Purpose/Project Overview

The Village of Haverstraw will prepare an update to its Comprehensive Plan to identify climate adaptation strategies, policies and projects that may decrease vulnerability- both short-term and long-term- to the impact of climate change and sea level rise, and provide the guidelines for sustainable development in light of climate change. The overall goal of the project is to develop guidelines for a resilient, sustainable village that will achieve its potential as a regional economic driver.

The Consultant will identify resiliency strategies, make recommendations for integrating planning for sustainability into current revitalization plans and projects and make recommendations for ensuring that sustainability will be part of future planning and project implementation. Among recommendations that the Consultant will be asked to consider will be changes to the existing building codes and zoning regulations to provide for sustainability, including Form-Based Codes, with an emphasis on reducing the village’s carbon footprint. Recommendations will focus on supporting mixed-use, compact, walkable, smart and energy-efficient development as part of the Village’s overall land-use policy. The Consultant will review existing and planned programs and projects for the revitalization of the downtown, particularly as detailed in the Downtown Revitalization Plan and Downtown Concept Plan among other initiatives so as to maximize mixed-use and sustainability.

Particular attention will be paid to the development of metrics and projected benefit values to track the success of sustainability elements within the Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, the Consultant will recommend amendments to the Village’s Zoning Code and other regulations to implement the sustainability elements of the updated Comprehensive Plan. This integrated planning will be modeled on the United States Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) rating or similar systems, and will use resiliency planning tools provided by NYS DEC’s Climate Smart Communities program. The Consultant will recommend a Climate Smart Action Plan and develop a roadmap for implementation strategies and timing for completing a number of certification actions.

As part of its efforts under this project, the Consultant will be responsible for the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process, guiding the Village Board as Lead Agency, preparation of all necessary documentation to meet SEQRA requirements for the Comprehensive Plan Update and any Zoning Code amendments including an enhanced long form EAF and/or Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) if necessary. The Consultant shall comply with all applicable provisions of Section 239-m of the General Municipal Law and work with the Village to develop a dynamic, interactive public outreach process.

The Project will include but not be limited to the following elements:

• updates of demographics and growth trends;
• analysis of LEED ND or similar ratings for existing and proposed developments;
• analysis of concurrent work to update the LWRP and integrate that work within the Comprehensive Plan;
• integrate any work completed by the Climate Smart Committee and develop a roadmap for implementation of Climate Smart Community certification actions;
• analysis of current and possible future vulnerabilities due to climate change and sea level rise with development of recommended resiliency strategies and policies;
• analysis of existing zoning regulations and building codes to identify barriers to achieving the sustainability goals developed for the Comprehensive Plan and recommend new and/or modifications to zoning regulations and other policies promoting sustainable design and development;
• review Village planning studies, projects and revitalization initiatives including the Downtown Revitalization Plan, Downtown Concept Plan, Streetscape Project and ongoing planning efforts and projects;
• development of a Sustainability Chapter with recommendations for promoting green infrastructure, energy conservation, GHG emissions reductions, waste management and overall reduction in the Village’s carbon footprint;
• development of a Project Benefits Metrics Report (PBMR) with proposed performance metrics and projected benefit values in alignment with the goals of the Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainability Plan;
• development of a Transportation Chapter to include a review of previous parking and ferry studies and of existing public transportation with recommendations for enhancement of public transportation facilities including seasonal ferries, bike routing, parking and pedestrian improvements and opportunities for TOD;
• recommendations for sustainable design at waterfront and downtown sites as well as the potential for public/private development on specific sites and support for continued retail activity downtown;
• identification of short, mid and long-term recommendations to implement sustainability and other goals of the Comprehensive Plan, including, but not limited to Climate Smart Community certification actions and zoning updates.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE

Proposals will be accepted up until 5:00 pm, Thursday, May 31, 2018. Five (5) paper copies of submission are required plus one complete submission in a PDF format on a CD.

Please place proposals in an envelope or box clearly labeled “Consultant Services Response to RFP for Village of Haverstraw Comprehensive Plan Update (Contract # C00345GG-3350000)” and send or deliver to:

Ms. Judith R. Curcio
Village Clerk/Treasurer
Village of Haverstraw
Municipal Building
40 New Main Street
Haverstraw, NY 10927

Questions and clarifications regarding this RFP may be made by emailing the Village Planning Consultant, Robert Galvin, AICP, Principal, Monarch Planning Group at marketstat@aol.com.