City reviews proposals for ordinance updates

By Grace Lovins

Continuing the preparation work for a zoning ordinance overhaul, Birmingham’s Planning Board on Wednesday, October 22, conducted evaluations of the responses to the request for proposals (RFP) for hiring a firm to complete the work and narrowed the applicants down to four firms to bring in for interviews.

As part of the actions included in the city’s 2040 master plan, the planning board, city planning department and city commission have been working toward the beginning of a major update to the city’s zoning ordinance. The commission allocated $200,000 in the budget to put toward hiring a firm to assist in the update and laid out a timeline to have the updates done by 2027.

In response to a request for proposals, the city received six complete proposals from local and out of state firms. Proposed timelines ranged from 11 months to 24 months, and costs varied from $199,000 to $340,000. Planning director Nick Dupuis told the board an internal team made up of planning department, city attorney’s office, city manager’s office and building department staff also completed internal evaluations.

Four of the six firms that submitted proposals will be invited to the board’s meeting on Wednesday, November 12, for oral interviews: McKenna, Houseal Lavigne, Kendig Keast Collaborative with Encode Plus, and Giffels Webster with Public Sector Consultants.

McKenna, a Northville-based firm, has been involved in several past projects with the city and was the city staff’s top-rated proposal. Board members noted that they also scored the proposal high, but had concerns over the proposed 11-month timeline, saying they don’t feel it is adequate.

Houseal Lavigne, based out of Chicago, was regarded for the graphics, GIS and detailed scope of their proposal. Dupuis also noted that their proposal incorporated updates to the city’s sign code while still coming in under budget. Kendig Keast Collaborative, based out of Texas, was also regarded for what the board called “nerd” depth of the project staff as well as the cost being under budget.

Birmingham-based Giffels Webster drew attention for its local knowledge, but board members had concerns over its collaboration with Public Sector Consultants and questions about the clear zoning format given the city’s existing platform.

Two proposals did not make the cut due to one having thin references for municipal work and the other having a hefty price tag and complex staffing structure.