Introduction:

The City of Ankeny is seeking proposals from qualified planning and urban design consultants to prepare a Master Plan for Uptown Ankeny.

Uptown is Ankeny's historic commercial district and an important community destination. Significant public and private investment over the past decade has strengthened the district, creating a vibrant mix of locally owned businesses, restaurants, events, and public spaces. The City now seeks a long-term vision that builds on this momentum while preserving Uptown's unique character and identity.

The master plan should explore opportunities to strengthen Uptown's role as a destination, improve connections to surrounding neighborhoods and community assets, encourage compatible redevelopment, and identify practical strategies for future public and private investment. The City encourages consultants to propose their own planning process, engagement strategy, and technical approach to achieve these objectives.

Project Background: 

Ankeny is one of Iowa's fastest-growing communities, yet Uptown remains its historic commercial heart and an important community gathering place. While considerable reinvestment has occurred, there is currently no comprehensive master plan guiding future redevelopment, public improvements, branding, connectivity, or long-term investment.

Strategically located undeveloped and underutilized properties present a significant opportunity to shape Uptown's future. The City is particularly interested in identifying the types of uses and development that will complement Uptown's existing character while supporting local businesses, improving walkability and parking, and creating new destinations. Opportunities for upper-story residential, adaptive reuse, and high-quality public spaces should also be explored where appropriate.

The City seeks a plan that will preserve Uptown's unique sense of place while providing a practical roadmap for continued investment over the next 20 years.

Project Objectives: 

The master plan should establish a community-supported vision for Uptown's future that:

• Reinforces Uptown's historic identity and sense of place.
• Identifies opportunities for preservation, redevelopment, placemaking, and public investment. Strengthens connections within Uptown and to surrounding destinations.
• Supports existing businesses while identifying opportunities for future growth.
• Provides an actionable implementation strategy that can guide public and private decision-making.

Geographic Area: 

The study area includes Uptown Ankeny and adjacent properties, including nearby commercial corridors, surrounding neighborhoods, and key community assets such as the High Trestle Trail. A map showing the general study area is available upon request.  Consultants are encouraged to evaluate the area holistically and recommend an appropriate planning focus based on the project objectives.  

Scope of Services:

Task 1 – Project Understanding & Existing Conditions:

• Develop an understanding of existing opportunities, challenges, and market context sufficient to support planning recommendations.

Task 2 – Visioning & Engagement

• Design and implement an engagement strategy that builds a shared vision for Uptown.

Task 3 – Master Plan

• Prepare recommendations addressing land use, redevelopment, public improvements, connectivity, placemaking, economic vitality, and other strategies the consultant believes are important to achieving the project vision.

Task 4 – Implementation

• Prepare an implementation strategy identifying priorities, partnerships, funding opportunities, and actions to guide future investment.

Deliverables:

At a minimum, the consultant shall provide the following deliverables:

• Public engagement materials and summaries
• Existing conditions/opportunities assessment
• Vision, goals, and planning recommendations
• Conceptual graphics and illustrative materials sufficient to communicate the plan
• Draft Master Plan
• Final Master Plan
• Presentations to City Council and stakeholders

Project Team

The project will be managed by the City's Community & Economic Development staff with input from staff from other City departments, representatives of the Uptown Association, business owners, property owners, elected officials, and other stakeholders. Guidance from a formal Project Steering Committee consisting of appointees from various stakeholder groups may be considered. The consultant shall prepare presentation materials for City staff to use at City Council meetings throughout the project and should anticipate attending and presenting at two (2) City Council meetings to provide project updates and recommendations.

Budget and Timeline

• RFP Issued -  July 27, 2026
• Notice of intent to respond and any questions due to LHutzell@AnkenyIowa.gov - August 14, 2026
• Proposals due no later than 4:30PM - August 28, 2026
• Proposal review and selection of finalists - September 11, 2026
• Interview finalists as deemed necessary - September 21, 2026
• Notice of selection - Sepetember 25. 2026
• Begin work - October 2026
• Project completion - November 2027

Consultants may propose alternative schedules if they believe adjustments would improve project outcomes while remaining within the City's desired timeframe.

Content and Format of Proposals

Proposals must contain the following information in order to be considered and will be evaluated on a 100-point scale. Maximum points per category are identified below.

• Cover Letter: a cover letter on firm letterhead must provide the name and person(s) who are authorized to answer questions about the RFP. The cover letter should not exceed two pages in length and should summarize key elements of the proposal. The letter must include the telephone number, email address, and physical address of the firm. 10 points
• Methodology: describe how you will facilitate input from local business, citizens, property owners and other key stakeholders and how that information will be presented. Identify any challenges we are likely to run into and how they can best be mitigated. 30 points

• Firm Experience: provide a summary of projects that are similar in scope to the type of project noted herein. (Limit to the three most applicable.) The summary should include client name, project description, project team, date completed, and total project cost. Include at least three examples, but no more than six report excerpts or visuals. 20 points

• Project Team: provide the name and qualifications of the key individuals who will be responsible for delivering these services, their respective roles, and the organizational structure of the project team. Technical support staff should be included if they will perform a significant role in the preparation of the work products. If the firm has multiple offices, identify the host office. 10 points

• References: provide the name and contact information for three regional groups, cities, counties, or economic development organizations where similar plans have been completed and implemented. 10 points

• Professional Associations: list any professional associations of team members. 5 points

• Budget and Task Summary: describe how the project budget will be spent by each task and a timeframe for the task. 15 points

Evaluation Criteria:

The competitive selection process for this RFP will focus on the qualifications and prior history of performance on similar projects of each proposer and the proposer’s team members, as appropriate, in accordance with the selection criteria set forth in this RFP. Thoughtful written responses to this RFP will enable the City of Ankeny to select the most qualified proposers.

Instructions for Submission

Proposers shall submit a notice of intent to submit a proposal no later than the deadline listed above. Any questions about the RFP must be submitted by this deadline as well. Responses to questions will be provided to all interested consultants via email.

Proposers shall submit three (3) copies of their completed RFP response as well as a digital copy. All proposals must be submitted in an 8 ½” x 11” format. Pages are to be numbered in sequence and font size must be at least 12 pt. The proposal must be received in the City of Ankeny office by 4:30 PM (central standard time), Aug. 28, 2026 for full consideration.

Deliver to:

City of Ankeny

Attn: Laura Hutzell 410 W. First Street

Ankeny, Iowa 50023

LHutzell@AnkenyIowa.gov

• Questions regarding this Request for Proposals shall be directed to: Laura Hutzell, Associate Planner Community & Economic Development City of Ankeny, 515-965-6445, LHutzell@AnkenyIowa.gov