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Home My WebLink AboutIR 8093 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No.- 8093 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 14, 1997 J�,*.-'O mA *-..o Page I of 4 XA & Subject: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR ZONING ORDINANCE Ian AMENDMENT Identification of Need For Zoning Ordinance Revisions And RFP Process The need to institute administrative revisions to the Zoning Ordinance utilizing consultant services was first discussed with the City Council during the budget deliberations for FY 1996-97. At that time, it was discussed that 161 amendments had been processed to the ordinance since the last major revision in 1953. Costs were estimated at $100,000. This program was ranked 4th of 41 unfunded projects. Due to this positive response, staff began the formal RFP process in order to have a specific scope of work and firm cost proposal to use during budget deliberations for FY 1997-98. The RFP was issued in April 1997. During the current fiscal year budget sessions, this program was placed on the list of funded decision packages with a rank of 7 of 48 programs. Based on this funding, the staff moved forward to gain City Council approval to award the contract to the selected firm. As a result of the RFP process, five proposals were received from consulting teams with a range of costs from $95,000 to $197,000. A proposal evaluation team consisting of staff frorn the Development, Law, Planning, and City Services (Code Compliance) Departments reviewed the proposals and conducted interviews with two proposer teams. The selected team was the consensus choice of the evaluation team. Scope of Services Requested in The RFP The RFP identifies 10 specific tasks to be completed by the consultant. These tasks recognize the need to update the ordinance, both in specific areas of concern and in general areas such as outdated definitions and lack of graphics to facilitate "user-friendly" document. These tasks are as follows: 1. Clarify, expand and amend definitions. This task recognizes that some definitions are obsolete, incomplete by current usage or non-existent relative to current activities. 2. Review and amend all districts for permitted uses. This task is required since, especially in the industrial category, many uses are obsolete or not included. Some uses no longer belong in the present district due to technical changes within the industry. 1'.1 F I C I A L R E("0 R"' D (V' ITY S CRETARlY J,PT WORTH, TEX PORT Wr)ATW TPYAQ INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8093 o F °arkp To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 14, 1997 a € Page 2 of 4 rE XAS Subject: 1873 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT 3. Revise development standards for all districts. This task includes simpler language where possible, referring to specific setback or height regulations rather than referring to another district, and referencing special setback requirements dictated elsewhere in the Ordinance. 4. Cross-reference common related issues by use and/or district. This task will result in cross-referencing within each district to such items as required screening, parking, buffering and signage. 5. Prepare matrix of uses, districts and development standards: This task requires the development of a simple table of uses, regulated zoning districts, basic setbacks and height limits, and parking requirements. l n 6. Development regulations amended to performance based standards. This task recognizes that site development restrictions should be based on building bulk and relationship to location and adjacent zoning. The goal is to eliminate the "band-aid" approach of supplemental building setback and bufferyard contained in the Ordinance and reduce Board of Adjustment appeals. 7. Upgrade and expand graphics. 8. Evaluate special uses such as group homes, elderly housing, care facilities, and medical services. This task acknowledges that special uses such as those named are contributing to new services, methods of service, and location that should be evaluated in light of zoning classifications. 9. Update housing options and standards. This task provides an opportunity to identify current housing market demand and trends. Current housing development standards have not been evaluated for nearly 20 years. 10. Delete certain districts: E-P, I-P, O-M, 0-1, 0-2 This task will look at unused, inappropriate or obsolete districts and identify those that may merit new designations. ..^" _ CnOT\AireRTW TGYSC . . IN�FORM�AL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8093 October 14, 1997 To the Mayor and Members ot the City Council Page 3 of 4 Nin "ex Subject: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR ZONING ORDINANCE 1873 AMENDMENT Formal Input from Stakeholders A key component of the entire ordinance revision process is the opportunity for all interested parties to provide input and to review proposed revisions. The consulting team will incorporate this input at two stages of their contract, the research phase and prior to preparation of final draft amendments. A third opportunity for input by stakeholders will occur during public hearings before the Zoning Commission and City Council. This public input will occur as follows: 1. Research Phase: Consultant will hold initial stakeholder interviews with: a. Elected and appointed officials - Council members and board and commission b. Neighborhood organization representatives; c. Development community representatives 2. Drafting Phase: Draft text of proposed changes will be presented to focus group for input over a series of three meetings. The focus group will consist of individuals identified by the City. Focus group comments will be utilized to prepare the final draft text. 3. Final Draft Phase: Fon-nal public hearings will be held during Zoning Commission and City Council deliberations. Selected Consultant Team The multi-departmental evaluation team considered seven criteria during the evaluation process: System Concept and Solutions Proposed, Demonstrated Applicable Experience, Personnel Qualifications, Total Evaluated Cost, M/VY'BE Participation, Implementation Schedule, and Local Presence. Based on these criteria, the selected consultant team scored the highest number(123 out of 150 possible points). The selected tearn is described below: James Duncan and Associates (JDA) This firm will provide the project management for research coordination and principal policy direction for the proposed ordinance revisions. JDA is a national firm with offices in Austin, Chicago, and Florida. Principals from both the Chicago office and the Austin office will participate in this contract. This fin-n has extensive experience with local zoning regulations and has completed zoning ordinance roo revisions for Nashville,TN, Pittsburgh, PA, Alexandria, LA, Hilton Head, SC, and Far o,ND. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER— FORT WORTH. TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8093 _I o�aRTE�FO October 14, 1997 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council ' A 0 Page 4 of 4 &XW x, Subject: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR ZONING ORDINANCE 1873 AMENDMENT The firm has also drafted new zoning regulations for Palm Beach County, FL, Wichita, KS, San Angelo, TX, and Baytown, TX. Legal expertise for this project will be provided by Eric Damien Kelly, a nationally recognized land use attorney from Indiana. Municipal Planning Resources Group This is a local planning firm with extensive experience in the Metroplex, including Haltom City, Bedford, and North Richland Hills. Due to its local presence, this firm will provide coordination services for meetings, facilitate consultant-staff communications, and oversee report publication. Chapin Consulting This Fort Worth-based firm will provide the services required for graphic production and document editing for the consulting team. The need for consultant services rather than utilizing staff to perform the ten tasks outlined in the scope of work is based on the current workload being handled in the Development Department and opo%, the Law Department. Staff is able to keep up with the land use-related workload of zoning cases, subdivision plats, and variance requests, but the addition of a long-term project such as this would strain staff resources to the point of not being able to handle current workload. �ob Terrell City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER-- 'FORT WORTH,TEXAS