The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About18- RFP Submission - Review of NCOD Guidelines and Historic Preservation Program - BendonAdams1 300 SOUTH SPRING STREET ASPEN COLORADO 81611 NCOD UPDATE PROPOSAL FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION OVERLAY DISTRICT, DESIGN GUIDELINES AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM 2 City Clerk’s Office City of Bozeman City Hall P.O. Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 Re: RFP for Comprehensive Review of Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District Dear Mr. Phillipe Gonzalez, Thank you for the opportunity to submit a proposal for a comprehensive review of the City of Bozeman Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District, Design Guidelines and Historic Preservation Program. We are excited to present our proposal – we have worked through very similar issues in our small mountain town and look forward to sharing our experiences with you and your community. As former long-time municipal employees we bring a unique perspective based on our appreciation of City Staff and Officials and their endless work to create policy that reflects community visions and goals. We also understand the importance of maintaining a strong collaborative relationship with the community that is based on clear lines of communication and transparency. For Bozeman, we have partnered with Orion Planning and Design, a full service planning firm that specializes in comprehensive planning, special area planning, code work, and code development. We are confident that you will find that BendonAdams and Orion Planning + Design offer the expertise and skills necessary to make the requested recommendations and updates to your Historic District, Preservation Program, and Design Guidelines. Understanding that you know your community best, we will work closely with Staff to fine-tune our approach to guarantee the right tone and tenor for Bozeman’s stakeholders, neighborhood groups, advocacy groups, and general community in outreach strategy and messaging. We look forward to discussing our approach and sharing our unique perspective on past projects from both the public and private sectors. Thank you for considering our proposal. Sincerely, Chris Bendon, AICP BendonAdams chris@bendonadams.com 970.925.2855 Sara Adams, AICP BendonAdams sara@bendonadams.com 970.925.2855 INTRODUCTION Allison Mouch, AICP Orion Planning + Design allison@orionplanningdesign.com 419.297.5980 1 Bozeman’s decision to place a Conservation Overlay Dis- trict that includes the areas between designated historic districts was an innovative and gutsy solution in 1991 that many communities would not have been able to pull off. The result 27 years later is well preserved historic land- marks, historic districts and neighborhood character that supports a sense of place and a sense of pride for the community. Similar to most things in life, routine main- tenance and check-ups are necessary to ensure that the Overlay District is healthy and remains relevant to evolv- ing community preferences and values. Based on the 2015 audit results of the NCOD and this TABLE OF CONTENTS + PROJECT SUMMARY request for proposals, the elected officials, City Staff and community are open to exploring other planning tools, and possible boundary adjustment or overall elimination of the District, that achieve an appropriate balance between growth and preservation without compromising neighbor- hood character. Our goal is to use the 2015 audit, a new windshield survey of the area, and innovative outreach tools to perform a “health check” of the Overlay District that re- sults in a series of “diagnoses and remedies” based on best practices and our experiences. “A revised NCOD that balances new growth and devel- opment with preservation, enhancement and protection of historic buildings, historic districts and neighborhood character is a primary goal. Generating/maintaining neighborhood advocates and creating confidence around the preservation of community goals, especially the protection of neighborhood character, in the context of an updated or removed conservation over- lay district is a primary goal.” Interwoven within the NCOD is the Historic Preservation Pro- gram. The symbiotic relationship between the NCOD and the Historic Preservation Program is imperative to address as part of the NCOD revamp. Preserving the Historic Preser- vation Program’s mission to protect and to advocate for the historic built environment is crucial to a healthy community and needs to be at the forefront of the recommendations. Similar to our work in Anchorage, we propose process speed mapping workshops with Staff, the Historic Preservation Board, and key stakeholders to identify strengths and weak- nesses within the current system. “A review process that is streamlined for users and staff-friendly is a key goal for this project whether the His- toric Preservation Program functions within the NCOD or independently.” Revised Design Guidelines that are locally relevant, spe- cific, understandable to a wide audience and easy for PROJECT SUMMARY COMPANY DESCRIPTION HISTORY AND RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE AND CAPACITY PROJECT TEAM PROFESSIONAL PROFILES CREDENTIALS ASSIGNMENTS REFERENCES OUTLINE OF SERVICES DELIVERY OF SERVICE APPROACH + WORK PLAN PROPOSED SCHEDULE COST AND EXPENSE 2 Staff to administer are crucial to the Historic Pres- ervation program. Working with Design Guidelines written by qualified consultants that lack real on the ground and in the trenches day to day experience can result in inconsistency and overall frustration. There are some key areas that we have identified through our cursory review of your Design Guideline docu- ment: illustrations and photographs need to be more relevant and easier to understand; the organization of the document contains a lot of overlap and cross-ref- erencing; and the guidelines are vague and wordy. During our recent Aspen Historic Preservation Design Guidelines rewrite we tried to limit use of the terms “may be considered” and “is encouraged” which con- veyed a mixed message to applicants and the Boards, and we worked hard to clearly define what was required, differentiate between Standards and Guidelines, and to encourage creative architecture through a list of alter- natives to compliance that still met the intended policy. Our approach to Design Guideline projects is to evaluate existing conditions in the field, work with Staff, the Histor- ic Preservation Advisory Board and stakeholders to iden- tify gaps, and work with Staff to craft a customized public outreach package to reach a range of the community. We understand the importance of grounding a communi- ty outreach plan in transparency and clear lines of com- munication, which is why we employ the International Association of Public Participation’s (IAP2) methodology for creating and implementing public outreach program- ming. This approach focuses on identifying project deci- sion points, transparency, mapping out stakeholders, se- lecting appropriate tools and techniques, and closing out feedback loops. During the recent Commercial, Lodge and Historic Dis- trict Design Standards and Guidelines re-write project in Aspen, we worked with Staff to map out all of As- PROJECT SUMMARY pen’s stakeholders, and provided a range of engagement opportunities for stakehoders and community members in order to maximize participation. Utilizing social me- dia, local news and radio stations, a project wepbage, pop-ups, focus groups, charrettes, and open house-style meetings, we were able to provide flexibility for par- ticipants while simultaneously maximizing feedback. Our team also created small context videos of each neighbor- hood that we presented to an audience during small group meetings to guide a discussion on future vision and values for each character area. Using a different