Request For Qualifications (RFQ) Consultant Services For Village Center Master Plan

Request For Qualifications (RFQ)
Consultant Services For Village Center Master Plan

Community Background

The Village of Wilmette is seeking a qualified consultant to assist in the development of a Master Plan for Village’s Village Center and West Village Center ( collectively, the “VC”).

The Village of Wilmette is located approximately 16 miles north of downtown Chicago. Wilmette is an affluent and progressive community known for its beautiful lakefront, diverse architecture, tree lined streets, well maintained parks and excellent public and private schools.

The Village extends approximately five miles west from Lake Michigan and is approximately one mile wide. Its municipal neighbors include Evanston and Skokie to the south, Glenview to the west and Kenilworth and Northfield to the north.

According to a 2004 market analysis, Village residents have more than $500 million in retail sales potential, which puts their spending power at more than twice the national average for all categories of retail goods.

Like most mature, inner ring suburbs in the Chicago metro area, there is little developable land and any new development will be the result of redevelopment. What sets Wilmette apart from many of these other communities are its very high property values, relatively high retail and commercial rents, and until fairly recently, its laissez-faire attitude towards its business districts.

Demographics– 2000 Census

Population - 27,651
Average Household Size - 2.73
Median Age - 42.2
Households - 10,039
Median Family Income - $122,515
Median Home Value - $441,600

Project Background

For several years, the leaders of the Village of Wilmette have wrestled with determining the best way to plan for redevelopment of its VC. Despite numerous scattered conversations, proposals and studies, the Village has never developed a truly comprehensive and integrated plan to redevelop this area.

Given the Village’s history in regards to the VC it is clear that any redevelopment in the VC needs to be undertaken as part of a cohesive Master Plan. Because there have been a variety of studies and plans already completed for the VC, the Village is not looking for the Master Plan to start from scratch. Rather the Master Plan should build on the existing research, and define a direction that would guide the Village in all of its future VC redevelopment efforts.

Because of the timing associated with large-scale development, the Village is seeking a Master Plan that will perpetuate beyond current Village elected officials term limits. The Master Plan would necessarily incorporate the feedback of residents, offer financing strategies and involve revisions to the Village Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance.

While the purview of the Master Plan will include the entire VC, the Village will be seeking multiple concept plans for at least four key sites that theoretically have fewer obstacles to redevelopment. The Village believes that encouraging redevelopment at these four key sites would begin to build a critical mass of energy and activity that would catalyze surrounding business and create natural market dynamics that would inform and encourage future redevelopment in the rest of the Village Center. Additional sites requiring concept plan treatment may also be identified during the Master Plan process.

In addition to the concept plans, the Master Plan must provide clear design and contextual guidelines to VC property owners so that they would have a better understanding of what type of development is desired by the Village if these property owners did decide to pursue redevelopment. These guidelines should be developed with sensitivity to existing design characteristics prevalent in the VC. The recommended guidelines in the Master Plan should be provided in both an illustrated and narrative form ready for adoption into the Village’s land use regulations. And, the Master Plan should include other traditional elements including an overall pedestrian and vehicular circulation plan for the VC.

Because more traditional planning approaches have not been successful in bringing about the desired change in the VC, the Village is looking for a consultant with a track record of being innovative and has used non-cookie cutter approaches in completing similar projects.

The Concept Plans will be focused on four key sites in the Wilmette Village Center and West Village Center.

Submission Requirements

Interested firms or teams shall submit nine (9) original copies and one electronic copy of materials that demonstrate their experience in performing projects of this scale and complexity.

All responses to the RFQ must contain the following information:

A general description of the firm and its resources, including number of personnel, location of office(s), approximate annual volume of consulting work performed, and number of years in business.
Names and resumes of proposed key staff members who will be assigned to this project.
A narrative or other statement by the firm of its qualifications for the proposed Master Plan project. This should include any additional considerations that make the firm well qualified for the Master Plan project as outlined.
A brief statement of the availability of key personnel of the firm to undertake the proposed project.
List of similar projects completed by the firm within the past five years including the level of implementation that has taken place on the listed projects, the level of public participation, the project completion time and the project cost. Where possible copies of the completed plans should also be submitted.
Names and telephone numbers of persons whom the agency can call for references regarding the projects presented in the above “project list”.
A current rate schedule.

Responses to and questions regarding this RFQ shall be directed to:

Village of Wilmette
John Adler, Director of Community Development
1200 Wilmette Ave.
Wilmette , IL 60091
Office: 847-853-7528
Fax: 847-853-7701
adlerj@wilmette.com

Responses must be received no later than 4:30 pm on May 30, 2008

Clarification of Offeror Questions

Only specific questions submitted in writing and answered in writing will be binding. Questions may be submitted until May 20, 2008. Offerors in doubt as to the meaning of any part of the RFQ may submit a request for clarification not later than May 20, 2008. No response will be provided for questions submitted after that date. Responses to questions will be provided to all known offerors. Interpretations and changes to the RFQ will be made only by an addendum issued by the Village of Wilmette.

Village Clarifications to RFQ

The Village reserves the right to make clarifications, corrections, or changes in this Request for Qualifications up until ten (10) days after the release date of the RFQ. All offerors or prospective offerors will be informed of said clarifications, corrections, or changes

Evaluation Criteria

Responses will be evaluated by the responder’s overall experience and qualifications related to the described Master Plan project and the responder’s references.

Selection Process

A committee made up of staff and elected/appointed officials will review the responses to the RFQ and develop a short list of qualified firms. At the Village’s discretion, interviews may be conducted with each of the firms to discuss the firm’s qualifications, resources and availability to provide the services requested.

Based upon the interviews, and/or the response to the RFQ, the selection committee will ask the recommended firms to respond to a Master Plan services request for proposals.

It is expected that the selection committee will meet in early June and that any interviews will be scheduled in mid to late June.

Recent Studies and Plans

Resident Survey of Village Services and Activities - 2001
Village Center Redevelopment Research - 2006

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