According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Clayton, located in Johnston County, is the largest, fastest-growing municipality in the fastest-growing county in North Carolina. The Town needs an updated and modernized UDC to enable Town staff to better regulate development in a fast-paced and growing environment. The last major overhaul of the UDC was adopted in 2005, and many of the standards and regulations no longer apply or need to be updated. Town staff want the newly updated UDC to be consistent with the Clayton 2045 Comprehensive Growth Plan, which Town Council adopted in November 2021.

The anticipated schedule of events related to this solicitation is provided below. The Town reserves the right to modify and/or adjust this schedule to meet the needs of the project. All times shown are Eastern Standard Time (EST):

RFQ Advertisement Date — January 10, 2022 at 8:00 A.M.

Deadline for written questions — January 20, 2022 at 5:00 P.M.

RFQ Addenda Issued | Town Response to Questions —  January 21, 2022 at 5:00 P.M.

Submittal Due Date and Time — February 7, 2022 at 4:00 P.M.

Consultant Interviews (if necessary) — February 21–February 25, 2022

Selection Announcement — March 11, 2022 by 5:00 P.M.

Questions Requests for clarification and questions to this RFQ must be received by the Town no later than the date shown above in Section 1.3, entitled "RFQ Timeline", for the submittal of written inquires. The Town will not entertain any further questions after the due date. All questions related to this solicitation must be submitted in writing (via email) to the following individual: Ben Howell, Planning Director — bhowell@townofclaytonnc.org.

The Town expects the project to begin with an Assessment of the current Unified Development Code and associated documents and ordinances, culminating in an Assessment Report diagnosing the weaknesses and omissions in the UDC and accompanying recommendations for improving the UDC and an Annotated Outline providing a blueprint for a new Unified Development Code, including a new structure and format.

The Town expects at least 3 stakeholder events and 3 public meetings during the project, with a final, updated Unified Development Code presented for Council approval at the end of the project. The Town is also interested in receiving assistance with creating new development application frameworks and review checklists.

For more information and the complete RFQ, please visit https://www.ips.state.nc.us/IPS/, and search "Town of Clayton".