in the contract and changes to key staff will require prior approval of the City of Elizabethtown.

Submissions should discuss the firm and its staff's experience in the following areas:

• · Working with communities similar to Elizabethtown, whether inside or outside Kentucky
• · Preparing comprehensive plans for Kentucky communities
• · Addressing the Special Issues identified above, in a comprehensive plan or special study
• · Obtaining public input for comprehensive plans or similar plans or studies

Submissions must arrive by 3:00 p.m. (EST) on the deadline date. They should be sent to:

Jim Shaw, Director
Planning and Development Department
City of Elizabethtown
200 W. Dixie Ave.
Elizabethtown, KY 42701

If by USPS use:

PO Box 550
Elizabethtown, KY 42702