I. Introduction

The Village of Arlington Heights (“Village”) is requesting proposals from qualified professional urban planning firms (“Consultant”) to provide services for the preparation and adoption of a Housing Study.

The Village is located in the northwest suburban region of Chicago, occupying 16 square miles in area. According to the 2020 census, the Village has a population of 77,676 residents. The Village is served by two Metra stations via the Union Pacific NW railway. The Village is a "home-rule" community as provided under the State of Illinois Constitution. The Village is an upper middle-class community, with a strong complement of residential, industrial, and business development in addition to an award-winning downtown. The Village currently has four Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”) Districts in various stages of redevelopment.

The Village has incurred a strong interest in residential development, specifically for multi-family rental products and affordable housing. A housing profile was completed in 2013 by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (“CMAP”), Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (“MMC”), Metropolitan Planning Council (“MPC”), and Northwest Center (“NWSHC”) in conjunction with other northwest municipalities as part of the Homes for a Changing Region program. This analysis, conducted more than 13 years ago, was a snapshot of housing in the Village during the Great Recession.

II. Project Overview & Scope of Services

With growing interest in housing development within the Village, the key focus for this Housing Study is to provide insights on the Village’s existing housing stock, including: affordability, availability, unit type, tenure, age, condition, and overall housing demand. Since 2013, the Village has adopted various affordable housing initiatives, including the creation of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (“AHTF”) in 2013 and an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (“IHO”) in 2020. The Housing Commission, created in 1972, reviews and recommends applications for both the IHO and AHTF to the Village Board. Since its inception, the Housing Commission has played a vital role in the creation and review of the Village’s housing initiatives. In addition to the IHO and AHTF, the Housing Commission has advisory functions for Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) budgeting and authorizes use of the CDBG fund for Single Family Rehabilitation Program applications in excess of $10,000.

The AHTF currently holds a balance of $1.3 million and was predominantly bolstered by the adoption of the IHO. The IHO has increased the supply of affordable housing units within the Village, providing 34 constructed units under the requirements of the IHO with 11 additional units approved for construction. This is not inclusive of the negotiations the Village has conducted with developers to provide affordable units for various residential developments prior to the adoption of the IHO, nor the federally subsidized buildings located within the Village.

The purpose of the Housing Study is to inform the Village’s existing and future housing policies and strategies. The Housing Study should incorporate findings from the Service Needs Analysis which will be provided by the Village. The Service Needs Analysis will evaluate how community and economic development growth trends impact municipal staffing, service delivery, and operational capacity to ensure the Village can effectively meet current and future service needs. The Housing Study should consider this, but with housing supply and population growth in mind.

Topics to be considered as part of the Housing Study include, but are not limited to, the following. Respondents are encouraged to identify additional areas of analysis they believe would provide value to the Village. 

• Definition of affordable housing and the various terms associated with affordable housing
• Existing and forward-looking data and spatial analysis of demographics, employment and associated commuting patterns, demand and supply, housing stock, etc. 
• Identifying, measuring, and categorizing the current critical housing gaps and issues present in the community
• Housing connectivity to transit and other transportation options
• Community input 
• Service Needs Analysis (provided by the Village)
• Assess existing Village housing policies and programs to identify gaps, opportunities for improvement, and potential future initiatives
• Strategies and recommendations for the Village based on the assessment provided
• Additional themes and priorities as identified through the public input process  

The selected Consultant will be responsible for:

• Project Management
  • Preparing a detailed schedule for project milestones, deliverables, goals and objectives. The anticipated project schedule will begin in Q1 2027 and conclude in Q4 2027.
  • Organize regular coordination meetings with Village staff and any other potential working group meetings as needed.
  • Provide periodic progress updates identifying completed work, upcoming milestones, and outstanding items. 
• Data Collection and Analysis
  • Demographic data, including priority populations. 
  • Collect and analyze existing housing data including – but not limited to – location, unit type, age, tenure, availability, condition, values, rents, affordability levels, etc. 
  • Housing demand analysis, identifying gaps in housing stock versus demand. 
  • Housing locations and connectivity to various modes of transportation. 
  • Identify potential location(s) for new housing.
  • Spatial analysis of data. 
  • Service Needs Analysis connection (provided to Consultant to inform their analysis). 
• Policy & Programs Assessment
  • Define various terms for affordable housing utilized and prioritized in the Village.
  • Review and evaluate existing housing-related policies and programs within the Village including– but not limited to – IHO, AHTF, CDBG and Single Family Rehabilitation Program, Housing Commission, etc. 
  • Assess whether existing policies and programs are achieving their intended objectives.
  • Identify gaps, barriers, opportunities for improvement, and potential future initiatives.
• Public Outreach
  • Organize a comprehensive public outreach plan involving community residents, Village organizations, Village Boards and Commissions, and other key stakeholders. 
  • Schedule and facilitate public outreach efforts to gather input from those stakeholders on a variety of topics and themes related to housing. This should include surveys, pop-up events, stakeholder meetings, etc. 
• Housing Study Preparation & Adoption
  • Coordinate with Village Staff to provide analysis of data and existing conditions, synthesize public input, and make recommendations on potential policy and action items for implementation.
  • Draft the Housing Study.
  • Present the Housing Study to the Village Board for adoption.

