by Michael Atherine, Principal Owner PDG
Poggemeyer Design Group, Inc. (PDG) is providing the below for review and execution. PDG proposes to provide professional planning services to assist the City with developing its Comprehensive Plan Update.
Proposed
scope of services
City of Monroe, Ohio
Comprehensive Plan Update
Project Work Plan
PDG will assist the City with the preparation of an update to the City’s 1997
Comprehensive Plan, including extensive public input measures and potential future
land use scenarios for key development areas within the planning area. These
planning services will provide the City with a consensus regarding immediate and
short-term development issues, as well as a long-term vision for the community. PDG
will review and refer to the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Government’s
“Elements of an Effective Local Comprehensive Plan” as a reference to elements to
be included in the City of Monroe’s Comprehensive Plan.
Steering Committee
To facilitate the completion of this project, we propose that the City appoint a Steering
Committee made up of stakeholder representatives from the local government,
business, institutional, non-profit, and real estate development sectors. This
committee should have between 10 and 12 individuals.
PDG will meet with the Steering Committee for eight (8) total meetings including any
and all workshops and/ or public forums deemed necessary throughout the process to
review findings, brainstorm development strategies and to report on the progress of
the project. PDG will finalize procedures for public input and the framework for public
workshops, public exhibits, press releases, and mechanisms for public input.
PDG will attend and make presentations at the following public review and approval
forums:
$ One (1) joint meeting of City Council and Planning Commission to present final
draft document.
Phase I - Kick-Off (Meeting #1)
An initial meeting with the Steering Committee will be held to:
$ Introduce the study team and identify key points of contact.
$ Refine the project scope, quantify project deliverables and address time frames.
$ Discuss citizen participation mechanisms.
$ Discuss individual expectations and preliminary visioning.
$ Review a preliminary list of key development issues.
$ Discuss media involvement and utilization of the City web site for dissemination of
information.
Phase II - Community Analysis
PDG will update and/or analyze the following information, as relevant:
$ Demographic & Socio-Economic Characteristics. Utilizing updated 2000 U.S.
Census data and information from Steering Committee members, PDG will develop
a summary narrative of the significant changes and trends that have occurred in the
community since the previous plan.
$ Existing Land Use Patterns. PDG, with assistance from the City, will review the
existing land use map for accuracy (shall include areas in adjacent Townships and
Cities, as well as regional plans, that are relevant to the future growth of the City).
$ Pedestrian and Vehicle Transportation Patterns. PDG will review the existing
parking, pedestrian and vehicle patterns to denote conflicts, congested areas and
identify heavily-traveled corridors. With the City’s help, PDG will obtain the most
current thoroughfare plan, and traffic pattern data to compare them with previous
plans and recommendations.
$ Visible Streetscape and Design Related Issues. PDG will assess major
intersections, the corridors, and major public gathering places citywide for design
elements and community character definition.
$ Economic Development Patterns. PDG will review the recent economic
development trends and address any shifts occurring since 1997. Areas for
potential future economic development will also be identified. Existing infrastructure
and supportive land uses will be examined for adequacy and conformance with
EXHIBIT D
projected growth.
$ Public Infrastructure Issues. PDG will review water, sanitary sewer, storm drainage,
streets, sidewalks, and other public infrastructure for adequacy.
$ Natural Systems. PDG will review the natural systems and identify the natural
resources within the community such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater; floodplains;
wetlands; watershed boundaries; sources of commercially valuable minerals; steep
hillsides; areas prone to erosion; and locations of recreationally and commercially
important fish, wildlife, and vegetation. For each natural resource, the existing
commercial, recreational, or conservation use, and any known pollution problems
should be identified. The potential for use, conservation, or protection should also
be identified, based on analyzing the intrinsic and economic values of the natural
resources.
$ Other. Many of the elements of the City’s 1997 Comprehensive Plan may remain
relevant and the information need not be updated. However, other elements may
have changed over the past few years and should be reviewed in the context of the
community’s current needs.
“Think Tank” Visioning Session 1
This “brainstorming” work session will facilitate development of consensus regarding
the existing conditions and trends within the community. PDG will work with the
Steering Committee to review issues such as land use, economic development,
housing, zoning, signage, design standards, development themes, infrastructure,
financing, and other key areas of concern to the community. PDG will then
incorporate this input into the definition of the community’s values and future direction.
(Meeting #2)
Phase III - Grassroots Guidance
The key to any successful planning project is “ownership” of the plan by residents and
officials of the community. PDG feels strongly, that a citizen participation effort should
promote ownership and have buy-in; meaningful participation in the planning process
is a must. With the help of the Steering Committee, these consensus building efforts
will be organized and implemented.
