BACKGROUND:

The City of Cedar Falls (pop. 41,000) is located along the Cedar River in northeast Iowa. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), one of Iowa's three public universities. College Hill is the neighborhood that surrounds the UNI campus. The City conducted an area-wide visioning effort involving business owners, residents, rental property owners, UNI students and officials, and other area stakeholders, culminating in the adoption of the Imagine College Hill! Vision Plan (Vision Plan) in May 2021. It is generally agreed that new policies and zoning rules will be necessary to implement the vision. The initial area of focus for policy and zoning updates will be the commercial district (The Hill), and the immediately adjacent areas near the campus. In the Vision Plan this area is described as Character Areas 1, 2, and 3. As noted in the Plan, adjusting City and UNI parking policies and regulations is the key to unlocking development potential in this area, so this will be an important aspect of the project. A secondary area of focus will be on evaluating and updating the College Hill Overlay Zoning District and underlying zoning districts with an eye toward considering policies and regulations that will help stabilize the traditional neighborhood areas that comprise the remainder of the study area.

For more details on the Imagine College Hill! Vision Plan and the study area, follow this link: https://www.cedarfalls.com/1617/Imagine-College-Hill-documents.

SCOPE OF SERVICES:

PRIMARY WORK PRODUCTS: This contract will result in new zoning regulations for Character Areas 1, 2, and 3, as delineated in the Vision Plan; amendments to existing zoning regulations, including changes to the College Hill Neighborhood Overlay District to stabilize surrounding neighborhood areas; and recommendations for parking policy changes between the City of Cedar Falls and UNI.

ANTICIPATED SCOPE:

1. INITIAL REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
   1. Review of Local Plans, Codes, and Studies. The Consultant will review the existing zoning map and zoning regulations, and past plans and studies, including the Vision Plan and the College Hill Parking Study.
   2. Site Analysis. The Consultant will become familiar with the physical details of the study area and the historic patterns of urbanism and architecture; and examine the current zoning regulations and zoning district boundaries to assess how existing zoning boundaries could be modified to accommodate recommendations.
2. PUBLIC OUTREACH AND CONFIRMATION OF APPROACH
   1. Generate necessary background maps. The City will provide all available GIS base map information as needed by the Consultant.
   2. Website. The Consultant will provide information for the City website. As officials deem appropriate, the Consultant will provide materials including text, photographs, maps, renderings, and other images for the web site. This material will describe the project, the process, and any opportunities for public involvement.
   3. Interviews. The Consultant will interview appropriate stakeholders involved with the project. These interviews will include groups and individuals including elected officials, nonprofit organization leaders, including the College Hill Partnership, local landlords, neighborhood representatives, local design professionals, developers, business organizations, and municipal staff. The goal for these interviews is to gauge/confirm the community's current thoughts on the objectives outlined in the Vision Plan, support for updating the zoning to achieve Plan goals, and to document any changed conditions that may need to be further explored.
   4. Assess parking policies and regulations.
      1. The consultant will work with a taskforce/committee comprised of City and UNI officials to identify any mismatch in parking policies and recommend solution.
      2. Evaluate private off-street parking requirements in the zoning code to determine changes necessary to achieve Vision Plan goals.
      3. Explore creative parking options that would allow needed redevelopment to occur.
3. Explore approaches to stabilize neighborhood areas. The Vision Plan speaks to the importance of neighborhood stabilization. Several important tasks with this portion of the project could include:
   1. Evaluate the ratio of rental to owner-occupied properties.
   2. Evaluate the College Hill Overlay District. Review and recommend changes to meet current needs; recommend changes to eliminate vague language; evaluate the area covered by the overlay and adjust boundaries to meet current goals; simplify the review process for minor property improvements.
   3. Maintain the R-1 and R-2 Residence Districts but consider amendments.
4. Recommended Approach presented to City Council. Based on background analysis, public feedback and best practice, the consultant will recommend the most appropriate type of zoning approach or approaches. These should include an approach for the areas identified in the Vision Plan as Character Areas 1, 2, and 3; an assessment and recommendations regarding parking policies and regulations; and recommendations to stabilize and preserve the traditional neighborhood character allowing appropriate infill development in residential neighborhood areas in the remainder of the College Hill Vision Plan boundary. Consultant will present these recommendations to the City Council to confirm the approach before drafting new regulations.
5. DRAFTING THE ZONING REGULATIONS
   1. Design Parameters for the Code. Upon City Council support, establish new districts and amend existing zoning boundaries and regulations as needed to achieve plan goals. The new code will regulate development to ensure high-quality public spaces with a variety of building types and uses including housing, commercial, and mixed-use as envisioned in theVision Plan, modifications to parking requirements and policies, and new or amended standards and review processes to stabilize and support healthy residential neighborhoods within the study area.
   2. Integration of the Zoning Regulations. The new zoning regulations must be integrated into the City of Cedar Falls' existing regulatory framework in a manner that ensures procedural consistency, meshes with state and local legal requirements, provides clarity as to applicability of existing regulations, and maximizes the code effectiveness.
6. REFINING THE CODE​​​​​​​
   1. Staff/Technical Advisory Committee Review. A preliminary draft of the code will be reviewed by staff. Comments, questions, and recommendations for revisions will be provided. At least one additional draft will be submitted for review before the draft is reviewed by stakeholders and public.
   2. ​​​​​​​Meetings with Stakeholders. The Consultant will attend and participate in up to two additional meetings with key stakeholders to explain the details of the new code and obtain further input and comments.
   3. ​​​​​​​Presentation of Public Review Draft. The Consultant will present the draft code at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to gather feedback. An approximately one-month public review period will follow. Hard and digital formats of the first draft will be needed.
7. APPROVAL PROCESS
   1. Public Hearing/Worksession Presentations. The consultant will make at least one formal presentation of the refined draft from the public input process to the Planning & Zoning Commission and one formal presentation to the City Council.
   2. ​​​​​​​Additional Revisions and presentations. The Consultant will be responsible for up to two rounds of revisions between public hearing/worksession presentations. City planning staff will be responsible for collecting comments, questions, and suggestions for these refinements and consolidating them into a series of action items for revision or responses. Depending on the extent of the revisions or questions from policy-makers, the Consultant may be asked to make additional presentations to City Council or be available for Q&A. Consultant should include an estimate of cost for additional trips to Cedar Falls or for meetings via video-conference, in cases the need arises.

