SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Authorize a Work Order to HDR, Inc. of Tampa, Florida in the amount of $236,324 to assist in updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan per Clearwater Code of Ordinances, 2.564(1)(d) Other Government Contracts, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
The City of Clearwater Comprehensive Plan (the Plan) is the city’s plan for the next 10 to 20 years, capturing the vision of where the city wants to be in the future. A series of goals, objectives and policies addressing a variety of “elements” such as future land use, transportation, and public utilities, guide the decisions of City Council, the city administration, and staff. The Plan establishes the policy direction for planning and land use decisions, and the Future Land Use Map, adopted as part of the Plan, shows the proposed distribution, location, and extent of the various categories of land (e.g., Residential Urban, Commercial General). The Plan is also the basis for capital projects, identifying infrastructure needs and where new or redeveloped public infrastructure should be placed. The Comprehensive Plan is implemented through the Community Development Code, Capital Improvements Program, and redevelopment/neighborhood and special area plans.
The comprehensive planning process allows the city to identify factors influencing and shaping the city such as demographic trends and changing development patterns and provides an opportunity to evaluate how community needs are being met. The planning process should involve consensus building between the overall community, elected officials, and other interested stakeholders.
Although the Planning and Development Department maintains this city plan, the Plan’s policy direction governs a wide variety of city departments’ work programs and operations. This comprehensive planning process will allow the city to take a step back from its day-to-day operations to engage the community to evaluate its vision for the city, and to modify the Plan goals, objectives and policies so the departments can implement the plan going forward to achieve this vision.
The last major update to the Comprehensive Plan was completed in 2008, with the planning horizon established as 10 years (2008-2018 plan). While the Plan has been amended since then, city staff has not completed a more detailed analysis of the Plan and changes to the city since 2008. In 2015, Planning and Development Department staff completed the state-mandated Evaluation and Appraisal Review of the Plan, determining that the Plan was in compliance with Florida Statutes, and that no specific amendments were required beyond certain changes that were already in process at the time (e.g., “Peril of Flood” related amendments).
This is an extensive project which will require significant staff resources to complete. As detailed in the attached scope of work, HDR, Inc. will supplement staff’s work, providing support in the visioning and outreach efforts, as well as leading the development of the Future Land Use, Transportation, and Housing Elements. HDR and their subconsultant S.B. Friedman have been involved in many recent countywide efforts related to these very important topics, while HDR is also very familiar with the City of Clearwater having worked on several recent planning projects.
Community engagement will be integrated into multiple phases of the project, including visioning and for the draft Plan. Additionally, workshops will be held with the Community Development Board and City Council several times prior to Plan adoption. With these firms’ support, this project is estimated to take just under two years, inclusive of the six-month adoption process (i.e., local public hearings and two review periods by the Department of Economic Opportunity and other state agencies).
In 2019, Pinellas County approved 11 firms to provide as-needed consulting services for nine major disciplines: multimodal transportation planning and analysis, economic analysis, communications and public involvement, urban design, land use and redevelopment, historic preservation, community resilience, community development, and redevelopment planning. HDR was prequalified in seven of the nine disciplines. Code of Ordinances sec. 2.564 (1)(d) allows for direct contracting with consultants utilizing contracts previously awarded by other governmental entities.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funding for this contract has been included in the fiscal year 2020/21 budget in new special program M2101, Planning Study Fund.
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS: N/A