The City of Andover is seeking proposals from qualified consultant firms to provide professional services to develop a 10-year Comprehensive Plan with the objective of providing the City Council, Planning Commission, City staff, City residents, and the business community with a compelling vision and plan used to guide decision-making and development.

The planning process undertaken shall develop a comprehensive vision for the City of Andover and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). The Comprehensive Plan will provide an inclusive framework for the orderly and consistent planning of the City's neighborhoods, commercial corridors, edges, trails, and public open spaces. It will consider plans for future growth with a strong emphasis on land use development and redevelopment patterns, infrastructure, transportation and mobility, housing diversity, and urban design. It will also include a ten-year optimization plan with strategies and schedule for implementation through 2033.

Contract award will be expected in January 2022. The Comprehensive Plan process associated with this proposal will commence during the first quarter of 2022.

ABOUT THE CITY

The City of Andover is located in western Butler County, Kansas. Andover's western edge borders the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County, and is 14 miles southwest of El Dorado, the Butler County seat. The City was incorporated in 1957 with a population of 166 and covering less than one square mile. In the 60 years since, the population has grown to approximately 14,900 and currently covers over 10 square miles.

The City of Andover operates under the form of government known as the Mayor-Council model. Policy making and legislative authority are vested in a Governing Body consisting of the Mayor, who is a non-voting member, and six City Council members. The six City Council members are elected at-large, serving four-year staggered terms, with three City Council members elected bi-annually. The City Council members are responsible for, among other things, adopting ordinances and resolutions, adopting the annual budget and confirming the appointments of certain officials, boards and committees. The Mayor is also elected at-large and is responsible for, among other things, presiding over City Council meetings, setting the City Council agendas and appointment of the Municipal Court Judge, City Attorney, City Administrator, City Clerk, City Treasurer, Chief of Police, Zoning Administrator and City Engineer. The Mayor publicly represents the City in various capacities. The City Administrator is responsible to the Mayor and City Council for the administration of all City affairs. All City department heads report directly to the City Administrator. The City Administrator provides professional management of City operations, works to ensure that policies adopted by the Governing Body are implemented and to facilitate communication among the Mayor, City Council members and the City's 101.2 FTEs (2020).

PROJECT SCOPE

TASK 1: EXISTING CONDITIONS AND CURRENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW

• Review and evaluate the existing Comprehensive Plan.
• Understand the issues of unique concern to the City and build upon prior planning efforts. A review of existing/previous City documents with relevant background information should be completed (see the list of notable City resources/plans found on page 3).
• An initial review of the community within the broader regional context of Butler County and the greater Wichita, Kansas Metropolitan Area. Comprehensive planning will occur at a system-wide level looking at broad-based needs, preferences, and priorities encompassing the City's entire Planning Area.
• Provide a timeline for the completion of the Comprehensive Plan with clear deadlines and specific action items identified for each phase of the project.

TASK 2: PUBLIC PROCESS

• Identify, describe and implement a comprehensive community outreach strategy and methodology for citizen involvement in the Comprehensive Plan development process. Proposals must address multiple methods for soliciting involvement, which may include but is not limited to: traditional in-person forums, social media, video conference, etc. Special consideration will be given to submittals that reflect innovative approaches to citizen involvement and plan to utilize a diverse array of outreach methods. Proposals must include specific information related to planning for public engagement where in-person, traditional public forums may not be feasible or advisable as a result of public health concerns.
• Assure residents, user groups, associations and other stakeholders that they are provided an opportunity to participate in the development of the Comprehensive Plan.
• Act as professional facilitators to gather specific information about services, use, preferences and any agency strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats.
• Provide well-organized and directed activities, techniques and formats that will ensure that a positive, open, and proactive public participation process is achieved.
• Provide written records and summaries of the results of all public process and communication strategies.
• Help to build consensus on the plan and if consensus is not possible, provide information for informed decision-making for the Planning Commission and Governing Body.
• Provide methods to hear from as many people as possible, including residents, non-residents, students, the business community, the development community, and any associated stakeholders
• Conduct a minimum of three (3) workshops with the general public with the intent of maximizing public participation through varying meeting dates, times, and locations.
• Conduct a minimum of one (1) meeting with the Governing Body, one (1) meeting with the Planning Commission, and one (1) meeting with the Comprehensive Plan Committee during the public process task. These meetings do not include semi-regular progress report meetings.