SUBMITTAL SUMMARY:

Submittals should be provided in 5 identical hardcopies and one electronic copy including the following items:

1. A written description of the Consultant's step-by-step approach to the project, with estimated timetable.
2. A detailed description of the expertise of the team assembled.
3. A list of comparable projects undertaken by the Consultant and/or specific team members, including drafting zoning or development codes and associated visioning projects.
4. A copy of at least one adopted municipal code previously created by the Consultant.
5. Detailed Cost for Services (submitted in a separate sealed envelope)
6. Acknowledgement that the Consultant has reviewed and can meet the City of Cedar Falls insurance requirements (see full RFP on City website).

RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR SUBMITTALS:

1. DESCRIPTION OF APPROACH: Up to two pages describing the Consultant's typical approach to similar projects, including the nature of the public process; intended extent of public involvement; and code drafting, revision and review process.
2. TEAM EXPERTISE: Brief description of qualifications of the team assembled for this project, specific evidence of relevant experience drafting zoning regulations, and a listing of key personnel who will be working on this project and their specific role and relevant qualifications.
3. PROPOSED WORK PROGRAM:
   1. ​​​​​​​Tasks to be performed.
   2. Timeline for completion of each task.
   3. Schedule of work products.
   4. Plan for communication with the City throughout the process.
4. COMPARABLE PROJECTS: Summary of code projects in progress or completed, with the following information for each code:
   1. Name of a reference for the project, with current contact information.
   2. Current status of code.
   3. Indication whether the project team for the comparable project is the same or similar as proposed for the here. Describe any differences.
   4. Nature of public involvement.
   5. Client type.
   6. Was a vision plan created as part of this process, or done separately?
   7. Size and scale of geographic area
   8. Type of development.
   9. Type of code
      1. Mandatory (integrated into existing code, or freestanding?
      2. Optional “parallel” code?
      3. Floating-zone code?
5. SAMPLE CODE DOCUMENT: Please include up to three samples of code documents and any associated illustrative plans selected from the list of comparable projects (at least one of these must be a sample code). If adopted code is different, please provide it with a brief explanation of differences between the two. Photos of designed or built results of the code are encouraged but must be accompanied by a description of their specific relationship to the coding process.
6. COST FOR SERVICES: Please submit a detail of cost for services in a separate sealed envelope.

EVALUATION OF SUBMITTALS:

Consultants responding to this RFP must demonstrate the following:

• Experience in writing and implementing municipal land development regulations.
• Experience in identifying, evaluating, codifying, and explaining the essential qualities of community design and character.
• Experience in building community consensus to support innovative regulatory structures.
• Strong graphic skills.
• Strong skills in written and oral communication.

The City will evaluate all submittals to determine which Consultants have the experience and qualifications that are most suited for this project. Evaluation will be based on qualifications, the scope of work proposed, and review of similar projects with references checked. Fee for services will then be reviewed and potentially negotiated in light of available funding for the project.

The City may request personal interviews with the highest-ranked Consultants or may request one or more prospective Consultants to submit additional information, as needed, to make a consultant selection.

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE:

All proposals must be received by 5:00 PM on July 29, 2024 to the address listed below.

Any proposals received after that time will not be considered. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to award the contract to other than the low proposer, to award separate parts of the services required, to negotiate the terms and conditions of all and/or any part of the proposals, and in general, to make the award in the manner as determined to be in the City's best interest and sole discretion.

Five (5) original hardcopies of the letter of transmittal, qualifications, proposal, and insurance acknowledgement must be sent to:

City of Cedar Falls
College Hill Zoning Update
Attn: Karen Howard, Planning & Community Services Manager
220 Clay Street
Cedar Falls, IA 50613

And one electronic version of the letter of transmittal, qualifications and proposal must be submitted by email to Karen.Howard@cedarfalls.com. After initial review, consultants may be asked to submit additional information or to make a presentation to the Review Committee. Please direct any inquiries regarding this RFP to Karen Howard at the email address above.

Anticipated Schedule of Selection Process

See full proposal at: https://www.cedarfalls.com/civicalerts.aspx

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS PROVIDED WITH FULL RFP ON CITY'S WEBSITE: https://www.cedarfalls.com/civicalerts.aspx

Important Note: In transmittal letter please acknowledge that the insurance requirements as outlined in the Exhibit below have been reviewed and can be met.