Project Description:

The Town of New Carlisle, Indiana is seeking a consultant to assist in updating and rewriting its Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Control Ordinance to create a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). This project involves reviewing the recently adopted New Carlisle 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the existing 2010 Zoning Ordinance, and other applicable sections of the Town or County Code. The consultant will collaborate with MACOG, the project team, and town staff in both technical and public engagement capacities.

Project Management and Timeline:

The consultant will deliver services in a professional and timely manner. Firms must outline a detailed project management schedule and timeline for completing the Town of New Carlisle's Unified Development Ordinance creation process. This timeline should include all phases and components specified in the Request for Proposal. The project management plan should ensure diligent public interaction and involvement, building on the engagement from the recent New Carlisle Comprehensive Plan update, which concluded in June 2024.The project is expected to be completed within approximately 12 months following the contract signing. Given the rapidly evolving development landscape around the IEC, the Town seeks a proactive, efficient, and quality-focused project timeline. The selected consultant will be responsible for managing and coordinating all tasks, maintaining continuous communication with the Project Team to align the UDO with the Town's vision and requirements.

Scope of Services:

The scope of services includes the following key tasks:

1. Align with the New Carlisle 2040 Comprehensive Plan: Ensure the UDO reflects the vision, goals, and objectives outlined in the New Carlisle 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Foster economic, environmentally friendly, and socially sustainable development by integrating input from the Project Team, MACOG, and the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Advisory Committee.
2. Public Engagement: Facilitate public input through workshops, open houses, and focus groups. Collaborate with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Advisory Committee and the Project Team to gather and incorporate community feedback effectively.
3. Land Use and Zoning Updates: Amend the Zoning Map and zoning districts to align with the Future Character Areas Map from the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Develop new Zoning Districts, Subdivision Ordinances, and Development Standards that support the Comprehensive Plan's vision and goals. Provide clear, user-friendly definitions and guidelines to minimize disputes and enhance understanding.
4. Ordinance Revision and Simplification: Update all sections of the Zoning Ordinance to be more responsive to contemporary development trends. Simplify procedures, update definitions, and ensure compliance with local, state, and federal statutes, including recent case law and constitutional determinations.
5. Criteria and Procedures: Establish clear criteria for conditional land use and variance approvals. Clearly define procedures for zoning-related applications and identify opportunities for process simplification and flexibility while following established Town policies and procedures.
6. Streamline Processes and Public Notices: Create regulations that reduce the need for variances, conditional use permits, and rezoning requests. Recommend methods to streamline public notice requirements for zoning map amendments.
7. Enhance Clarity and Usability: Provide commonly used definitions and user-friendly guidelines
   in clear, simple, or illustrated language to minimize disputes over interpretations. Ensure the reorganized code is easy to understand and use, both in print and online.
8. Accessibility and Future Amendments: Make the reorganized code available online on the Town's website in an easily accessible format with electronic query capabilities. Ensure that future amendments can be easily incorporated. Provide a final version of the UDO in both written and electronic formats, ensuring accessibility and usability for all stakeholders.

Note: Due to budget constraints, the Town may need to phase the project or segment it into manageable parts based on overall proposal costs.

Primary Deliverables for the Uni􀏐ied Development Ordinance Project:
The selected firm will be responsible for delivering the following key components:

1. Working Outline: The firm will prepare a comprehensive working outline of the UDO update, listing the pertinent sections and their scope. This outline will be prepared with input from the Project Team, MACOG, and Town staff, and will require Town review and approval before proceeding to the draft phase.
2. First Draft: The firm will deliver a detailed first draft of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which will include a review and update to both the Zoning and Subdivision Control Ordinances. This draft will integrate findings and results from previous tasks, alongside supplementary materials and references to current ordinances for comparison. It will be discussed in detail with the Project Team, Town staff, MACOG, the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Advisory Committee, and the Town Council. Following these discussions, the draft will be made available for public review and commentary. It is crucial that the first draft ensures internal consistency, complies with all relevant State and Federal laws, and aligns with the vision and objectives of the New Carlisle 2040 Comprehensive Plan, while incorporating feedback from stakeholders and public input.
3. Final Draft: Based on feedback received on the proposed final draft, the consultant will submit a complete final version of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), including maps and illustrations, suitable for both hard copy and electronic publication. The final submission will be provided in the following formats:
   • Reproducible Paper Format: Including all text, maps, charts, and drawings.
   • Electronic Format: Compatible with the Town's systems, allowing for maintenance, publication, and distribution of the updated ordinances on paper, the internet, and textsearchable PDFs.