lens to view a neighbor- hood you have experienced a million times can be eye open- ing. We propose a similar approach to achieve the goal of customized context-based neighborhood Design Guidelines. “The goal of the Design Guidelines is to create a us- er-friendly document that defines neighborhood character for each area, differentiates between Standards and Guide- lines, reflects community vision in the Community Plan and incorporates feedback from outreach efforts. Approach and concepts within the updated 2017 Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation will be incorporated into the document. A re-organization of the document and a fresh design with new graphics and compelling images that celebrate Bozeman’s neighborhoods and built environment is a must.” 3 TEAM DESCRIPTION + CAPABILITY Our consulting firm is based in Aspen, Colorado. Founded by Chris Bendon and Sara Adams in 2016 after 29 collec- tive years working for the City of Aspen. BendonAdams is a full-service planning firm with exten- sive expertise in writing, implementing, and enforcing changes to Land Use Codes and Design Guidelines and Standards. BendonAdams also has extensive experience executing multi-phase community outreach and commu- nications plans to support complex projects. As former long-time municipal employees we bring a unique perspective based on our appreciation of City Staff and Officials and their endless work to create policy that reflects community visions and goals. We also understand firsthand, from both the public and private sectors, the frustrations associated with a clum- sy review process, arbitrary Design Guidelines, and di- vided community values. As City employees we served as project manager on numerous land use projects and are committed to a strong collaborative relationship and clear lines of communication between the City and the consultant team as an important component to a suc- cessful project. The past two years working in the private sector has only expanded our understanding of development processes within communities and the challenges and opportuni- ties of the regulatory process. Our recent experience on both sides of the table has in- stilled our team with a well-rounded perspective of de- velopment and furthered our ability to produce clear, predictable, and user-friendly Guidelines that embody community values and result in fair and consistent deci- sion-making. A predictable process relieves pressure on Staff, Review Boards and the applicant. HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND DESIGNATION DESIGN GUIDELINES PUBLIC POLICY AND CODE WRITING LAND USE PLANNING AND STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING STAKEHOLDER AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT FACILITATION 4 TEAM EXPERIENCE + CAPACITY We have expertise in process analysis, Code writing and crafting Design Guidelines that shape appropriate devel- opment and promote City and community values. We re- cently completed a strategic plan for the City of Anchor- age focused on streamlining day-to-day operations of the Municipality’s planning and building functions. While municipal employees, we overhauled the Aspen Historic Preservation Program in 2010 to include a vol- untary program for post-World War II properties based on recommendations from a 2 year citizen task force that we managed inhouse. Over Chris’s 19 year tenure at the City of Aspen, he has managed countless Land Use Code rewrites, amendments, enforcement and special projects including two Comprehensive Plan updates. In 2016, we completed a re-write of Winter and Compa- ny’s 10 year old Commercial, Lodge and Historic District Design Standards and Guidelines in Aspen to simplify the process, to reorganize the document to be understand- able and user friendly for both Staff and applicants, and to align with the Community Plan. We were recognized by the Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Asso- ciation with an award for the innovative approach to the Commercial, Lodge and Historic District Design Standards and Guidelines which analyzed historic neighborhood patterns as the basis for new development. Sara also co-authored a rewrite of Winter and Company’s Aspen Historic Preservation Design Guidelines to replace arbitrary guidelines with a mix of standards and guide- lines to clearly represent the development expectations of the community and the Historic Preservation Commis- sion. An emphasis on illustrations and simple wording was key in the rewrite. The Aspen Historic Preservation Design Guidelines reflect many of the updated concepts in the 2017 Secretary of Interior’s Standards including a new chapter devoted solely to landscape and setting, and incorporating mid-century building characteristics into each chapter. Experiences from these recent projects will inform our aproach to Bozeman’s Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District, Design Guidelines and Historic Preservation Pro- gram. Over the many years we have become even more con- vinced that there is no one size fits all approach to historic preservation or neighborhood character. Every community has its own values, built environment, future goals, and its own “Pizza Hut” moment when preservation of town char- acter rises to the top of everyone’s agenda. It is important to continue to reevaluate existing process, regulations and Design Guidelines as community values and development pressures change over time. The required schedule for this project works within the team’s current workload. The timeline outlines our pro- posed tasks and deliverables for the project as described in the request for proposals. Sara completed the City of Aspen Commercial, Lodging and Historic District Design Guidelines in a similar timeframe with a smaller team. We are confident that there is capacity within our integrated team to complete the project on time. We are confident in our ability to manage the size and scope of the project. While we are a small firm, we share work- space within a design collective that includes a 5-person award winning landscape design and planning studio, Blue- Green, and award-winning architect Gilbert Sanchez. We regularly collaborate on projects and have partnered with Orion Planning and Design. 5 TEAM DESCRIPTION + CAPABILITY Our Firm Orion Planning + Design is a multi-disciplined firm specializing in the planning and design of communi- ties of lasting value. The firm consists of leading planners and designers from across the United States. Four part- ners are AICP Fellows. Together our group has a breadth of multi-disciplined experience in both the private and pub-lic sectors. The firm was formed to bring together highly skilled plan- ners and designers that share a common philosophy in practice and enjoy the consulting business. Orion Plan- ning + Design has a deep and abiding respect for the role of local government and the daily challenges faced by dedicated local staff and elected officials. Most of our partners have interviewed, hired, and managed the work of consultants on behalf of the agencies they have repre- sented as public planners. Orion Planning + Design is an LLC formed and registered in the State of Colorado in 2011. The firm is owned by six partners with the company’s headquarters in Boulder, Colorado and five other offices across the United States. We have full service capabilities either internally or with preferred partner firms. The six partners are Bob Barber, FAICP; Joanne Garnett, FAICP; Carol Rhea, FAICP; Allison Mouch, AICP; Oliver Seabolt, ASLA; and Graham Billings- ley, FAICP. We believe in collaborative planning processes and place-based context sensitive planning solutions. We believe in developing and maintaining strong work- ing relationships with staff, committees and boards and using their expertise and local knowledge to guide the planning process. And we believe in plan imple- mentation. Our