Municipal Planning Consulting Services for Commercial Overlay District Zoning Code Amendment Project (the ‘Project”)
Date: May 19, 2017
The Village of Northfield, Ohio (the “Village”) is looking for a qualified person or firm experienced in consulting and drafting amendments to municipal zoning codes. Persons or firms responding to this Request will have the opportunity, if selected, to meet with the Village to further discuss their suitability for performing this Project.
PROPOSED PROJECT
At present, the commercial corridor and zoning district on the west side (and limited portions of the east side) of Northfield Road/State Route 8 in the Village has limited depth before it directly abuts residential homes and the residential zoning district. Buffer zones and screening between the commercial and residential properties in that area are extremely limited. The situation limits the potential for new commercial development opportunities and the redevelopment of existing commercial structures in those areas.
In order to encourage redevelopment of those areas of the commercial corridor, the Village seeks to establish a commercial redevelopment overlay district. The new zoning district would permit current or new property owners within the district to acquire a residential parcel or parcels and utilize those parcels for commercial use without the need to request that the property be rezoned. New setback, screening, and buffering requirements would be established for the new zoning district as well as ingress and egress restrictions to and from Northfield Road/Route 8. A new uniform signage code, style requirements, sidewalk setbacks, and landscaping requirements would be contained in the codified ordinance provisions relating to the commercial redevelopment overlay district. The primary goals of creating the district are to encourage and permit redevelopment projects requiring larger footprints than presently possible, establish provisions permitting mixed use development, permit the Village to take advantage of Tax Increment Financing Opportunities, and improve the general appearance and walkability of the properties encompassing the district. It is expected that the new zoning district will be required to be approved by the Village electorate before it goes into effect.
STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS
The Village is accepting Statements of Qualifications from persons or firms experienced in consulting and drafting amendments to municipal zoning codes. Extra consideration will be given to persons or firms that have specific experience with the type of project outlined above. The Statements of Qualifications shall be a document consisting of no more than ten double sided pages or twenty single sided pages between covers. Any Statement of Qualifications exceeding the page limit will not be considered. Applicants should not feel compelled to approach the maximum page limit if they feel they can adequately respond to this Request in a more concise manner.
Emphasis should be placed upon providing your relevant experience in the areas of municipal planning and drafting and redrafting portions of municipal zoning codes, along with experience with these types of projects in particular. You should provide information on what staff members would be involved in the Project, the qualifications and experience of those staff members, work tasks for which any listed team members would be responsible, and your time availability over the next few months. The Statements of Qualifications should also include the following information: a brief discussion of your understanding of the Project; a brief discussion of similar projects completed within the past ten years; the location of the office at which a majority of the work will be performed; a schedule listing employee billing rates by classification and any overhead multipliers, expected fixed fees, or profit multipliers; a list of any sub-consultants to be used and the work they would perform; and experience with attending and participating in public meetings. Estimates of costs for this Project should not be submitted as part of your firm’s Statement of Qualifications at this time.
Statements of Qualifications that are non-responsive to the above directives may be disqualified. Statements shall be signed by the individual submitting the Statement of Qualifications if it is being submitted on behalf of an individual. If the Statement of Qualifications is being submitted on behalf of an entity, the Statement of Qualifications shall be signed by an officer authorized to submit the Statement on behalf of the entity. During the proposal evaluation period, the Village reserves the right to request additional written information to assist in the evaluation of the Statements. The Village also reserves the right to reject, for any reason that is sufficient in the discretion of the Village, any and all Statements, in whole or in part, and to waive irregularities in any of the Statements received. All firms submitting Statements will receive a written response from the Village as to which firms are selected for further consideration.
Consultant services for the Project will begin after a person or entity is selected to perform the Project and a fee for the Project is agreed upon between the Village and the person or entity selected.
Interested applicants must submit six copies of the Statement of Qualifications if submitting them by hand-delivery or mail. Only one copy is necessary if you are responding by email. Statements must be received by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday June 6, 2017. Late submissions will not be accepted. Please submit Statements of Qualifications either in person or by mail to the Village of Northfield, c/o Director of Finance Tricia Ingrassia, at 10455 Northfield Road, Northfield, Ohio 44067 or by email to finance@northfieldvillage-oh.gov. Any questions regarding this Request should be addressed to Brad Bryan, Village of Northfield Director of Law, at 440.686.9000 or bbryan@gbs-llp.com. The Village of Northfield appreciates your interest in this Project.
