Please see the full RFP at the website included with this posting for more information about this project. Or click here for the RFP as well.

The City of Missoula is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a process of identifying issues and opportunities, and provide a recommended approach to revising City Subdivision Regulations along with potential changes to Missoula City Zoning related to the subdivision exemption process for Townhome Exemption Development (TED), based on input from a broad array of interests and analysis. Overall, this RFP is intended as a first phase of a multi-year regulation update process. Services for this phase will be performed within a six month timeframe from date of contract. It will help to establish an outline for future changes and future interactions with other development regulations at the local level as well as the state level.

Project Rationale and Background

In the past several years, Missoula has seen remarkable growth in its economy and population. It has been undergoing development pressures within the core of the community as well as along the edges of the City. This growth and vitality, however, has brought challenges including steadily increasing housing prices and difficulty finding affordable, safe and healthy homes. The City of Missoula recently adopted a Housing Policy that summarizes the issue and describes the need to explore and implement updated development tools that result in quality design, orderly development, and preserve the health, safety and welfare of the community. The Housing Policy framework is focused on the shared principles of diversity, innovation, collaboration, and achievability. A key strategy of the Housing Policy is to reduce barriers to new supply and promote access to affordable homes. That strategy includes a recommendation to review the subdivision process with a focus on ways to support efficient and affordable development along with ways to provide possible regulatory flexibility.

Our purpose for embarking on this process is to work collaboratively to create a set of recommended subdivision and subdivision exemption regulation changes to provide predictability for everyone engaged in development, to simplify the process wherever possible, and to reduce review times and temper expense, all while ensuring that our high community standards remain in place. The ultimate recommended approach to development regulation changes needs to work well for all the participants of subdivision processes.

Required Services – General Scope of Work

With oversight from the City Development Services Planning Division, the selected consultant will lead the review process, develop a Recommendations Report, and present the Report to the Missoula City Council. City staff will assist with logistical support and provide additional background research.

Consultant services under this request will include, but may not be limited to, the following:

1. Establish an open/transparent process of listening, exploring, evaluating, and recommending a path forward for development regulation changes.
2. Consider current and potential changes to Montana State Law.
3. Evaluate City of Missoula existing regulations and processes for conducting subdivision and subdivision exemptions, especially Townhome Exemption Development.
4. Evaluate the costs of development through subdivision (including project development and review processes) by exploring a maximum of 2 local subdivision case studies and two local TED case studies.
5. Evaluate other Montana jurisdictions for unique regulations and processes pertaining to subdivision and subdivision exemption review that remain consistent with current State Law.
6. Consider best practices throughout the nation for subdivision regulations and processes.
7. Consider City policy as a guide to recommending actions and next steps.
8. Plan for, identify, and facilitate a series of focus group meetings (that serve as listening sessions) with different agencies and organizations that currently participate and/or have a stake in the subdivision and subdivision exemption development process (expected to be approximately 15 meetings). Identify questions and discussion topics to be covered during the focus group meetings.
9. Establish a technical team (representing City agencies) to assist in detailed questions, provide advice and review the recommendations. Expect a minimum of two meetings.
10. Establish a steering committee to provide advice and review the recommendations. The steering committee should be 10 – 12 people representing a broad array of interests and drawing from the focus groups. Expect a minimum of three meetings.
11. Synthesize information collected.
12. Produce a Recommendations Report that has been vetted by the steering committee and reviewed and approved by City Administration and City Council.

Additional or other methods of obtaining input may also be deemed necessary and suitable.

Deliverables: Specifically, the Recommendations Report should consider and include recommendations that address, at a minimum:

An evaluation of the various recommendations, identifying the benefits and implications (costs) of potential changes and how the City can make the greatest impact on addressing the issues and opportunities.

Particular provisions of the regulations to be changed/not changed, and recommended process steps.

Recommendations that may come in the form of options and/or phases of amendments. For example:

• Missoula City Subdivision Regulations – changes we could pursue immediately
• Missoula City Subdivision Regulations – changes that correlate with other development regulations
• Missoula City Subdivision Regulations – long term changes that requires additional resources or other steps to occur first

Suggestions for potential changes to state law.

Missoula Zoning Ordinance amendments pertaining to subdivision exemption (specifically Townhome Exemption Development) that correlates with changes in the City Subdivision Regulations.

The intent of this general scope of work is to serve as a framework, which consultants can use to develop a more detailed scope of work based on their professional expertise and knowledge. The final scope of work will be negotiated with the selected consultants in conjunction with city staff prior to contract approval.

Proposal Submittal Requirements

Proposal Content: As a minimum requirement, the Proposal shall be no more than 30 pages and include the following:

• Cover letter
• Statement of project understanding
• Proposed project scope of work including methodology, time frame, and estimated cost for the project
• Statement on approach and experience with effective project facilitation and public engagement on similar projects
• A brief description of the consultant’s experience with subdivision regulation development and process facilitation. Please describe at least three projects that demonstrate consultant experience and outcomes of those projects.
• Resumes for the project manager and each professional who would be assigned to the project that included their availability and anticipated responsibilities on the project
• Three References

The proposal should provide sufficient detail to enable the selection committee to thoroughly evaluate and compare it with other proposals. No specific format is required; however, proposals are to be prepared in such a way as to provide a straightforward, concise delineation of the consultant’s capability to satisfy the requirements of this RFP.

Proposal Submission – Submission Deadline and Contact Information

Five (5) hard copies and one (1) digital copy (PDF) of the Proposal clearly identified as the City of Missoula Development Regulations Review and Recommendations Report shall be submitted to the Planning Division Manager (Laval Means), Development Services, City of Missoula, 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, Montana, 59802 and via email to lmeans@ci.missoula.mt.us on or before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 10, 2020. Faxed submittals or submittals received after this deadline shall not be considered.

Questions may be directed to Laval Means, Planning Division Manager by telephone at 406-552-6628 or by email at lmeans@ci.missoula.mt.us.