SUBMITTALS DUE 2:00 pm – June 23, 2025

Introduction

The City of Liberty, Missouri is requesting the services of a qualified professional architectural firm to prepare a Downtown Overlay District including:

• A Downtown Design Manual with clearly articulated site and building design standards;
• An Incentives Summary of the available incentives for projects in the District; and
• A Zoning Overlay for qualifying parcels.

The goal of the Downtown Overlay District is to promote and encourage the revitalization and growth of the downtown as a desirable mixed-use area by ensuring a high degree of compatibility between new and existing uses, promoting mixed use developments, and supporting a lively and bustling street atmosphere with an emphasis on walkability. This document will assist city leaders, developers, and the community in preserving and enhancing the special character of the Downtown area by encouraging rehabilitation and new construction that is sensitive to the existing urban form and historic structures and gives the district a cohesive sense of place. The purpose of this RFQ/P is to identify a qualified firm that is capable of providing the required services.

Request for Qualification/Proposal

The Letter of Interest shall define the firm's reasons for interest in this project, provide a Statement of Qualifications and Project Proposal. The Letter of Interest shall at minimum include the following:

1. Cover Letter
2. Table of Contents
3. Narrative, shall at minimum include the following:
   1. Reason for interest in this project;
   2. Understanding of the project purpose and goals;
   3. Understanding of the project scope;
   4. Proposed project approach;
   5. Project considerations specific to Liberty; and
   6. Proposed project Schedule.
4. Statement of Qualifications, shall at minimum include the following:
   1. Brief history of the Firm;
   2. Firm's specialized professional experience and qualifications for this project;
   3. Firm's project history demonstrating qualification for this project;
   4. Firm's available personnel and resources;
   5. List of personnel expected to be assigned to this project: list to include assigned roles/responsibilities and the project's main point of contact;
   6. Personnel's specialized professional experience and qualifications for this project;
   7. Personnel's project history demonstrating qualification for this project;
   8. Personnel's anticipated availability for this project, in the event of selection;
   9. List of past project references; and
   10. Additional items/information that makes the Firm and Personnel uniquely qualified for this project.

Submittal Requirements and Procedure

The letter of interest shall be limited to a maximum of 20 pages. A page is defined as an 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet printed on (1) side; double sided sheets shall be counted as (2) pages. Covers, Table of contents and divider tabs shall not be counted as pages, provided no additional information is provided on those pages.

Interested firms or teams should submit (1) electronic copy of their submittal in pdf format on a flash drive as well as (1) printed copy of the submittal. Submissions shall be received no later than 2:00 pm on Monday, June 23, 2025. The submittal shall be delivered and addressed as follows:

RFQ/P – City of Liberty Downtown Overlay District
101 E Kansas St
Liberty, MO 64068
Attn: Katherine Sharp, Planning & Development Director

Public Records

During the evaluation of proposals, submittal content shall be confidential. After the evaluation process has been completed, the submittals shall be open to public inspection, after the award of a contract. Proposals should not contain any information which the submitters do not wish to become public. If it is necessary to submit confidential information, each page containing confidential information should be clearly marked “NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE CONFIDENTIAL TRADE SECRETS.” The City accepts no liability for the inadvertent or unavoidable release of any confidential information submitted, and any claims arising out of any public record request for such information shall be at the proposer's expense.

Evaluation Criteria

All proposals shall be reviewed and ranked by a selection committee in accordance with the following rating criteria to determine the most qualified firms:

• Experience and Technical Competence – 50
• Capacity and Capability – 25
• Past Record of Performance – 25

Selection Process

After reviewing qualifications, the selection committee shall identify the top three firms. The top three firms shall be asked to provide the City with a presentation that details the scope of work and schedule for the Downtown Overlay District.

Anticipated Schedule

• Publish RFP: June 3, 2025
• Proposal submission deadline: 2:00PM June 23, 2025
• Selection group review complete (interviewing firms notified): June 27, 2025
• Firm interviews (virtual interviews are allowed): July 7, 2025
• Notify selected firm: July 10, 2025
• Award recommendation to City Council: July 28, 2025
• Contract awarded: July 29, 2025

Anticipated Scope of Work

The City of Liberty anticipates the following to be minimum scope requirements within the Downtown Overlay District. However, the City is not opposed to the professional suggestions and guidance of the applicants.

1. A thorough evaluation of the City's existing comprehensive and area plans as well as any other city plans that guide and/or impact development in the downtown area. These plans include, but are not limited to the following:
   1. Downtown Infill Concept Plan (2024)
   2. Leading Liberty Forward, Comprehensive Plan (2023)
   3. Liberty Preservation Plan (2021)
   4. Historic District Guidelines (2008)
   5. Downtown Master Plan (2005)
   6. Economic Development Plan (2003)
   7. Mill Street Plan (2001)
2. Preparation of the Design Guidelines: In consideration of the collected materials and discussions with internal and external stakeholders, the consultant will develop a design guidelines document. The final product will be a user-friendly manual that will create a cohesive and uniform set of design guidelines for the designated area. The narrative component of the guidelines will be complemented by diagrams, photographs, and other illustrations necessary to clearly convey the appropriate design principles, thus facilitating understanding on the part of end users, including City staff, property owners, architects, contractors, and others. All photographs and illustrations used will be tailored to the character of the district covered by the document. The document will include, at minimum:
   • Introductory information including a table of contents, project acknowledgements, and summary of the areas covered by the guidelines;
   • Summary of the role of the design guidelines and the importance of protecting the character of the downtown district;
   • Explanation of the review process, including timelines, how to apply for design review, differences between administrative review and Planning Commission and City Council review, decisions that can be reached, appeals process, and other related guidance, as applicable;
   • Guidelines for new construction to include discussion of concepts such as placement, setbacks, massing, scale, styles, materials, and design of building components such as windows, doors, and roofs;
   • Summary of available incentives for qualifying project in the district;
   • Glossary of terms; and
   • District maps.
3. Coordinate Design Manual and Zoning Overlay creation with the Downtown Task Force and city staff.
4. Attend and coordinate an open house meeting with the public, and present at meetings at Historic District Review Commission, Planning & Zoning Commission, and City Council.
5. Prepare Design Manual and Zoning Overlay documents no later than February 2026.

Disclaimers and Conditions

An RFQ/P Pre-Submittal Conference will not be held. Individual meetings with the City staff or elected public officials prior to the RFQ/P submittal shall not be held. Questions should be directed in writing to Katherine Sharp at ksharp@libertymo.gov . All answers to questions, additional information or addendums shall be made public to all other applicants.