LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP RFP Prepared by DPZ Partners LLC TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FOR PROFESSIONALPROFESSIONALPROFESSIONAL PLANNING & PLANNINGCODE PLANNING ANALYSIS & SERVICES &CODE CODE ANALYSIS ANALYSIS SERVICES SERVICES FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE TO FOR FORTHE THECOMPREHENSIVE COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE THE ZONINGUPDATE TOCODE THE TO & THEZONING SUBDIVISION ZONING CODE CODE REGULATIONS & SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS RFP NO: 16-30 November 8, 2016 “Preserve Lower Merion’s classic residential neigh- borhoods, including the Township’s institutions, parks, and natural environment, and reinvest in the township’s village cores and commercial areas to improve walkability, expand transit use, and encourage design excellence.” - A Comprehensive Plan for the Preservation, Infill, and Redevelopment of Lower Merion Township CONTENTS A.1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PAGE 3 A.2: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART AND WORK PLAN PAGE 5 A3: ORGANIZATION SUPPORT AND EXPERIENCE PAGE 9 A.4: SCOPE OF SERVICES PAGE 37 A.5: ADDITIONAL DATA PAGE 41 ATTACHMENT C PAGE 49 COST PROPOSAL (SEPARATE DOCUMENT PER RFP REQUIREMENTS) © 2016 DPZ Partners, LLC 1 This Page is Intentionally Left Blank 2 Township of Lower Merion RFP - Planning and Code Analysis Services A.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DPZ Partners is pleased to submit this proposal for services to produce a new Zoning Code for Lower Merion Township. It is our understanding that the Township has initiated this rezoning project as a result of an exten- sive community-driven comprehensive planning process, and that the vision and policy recom- mendations of the Comprehensive Plan are intended to guide the new and revised regulations. The DPZ Team has a great admiration for the natural and built environment of Lower Merion Township. Its rolling wooded natural context, generous residential suburbs, historic railroad town and commercial corridor fabric, and important institutional campuses, combine to make beautiful places of unique character. The Township’s appeal is magnified by its location in the metropolitan area of Philadelphia. In this situation it is understood that development pressure from welcomed economic growth is often at odds with the goal of maintaining a cultural and built history of a different scale. We are proposing a Scope of Services and Work Plan that incorporates the Township’s intended process of four Phases subdivided into fifteen Tasks. In Phase 1 Assessment and Analysis, the five Tasks include the Project Start-up, Analysis of Background Materials, Draft Assessment and Analysis, Final Assessment and Analysis Findings, and Revisions to the Project Schedule. In Phase 2 Draft New Zoning Regulations, the five Tasks include the Draft Zoning Ordinance Development (along with the Draft Equivalency Chart), Draft Zoning Map Development, Testing of Sample Condition Types, Revised Draft Ordinance and Map, and Final Presentation. Phases 1 and 2 are scheduled to take eighteen (18) months. The five Tasks of Phase 3 and 4 are provisionally estimated at an additional nine (9) months. Phase 3 Adoption Process includes Technical Sup- port, Presentation Aids and Graphics, and Public Meetings; Phase 4 Implementation includes Training Sessions and Guidebook and Handouts. The Work Plan is detailed in Section A.2 of this proposal and the Scope of Services is detailed in Section A.4. We understand the process and deliverables must be tailored to the needs of the Township. Our Team is nimble and practiced at adjusting to evolving conditions. The final documents sought as the outcome of this project are a Zoning Code and a Zoning Map. Other documents to be used as tools for the process include analytical studies, illustrations, com- parative tables (Zoning Equivalency Chart), digital presentations, among others. Goals already articulated include: integration of Smart Growth principles, consistency with Comprehensive Plan and other regulations and policies, sustainable land use, reduction of complexity, rules that are logical, clear and easy to understand, predictability of built result, and a framework for respond- ing to change over time. Our Team has been formed to support Township leaders and Staff in guiding the process and outcome of the rezoning. We have assembled a team that is lean in numbers but rich in municipal experience producing predictable codes that resolve the often contradictory goals of conservation and development. DPZ Partners has an extensive record of collaborative work with municipalities, developers and other professionals, with relevant experience ranging from main street, transit-oriented, corridor and institutional campus plans and guidelines, to whole city zoning codes (Miami21). The built result of the firm’s work has brought visible value