$ Stakeholder Interviews. The Steering Committee will be asked to identify up to 15
key stakeholders in the community for PDG to interview as part of the planning
process. These stakeholders should be representatives of the overall community
who are knowledgeable about local economic and physical conditions, challenges,
and opportunities. Considerable insight can be gained from open-ended, yet
structured discussions with key people. Some suggested interview candidates
might include:
$ Local Government Leaders.
$ Business and Institutional Leaders.
$ School Officials.
$ Civic groups.
$ Students.
$ Other stakeholders and community leaders identified by the Steering
Committee.
These interviews can also be used to verify or confirm issues raised thus far in the
process. A principal aim of these interviews will be to focus on:
$ General perceptions about the current state of the community.
$ Critical issues to be addressed to ensure that the community reaches its full
potential.
$ Current economic and quality of life conditions.
$ Important trends that are now shaping and will continue to impact the
community.
City representatives would be asked to schedule or otherwise coordinate the
interviews. PDG will conduct all interviews by telephone.
$ “Community By Choice” Workshop. Images of places throughout the community, or
other select locations, are collected and reviewed for preference. These images
may be gathered by Steering Committee members who take photographs of areas
and elements of the community that they like and dislike.
Participants will be asked to score the images based on initial or 'gut' reactions, and
choose whether or not the image represents a desirable condition for their
community. There is no “right” or “wrong” answer, and the chosen desirable images
are then used in the visioning and scenario building processes.
The images shown and a questionnaire based on the format and discussion of the
workshop will be posted online for those in the community who might be unable to
attend.
EXHIBIT D (cont’d)
PDG will use this input to further develop the overall vision for the community
regarding how the residents and businesses want Monroe to look and feel in the years
to come. PDG will compile the comments and summarize them in a report to the
Steering Committee. (Meeting #3)
“Think Tank” Visioning Session 2
This consensus-building work session will facilitate the development of a clearer vision
for the future of the community. PDG will work with the Steering Committee to refine
issues and the overall vision for the community based on the Phase III activities
regarding the emergent key areas of concern to the community. This session should
clarify the direction of how future development should occur and look. (Meeting #4)
Phase IV - Visioning and Design
These efforts integrate the visceral elements of visioning with technical information, to
effectively produce a clear image of how residents view a desired future for their
community, and to foster consensus on future land uses, goals, objectives, strategies,
and design alternatives.
Planning and design solutions should flow from the community’s renewed vision.
PDG strives to develop dynamic and realistic solutions through innovative partnering
with community leaders, effective visioning, and consensus building. PDG works with
communities to develop action plans which meld community desires into a singular
community vision.
PDG will review the 1997 Comprehensive Plan, and identify development
opportunities and scenarios for viable redevelopment areas. These scenarios will be
formulated and update utilizing the information compiled from Phase I - Phase III.
Combined, these areas will define an economically feasible future land use plan for
the City.
“Think Tank” Visioning Session 3
PDG will engage members of the Steering Committee in a scenario building workshop
(Meeting #5) aimed at creating alternative development and redevelopment
scenarios. These scenarios will include graphic illustrations of urban design concepts,
as well as related policies, goals, and objectives that support those concepts.
Opportunities for development and/or redevelopment will be presented and discussed
in anticipation of a future public scenario building session. These could include:
$ Neighborhood or downtown redevelopment scenarios.
$ Industrial, commercial, office, retail developments.
$ Potential locations for new urbanism design concepts.
$ Opportunities for conservation design concepts.
$ Guidance for urban design elements such as pedestrian connectors, wayfinding
signage systems, common design elements, gateways, overlay
zones for historic or other key areas, etc.
$ New economic development initiatives.
$ Strategies for increasing homeownership.
$ Transportation and infrastructure improvements.
$ Development capacity limitations.
$ Community facility opportunities.
$ Innovative growth policies.
$ Creative changes to development regulations.
Scenario Building Workshop
After review and input from the Steering Committee, draft strategies and development
scenarios will be refined for public review. PDG will conduct a public scenario building
workshop to obtain additional input regarding the draft scenarios. Participants will be
asked to visit various stations (divided by policy/future growth area) to review ideas
developed by the Steering Committee and PDG, and to provide feedback. Residents
can visit any or all stations and have one-on-one discussions with PDG and/or the
Steering Committee representatives. The focus of the workshops is to review
alternative scenarios for key developing growth or redevelopment areas of the
community. Options such as alternative growth patterns, mixed-use developments
using smart growth principles, alternative road networks, streetscaping designs,
access management standards, and related design issues, may be displayed in a
compelling way to serve as a basis for constructive and interactive discussion.
(Meeting #6)
Phase V - Draft Plan
After the public Scenario Building Session, PDG will again review the 1997
Comprehensive Plan, and assess the relevance and status of the policies identified in
that plan. PDG will prepare draft narrative for the Steering Committee to review.
