From: The City of Columbia Heights

Subject: Request for proposals for a Park Systems Master Plan for the City of Columbia Heights

Overview:

The City of Columbia Heights, MN seeks a qualified consultant to provide professional services to develop a 10 year Park Systems Master Plan. Firms responding to this Request for Proposals (RFP) must demonstrate expertise, staffing levels and sufficient capacity to perform the work outlined in the Scope of Services.

Proposals must be completed and submitted by 4:30p.m. on February 13, 2026. Proposals may be submitted by US Mail, email or in person. City staff will review the submitted proposals and select candidates for interviews. Once interviews are complete the City Council will have final approval. Consultant selection and contract approval is anticipated by March 23, 2026. Project Completion is expected in March 2027.

Submit proposals to the following:

Attn: Ursula Brandt
City of Columbia Heights Community Development Department
3989 Central Ave, NE
Columbia Heights, MN 55421
ubrandt@columbiaheightsmn.com

Community Summary

The City of Columbia Heights is a first ring suburb, located directly northeast of Minneapolis, in southern Anoka County. The City is just over 3.52 square miles and is considered a fully developed community with a population around 22,000.

The City has a variety of parks that provide active and passive recreation opportunities for all ages. Columbia Heights is currently home to 16 municipal parks and 1 county park that total 130 acres. Existing trails are comprised of approximately 5 miles of trail links including access to other regional corridors such as the Grand Rounds and the Mississippi River Corridor.

Columbia Heights has started the 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update process and has contracted HKGI to support the effort. The extensive community engagement required for the update presents a unique opportunity for collaboration. The City expects the selected agency to work closely with HKGI to fully leverage this opportunity.

Scope of Service

The following is a general expectation of tasks required by the consultant. A final Scope of services will be negotiated and finalized with the selected consultant.

Assess Existing Park Inventory, Conditions and Opportunities

1. Conduct an assessment of park assets that includes the quality and condition of existing assets broken down by system
2. Conduct a community comparison with similar cities across the metro including budget and funding sources
3. Assess connectedness and accessibility for local as well as regional access.
4. Assess natural spaces within the park system
5. Prioritize future investments based on current conditions, community needs and resident feedback through community engagement sessions
6. Identify potential opportunities that are lacking in the current park system at a local and regional level

Community Engagement

The city is seeking a high level of inclusive community engagement and resident input during the planning process. The consultant should:

1. Meet regularly with City staff throughout the project to ensure tasks and activities are progressing in a timely manner.
2. Meet with the Parks and Recreation Commission two times during the project
3. Meet with City Council two times during the project
4. Coordinate directly with HKGI, the 2050 Comprehensive Plan Consultant, to ensure efficient use of public time and comments.
   1. Hold a Coordination meeting with HKGI to establish a coordination plan.
   2. Collaborate on two community events and hold one community event independently.

Potential Funding Mechanisms

To assist in successful implementation of the Park Systems Master Plan, it is important to identify potential funding sources. The consultant should:

1. Work with staff to understand how current funds are utilized
2. Identify new potential funding sources
3. Estimate capital and lifecycle costs associated with proposed improvements and compare them to the anticipated benefits

Establish a clear vision, goals and objectives

A clear achievable vision for the next ten years of the park system is essential for the master plan. The plan should:

1. Provide quantifiable goals and objectives that are strategic, achievable and fulfill the needs and wants of the community
2. Include sustainability considerations related to implementation, ongoing maintenance, and usage of amenities
3. Include accessible design
4. Include current and future demographics of park users

Implementation Guidelines

The guidelines for implementation should provide a clear “what, when and how” to achieve the vision, goals and objectives. The consultant should:

1. Provide a strategy for prioritizing investments while considering replacement, consolidation, repurposing and removal of amenities.
2. Identify priority levels for investments with timelines/a schedule for implementation based on need and impact to the community
3. Identify how recommendations align with existing funding sources and identify additional funding mechanisms as needed

Schedule

Issue Request for Proposals - January 20, 2026

Question Due to ubrandt@columbiaheightsmn.gov - January 30, 2026

Teams Meeting to Answer Questions - February 4, 2026

Submissions Due - February 13, 2026

Anticipated Interview Dates - February 23-27, 2026

Anticipated City Council Contract Approval - March 23, 2026

Project Initiation - March 30, 2026

Project Completion - March 2027

Terms and Conditions

This Request for Proposal does not commit the City of Columbia Heights to award a contract, pay any costs incurred in the preparation of your proposal or attendance at interview. The City reserves the right to reject any proposal or request additional information from any and all applicants. The City reserves the right to negotiate the final terms and conditions of the contract to be executed. If the firm selected is unable to commence services under this proposal by the dates agreed upon, the City reserves the right to award the contract to another firm.

Submission Details

Proposals must be digitally submitted as a PDF document. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content. It is the responsibility of all proposers to seek clarification of any item or requirement before submitting the proposal.

The proposal material is required to be submitted by 4:30 pm CST on February 13, 2026 via email to ubrandt@columbiaheightsmn.gov.

1. Project Approach
2. Proposed Project Team and Experience
3. Proposed Schedule
4. Fee Quotation

Evaluation and Selection

Proposal Evaluation

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Consulting firm and key project staff experience with similar project
2. Proposed approach to completing the project
3. Components and details of the scope of the project
4. Proposed fee

Interviews

Following the review of proposals, city staff will recommend select agencies for interview. Interviews will be conducted by a selection committee made up of city staff.

Contract Award

Following a recommendation by the selection committee, city staff will make a recommendation to the City Council for awarding the contract – City Council makes the final decision.

Equal Opportunity

The City requires equal opportunity, therefore the agency selected shall not discriminate under the contract against any person in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and with City policy.