consulting services always include de- tailed guidance on how to make the plan a reality. COMPREHENSIVE AND AREA PLANNING MASTER PLANNING PARKS, OPEN SPACE, & TRAILS WATER RESOURCES, WATERSHEDS & WATERFRONTS SITE PLANNING URBAN DESIGN VISIONING CODING BOARD & STAFF TRAINING 6 Chris will lead efforts on the Preservation Program analysis providing recommen-dations and potential revisions to City Staff. Prior to co-founding BendonAdams, Chris worked as the Community Development Director for the City of Aspen after working his way through the ranks. Chris brings a unique perspective to review processes, regulatory frameworks, and strategic planning for controver-sial projects. Chris just completed a three-month analysis of the Municipality of Anchorage’s planning and building permit review process from community plan policy to Certificate of Occupancy. Chris’ urban design background and his 19 years at the City of Aspen, 11 of which were as Director with 46 employees, result in a creative approach to Code and process challenges, and a sense of humor. Chris holds a Masters of City Planning from the University of Pennsyl-vania, and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado. Sara is the BendonAdams Project Manager, acting as co-lead with Orion Planning + Design, and will head the Design Guideline update utilizing her award-win- ning experience to inform the process for the City of Bozeman. Sara brings 12 years of creative planning, urban design, historic preservation and community outreach experience to BendonAdams. Her expertise in historic preservation, urban planning and design informs all aspects of her work. Sara’s diverse back- ground between Aspen and New York City helps her to identify social, econom- ic, physical, and cultural assets in downtowns. She has led two Design Guideline rewrites in the past three years - an overhaul of the Historic Preservation Design Guidelines during her tenure at the City of Aspen and a complete rewrite of the Commercial, Lodging and Historic District Design Guidelines and Standards as a Partner at BendonAdams. Sara holds a Masters of Historic Preservation from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Art History from Dickinson College. Reilly will be leading outreach efforts for BendonAdams, working with the Orion Planning + Design team, to develop a cohesive outreach and commu- nications plan. She is extremely passionate about policy development and community outreach processes and is certified by the International Asso- ciation of Public Participation (IAP2). Reilly began her career working as an international planner, spending four years working in Australia, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia collaborating with diverse communities to develop commu- nity driven policy. Prior to working with BendonAdams Reilly worked for the City of Aspen where she spent 18 months coordinating outreach efforts for the Community Development Department under a comprehensive Land Use moratorium. Reilly managed both digital and public engagement for over 30 public meetings and events throughout 2016 and early 2017. Reil- ly holds a Master’s of Urban Planning from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a Bachelors of Anthropology from Miami University (Ohio). PROJECT TEAM sara adams, aicp chris bendon, aicp reilly thimons, iap2 7 Carol has nearly 30 years of experience in a variety of public and private sec-tor planning positions working in planning, group facilitation, ordinances and regulations, board training, permitting, code enforcement, and custom-er service. Carol spent more than fifteen years working in municipal, county, regional, and state government, managing increasingly complex programs in-volving current and long range planning, community development, code en-forcement, building inspections and solid waste. Carol served two terms as the APA Region II Director (2004-2012), and is currently president-elect. In ad-dition to being a certified planner and Fellow, Carol is also a NC Low Impact Development Certified Professional. Carol holds a Masters in Geography and a Bachelors in Earth Science from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Allison is the Orion Planning + Design Project Manager, acting as co-lead with BendonAdams, heading recommendationsfor changes to the NCOD. Allison joined Orion Planning + Design in September 2016, bringing to the firm over a decade of professional planning and design experience in the public, pri- vate and non-profit sectors. Her areas of specialization include comprehen- sive plans, public engagement and outreach, Code development, project man- agement, mapping and analysis. She is an AICP certified professional planner and an active member of the American Planning Association (APA), president of APA’s Western Central Chapter (MT, WY, ND, SD), and currently sits on the Montana Association of Planners (MAP) Board of Directors as well as the City of Helena Zoning Commission. She holds a Masters in Urban and Environmen- tal Planning from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from Miami University (Ohio). Oliver has close to 20 years of combined experience in landscape architecture, urban design, and real estate. As a planning and design consultant, he has ex- tensive experience working with both public and private entities in the design, management, and implementation of complex domestic and international proj- ects. His unique multi-disciplined skill set is instrumental in providing innova- tive and implementable solutions for challenging projects. Oliver has directed extensive master planning projects and led multi-disciplinary teams through successful design, permitting and implementation of design projects of var- ious sizes. His focused leadership, attention to detail, problem solving abilities, and well-rounded professional experience contribute to his continued suc- cess in delivering high-quality projects, on schedule and within budget. Oliver holds a Post-Professional Master in Landscape Architecture from Harvard Uni- versity and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from University of Georgia. PROJECT TEAM allison mouch, aicp carol rhea, faicp oliver seabolt 8 Land Use Moratorium Devel- opment Scenarios, Aspen Re- sponding to changes to Aspen Land Use Code in 2016, Ben- donAdams analyzed develop- ment scenarios based upon changes to zoning, mitigation, and site planning requirements to recommend Code changes. Commercial Design Guidelines and Standards, Aspen In 2016, BendonAdams rewrote the City of Aspen Commercial, Lodg- ing and Historic District Design Guidelines including updates to neighborhood boundaries, pub- lic amenity, and Board Reviews. Historic Preservation Design Guidelines, Aspen Sara worked to revise the City of Aspen His- toric Preservation Design Guide- lines including a new chapter on site planning and innovative language for new development on historic properties. Aspen Area Community Plan, Aspen. Chris facilitated the development, adoption and successful implementation of the 2012 Aspen Area Community Plan, which facilitated discussions with thousands of citizens through multiple techniques ranging from personal interviews to “clicker sessions” to web-based venues. Maui County Title 19 Zoning Code Audit, Maui, HI. Orion was hired by Maui County to conduct a comprehensive au- dit of their county-wide zoning code. Prior to the initiation of the audit, Title 19 had not been through a comprehensive re- view or rewrite since the 1950’s. Historic Preservation Design Guidelines, Rochester NH Ben- donAdams is currently writing the City of Rochester’s new His- toric Preservation Design Guide- lines and working on Land Use Code amendments to allow for increased density and infill in the historic district. Development Department In- ternal Processes Audit, City of Anchorage Chris and Sara con- ducted an internal processes audit of the