Consultant chosen for township civic center plan

By Dana Casadei

The SmithGroup was approved by the Bloomfield Board of Trustees to serve as the consultant to the township to oversee the campus master plan of the township’s municipal complex.

“They have a very long history and reputation. They are a one-stop shop with the resources, and won’t be contracting out,” said Andrea Bibby, director of planning, building & ordinance. “Their plan is very aggressive in creating a township core group.”

Bibby said that this decision to use SmithGroup as their consultant came after multiple discussions with elected Bloomfield Township officials, including multiple members of the board of trustees.

SmithGroup’s requested proposal cost of $75,500 was in the middle of the pack for the three firms that were asked to help create and develop a long-term conceptual campus redesign plan for the township. The other two firms that were not selected were Beckett & Raeder, and Giffels Webster.

After the most recent Redstone Space Needs Study of township facilities, which came with recommendations, the next step for the township was to consider a redesign for what will meet future needs for the public, introducing new concepts to the township campus. Enter SmithGroup, which will be working closely with core members of Bloomfield Township throughout this project, something that played a large role in why they were recommended by Bibby.

Their plan will consist of a multi-session workshops where they will co-create and test viable physical ideas with key stakeholders.

Beyond just Bloomfield Township facilities, SmithGroup will discuss ideas such as appropriate mix of civic uses, and additional mix of uses, like something they could add as an amenity, among others.

“I just want to point out this is not just necessarily brick and mortar,” Bibby said. “It’s actually looking at the campus in its entirety and where there could be improvements to bring us up to the more current standards.”

Over the course of their plan SmithGroup has it broken down into three different steps, including baseline due diligence, idea generation, and finalizing development options.

During step one the planning process will begin with the Core Working Group meeting with groups and stakeholders to clarify the township’s wants and expectations with this project. They will also review the aforementioned Redstone Space Needs Study and develop a high-level block and stack programming document for the future of the civic Center, which will be used to establish the initial volumes and massing for buildings identified as part of the master plan.

From there a co-creation and idea generation phase will take place, during which time SmithGroup will explore alternatives for future development opportunities for the township. These concepts will graphically illustrate appropriate civic uses; additional mix of uses; mobility and improved connectivity; open space, public realm, and street activation; and sustainability and resilience elements.

When this second phase ends, SmithGroup will present the township with three feasible ideas to meet their programmatic needs. These ideas will get additional feedback and input from key stakeholders and township staff.

Then a final presentation with the preferred physical options and a high-level cost opinion of the preferred concepts, as well as a professional rendering, will be presented.

“We’re doing planning now so we can plan in the future,” said trustee Chris Kolinski. “These plans are putting our ducks in a row for when we want to do that, whether that’s in a few years or 2033, we need to get these plans in place.”

SmithGroup anticipates their streamlined planning process will take three to four months.

The motion passed 6-1, with trustee Mark Antakli being the lone no vote.