Moline hires Lamar Johnson Collaborative to update comprehensive plan; 13–14 month process to include multimodal planning

The Moline City Council approved an independent contractor agreement on Sept. 9 with Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) to prepare the city’s comprehensive plan update. Staff said 14 firms responded to the request for proposals and that LJC’s proposal best matched council and planning commission priorities, including strategies to encourage housing density, creative zoning approaches and attention to commercial districts.

Planning staff described the scope as a roughly 13–14 month process and confirmed the multimodal transportation element will be incorporated directly into the comp‑plan work rather than handled separately. “We really tried to … zone in on what the city council and what the planning commission want,” staff said, adding that pricing among respondents ranged from the mid‑hundreds of thousands to above $300,000; the approved contract amount was included in the council packet (not read into the record at length during the meeting).

Councilmembers who participated in the consultant interviews praised the selection process and thanked staff for a competitive search. With the contract approved, staff said they will start the public outreach and engagement phases and that the planning schedule anticipates subsequent rezoning work following plan adoption. Council approved the contract and directed staff to proceed with the consultant’s proposed timeline and community engagement plan.