Request for Proposals

Lincoln City Design Standards

Proposals due Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The City of Lincoln City is seeking proposals from interested and qualified consultants to assist in improving the city's design standards for streetscapes and buildings.

Background:

Lincoln City is a tourist community on the Central Oregon Coast. Its permanent population of 8,400 grows by 20-30,000 visitors during the summer, special events, and holiday weekends. Besides tourism, which is the city's economic base, increasing numbers of retirees are moving here permanently. To keep tourists and new residents coming, the city needs to look its best.

The surrounding natural environment is the major attraction for Lincoln City. The defining constructed feature is Highway 101, which bisects the seven-mile city. Most commercial development is along the highway, where buildings are an eclectic mix of good west coast architecture interspersed with structures of many types, colors, and condition in a variety of site layouts.

Lincoln City incorporated in 1965, joining five villages that grew up along Highway 101. City planning and zoning attempt to preserve the unique qualities of the villages, known as "pearls" on the "string" of highway. In addition to commercial design standards in Chapter 17.74 for the general commercial and recreational commercial zones, the zoning ordinance has design standards for the Nelscott (Chapter 17.34), Oceanlake (Chapter 17.50), and Taft (Chapter 17.45) districts, and elsewhere in the code. Neighborhood plans and CC&Rs for individual developments have other different standards. The city code lacks design standards for the professional campus, industrial, and multi-family residential zones.

The city's appearance has become a concern and priority for city leaders and citizens alike, but exactly how to improve the appearance of our streetscapes and buildings remains a question. Branding and visioning projects now in progress may provide insight into the community's aesthetic and design preferences. The city also is exploring use of a form-based code type of land use regulation.

Project Goals and Objectives:

The city expects this project to produce an adoptable set of standards that will achieve a unifying order for the city, yet allow for variety and creativity. Objectives for the project are as follows:

1. Establish a vision, goals, objectives, and policies for streetscape aesthetics and building design;
2. Determine preferences through a public education and outreach program that contemplates alternative community aesthetics and design concepts.
3. Propose new or revised code sections that, once adopted, will result in a preferred streetscape aesthetic and building design. Proposed revisions should simplify standards, and ensure practicality, affordability, and appropriateness for the community and environment;
4. Identify ways to improve administration of the city code and incentives that will promote good aesthetics and design.

Role of Consultant:

The City seeks a consultant team that can best help us meet project objectives and accomplish the work detailed below. As part of a proposal, a respondent may submit a detailed scope of work in order to assist reviewers in understanding how the respondent would effectively manage this project through completion.

• Critique existing standards, building design, and community aesthetics;
• Through education and outreach, assess city preferences, determine appropriate aesthetics and design standards for all areas of the city;
• Propose an ordinance for adoption that includes revisions or improvements to existing regulations. Provide illustrations of the anticipated results and estimates of cost increases associated with the changes.
• Propose incentives and improvements to procedures to make regulations most effective.

City staff from the departments of planning and urban renewal, the city attorney, and city manager will comprise the local project management team. Staff will review and edit memos and planning documents, establish a project advisory committee and serve as its liaison, and participate in community outreach and education. Staff time is limited, so we are looking for as much help from consultants as we can afford. Our staff does not include landscape designers or architects.

Budget and Funding Sources:

The city has budgeted $50,000 to improve the city's design standards. The City may contribute more from its general fund, as necessary, to accomplish the listed objectives and tasks.

Plan completion date: Consultants must provide the city with an acceptable final draft of the design standards by November 16, 2018.

Proposals:

The contract, if awarded, shall be to the best proposal from a responsible proposer, as determined by the scoring criteria. The City of Lincoln City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive formalities, and to accept any proposal that appears to serve the best interests of the city. The City will post this RFP and any addendums on its website: www.lincolncity.org.

Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. Email proposals as attachments up to 10 MB to Debra Nicholson dnicholson@lincolncity.org with "Proposal for Lincoln City Design Standards" in the subject line, or mail or hand deliver proposals by 5:00 p.m. to the Department of Planning and Community Development, 801 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City, Oregon, 97367. Please provide an electronic version of hard copy proposals.

Required format and information: Proposals shall be in 8.5-inch by 11-inch format and limited to no more than 15 pages. Proposals shall include the following information in an easy to read and attractive format:

• Introductory cover letter, which may include the narrative;
• Narrative demonstrating the consultant understands the project and qualifications for the project;
• The names and qualifications of persons who would work on the project from within the organization or as subcontractors, their roles and responsibilities, and percent of the contract that each would be completing;
• Description of tasks the consultants would perform, the number of hours, deliverables, and a cost estimate for each; and
• References from similar work clients.

Selection Criteria: Following the closing date, the consultant selection committee will review the submitted proposals and select a consultant. Cost alone will not determine the City's decision. The city will undertake contract negotiations with the top-ranked firm. If unsuccessful, the City will initiate negotiations with the second-ranked firm, and with the next-ranked firm, as needed. The committee will evaluate each proposal on the following:

• Completeness, clarity, and visual appeal of the application;
• The consultant's proposed approach and tasks to achieve the project objectives;
• The consultant team's past experience with similar projects and demonstrated ability to perform the tasks successfully and produce regulations that are effective in improving community aesthetics and design; and
• References that vouch for the consultant's ability to complete a contract satisfactorily in a timely manner and within budget, and produce effective design standards.

All proposals shall become part of the public file for the project. Consultants responding to this proposal do so solely at their expense, and the City of Lincoln City is not responsible for any expenses associated with the preparation of the proposal. Direct questions to:

Debra Nicholson, Senior Planner
City of Lincoln City
801 SW Highway 101
Lincoln City, Oregon 97367
Email: dnicholson@lincolncity.org
Phone: 541-996-1228

Contract Requirements

The successful consultant shall enter into a personal services agreement with the City. Before commencing work, the selected consultants shall provide to the City evidence of insurance. The City and the consultant will negotiate the scope of work and payment schedule for contract services prior to commencement of work. The City will pay upon receipt of the consultant's billing statement and completion of tasks to the City's satisfaction no more frequently than once per month.

Proposal protest and request for change procedures

Protests concerning changes in the proposal or the consultant selection shall follow the procedures set forth in the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR), Division 48 (137-048-0240, Protest Procedures).

Resources:

Below are several links that may be useful:

Lincoln City Municipal Code at http://www.codepublishing.com/OR/LincolnCity/, Chapters 17.34, 17.45, 17.50 and 17.74

City of Lincoln City homepage at http://www.lincolncity.org and webpages for Urban Renewal Agency, including "String of Pearls" Vision and district plans.

Nelscott Gap Neighborhood Plan at http://www.nelscottplan.com