building & plan- ning departments to identify gaps. Chris and Sara facilitated discussions with Staff to em- power them to solve each issue with attainable solutions. Laramie Downtown Project, Laramie WY. Orion teamed with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, Ma-han Rykiel Associates and Community Design Solutions to update the Downtown Devel- opment Plan for Laramie, Wy- oming. The planning area was comprised of approximately 50 square blocks of historic down- town Laramie. Sheridan Land Use Plan, Sheri- dan WY. Orion is working on the Sheridan, Wyoming Land Use Plan consists of three phases: Existing Conditions, Land Use Analysis and Community Vision, and Land Use Policy and Com- munity Master Plan. The proj- ect schedule encompasses 14 months with heavy engagement opportunities. Oxford Comp Plan, Oxford, MS. Orion was selected to lead this effort based on Orion’s outstanding ability to diagnose community development dy- namics and facilitate the cre- ation of effective, workable solutions that are sensitive to the preservation of Oxford’s his- toric neighborhoods. RELEVANT EXPERIENCE Moratorium Land Use Code Amendments City of Aspen Reilly developed and managed 30+ events and 20+ Board meetings across six City of Aspen Code rewrite projects as part of a year-long devel- opment moratorium covering growth management, off-street parking, use mix, mitigation, and view planes. Aspen Modern Program, As-pen. Chris and Sara developed an AspenModern program that preserves mid-century histor- ic resources. This program in- volved a 2-year process with a citizen task force that resulted in changing community sentiment through education and the implementation of a voluntary landmark program. 2014 na ti o n al a w a r d winner 2017 CO A P A A w a r d 9 REFERENCES Anchorage, AK Chris Schutte Economic and Community Development Director T. 907.343.6180 Population: 298,695 Number of employees: 20+ Project start/completion: 2017 Summary: The City of Anchorage in responding to a need identified by the Municipality of Anchorage and the Cook Inlet Housing Authority, requested as- sistance in creating a comprehensive strategy to im- prove and streamline housing and community devel- opment processes. Several barriers were highlighted as impeding work processes, specifically planning, review processes, and overall organization. Throughout the Spring and Summer of 2017, Bendo- nAdams worked with Cook Inlet Housing Authority and Municipality of Anchorage to create an innova- tive approach to process improvements for imple- menting a comprehensive housing strategy. Utilizing local award-winning experience in affordable hous- ing policy and program development, the BendonAd- ams team was able to create develop a stakeholder engagement program that focused on existing pro- cesses and potential for improvements, ultimate- ly delivering strategic recommendations on how to address and roll out changes for the comprehensive affordable housing program. Aspen, CO Justin Barker, Senior Planner T. 970.429.2797 Population: 6,871 Number of employees: 11 Project start/completion: 2016-2017 Summary: In 2016, Aspen City Council passed- passed an emergency moratorium for development in Aspen’s five Commercial Zone Districts. The mor- atorium was in response to development patterns emerging that were deemed to be compromising vibrancy in the historic downtown. The moratorium was deemed necessary in order to allow City Council the time to make changes to the Land Use Code that will better align it with the Aspen Area Community Plan (AACP). BendonAdams partnered with a local architecture firm to facilitate small group meetings and design charettes, to maintain an online presence, to pres- ent existing conditions, and to host a bike tour. A complete rewrite of the Commercial, Lodging and Historic District Design Guidelines resulted from this effort. Public amenity, the call-up process and the overall structure and applicability of the standards and guidelines, including redrawing boundaries and adding a new chapter on remodels, are addressed. The Design Guidelines were award a Colorado State APA award in October 2017. 10 REFERENCES Corinth, MS Tommy Irwin, Mayor T. 662.286.6644 Population: 14,818 Number of employees: Less than 5 Project start/completion: 2017/ongoing Summary: Corinth, Mississippi, a small City with a rich historic fabric in Northeast, Mississippi realized that achieving its potential as an excellent commu- nity would require new vision and adoption of con- temporary planning approaches and techniques. Obsolete plans, processes and coding were visibly undermining the City’s aspirations. Corinth, com- munity institutions, and civic organizations pooled resources to fund a new plan. Because of its repeat- edly proven ability to inspire and facilitate positive community change, Orion Planning + Design was en- gaged to lead the City’s new planning initiative. Entitled Envision Corinth 2040 by the community, the planning process was based on a well-designed, genuine, and broadly inclusive public engagement process. With the community fully invested, the planning effort has been strongly embraced. Results to date have included vision for residential and com- mercial infill development, expanded historic pres- ervation, suburban retrofit of aging corridors, and a rich web of connected greenways, trails, and bike- ways. Initial concepts have been endorsed and the final plan is in the adoption process. Orion will follow Envision Corinth 2040 with the creation of new a de- velopment code to implement the plan. Oxford, MS Judy Daniel, AICP, City Planner T. 662.232.2305 Population: 23,290 Number of employees: Less than 10 Project start/completion: 2015/2016 Summary: Oxford, Mississippi, home to the Uni- versity of Mississippi, is widely recognized as one of America’s leading cultural centers and the University as one of America’s best public universities. The City, having experienced extreme growth pressures and highly undesirable development patterns over the last decade, commissioned a comprehensive plan ef- fort, called Vision 2037, to address the acute devel- opment issues. Orion Planning+Design was selected to lead this effort based on Orion’s outstanding ability to diagnose community development dynamics and facilitate the creation of effective, workable solutions. With thorough and insightful analysis, focus group engagement and a design charrette with broad public participation, Orion guided plan creation that intro- duces new form based techniques, including highly articulated mobility provisions, to produce desirable future development outcomes that are sensitive to the natural environment and the preservation of Ox- ford’s timeless historic neighborhoods. Orion’s place type planning strategy is producing fundamental and positive change in the City’s development approach even prior to plan adoption, demonstrating current and future effectiveness. 