Architectural & Streetscape Design Illustrations (Town of Hinesburg, VT)
Overview
We seek a consultant to create illustrations of architectural and streetscape design standards to help guide new development in Hinesburg’s village growth area. These design standards are being drafted by the Planning Commission (PC), to be presented to the community as a zoning regulation revision. Initial drafting and PC discussion of these design standards are largely complete. We anticipate two types of illustrations:1) Site/building drawings that convey the architectural and site design standards.
2) Streetscape diagrams that provide guidance and parameters for several types of streetscapes – e.g., mixed use “Main Street”, commercial/industrial, residential neighborhood, State highway.
A current draft of the proposed village growth area design standards, the existing zoning regulations, and supporting zoning district maps are available on the following Dropbox site - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/c502du6vu27naaw/AAAJiMlnWT5WNMEJteyxEQ1-a?dl=0. Existing design standards (to be revised) are in section 5.22 of the Hinesburg Zoning Regulations. Additional information about Hinesburg can be found on the Town website – www.hinesburg.org.
Context and Background
Hinesburg community members have expressed concern about large-scale development that looks and functions poorly (e.g., lack of usable greenspaces, traffic congestion, monotonous streetscape and building patterns, etc.). Some are also fearful of large amounts of “plain-vanilla” construction that offers little architectural variety or style. Our objective is both to improve our development design standards, and to better convey them through graphics and illustrations. Overall goals of the project include:• Better ensure new development meets community objectives.
• Clarify the regulations to improve the predictability of the review process.
• Address building form and function up front to help avoid divisive debates, reduce review time horizons, and minimize appeals.
We reviewed relevant design standards from other communities around Vermont, and found particularly compelling architectural and site illustrations in the land use regulations of the following communities: Town of Brattleboro (Chapter 220), Town of Westford (Section 263), Town of Jericho (Section 13.3). The Town of Jericho land use regulations also contain examples of the type of streetscape illustrations we found helpful (three illustrations in section 13.4 – tables 13.4.18.2A, 13.4.18.2B, 13.4.18.2C, 13.4.18.2D).
The village growth area is comprised of eight zoning districts – see maps online at the Zoning Regulations website above. It is comprised of a village core area (including a Designated Village Center) bordered on the north and south by growth zoning districts that were created (i.e., upzoned) in 2009. The village core is largely built out, although there are several properties with significant redevelopment potential. The three growth districts to the north (VG NW, VG NE, R1) are largely undeveloped, and have substantial development potential. Several large developments have been proposed in the last five to six years; however, limited municipal water supply has delayed these projects. Two large projects are in the permit review process for first phases utilizing available municipal water capacity – Haystack Crossing project and Hinesburg Center 2 project. Additional phases of these two projects, and other development projects are likely when the Town expands its water supply. The Town is in the process of developing a new well, which could be online as early as 2021 or 2022, pending final testing this summer and a positive bond vote. For more background, see the village land use section of chapter three in the Town Plan - https://www.hinesburg.org/townplan/.
This project follows on the heels of Zoning Regulation revisions and Official Map revisions that were adopted earlier this year (February 2020) – both specific to the village growth area. These zoning revisions created minimum requirements and design standards for the creation of public open spaces (new section 5.22.5). The Official Map revisions provided greater clarity on the location of proposed future community facilities.
Funding
A total of $6,600 is available for consultant services from the Municipal Planning Grant Program administered by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development and Town funds.Work Plan
The principal point of contact for the project will be the Director of Planning and Zoning. The consultant will meet with the Planning Commission once to review draft illustrations, and possibly a second time to review final illustrations. Project tasks include:1) Project Intro/Organization - Town staff meets with consultant to review the design standards and develop a list of illustrations to be prepared.
2) Prepare Illustrations - Consultant creates a series of graphics suitable for inclusion in the zoning regulations to illustrate the design standards for each village growth area zoning district.
3) Revise Illustrations - Consultant will revise graphics following staff and Planning Commission review.
4) Finalize Illustrations - Consultant will finalize graphics – if necessary, based on public feedback.
Timeframe
Work to begin as soon as a consultant is selected, and a contract executed. We are anticipating a relatively short contract period of eight to twelve weeks depending on consultant availability. Actual timeframe to be negotiated with the consultant. The Planning Commission meets on the second and fourth Wednesday evening of each month, and is currently meeting remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions. Timing for close out of the project (task #4) will depend in part on our ability to get public feedback given evolving COVID-19 considerations – e.g., possibly extended into late summer or early fall.Deliverables
Annotated illustrations and graphics to help depict our draft village growth area design standards. Multiple illustrations depicting site-level and building-level design standards, potentially differentiated amongst a few zoning district groupings (e.g., mixed-use, commercial/industrial, residential). Multiple illustrations of streetscapes depicting design standards as well as parameters for various street elements (e.g., road width, greenbelt, sidewalk width, etc.).Submission Requirements
All responses to the RFQ shall include the following information:1. Cover Letter - A letter of interest for the project, including qualifications of the lead consultant and any sub-consultants, hourly rates, and availability.
2. Summaries of relevant projects – Describe relevant experience on similar projects, and provide links to related illustrations. Include a minimum of three professional references – preferably for whom a similar project has been completed within the last ten years.
3. Page Limit - The RFQ response shall not exceed five double-sided pages (10 total pages) including cover letter, summary of relevant projects, and references.
All information submitted becomes property of the Town of Hinesburg upon
submission. The Town of Hinesburg reserves the right to issue supplemental
information or guidelines, and to make modifications to the RFQ, or withdraw
the RFQ.
Submitting RFQ Responses
Submit one digital copy (PDF) via email and file sharing link (if necessary) to:
Town of Hinesburg
aweinhagen@hinesburg.org
802-482-2281
You will receive a confirmation email. Direct any questions to the Director of Planning and Zoning at the email above. Due to COVID-19 remote work, phone calls to the Town Office will go to voicemail, which are then forwarded to staff via email. Therefore, expect an email response or a return call from an alternate phone number.
Selection Process
Qualifications will be reviewed by the Director of Planning and Zoning with assistance from certain Planning Commissioners. Outreach and potential interviews will be scheduled as needed.RFQ Schedule Summary:
RFQ responses reviewed on a rolling basis – as received.Consultant selection anticipated by early May 2020.
Project work anticipated to begin in May 2020, or as negotiated.
Project completion anticipated in July 2020, or as negotiated.
Contract Requirements
Following the selection process, a final contract for services will be negotiated with the Director of Planning and Zoning. The final scope of work with specified deliverables may be modified through negotiation of the final contract. The final project team may also be modified through negotiation of the final contract. Any expenses resulting from the interview and proposal process will be the sole responsibility of the consultant.The consultant contract will be subject to the terms of Attachment D of the Municipal Planning Grant Agreement (Procurement Procedures and Other Grant Requirements). A sample contract meeting these requirements is available here. Sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses will also need to sign a non-employee work agreement and a liability hold-harmless agreement with evidence of liability insurance.
The Town and the consultant shall retain joint ownership of all project results and products. Both parties shall have a royalty-free, non-exclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, translate, publish, and use all materials for their own purposes and to authorize others to do so.