The updated plan will, at a minimum, include the following elements:
$ A renewed vision for future land use and development in the City of Monroe.
$ An updated data inventory and analysis of conditions and trends.
$ Locations for future land uses and growth areas.
$ Urban design concepts (e.g. Conservation Design and/or Traditional
Neighborhood Design).
$ A summary of the public input process and outcomes.
EXHIBIT D (cont’d)
$ Policies, goals, and objectives.
$ Immediate, short-term, and long-term action items.
PDG will provide up to sixteen (16) copies of the draft report for review and input from
the Steering Committee and City personnel.
“Think Tank” Visioning Session 4
PDG will meet with the Steering Committee to review and to refine the draft based
upon the previous phases of the planning process. (Meeting #7)
Phase VI - Final Comprehensive Plan Update
Based on review by the Steering Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council,
one (1) final red-lined copy of the recommended changes of the community will be
provided to PDG. PDG will review and incorporate these changes into a final
document.
PDG will provide up to sixteen (16) copies of the final plan and one (1) CD Rom copy.
PDG will provide 16 copies of a large format executive summary document. The
executive summary document will be a minimum 24”x36” fold out sheet.
PDG will make a final presentation at a joint meeting of City Council and Planning
Commission to present final draft document.
Additional Options
Commercial/Industrial Marketing Assessment
PDG would contract with Boulevard Strategies to assess the current and future
commercial/industrial market environment in Monroe and identify opportunities for
increased promotion and development.
Boulevard Strategies is a Columbus-based economic development and retail
consulting firm that specializes in market and fiscal analysis for commercial and
industrial areas. Its Principal, Christopher Boring, has completed dozens of such
assignments over the past 20 years throughout the United States, as well as
overseas. His recent work includes a retail feasibility study for a property in Carlisle,
PA, a repositioning strategy for an older mall in York, PA, in addition to more than 20
downtown market studies in Ohio and West Virginia over the past five years. Mr.
Boring tracks urban planning and retail development trends in markets across the U.
S. and Europe and is frequently invited to speak about these development trendrelated
topics in the media (Business Week, USA Today, National Public Radio) and
in public forums (Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers,
Downtown Ohio).
PDG and Boulevard Strategies can provide services such as industrial marketing
research, media marketing research, market research, retail market research, brand
market research, product packaging research, and value added services. We would
need to meet with City officials prior to determining a specific work plan to discuss in
greater detail the requirements and the depth of the desired scope that the City has in
mind for this project. Additional information would be required to provide an accurate
cost estimate for the work. A wide cost range is provided in Fee Proposal.
Community Needs Assessment Survey
With the help of the Steering Committee, PDG could conduct a written survey of all or
a statistically significant portion of City households. PDG would prepare a survey for
Steering Committee review with questions that can be crafted to allow for crosstabulation
of survey results to determine prevailing thoughts on each issue by
neighborhood areas or other demographic.
The City would be responsible for delivery of the survey to all property owners and to
collect and deliver the completed surveys to PDG, which will compile the results and
issue an analysis for Steering Committee review. The proposed fee assumes that not
more than 50% of all residents respond to the survey and that surveys minimize openended
questions. The benefit of an all-household mailing is that everyone feels invited
to participate, but in practice, less than 50% typically respond. This type of survey
does not meet the random standards to generate a margin of error in the results, but it
does allow those who want to participate to have a voice in the process and provide a
better understanding of how the community feels about living in Monroe, traveling in
the area, and otherwise comparing their community to their desired quality of life.
The survey will also be made available on-line for a period of time to reach the optimal
number of residents. We have found that this also helps to capture a significant
portion of the student population.
Alternatively, the extent of this survey could be expanded to a statistically valid format
upon request at an additional cost. Should the City choose to add this alternative,
PDG would enlist the assistance of Stan Odesky in preparing and conducting this
survey.
EXHIBIT D (cont’d)
Stanford H. Odesky’s experience in the field of marketing research spans more than
35 years. In 1985, he started Stanford H. Odesky & Associates (SHOA). SHOA has a
long heritage of providing a full range of quantitative and qualitative marketing
research services. SHOA’s clients include a mix of local, regional, and national
organizations involved in industrial, consumer service, scholastic, and nonprofit
sectors. Prior to that, Mr. Odesky was an executive with NFO Research, one of the
nations’ ten largest marketing research firms and America’s largest mail panel survey
operation, for twenty-five years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business
administration with a major in advertising and a master’s degree with a major in
marketing, both from The University of Toledo.
Both options provide the community with information to aide in the understanding of
the needs of the community and public perception of Monroe. Cost estimates are
provided for both options in the Fee Proposal.
