Council directs staff to issue RFP for housing needs assessment after reviewing cost estimates

The Montpelier City Council directed planning staff to draft and issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a housing needs assessment after a discussion about scope, cost and delivery.

Planning staff presented a high-level estimate from a private consultant (Camoin) that a comprehensive assessment could run about $60,000 and take six to eight months. Councilor Ben and other members urged a narrower, data-driven study focused on the specific datasets the Vermont Housing Finance Agency and others publish, rather than a larger consultant-led community-engagement project. Ben recommended issuing an RFP that clearly describes the deliverable — consolidated local datasets and an actionable synthesis to inform infrastructure and TIF planning — and said regional planning staff or smaller firms might provide lower-cost options.

Why it matters: Councilors said a housing needs assessment is needed to quantify types and numbers of units the city should pursue and to inform infrastructure, grant and TIF decisions. Members underscored that strategy documents already exist and that the new assessment should focus on data synthesis and measurable targets rather than re-creating lists of strategies.

Details and context: Staff identified a sample Camoin product (Brattleboro) and noted two commonly used private consultants had retired; the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission and other regional actors had previously produced similar work and could be alternatives. Councilors suggested an RFP would reveal available capacity and price points.

What the council did: By voice vote the council approved a motion directing planning staff to prepare an RFP for a housing needs assessment. Councilors said staff and at least one councilor would work on the RFP language to focus on data and measurable outputs.

Ending: Staff will draft the RFP and circulate it to council members for review before release.