to communities throughout the country. Our work with zoning codes, founded in our originating of form-based codes, encourages quick imple- mentation and tangible results. © 2016 DPZ Partners, LLC 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (Miami) and Marina Khoury (Gaithersburg) are the Team leaders. The Work Plan anticipates that one or both of the partners will be at all Work Group and public meetings. Plater-Zyberk’s childhood home was in Paoli and she spent her high school years in the Township; since then she has made frequent trips to the Philadelphia area as a university trustee. Marina Khoury travels to east coast projects from the Gaithersburg office on a regular basis. Together they led the team for the new zoning code for the City of Miami approved in 2009. Plater-Zyberk led the establishment of the first Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) code in Miami- Dade County. Khoury is currently part of a team developing a new code for Orange County, FL. Hurley Franks Associates (HFA) is a Philadelphia-based firm of architects and planners, with extensive experience working with communities and institutional facilities. Philip Franks resides in the Township and has first-hand knowledge of the civic and physical context; he has served on Township boards and committees, and was active in the Comprehensive Plan process. Jennifer Hurley has broad experience with community and comprehensive planning, zoning codes, and in orchestrating public process outreach and communications. HFA will be the local office ‘on-call’ for quick response as needed by Township Staff throughout the project. Norman Garrick, Ph.D., Civil Engineer, long a collaborator with DPZ Partners, specializes in transportation for the walkable urban context, specializing in innovative approaches to traffic and parking management. A long-time faculty member at the University of Connecticut, with research published in peer-reviewed and industry journals, Garrick has access to a broad array of compara- tive information that facilitates decision-making. Gibbs Planning Group (GPG), also frequent collaborators with DPZ, have expertise in retail design, regulations and development. Robert Gibbs is the author of Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development. His role on the team will be to analyze the existing conditions and propose potential improvements to Township downtowns and commercial corridors. In addition, three Advisors bring specialized experience to the team that can be called upon during the process, for ongoing consultation with the Work Group and Staff, and potentially, for public lectures on relevant topics. The Crabtree Group, Civil Engineers, specializes in green infrastruc- ture and storm water management, emphasizing resilience in response to changing conditions of climate and the increasing building and pavement footprint of economic growth. Galina Tachieva, author of Sprawl Repair, has extensive experience in redevelopment plans for suburban corridors and shopping centers; she recently led Reinvent Phoenix, a federally funded TOD design, coding and implementation plan for the city’s Metro light rail corridor. Joanna Lombard, University of Miami Professor of Architecture with joint appointment in the School of Medicine, has published research on health and the built environment and has worked on hospital and educational campus master plans to guide growth that is compatible with and enhances surrounding communities. As thought and practice leaders in urban design, planning, and regulations, the DPZ Team cre- dentials are unsurpassed. Township selection of our team will burnish the already high standards set by its admirable history of stewardship and planning. We are eager to lend our experience to Township leaders and stakeholders. It would be an honor to work with you on the preservation and enhancement of an area that is truly a national treasure. We look forward to the opportunity to elaborate on our qualifications and to discuss with you the vision and goals of Lower Merion Township. Respectfully submitted, DPZ’s contact for contract administration is: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk FAIA CNU LEED DPZ Partners LLC 1023 SW 25 Avenue, Miami FL 33135 Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, FAIA C. 305 798 7393 | T. 305 644 1023 ext. 1045 [email protected] 4 Township of Lower Merion RFP - Planning and Code Analysis Services A.2 ORGANIZATIONAL CHART AND WORK PLAN CLIENT Lower Merion Township TEAM LEADER DPZ PARTNERS, LLC Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk Project Principal SUB CONSULTANTS Marina Khoury ADVISORS Project Director HURLEY FRANKS ASSOCIATES Michael D. Weich JOANNA LOMBARD Philip A. Franks, Jennifer Hurley Project Manager University of Miami Local Planning/Design Team Campuses/Healthy Communities F. Xavier Iglesias NORMAN GARRICK Ph.D. Senior Planner/Designer CRABTREE GROUP, INC. University of Connecticut Paul Crabtree,