11 APPROACH It is our philosophy that architecture, landscape, planning, and urban design are all interdependent. We approach each project with an understanding of its regional and environ- mental impact as well as the social needs of the community. Therefore, we focus on clarity before agreement, purpose before logistics. Solid clarity regarding the direction of the community will emerge from review of the 2015 audit, and provide the foundation for the means and methods of the Design Guideline revisions and recommendations for the Preservation Program. Design Guideline discussions provoke thought and reveal gaps between the community’s aspira- tion and the mechanics of current development standards. We want to capture these gaps and visions at the begin- ning of the project. The earlier we understand core values, the smoother the Guidelines rewrite will be. Ultimately, we feel this creates momentum for the NCOD and Preservation Program recommendations and will avoid late flare-ups. In our experience this starts by creating a strong foun- dation based on a staff-forward approach. City of Boze- man Staff serve an important role in guiding communi- ty planning during this project. Our 72 years combined work in government has entrenched our team with an understanding and appreciation for City Staff having di- rect management and proprietorship of final products. Though we are seasoned veterans of public meetings and presentations, we are comfortable in the engine room, doing the grunt work on the Guideline updates and preparing City Staff for key project moments. Sup- porting professional Staff will lead to long-term suc- cess and ownership of the Design Guidelines and any changes to the NCOD and Preservation Program. We also see an important role for members of the Histor- ic Preservation Advisory Board, Neighborhood Coordina- tors, and Design Review Board: being advocates of the approach and taking an active role in the public dialogue will provide the momentum and political support to get this over the finish line. Their substantive review is im- portant; but we will need their shoulder to the wheel too. NCOD Cities remain relevant by constantly evolving in concert with current community goals and anticipating future needs. The desire to explore options for the NCOD, in- cluding its removal, in order to promote the type of de- velopment best suited for Bozeman illustrates the City’s forward-thinking approach. The goal is to bring clar- ity and simplicity to the Overlay District, analyze current Historic Preservation Program review processes, and to empower Staff to make key administrative decisions. Our approach is to take guidance from Staff, the HPAB, Neighborhood Coordinators, and the Design Review Board to understand and respond to process obstacles, and to develop strategies to better understand the functionality of the NCOD. We expect broad-based public interest in the NCOD to be relatively high given recent community sentiment sur- rounding future development in Bozeman. We will utilize this interest to interweave high-reaching community val- ues questions. This will allow us to get a temperature gauge on community sentiment regarding historic preservation versus misunderstandings about Development Standards. Therefore, we will use these outcomes as a basis for how we approach more intensive outreach activities - i.e. does there need to be a ‘Design 101’ before we delve deeper - to calibrate our work. In addition to using the outreach results, we will dissect recent projects with applicants and current planning Staff to discover gaps, overlaps and what works. In our experience successful land use regulations combine clear standards and review criteria to provide predictability DELIVERY OF SERVICES 12 in the process with a healthy dose of flexibility in order to recognize innovative solutions and non-conformity situa- tions. In spite of the Overlay District process that Bozeman currently employs, there has been significant development both within the NCOD and without, and we understand this has prompted the need to evaluate the Overlay District’s effectiveness as a conservation tool. The City of Bozeman is undertaking zoning amendments and other planning efforts to incentivize density and affordable housing to name a few. The timing of these changes creates an important opportunity to align, or at least provide some context for, the NCOD recommendations and the Design Guidelines with any new Municipal Code amendments. We are strong advocates for utilizing both Standards (re- quirements) and Guidelines (recommendations) within the document to clarify expectation verses aspiration, require- ments for development and opportunities for creativity. The current regulations and Design Guidelines provide a good foundation for the rewrite – reorganizing these tools to be clearer to the user goes a long way to process im- provements, the customer experience, and the overall ef- fectiveness of these planning and community tools. DESIGN STANDARDS The current Bozeman Design Standards are currently orga- nized from a site-planning perspective rather than context based. There is an opportunity to reorganize the document to be more understandable by focusing on neighborhood character areas, pulling any zoning requirements back into the Land Use Code, and creating separate Standards (re- quirements) and Guidelines (recommendations). Utilizing both Standards and Guidelines will clarify expectation vers- es aspiration, requirements for development, and opportu- nities for creativity. Our approach is to draw neighborhood boundaries that take into account Zone Districts, and are entrenched in the com- munity’s future vision of the character area based on the Neighborhood Survey and extensive community outreach DELIVERY OF SERVICES feedback. The Design Standards and Guidelines will be fo- cused on buildings, site planning and neighborhood context. Implementing a methodical community outreach and com- munications program enables us to write Design Guidelines focused on ‘character areas’ that embody what the commu- nity envisions for their future. PRESERVATION PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS A new approach to the NCOD may necessitate a restructured Preservation Program. Chris and Sara rewrote the national- ly recognized Aspen Historic Preservation Program in 2010 to create two programs - AspenVictorian and AspenModern - that recognize two distinct periods of significance. Each program has a different set of incentives and regulations and an associated website that results from an extensive educa- tion campaign: www.aspenmodern.com and www.aspenvic- torian.com. We will use these experiences to formulate rec- ommendations that preserve the intent of the preservation program to protect the historic built environment while si- multaneously aligning within any amendments to the NCOD. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Engaging the public can sometimes be difficult, and that working across multiple large-scale projects can often create missed opportunities for consistency, messaging, and can work against strengthening relationships with community members and stakeholder groups. Our experience tells us that creating a cohesive strategic outreach and communications plan for the Design Standards will be the most effective means of cutting down on engage- ment fatigue, ensuring higher quality feedback across the City’s Comprehensive Plan Update and NCOD review. The Community Outreach Plan will allow us to map out outreach phasing, create materials that generate project recognition (i.e. project branding) and efficiently propel the project nar- rative and take the community on a ‘journey’. A communication plan allows our team and Staff to respond to the evolution of the project and shift according to themes 13 that come to the forefront. To start, we propose to work closely with City Staff to better understand community dy- namics, to identify active stakeholder groups, and to iden- tify the City of Bozeman’s desired community engagement outcomes. Our two-tiered approach is based upon internationally rec- ognized best practices of the International Assocation of Public Participation (IAP@method and the Capire Triangle. The IAP2 method focuses on a project’s objectives and its promise to the public, while the Capire Triangle focuses on community relationships - are we providing opportunities for the public to inform decisions, are we building com- munity capacity through education, or are we building or strengthening relationships, or a combination of the three? It is important for the project team to come to an agree- ment early - i.e. What are the project decision points? Do we want to inform, involve, collaborate or empower the community in the decision making process? Do we want to build capacity on certain topics and/or strengthen our rela- tionship with the community? These questions