TASK 3: STATISTICALLY-VALID SURVEY

• Provide a broad-based statistically-valid community needs assessment survey(s) to identify community needs, desires, goals, and future priorities. There may be one or multiple surveys used as a baseline to determine needs, desires and cost structures/willingness to pay thresholds.
• The survey, whether developed as a mail-out document, web-based survey or combination thereof, must include a structured, random sample of households within the City and individual neighborhoods. The consultant must advise how the survey will be properly maintained, controlled and how survey duplications will be avoided.
• The results of this task to be documented in the Comprehensive Plan will include, but are not limited to:
  • Prioritize placemaking amenities, features, and neighborhood character
  • Determine commercial and residential needs
  • Development of policy recommendations
  • Establish level of service guidelines
  • Provide a strategic action plan

TASK 4: DEMOGRAPHICS AND TRENDS

• Review and interpret demographic trends and characteristics of the City of Andover and surrounding areas.
• Collect and analyze information on needs, desires, operations, programming, and land use trends and make level of service recommendations.

TASK 5: EXISTING AND FUTURE FACILITIES, PROGRAMS AND STAFFING

• Compile an inventory and assessment of existing community facilities and provide recommendations for improvements that will be financially and environmentally sustainable for the City and its residents. Inventory should include the following, at minimum:
  • Assessment of physical conditions and functionality
  • Map illustrating the location and type of facility
• Provide an informed study of how the City of Andover will address future needs.
• The assessment will include a comparative analysis to communities of similar size and density and using nationally accepted standards/benchmarks.
• The analysis should consider the capacity of each amenity found within the system as well as functionality, accessibility, condition, comfort, and convenience.
• Identify areas of service shortfalls and projected impact of future trends.
• Include possibilities for partnerships with neighboring communities where appropriate.
• Provide recommendations for technological advancements in city development (i.e. smart city technology, fiber optic).

TASK 6: RANK AND PRIORITIZE DEMAND AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Develop a set of prioritized recommendations for local subdivision development, policies, and capital improvement projects that define the quality of life in Andover.
• Priorities for commercial needs and desires, residential neighborhoods, and quality of life amenities.

TASK 7: PROGRESS REPORTING

• The consultant, Director of Community Development, Assistant Director of Community Development, and other staff that may be deemed necessary shall hold progress meetings as often as necessary, but in no case less than once per month until the final plan is approved by the Governing Body.
• The consultant shall supply the City with an electronic copy of all completed or partially completed reports, studies, forecasts, maps or plans as deemed necessary by the City at least three (3) working days before each progress meetings. The Director of Community Development and/or Assistant Director of Community Development shall schedule the meetings, as necessary, at key times during the development of the Comprehensive Plan.

TASK 8: STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

• Identify key implementation tools to bring the comprehensive plan's goals, policies, and strategies to fruition.
• Develop an action plan that integrates the proposed comprehensive plan with existing plans, policies and initiatives (i.e. matching public infrastructure priorities with future land uses, plan relationship to budget, etc).
• Approach the comprehensive plan as a dynamic document with recommendations for regular review, evaluation, and modification, including the establishment of an amendment process or changes to the future land use map.
• Suggest updates or modifications to the City of Andover Unified Development Manual (UDM) to ensure compatibility and consistency with the new Comprehensive Plan.

TASK 9: DEVELOPMENT OF FINAL PLAN AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS

• Determine the appropriate and best land uses within the City of Andover and its Planning Area.
• Develop Comprehensive Plan pursuant to the state enabling legislation, Article 7, Section 12-747 of the Kansas State Statute.
• The Comprehensive Plan must include written goals, plans, objectives and policy statements that articulate a clear vision for the City's land use pattern that will serve as a "road map" through 2033.
• The Comprehensive Plan shall include:
  • Land Use & Urban Design: Designation, development patterns, placemaking characteristics, streetscape improvements, and environmental resources (i.e. tree canopy, water and floodplains, etc.)
  • Quality of Life Amenities: Public parks, trails, community facilities, and services
  • Infrastructure: Location, expansion, and proposed improvements to meet the needs of the City's growing population
  • Transportation & Mobility: Street network development patterns, accessibility, pedestrian access, and alternative transportation methods
  • Housing: choice, diversity, and affordability to meet the needs of the City's diverse workforce
• Charts, graphs, maps and other data as needed to support the plan and its presentation to the appropriate audiences, including:
  • Future Land Use Map
  • Future Land Use Map including entire planning area (combined city limits and ETJ) – include in pricing as Option B
  • Street Classification Map
• Review the City of Andover street network development pattern and classify existing streets as Arterial, Collector, or Local streets. Additional information may be found in the General Street Design Standards.
• Provide all GIS data and maps utilized in the process.
• A summary of existing conditions, inventories, staffing and level of service analysis.
• Document a comprehensive graphic record of the process, including dedicated memorialization of citizen engagement and survey results.
• A strategic action plan.