The City of Portland is inviting proposals from qualified consultants to complete a Historic Preservation Impact Study. Since 1990, the City of Portland has had a robust Historic Preservation program, created to recognize, preserve and enhance Portland's historic resources, including individual landmarks, historic commercial and residential districts and historic landscapes. When the City Council first adopted Portland's Historic Preservation Ordinance, they established six local historic districts and five historic landscape districts based on previously designated National Register districts. Since that time, the program has expanded significantly to 12 local districts. Approximately 2,000 properties throughout the city, in a diverse range of neighborhoods and contexts, are currently designated as historic properties.

Despite the successes of the program, limited data has been collected to document the impact of the program on the economic, cultural and social well-being of the city. As such, the City is seeking to evaluate the impact of historic district designations on Portland's housing market in terms of affordability, supply, and accessibility, as well historic preservation's impact on employment, cultural heritage tourism, sustainability, downtown revitalization, and equity and inclusion.

The City's goal for the study is to provide an analysis of, and where applicable, recommendations on the following:

• Job creation and income generated by historic rehabilitation activity or other preservation efforts in Portland's historic districts.
• The economic impact of cultural heritage tourism and its relative impact in relation to other forms of tourism in Portland.
• Demonstrated effect of historic districts on property values and rent within those districts as compared to non-historic districts.
• The role of historic preservation in downtown commercial economic vitality.
• The contribution of historic preservation to Portland's sustainable development (smart growth principles, energy conservation, climate resilience, green infrastructure, etc.).
• The social & racial impacts of historic preservation including, but not limited to, the opportunities in Portland's historic districts as it is related to the development of low and moderate income housing compared with other, non-historic district parts of the City.

Proposals are due by Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 3:00 PM. Copies of the RFP are available by contacting the City's Purchasing Office via e-mail at jrl@portlandmaine.gov or purchasing@portlandmaine.gov, or via phone (207) 874-8654.