Dear Representative:

The City of Kingsport is interested in contracting with a firm with the expertise to provide master planning design services for its downtown.

Interested persons or firms should submit their sealed "Qualification Statement," in the form of (1) original and eight (8) copies to:

Procurement Manager
City of Kingsport
225 West Center Street
Kingsport, TN 37660

REPLIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 4:00 P.M., Eastern Time, March 31, 2017. MARK THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE, QUALIFICATION STATEMENT FOR MASTER PLANNING SERVICES – KINGSPORT DOWNTOWN.

If hand delivered, they will be delivered to the Procurement Manager, 225 West Center Street, Kingsport, Tennessee.

All sealed Qualification Statements received by the Procurement Manager shall be publicly opened by the Procurement Manager in the Council Room, City Hall, 225 W. Center Street, Kingsport, Tennessee at 4:00 P.M., Eastern Time, March 31, 2017. Only the names of the submitters will be read.

Replies received after the deadline stated above will not be considered.

Any additional information concerning the request may be obtained from the Procurement Department at (423) 229-9419.

Sincerely,

Sandra Crawford
Procurement Manager
SKC/mrg

Attachments

KINGSPORT DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN – RFQ

Project Title: Kingsport Downtown Master Plan

The City of Kingsport is requesting statements of qualifications (RFQ) from experienced consultants to provide professional planning services associated with developing a new Downtown Master Plan for the City of Kingsport.

Background

Kingsport community leaders have established a goal for Kingsport to attract and retain businesses, visitors, residents and developers. In order to meet that goal we must focus on improvement of our downtown. This project builds upon and brings together former planning efforts to create a Master Plan that creates a unified vision for the development and redevelopment of Kingsport's downtown. The plan will include components of traditional downtown master plans with a heavy emphasis on public improvements and streetscape upgrades. The plan will also demonstrate a path forward for the existing downtown Academic Village, analyzing student demand for expansion and amenities and recommending appropriate size and locations for these student centered needs.

The intent of the Kingsport Downtown Master Plan is to create a vision to reinforce and magnify Kingsport's downtown role as the economic and cultural heart of the community. As part of an ongoing community initiative known as OneKingsport (https://onekingsport.com), this master plan will create a vision for the downtown area embraced by the surrounding community. The process will build consensus among different groups including, but not limited to, property owners, business owners, public agencies, City advisory groups, Chamber of Commerce, local students, educational institutions, and residents.

A focused element of the overall Downtown Master Plan should be connection and integration of the downtown academic village opened in 2009, which attracts local universities and students downtown. The Academic Village has witnessed growth in attendance and number of programs offered since launching. This growth necessitates a reevaluation of the current site plan to address current needs, including parking, classroom space, dining options, amenities, etc. Consultants should expect to interact with both students and administrators to gauge aspirations, and distill a feasible strategy for implementation.

The Downtown Master Plan will become an official policy document of the city. The plan will facilitate the direction, type, location, and scale of new development and associated downtown improvements for the next ten years. As well, this plan will drive parallel downtown infrastructure improvements. Included recommendations may result in substantial changes to downtown initiatives, with a renewed focus on urban design and tactical urbanism. The plan should prescribe a realistic and timely guide for creating positive change.

Project Overview

Kingsport's objective is to engage the professional services of qualified planning consultants to develop a new, detailed and lasting Downtown Master Plan for Kingsport. This will involve working through a collaborative effort that engages a variety of stakeholders. The process will culminate in an integrated document that reflects the needs and desires of the community and helps direct future decision making as it relates to the orderly growth, revitalization, and sustainable development of the downtown. The Downtown Master Plan will provide a framework for the development of future public policy pertaining to development, redevelopment, infrastructure improvement and expansion, streetscaping, and provision of community services.

Kingsport is home to a number of organizations, governmental bodies, and institutions (both academic and civic) that conduct their own long-range planning. A major goal will be to incorporate those plans into the Downtown Master Plan where feasible. Our goal is to create a comprehensive plan for downtown Kingsport that recognizes it's multifaceted and complex nature.

Major issues and areas of focus that the new Downtown Master Plan will address include:

• Create a master streetscape design plan
• Master Plan for the Kingsport Academic Village and address institutional desires and student needs
• Public Improvement analysis and prioritization checklist
• Evaluate and recommend improvements for downtown greenspace
• Evaluate and recommend best uses for the existing vacant downtown properties
• Evaluate and recommend best uses for existing publicly owned properties.

Scope of Work and Services Required

The consulting firm selected for this assignment will work closely with City staff and an advisory committee to prepare the Downtown Kingsport Master Plan. The master plan should examine and include best practices from communities of similar composition with thriving downtowns. While the final scope of services will be developed in conjunction with the firm selected for this project, the following are major work components and elements expected to be provided:

• An analysis of growth potential including: housing, transportation, economic development, open space and infill development/redevelopment.
• An analysis of the City's downtown demographics and characteristics
• An analysis of the City's downtown existing land use
• An analysis of the City's downtown existing Urban Design
• An analysis of the impact of future developments on existing parking facilities and the need for additional downtown parking opportunities.
• An analysis of student demand at the Kingsport Academic Village
• Work with City staff to create new downtown land use maps and exhibits.
• Evaluate existing and potential partnerships
• Facilitate public input meetings and focus group sessions throughout the various phases of developing the Downtown Master Plan. Incorporate the findings into the plan document.
• Completion of a development strategy that identifies priority projects with general cost range estimates.
• Attend and participate in meetings scheduled with the Advisory Group as the plan evolves to provide progress reports and obtain feedback.
• Provide detailed plans for Implementation.
• Estimate costs for implementation

Proposal Elements

Each proposal shall identify and include the following:

1. Cover letter
2. The Project Team, including sub-consultants (if proposed), expertise and experience with similar downtown master plan projects. Include the following:
   • Project name
   • Location and project cost estimates and actual cost
   • A brief description of the project
   • The firm's role in the project
   • Project Team member roles in the project
   • A project reference and contact phone number
3. The Project Team's approach to the project.
4. The project Team's anticipated project schedule.
5. The Firm's history and executive profile.
6. The firm's process/procedures for providing quality assurance/quality control throughout the life of the project.
7. A description of experience in working with the public sector and elected officials.
8. A description of projects in which the firm has worked with the sub-consultants proposed for this project.
9. A description of any legal action in which the firm or its executives have been involved in the last five (5) years.

Selection Criteria

The following will be used to evaluate the applicants:

1. Qualifications of firm, specifically as they relate to this project. Demonstrated experience and expertise in preparing downtown master plans, designing connections between downtowns and academic institutions, achieving proposed public improvements and streetscaping.
2. Extensive experience in developing concept plans, modeling, community outreach, preparing preliminary plans, specifications and engineering documents necessary to develop accurate cost estimates, permitting and construction requirements.
3. Available resources to complete the project, including analytical design tools, software, personnel, resources or methodologies commonly used by the firm that may be applicable to the project.
4. Ability of firm to complete tasks quickly and on time.
5. References and previous experience working on similar projects and past work with similar cities. Related project experience of the individuals who would be assigned to this project.
6. Project team success of providing accurate cost estimates and examples of actual cost compared to cost estimates of implemented suggestions.
7. Extensive experience preparing and presenting materials before elected officials and community groups.
8. Responsiveness to the RFQ and compliance with instructions.
9. Schedule and availability.
10. General impressions and presentation of qualifications.