For complete details, please visit https://www.opkansas.org/city-government/bids-proposals/.

Introduction

The City of Overland Park, KS (the City) seeks consulting services to review and update the City's Unified Development Ordinance (the UDO) to allow implementation of the City's recently updated comprehensive plan (FrameworkOP). The purpose of the update (the Project) is to align the UDO and the City's development standards with the goals outlined in FrameworkOP and to facilitate development of the character types identified for the community through a mix of contextual uses. The resulting updated UDO should facilitate efficient development with predictable and flexible standards that support a high quality of life, improved options for mobility, environmental sustainability, a range of housing options, and economic growth.

The City's existing UDO and the related Site Design Standards (SDS), Architectural Design Standards (ADS), Mixed Use Design Standards (MUDS) and Downtown Form District (DFD) are all available on-line for review at: https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/overlandpark-ks/index.aspx.

Project Description

The City is expected to adopt FrameworkOP in May 2024. FrameworkOP is a complete review and update to the City's Comprehensive Plan which was created approximately 40 years ago. A prominent recommendation in FrameworkOP was to update the City's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to align with the policies and actions contained in the updated plan.

The last full update of the City's UDO was in 1990. Since that time, numerous revisions and updates have occurred. In 2012, City staff initiated an audit and focus group discussions to identify inconsistencies and areas of concern within the existing code. (Copies of the City's audit will be made available to the selected consultant.) The staff engaged with a consultant who provided an organizational code outline and technical and legal advice relating to an update of the City's sign code, which was completed in 2020.

The staff also engaged with EnCode, which resulted in the City's full municipal code, including the UDO and related design guidelines, being moved to the EnCode online platform in 2015. The City is also responsible for enforcing two different Johnson County zoning regulations from annexations in 1985, 2002, and 2008, multiple design standards, and a form-based code.

It is anticipated the Project will involve the development of a hybrid of existing or modified regulations and new regulations, including new zoning districts, performance standards, and design standards. Some code sections have been recently updated and major revisions to those sections are not expected. These sections include: 18.440 - Signs; 18.430 - Parking and Loading; 18.365 - Stream Corridor; 18.360 - Floodplain Management; and 18.395 - Communication Facilities for Wireless Services. Additionally, the following updates are currently in process: Parking Lot Lighting; Permit-Ready Small-Scale Single-family Plans and supporting UDO changes; and an overlay for the College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue area.

Because of the complex nature of the zoning and the development review process, the Project's code update must incorporate community engagement and a cooperative partnership with City staff to ensure the Project is representative of the Overland Park community, the goals of FrameworkOP, and the City's established development review process.

The specific goals of the Project are: (1) analyze the existing UDO provisions to assess alignment with the Character Area recommendations from FrameworkOP; (2) create a matrix of recommended changes for consideration; (3) coordinate development of the code update with City staff, relevant steering or advisory committees, and interested parties; (4) develop a user-friendly code with hyperlinks and provisions with supporting graphics that are easy to understand, administer, and interpret; (5) provide better consistency of terminology throughout the UDO; (6) provide for efficient code administration with the delivery of predictable, high quality outcomes; and (7) allow for responsiveness to market conditions and community needs and expectations.