Planners still refining RFP on ordinance update

By Grace Lovins

The Birmingham Planning Board continued to refine the draft request for proposal (RFP) for the city’s zoning ordinance update during a study session at their Wednesday, August 27, meeting, with members focusing on evaluation criteria, deliverables and public engagement requirements.

Planning director Nick Dupuis presented the revised version of the draft, noting changes made after the board’s first review. He highlighted new language that ties in public communication strategies and a reworked evaluation process.

Continuing to refine the document, board members recommended more simplification and restructuring of the evaluation criteria. Board member Bert Koseck recommended moving qualifications and references higher in priority and placing a greater weight on the consultant’s understanding of project goals. Chair Scott Celin agreed with the overall approach but cautioned lumping the community engagement portion into other categories, saying it risks minimizing the importance of it.

The board also discussed the need to clarify deliverables, with Clein suggesting each task identified in the scope of work should have an interim memo or report along with the final deliverables at the end of the project. In addition to these points, board member Robin Boyle recommended adding something into the proposal that requires consultants to disclose their use of artificial intelligence. Clein advised that the city manager and attorney should determine if it would belong in the RFP or contract.

Several board members also drew attention to the language around stakeholder engagement. Board member Daniel Share questioned the inclusion of “developers” in the draft, arguing it could potentially cause confusion on what the goals of the community engagement portion are. The board agreed to replace the term with “property owners” and to clarify that engagement should focus on local residents, businesses and institutions.

Members also emphasized that the purpose of community engagement should be clearly stated as gathering feedback, educating the public and informing final decisions.

Dupuis also brought up consolidating the zoning ordinance update tasks matrix to accompany the RFP. While generally board members supported trimming the document for clarity, others suggested leaving certain items, such as accessory dwelling units, to allow consultants flexibility in their proposal.

The board agreed to have Dupuis incorporate the refined wording into the proposal language ahead of the RFP’s planned Tuesday, September 2, release date. No formal action was taken.