McCall council authorizes RFP for comprehensive plan, transportation master plan and design guidelines update

The McCall City Council authorized staff to issue a draft request for proposals to update the city's comprehensive plan, transportation master plan and design guidelines, a process staff estimated will take 18 months to two years.

Michelle Grunewelt, community and economic development director, briefed the council on the draft RFP and the scope of the work, which bundles several planning efforts to capture outreach efficiencies and to align land use, transportation and design policies. Grunewelt said the last multi-plan update began in February 2016 and concluded with plan adoption in February 2018; the design guidelines were last updated in 2006.

Under the proposed schedule staff would post the RFP the day after council approval, receive proposals by Nov. 14, evaluate teams, and seek council approval of a consultant contract in December with a project kickoff in January. The transportation master plan, a collaboration with Public Works, will include an updated parking study.

Councilors asked about timeline and public outreach. Grunewelt said the city would front-load design guideline outreach and that the RFP will be intentionally general to allow firms to propose team compositions and methods. She noted the project spans two fiscal years and that CIP funding has been budgeted.

Council voted to approve the draft RFP and authorized staff to issue it. Councilors said the combined approach should help the city align land-use, transportation and design goals while improving public participation.