Request for Qualifications

City of Jackson, Missouri

2022 Comprehensive Plan Update

Introduction

The City of Jackson, Missouri requests Statements of Qualification from planning consultant firms to update a long-range comprehensive plan. Development of the updated plan should include analysis of various data impacting development within the community and should consider input from the Comprehensive Plan Committee, the Planning and Zoning Commission, elected and appointed officials, city boards, business stakeholders, and interested citizens. The updated plan should provide a framework for orderly future development and include a focus on future annexation.

The Director of Administrative Services, the Building & Planning Manager, one alderman, and two members of the Planning and Zoning Commission comprise the steering committee for this project. This steering committee will review qualifications, conduct interviews, and recommend two to three firms to present proposals to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Aldermen. The City of Jackson's Building and Planning Manager will serve as the primary liaison to the successful firm. Any questions regarding this RFQ should be directed to the staff liaison whose contact information is included at the end of this document.

This plan update is budgeted for the 2022 calendar year with potential to extend into the 2023 calendar year. The anticipated timeframe for plan completion is 9-12 months from the award of contract. The planning process shall be such that the plan document will be developed and submitted to the City in sections for review, comment, and approval.

The City of Jackson's current comprehensive plan was completed by Houseal-Lavigne Associates in 2009 and has been used as a guideline for development since that time. The current plan can be found at www.jacksonmo.org/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission.

Overview

The City of Jackson is located in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, approximately 100 miles south of St. Louis. This city of approximately 15,000 encompasses an area of 10.68 square miles. It is bounded by Interstate 55, the Cape Girardeau city limits on the east, and is bisected through its center in both directions by Highways 61, 25, and 72/34. The city's northern, southern, and western boundaries abut unincorporated properties currently experiencing increased residential development outside the city boundaries. Within the eastern boundary, a large unincorporated area totaling approximately 600 acres exists, surrounded by city limits. Infrastructure development and friendly annexations occur on a limited basis in all available directions.

Jackson has experienced expansive residential growth over the past twenty years, including a full range of moderate to upscale homes, duplexes, and townhomes, along with modest commercial and industrial development. MODOT has recently completed reconfiguration of the I-55 / Hwy 61/72/34 interchange (Exit 99), and large tracts of undeveloped land exist at the I-55 / E. Main St. exit (Exit 102) and the I-55/East Jackson Boulevard interchange (Exit 99). A commercially designed corridor, South Old Orchard Road, connects the two interchanges. Both the interchanges and the connecting corridor are the ongoing focus of commercial recruitment. The city actively participates in the process of recruiting commercial and industrial enterprises to locate within our boundaries.

Project Area

The physical scope of the Comprehensive Plan Update will include the incorporated area of the City of Jackson. Areas outside the current city limits should be addressed as they pertain to potential future growth opportunities.

Scope of Services

1. Initial meeting with the city's liaison to review the project schedule, schedule meetings, and begin the process of data acquisition.
2. Obtain existing plans, maps, and other data relative to the project.
3. Schedule and conduct meetings with appropriate elected and appointed officials. These meetings should include the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the Planning and Zoning Commission, the City Administrator, the project liaison, and various city staff members as needed. The purpose of these meetings will be to obtain input and guidance as it relates to the Comprehensive Plan update process. Individual meetings can be virtual but public meetings and presentations to the Board of Aldermen and Planning and Zoning Commission need to be in person.
4. Schedule and conduct public meetings and topic-specific focus groups as necessary.
5. Prepare a population analysis of the City of Jackson, including a demographic composite and potential areas for residential, commercial, and industrial growth.
6. Review land use plan summaries from contiguous communities and other government entities and identify potential land uses in reference to those plans.
7. Update the land use map from the existing Comprehensive Plan (to be delivered in a form compatible with the city's GIS system).
8. Develop an annexation strategy, including an analysis of financial burdens to taxpayers, potential funding mechanisms, and incentives to annexation.
9. Project a land use strategy for undeveloped land and surrounding land outside the present city limits.
10. Review and incorporate information from the City's Park Master Plan.
11. Review and incorporate information from the Southeast Missouri Metropolitan Organization's (SEMPO) transportation and bicycle/pedestrian planning documents.
12. Review and incorporate information from the MODOT Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for local and regional projects affecting the City of Jackson.
13. Review and incorporate the city's Major Street Plan, including any recommendations for amendment, a financial analysis of financial burdens to taxpayers, potential funding mechanisms, and incentives to development of arterial & collector streets.
14. Review strategic plans from local, state, and federal agencies to ensure coordination.
15. Review current and proposed FEMA maps to ensure coordination with future land use plan.
16. Develop planning goals, objectives and implementation strategies.
17. Make periodic reports to the city liaison and present the final document at a public hearing required for official adoption of the Plan.

Deliverables

The final report shall be submitted in the following formats:

1. A digital copy of the complete document in PDF format, including all graphics.
2. Separate PDF copies of each map included in the document, and digital copies compatible with the ESRI GIS software in State Plane Missouri East, NAD 88 coordinate system used by the city.
3. Individual copies of all photos and other graphics used in the document in JPG, GIF, or TIFF format.

The plan will be presented in a format and language that is user-friendly and easily comprehensible to the general public. The consultant should make an effort to minimize the use of technical planning jargon. The use of maps, graphics, and other devices that will enhance the readability and ease-of-use of the plan is required. At completion of the plan process, the consultant must provide a plan complete with all maps, graphs, photos and tables that will become the property of the City.

Submission Requirements

To be considered, five printed (5) copies of the qualifications must be received by the City Clerk, 101 Court Street, Jackson, MO 63755, on or before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 31, 2022.

All qualifications shall be in a sealed envelope clearly marked:

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS – 2022 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

ATTN: LIZA WALKER, CITY CLERK

Each submittal shall be limited to ten (10) pages and shall contain the following information:

1. A proposed work strategy based upon the scope of work in this request. The consultant is strongly encouraged to incorporate his or her own ideas beyond those outlined in the RFQ requirements.
2. A theoretical timeline for the completion of the project.
3. A statement of qualifications, relevant experience, and availability of key personnel who will be responsible for the execution of the project, including qualifications of any sub-consultant named in the submittal. This may include addendum copies of past projects in cities of similar size.
4. A list of five (5) professional references for which projects of similar scope have been completed, with contact information.
5. The name, title, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the individual authorized to negotiate and contractually bind the company during the period of the proposed evaluation.

Copyright Releases

Those firms responding to the RFQ request shall supply a limited copyright release for city staff to make copies, for evaluation purposes, of any copyrighted materials included within the submittal.

Selection Process

The city's Comprehensive Plan Committee will review all submissions and select 2-3 consultants to submit proposals and be interviewed by the committee. Proposals shall not include cost. Interviews will be held virtually.

Following the interview process, the committee will rank the submissions and provide recommendations to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The City will then contact the top-ranked consultant and attempt to negotiate a cost agreement. If no agreement is reached, the City will contact the second ranked consultant, and so forth.

Please direct any questions regarding this Request for Qualifications to:

Janet Sanders, Building & Planning Manager
City of Jackson
101 Court St.
Jackson, MO 63755
573-243-2300 (ph.)
jsanders@jacksonmo.org