Parks & Recreation Master Plan
PDG can prepare a Parks & Recreation Master Plan for the City of Monroe that will
outline current and future community open space and recreational infrastructure and
facility needs. This document will provide the community with a road map for
recreation investment decisions over the next several years. Elements of the plan
might include:
$ the creation of a parkland and recreational facility resource inventory;
$ engaging in early citizen participation;
$ identifying deficiencies in the community’s current parks and recreation system;
and
$ developing strategies that reflect the community’s goals and objectives outlined
in the Comprehensive Plan Update.
Additional elements may be required by the City. To be responsive to the needs of
the community, we would need to meet with City officials and other organizations
involved in open space, parks and recreation prior to determining a specific work plan.
Greater detail regarding the requirements and the depth of the desired scope that the
City has in mind for this project would be required to provide an accurate cost estimate
for the work. A wide cost range for this work element is also provided in the Cost
Proposal.
Should additional work activities be required which are not included in the basic
services described above (additional meetings, supplemental reports, et cetera), PDG
can provide these based on its current hourly rate schedule.
EXHIBIT E
cost proposal
City of Monroe, Ohio
Comprehensive Plan Update
Hours Cost
Phase I - Kick-off Meeting .............................20-25 ........................... $2,500
Deliverables:
< Successful Kick-off Meeting that generates excitement and commitment
among the Steering Committee members for the project.
< A project website linked to the City’s website.
Timeframe: Month 1
Phase II - Community Analysis.....................60-85 ........................... $8,500
Deliverables:
< A written report containing a general description and overview of the
City’s current conditions and trends, and relevant issues impacting the
community will be identified.
< Major elements of information will be obtained and compiled with
analysis of future land use, transportation, housing, environmental
issues, downtown and neighborhoods, et al.
< Maps may be provided in color 24" x 36" format as appropriate to
illustrate these general conditions and key issues. All data shall be
created in ArcGIS formatted files and made available on CD-Rom.
< The report will be made available in .pdf format on the project website.
Timeframe: Months 2-3
Phase III - Grassroots Guidance ............... 120-150 ......................... $25,000
Stakeholder Interviews .................................. $6,000
Statistically Valid Survey .............................. $10,000
Deliverables:
< Assets and liabilities identified from a broad spectrum of the community
along with key issues.
< A written report summarizing the stakeholder interviews.
< The report will be made available in .pdf format on the project website.
< A written report based on a statistically valid opinion survey
Timeframe: Month 4
“Community by Choice” Workshop ................ $9,000
Deliverables:
< An interactive public presentation where PDG will facilitate participants
definition of design preferences for Monroe.
< Comments summarized in a written report that provides an overview of
community design preferences for future development.
< The report will be made available in .pdf format on the project website.
Timeframe: Months 5-6
EXHIBIT E (Cont’d)
Phase IV - Visioning & Design ............................... 100-130 ............ $13,000
Deliverables:
< Draft alternative development scenarios for specific geographic areas
and general urban design concepts summarized in graphic format for
presentation.
< A public scenario building session to gather input on proposed draft
scenarios.
< A written report containing detailed concepts and scenarios expanding
on the ideas represented in the graphics prepared for the presentation.
< Graphics and the report will be made available in .pdf format on the
project website.
Timeframe: Months 7-9
Phase V - Draft Plan ................................................ 120-140 ............ $14,000
Deliverables:
< A written draft compiling all work products to date, as well as preliminary
goals, policies and initiatives.
< A draft of a large format executive summary sheet.
< Maps and graphics will be included in the report in 11" x 17" format as
appropriate.
< The report will be made available in .pdf format on the project website.
< Five photo enhancements regarding design issues
Timeframe: Months 10-11
Phase VI - Final Draft .............................................. 60-70 .................. $7,000
Deliverables:
< A final draft of the City’s Comprehensive Plan Update.
< A final draft of a large format executive summary sheet.
< Required copies of the Plan detailed in the scope, maps (including
electronic copies of all ArcGIS formatted files and MS Word files of all
text documents) and supporting documents along with electronic media
for use on the City’s website.
< The report will also be made available in .pdf format on the project
website.
Timeframe: Month 12-15
TOTAL, NOT TO EXCEED ................................................................ $70,000
Additional Options
Commercial/Industrial Marketing Assessment ........................ $5,000-$25,000
Community Survey ............................................................................... $8,000
Parks & Recreation Master Plan ............................................. $8,000-$20,000
Deliverables:
< These reports can be made available in .pdf format on the project
website.
Timeframe: Can be conducted concurrently with other elements of the plan.
Depending on scope, the length of time to complete the survey may vary.
Should additional work activities be required which are not included in the
basic services described above (additional meetings, supplemental reports,
EXHIBIT E (Cont’d)
et cetera), PDG can provide these based on its current hourly rate schedule.