Requirements for Proposals:

The proposal shall not exceed 20 pages and should include the following information, presented in the
order listed:

1. Cover Letter – Include a cover letter attesting to the proposal's accuracy, signed by an authorized individual. Provide the firm's and executive's contact details (name, address, phone, email, and fax). Present an understanding of the project, a summary of the approach to performing the services, and an overview of the costs.
2. Firm Information and Background – Provide a summary of your firm, including years of experience, ownership structure, firm size, and office locations. Highlight competitive advantages and current capacity to undertake the project. Disclose any potential conflicts of interest, as well as any claims, litigation, or other legal or regulatory proceedings related to the services provided
3. Project Approach – Provide a detailed discussion of the firm's methodology addressing the scope of work, including strategies to achieve project objectives and the scope of services. Include the following:
   • A detailed description of the procedures and methods the firm proposes to utilize in carrying out the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Rewrite, culminating in a Unified Development Ordinance.
   • An explanation of how the work performed will align with the New Carlisle Comprehensive Plan.
   • A public participation plan that builds on the recent engagement efforts from the Comprehensive Plan. This plan should detail how the firm will leverage existing public input and incorporate new, direct engagement at crucial stages of the process to ensure effective public involvement.
4. Project Schedule – Provide a proposed schedule outlining key project milestones, meeting dates,
   and estimated delivery dates for the first draft and final draft of the Unified Development
   Ordinance update.
5. Project Team – Identification of the Project Manager and anticipated team members, including
   resumes. Provide a brief summary of your firm's current workload and availability over the next
   12 months to ensure capacity for the project.
6. Firm Experience and Qualifications – Detail overall firm qualifications and experience related to
   the completion of similar projects within the past 5-10 years. Include specific examples and
   descriptions of expertise, experience, and resources directly relevant to the proposed project.
7. List of References – Provide a list of three (3) references who have utilized your firm for similar
   technical services within the past five years. Include the following information for each reference:
   • Name
   • Organization/Title
   • Email Address
   • Phone Number (optional)
   • Brief Description of Services Provided
8. Proposed fee for Services – Provide detailed information on the firm's proposed fee, including
   the anticipated allocation of resources and all necessary expenses (cost not to exceed). Outline
   how the budget will be allocated by task (e.g., time, personnel) to ensure effective, timely,
   economical, and professional completion of the project. It is essential to include costs associated
   with specific scope items as separate line-items for evaluation and selection by the Town Council
   (e.g., public informational meetings, presentations to the Town).
9. Supplemental information – Include any other supplemental information that may help the
   Project Team with their review and evaluation.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Request for Proposals Release Date: August 22, 2024.
2. Submission Deadline: Submit four (4) hard copies and one (1) digital copy of the proposal by
   4:00 PM on September 23, 2024, to the New Carlisle Town Hall, Director of Public Works. The
   digital copy can be provided on a flash drive or through a cloud-based shared-drive system.
3. Envelope Labeling: The outside of the envelope shall be clearly marked: "PROPOSAL FOR NEW
   CARLISLE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE"
4. Submission Restrictions: Faxed qualifications/proposals will not be accepted. Late proposals or
   proposals received before the release of this Request for Proposal will not be considered.
5. Interview Process: The Project Team will determine the firms to be interviewed. Those selected
   for interviews will be informed of the exact time and place at a later date. Final selection will be
   by the New Carlisle Town Council.
6. Project Cost Estimates:
   • Final service fees will be negotiated upon selection. However, to ensure the full
     anticipated costs are understood by the Town and to allow for accurate comparison of all
     submissions, all proposing firms must provide an estimated project cost along with their
     proposal.
   • The total fee shall be all-inclusive, covering all personnel, meetings, presentations, and
     public hearings as required, as well as related reimbursements (e.g., travel, meals,
     consultants, phone, fax, printing, map-making).
   • All firms shall provide a statement summarizing the basis for any subsequent fees not estimated in the initial project cost or variations from the estimated project cost.
7. Questions: Direct any questions regarding this Request for Proposal, or regarding submitted proposals, to the project's primary point of contact:

Contact Information:

Olivia Nix
Community Development Planner with MACOG
onix@macog.com
574.598.4378

Schedule of Activities for the RFP:

• RFP Published: August 22, 2024
• Requests for Clarifications or Interpretations Deadline: September 5, 2024
• Proposal Submission Deadline: September 23, 2024
• Evaluation of Proposals and Shortlisting of Firms: September 24-27, 2024
• Interview Shortlisted Firms: September 30, 2024 (if applicable)
• Select Firm by Town Council Approval: October 1, 2024
• Issue Notice of Award/Sign Contracts: October 15, 2024

The Town of New Carlisle's Zoning Update Project Team reserves the right to interview shortlisted
applicants or decide on the selected Consultant based on the evaluation of all submitted proposals.
Submittal Deadline:

Written Proposals must be received by 4:00 PM on Monday, September 23, 2024. Please submit four
(4) hard copies and one (1) digital copy labeled "PROPOSAL FOR TOWN OF NEW CARLISLE UNIFIED
DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE". Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

Mail to:

John Mrozinski, Director of Public Works
New Carlisle Town Hall
124 E. Michigan Street,
New Carlisle, Indiana 46552