will frame the Community Outreach Plan and serve to define expec- tations from both Staff and the public regarding their level of involvement and how their feedback will be incorporated into proposed recommendations and updates to the Design Guidelines. Based upon the identified outreach approach, we will create a Stakeholder Map which identifies impacted stakeholders, interested community groups, their levels of interest in the project, and the most appropriate tools and techniques to reach them. Once the stakeholder mapping is complete, we will work with Staff to better understand the current social and political cli- mates, and fine-tune our communications strategy to ensure the right tone and tenor for the City of Bozeman community. We will also use this time to walk Staff through our Commu- nity Outreach Plan process and finalize our methodology. We know how important it is for Staff to feel empowered to have meaningful conversations with the public which is why we include Staff members in our community outreach DELIVERY OF SERVICES 14 planning processes. Building Staff capacity and creating a comfort-level around community engagement practices is extremely important for creating community confidence - it can also be the difference between a project’s success or failure to reach adoption and successful implementation. WORK PLAN PROJECT KICKOFF This project has a clearly defined schedule, so we propose to jump right in with a kick-off meeting with Staff to discuss project expectations, objectives, and goals. We will also confirm the identified approach to community outreach and begin the Stakeholder Mapping exercise. During this initial trip, we propose interviews and small group meetings with key with the Historic Preservation Ad- visory Board, Neighborhood Coordinators, and the Design Review Board. This will be an important step in confirming key stakeholders and enabling our team to get a handle on the social and political climate surrounding development processes, affordable housing, and infill - and to open dis- cussions on other topics included within the 2015 NCOD Audit. These initial outreach sessions not only help the consultant team get to know the Staff and the advisory groups, but the exercises give us perspective on the direction of the Design Guidelines document. On this initial visit we propose a Staff led tour of Bozeman’s NCOD and Historic Districts to familiarize our team with any development patterns, key architectural details, and any neighborhood areas. While on this tour we will ask Staff to walk us through a recently approved development (rede- velopment/reuse, scrape and replace, and/or minor alter- ation) to understand the process and the outcome of the current Design Guidelines with the goal of discovering any obvious gaps in the process or areas that can be simplified. This analysis will focus on physical details, architecture (scale, mass, quality, site placement), landscape/open spac- es, neighborhood transitions, and urban fabric of each area. Information from the existing conditions analysis, including a section on review process analysis, will be used in the Com- prehensive Plan update, Code update, as well as the Design Standards and Guidelines. The goals and objectives for these initial exercises is work with Staff to 1) Confirm project expectations, timing, de- liverables and outreach appraoch 2) Complete a Stakeholder Map 3) Conduct initial small group meetings with advisory groups 4) Orient our team with the NCOD and Historic Districts 5) Create a coded map of key findings and a sum- mary memo outlining key issues and challenges, recommen- dations and opportunities to address gaps, and any recom- mended modifications to project scope. BACKGROUND ANALYSIS Once we have completed our project kick-off, we will delve deeper into understanding the “how we got here”. Utilizing the recommendations and insights from Staff and the adviso- ry groups, we will take a second look at the 2015 NCOD Audit and review previous contributing documents, relevant plans, and previous community feedback. If we are to successfully update the Design Guidelines and institute any changes to the NCOD and Historic Preservation Program it will be important to understand how to acknowledge previous programmatic changes, community response, and what needs to be accom- plished to move forward together. The goal for this exercise is to better understand recent devel-opment policy changes within Bozeman and use our findings to inform outreach and communications approach. OUTREACH + COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Building on our understanding of local context, we will work with Staff to complete the Community Outreach Plan (COP), finalizing the proposed outreach schedule, project mate- rials, and key dates. The COP will reflect the attached draft schedule, and will delve into finer-grain detail on event lo- gistics, materials, and staffing. The COP will also include a DELIVERY OF SERVICES 15 DELIVERY OF SERVICES communications plan with directives on social media, web content, online engagement, messaging, project branding, and scheduling. We will also highlight opportunities for Staff to get involved on the ground in between COP phases. Setting clear parameters around communication will allow for our team and Staff to track engagement opportunities over time and keep a running record of newspaper articles, radio coverage, webpage and social media updates, calls to action, and what questions we asked respective stakehold- ers and community groups. In maintaining and managing well-organized and meaningful data, we can better track our progress and adapt the COP as needed. Having managed intensive outreach initiatives around large- scale policy development, we understand that while we can plan ahead, things often can change on the ground. Our experience and confidence in our process allows us to be flexible and adaptive, to ensure that we are capturing the feedback necessary to move projects forward. We are com- fortable taking the lead from Staff and adjusting the COP to suit Staff and Community needs. The goal for this exercise is to create a detailed timeline of outreach events and project communications as a reference point for both Staff and the consulting team. As the proj-ect evolves, we can expect to update or make any necessary changes. PROJECT LAUNCH Once the outreach and communications plan has been fi- nalized, we propose a project launch in early June. Our pref- erence is to simultaneously launch both digital and public engagement. To start we propose a full week of intensive outreach events to help build interest around the project and take advantage of local media and radio outlet coverage to help spread our “call to action” to the community. During this week, we propose to utilize creative pop-up in- stallations to provide project information, education, and to conduct some initial high-level intercept and visual preference surveys. These installations will be placed at strategic loca- tions during periods of heavy foot traffic to capture a broad spectrum of the community. In addition to the pop-up instal- lations, our team will conduct meetings with targeted stake- holders and interested community groups. We would like these meetings to be more deliberative, and suggest providing some background information to partic- ipants prior to our discussions. Our focus will be to gather design preference information through Charrette style discus- sions so that we can begin to understand community valuing and preferences. The feedback from these initial meetings will build the foun- dation for changes to the Design Standards and will guide op- portunities for opening up larger discussions with the public at large. In our extensive community outreach experience, we have found that offering a layered digital and public en- gagement approach vastly increases the opportunity for