III. Budget 

The Village has allocated a budget of approximately $250,000 for this project, with the expectation for the project to initiate early 2027 and commence at the end of 2027. While the RFP identifies key areas of study, the Village encourages any respondents to propose innovative approaches and suggest additional topics or areas of analysis for consideration as part of the Housing Study. 

IV.  Submission Requirements & Schedule 

A. Requirements -  Respondents must include the following in their submission:

• Cover Letter: A brief overview of the firm, including a statement of interest.
• Experience and Qualifications: Provide relevant experience of the consultant and any sub-consultant(s) in providing services on equivalent projects.
  • Qualifications and resumés for the project manager and key individuals participating from the consultant or sub-consultant(s) teams. 
  • Up to five (5) projects may be submitted along with references for the projects.
• Study Approach: Provide a detailed description of the overall work plan, and how it meets the goals of the Housing Study as described in Section II. The work plan should include, but not be limited to, the following:

  • Include a project start date and completion date to be consistent with the Project Overview & Scope and Services. 

  • Provide any deviations or alternatives which the firm believes would better meet the overall goals of the proposal should be identified, quantified, and justified.

  • Provide the time required by the consultant or sub-consultant for each task along with the role of the Village staff. Separate from this, provide the amount of time tasked for the GIS mapping portion of the project. 

  • Schedule for project tasks, deliverables, and major milestones, such as public meetings, for each project task.

  • Identify any and all resources to be supplied by the Village.

• Fee Schedule: Provide the total cost of the proposal along with a cost of each element of the scope of work. Provide a detailed breakdown of the consultant and sub-consultant total hours, hourly rates, and any applicable fees and costs should also be included. As mentioned in the Study Approach section above, provide a separate fee proposal for the GIS mapping portion.
• Consultant Capacity: Provide a list of all projects the Consultant and sub-consultant is currently undertaking, how far along each project is, and each key personnel involved in the Study along with their other projects.
• Insurance: A representation that the proposer, if selected, will be able to meet the Village’s insurance requirements (see below); however, only the successful proposer will need to provide insurance certificates.

B. Submission and Schedule 

• Submission: All proposals must be submitted no later than end of day October 9, 2026 to:

Basmah Nadeem, Planner I

Village of Arlington Heights

Attn: Department of Planning & Community Development

33 S. Arlington Heights Road

Arlington Heights, IL 60005

bnadeem@vah.com 

847-368-5214

• One (1) electronic copy (.pdf) of the proposal is required and must be signed by an authorized official of the firm submitting such proposal.
• Intent to Submit and Questions/Clarifications: An “Intent to Submit” and any questions or requests for clarification regarding this RFP should be submitted in writing to Basmah Nadeem at bnadeem@vah.com by September 18, 2026. The Village will respond to all questions and requests for clarifications by September 28, 2026 and will provide a response to ALL questions the Village has received to respondents with an Intent to Submit on file. 
• Schedule:
  • Distribute RFP - September 4, 2026
  • Intent to Submit and Questions/Clarifications Due - September 18, 2026
  • Responses to Questions/Clarifications Provided - September 28, 2026
  • Deadline to Submit Proposals - October 9, 2026

V. Qualifications and Selection 

A review and selection committee ("Selection Committee") consisting of representatives of the Village will review and evaluate all proposals.  As part of the selection process, the Selection Committee may interview none, some, or all of the proposers for the Agreement. The Selection Committee will then make a recommendation to the Village Board as to which proposer should be awarded the Agreement.

The following criteria will aid the Selection Committee in recommending which proposer should be awarded:

• Project Approach: The Consultant’s understanding of the Services to be performed.
• Experience & Qualifications: The Consultant’s demonstrated expertise and experience in providing similar planning and zoning review services.
• Team Composition: The reputation and qualifications of staff to be assigned to provide the Services.
• Cost Proposal: The competitiveness and clarity of fee structure.
• References: Feedback from past clients.

For more information on Terms and Conditions, Insurance Requirements, and Indemnity Hold Harmless Agreement, please go to our webpage to view the full RFP document.