dif- ferent community groups and members to participate - and we expect the same to be true in Bozeman. Online engage- ment opportunities and questions will mirror those asked in intercept surveys and the small group meetings. In addition to the pop-up installations and Charrette style meetings, we propose a long-term project installation at a community center within the Main Street area, preferably the History Museum. The installation will connect the proj- 16 architecture survey from 1983/4 and to enable the con- sulting team to get a fine-grain grasp on current historic resources, where they are located, and identify areas with- in the NCOD that would reasonably allow for the changes highlighted in the 2015 NCOD Audit. We will, again, work with local media outlets to highlight the Neighborhood Survey and the opportunity for com- munity members to get involved. We expect that we will need around 20-25 volunteers total (including Staff and the consulting team) and will provide background information booklets, trainings, equipment, and instructions. Our pref- erence is to work in a buddy system so that surveyors are able to ask questions easily on the ground. Collecting this quantitative data will ground conversations with the community in factual evidence for change, and open discussions for larger community discussions provid- ing definitive context for larger picture valuation questions surrounding development and Design Guidelines. We see this as being an integral step towards supporting changes to the NCOD, Historic Preservation Program, and updates to the Design Guidelines. An added benefit, is leaning into the community to source volunteers to assist with conducting the survey. Ideally, volunteers will be comprised of members from Staff, the consulting team, the HPAB, Neighborhood Coordinators, the Design Review Board, local university architecture stu- dents, and interested stakeholders and community group members. The survey will serve to provide an education al opportunity and to gain significant buy-in. It also pro- vides an opportunity for the data to be incorporated on the City’s GIS webpage. The goal for this exercise is to update the outdated historic inventory survey, attain buy-in from key stakeholder and advisory groups, and lay the groundwork for initial policy recommendations and changes to the Design Guidelines. ect and concepts of historic preservation and ground them in local Bozeman history. To conclude the first week of outreach, we propose a larger community meeting - format to be determined - and will work with Staff to identify exciting and interactive activities from a suite of tools designed to maximize engagement lev- els and provide high quality feedback. Directly following this week is a key opportunity to per- form a ‘pulse check’ on the outreach and communications programs by answering these questions - Are we providing the right information to engage stakeholders effectively? Is there adequate community feedback? Do we need to adapt our outreach approach? The goal for this exercise is to generate a wide-spread well-attended, and covered (media) project launch that con-nects participants to the project and provides them a digital anchor to stay up to date and involved. NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEYS Building on the project launch, we propose to conduct a Neighborhood Survey to address the current historic inven- tory across the NCOD and Historic Districts. The survey’s purpose will be two-fold: to update the outdated historic DELIVERY OF SERVICES 17 FEEDBACK LOOP 1 Upon completion of the Neighborhood Survey, we will touch base with Staff and have our second meeting with the HPAB to provide initial feedback findings. This will be an opportuni- ty to discuss key opportunities as we move into the drafting phase. Depending on Staff’s preference, our team is able to provide varying levels and combinations of reporting including info- graphic reports, executive summaries, and a more formal outreach report. In our experience, a combination of these report types is preferable as they can be disseminated to var- ious stakeholder groups and the public closing the feedback loop for this particular phase of outreach. At this point in time, we will also provide an update of up- coming key dates and opportunities to stay involved in the project via the webpage, social media, and local media out- lets. The goal for this exercise is ensure that the feedback received from Phase II is disseminated back out to the community for review. INITIAL DRAFTING Utilizing the feedback that we received during Phases I + II, we will begin the writing process as soon as we have completed FEEDBACK LOOP 1. Our focus will be on creating a clear, concise, user-friendly document that incorporates high quality “do and don’t” illustrations in conjunction with expansive photo spreads in order to form a strong, legible visual narrative. In order to cement the pathway forward, at this juncture we will provide Staff, the HPAB, and the Design Review Board with some initial policy and program recommendations, draft standards and guidelines, initial images and illustrations, outlines and appendices. DELIVERY OF SERVICES 18 feedback from the same stakeholders and community mem- bers to make sure we are tracking with community senti-ment surrounding the project. FEEDBACK LOOP 2 Upon completion of Phase III engagement activities, we will also take the opportunity to ‘circle back’ with Staff and our advisory groups including the HPAB, Neighborhood Co- ordinators, and the Design Review Board to recap outreach, discuss emergent themes or changes in community senti- ment. Direction from these advisory groups will serve as a final ‘pulse check’ before our team begins final drafting. we will touch base with Staff and have our second meeting with the HPAB to provide initial feedback findings. This will be an opportunity to discuss key opportunities as we move into the drafting phase. Depending on Staff’s preference, our team is able to pro- vide varying levels and combinations of reporting including infographic reports, executive summaries, and a more for- mal outreach report. In our experience, a combination of these report types is preferable as they can be disseminat- ed to various stakeholder and community groups closing Our team will respond to aggregated comments and any re- quested revisions. During the drafting process we are able to provide one-page summaries of the feedback we receive from Staff, the HPAB, the Design Review Board, and other reviewers. This will serve to track the progress and changes of the documents’ direction and will serve to begin to fine- tune formatting preferences, content, and our next phase of engagement. The goal for this exercise is to submit draft guidelines, with illustrations, for City review and advisory group review, and to make any requested edits based on aggregated com- ments. COMMUNITY ‘CIRCLE BACK’ In similar fashion to the COP activities from Phase II, our team will launch the second round of stakeholder and com- munity engagement with updates to the webpage, a ‘call to action’ on social media, and interviews or segments with local media outlets. Consistency is key when conducting transparent and meaningful outreach. We plan to ‘circle back’ with the same stakeholder groups and community members to ask “Do we have this right? Is there anything we are missing?” During this Phase, we propose to build on the project rec- ognition to maximize the pop-up installations, intercept sur- veys, visual preference exercises, targeted stakeholder meet- ings, community events, and large format meetings. We expect that some tough questions may arise out of the first round of feedback and drafting, and this is the time to turn them back to the community. If this is the case, our experience tells us that utilizing the Neighborhood Survey data and framing discussions around larger community is- sues can be effective in attaining meaningful project-spe- cific feedback. The goal for this exercise is to capture a second round of DELIVERY OF SERVICES 19 the feedback loop for this particular phase of outreach. At this point in time, we will also provide an update of up- coming key dates and opportunities to stay involved in the project via the webpage, social media, and local media out- lets. The goal for this exercise is to ensure that the feedback re- ceived from Phase II+ III is provided to the community for review, and to provide further key dates and opportunities to stay involved. FINAL DRAFTING As we move into final drafting, our work will be focused on three areas as requested within the RFP: NCOD Recommendations Providing alternatives to the current laws, regulations, and physical boundaries of the NCOD. These alternatives will in- clude metrics in order to determine their success. Design Guidelines Draft Design Guidelines addressing revisions and replace- ment of relevant Guidelines. New Standards will be locally relevant specific, and easily interpreted by both Staff and the Public. This document will take into account the recently up- dated Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Stan- dards and Guidelines. Historic Preservation Program Recommendations Providing recommendations for a restructured program that can function in conjunction with or independently of the NCOD. Our team will work with Staff to confirm final format and whether additional alternative presentation formats may be appropriate. Our team will respond to aggregated comments and any requested revisions. During the drafting process we are able to provide one-page summaries of the feedback we receive from Staff, the HPAB, the Design Review Board, and other reviewers. This will serve to track the progress and DELIVERY OF SERVICES changes of the documents’ direction as we move into Board review and adoption. We will have the above mentioned Drafts ready to submit to Staff and reviewers no later than October 15th, 2018, and will expect aggregated comments in order to submit a final draft on December 3rd, 2018. The goal for this exercise is submit final recommendations and guidelines for City review and advisory group review, and to make any requested edits based on aggregated com- ments. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ADOPTION We will check in with Staff and the Project Manager on the Final Draft before we move into the final phase of the project, which includes Public Hearings and Adoption. We understand how important this phase of the project is and how preparation and compelling presentations showcasing an intensive and meaningful community outreach plan and subsequent feedback set the stage for streamlined discussions with Boards. Cumulatively, we have several thousand public hearings under our belts. While there is no mention in the RFP of a need for ongoing strategic support or a final public meeting on the final draft to close out the project with the public, our team can be flexible and allocate time and budget accordingly to meet Staff’s needs in order to get the project successfully over the finish line. Below, we have proposed some additional support options that might prove beneficial: 1) Staff-prep meetings and assistance with presentation materials 2) Additional meetings for HPAB, Neighborhood Coordinators, and / or Design Review Board 3) Final Public Meeting or Public Event to illustrate recommendations and the updated Design Guidelines and 20 DELIVERY OF SERVICES recommendaƟ ons and the updated Design Guidelines and take fi nal public comment 4) Post-adopƟ on rollout and implementaƟ on trainings for Staff and Key stakeholders including a “Key Changes” reference pamphlet PROJECT CLOSEOUT Our team will work with Staff on a project close-out plan in order to create one last project update with the Public Hear- ing outcomes, and where to access updated informaƟ on. We will be sure to reach out to Stakeholders and the community to thank them for their parƟ cipaƟ on. 21 PROPOSED SCHEDULE Timeline Meeting with Staff Stakeholder Mapping and Matrix Meeting with Historic Preservation Advisory Board Tour of NCOD and Historic Districts Meeting with selected Neighborhood Coordinators Meeting with Design Review Board Methodology Finalization Review of additional documents and data from previous meetings (audit results) Outreach Plan finalization (Meeting schedule, activity maps, staff expectations, projected materials) Off-site Webpage development, Branding toolkit development, Key project public project dates and deliverables / feedback loops Webpage w/ project information and survey Media releases (radio / advertisements) Visual Preference Survey Installations + Pop-Ups addressing different key community stakeholder groups Small Group Meetings with Neighborhood Coordinatorsl (Activities may include Card-Storming, World Cafés, or other formats deemed appropriate) Small Group Meetings with Targeted Stakeholder Groups (Activities may include Card-Storming, World Cafés, or other formats deemed appropriate) Optional : History Museum Exhibit Opening Public Event (TBD) Trainings with Staff and Survey Team Media releases Conducting Neighborhood Survey Meeting with Historic Preservation Advisory Board Saturday Market Pop-Up Off-site Phase II Feedback Analysis and Summary Report for Staff, HPAB, Stakeholders, and Community Check-In with Staff on deliverables DRAFT # 1: Will include initial policy and program recommendations, draft standards and guidelines, initial images and illustrations, outlines and appendices Mid July Off-site Aggregated Comments from City Staff + HPAB + Design Review Board Mid July Off-site Pulse-check meeting with City Staff + HPAB + Design Review Board Phase I Project Launch On-site Early June Setting the Framework May (TBD) Project Kick-Off On-site May (TBD) Background Analysis Off-site May (TBD) Communications Plan Engaging the Public 1 Neighborhood Surveys On-Site Initial Drafting Off-siteEarly July Early June Phase II Phase II 21 PROPOSED SCHEDULE Media releases (radio / advertisements ) Pop-Up 'Pulse Checks' - i.e. "Are we on the right track?" 2nd Visual Preference Survey Small Group Meetings with Neighborhood Coordinators Small Group Meetings with Targeted Stakeholder Groups Optional : History Museum Exhibit Community Event Public Event (TBD) i.e. Appreciative Inquiry / Deliberative Polling Meeting with Historic Preservation Advisory Board + Design Review Board Saturday Market Pop-Up or Alternative Community Event Late August Off-site Phase III Feedback Analysis and Summary Report for Staff, HPAB, Stakeholders, and Community Off-site Utilizing all feedback from Phases I-III, this document will provide alternatives to the current laws, regulations, and physical boundaries of the NCOD with metrics to determine success Off-Site Draft will address revisioning and replacement of relevant Design Guidelines that will be locally relevant, specific, and esily interpreted. Off-Site Will include recommendations for a restructured Preservation Program that can function in conjunction with or independently of the NCOD October 15th Off-site Review aggregated from Staff + HPAB + Design Review Board for final re- submission December 3, 2018 Off-Site Final drafts will be submitted no later than December 3rd, 2018 January 7, 2019 Final meeting with Staff (+ HPAB + Design Review Board) Presentation materials + Staff Prep On-site Draft Documents Phase III August Phase IV Phase IV Public Hearings and Adoption Phase V Commission Presentation DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS #2 DRAFT STANDARDS / GUIDELINES #2 DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS PRESERVATION PROGRAM #2 Check In with Staff + HPAB + Design Review Board December 3rd FINAL DRAFTS October 15th Website update w/ participant feedback and draft concepts Circle back Engaging the Public 2