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Planning commission recommends Friese Nichols and Pillars to lead updated comprehensive plan
Summary
A planning commission steering committee recommended Friese Nichols (planning) with Pillars (public engagement) to prepare Oak Ridge's long-overdue comprehensive plan; staff said the firm proposed an 18-month schedule and the contract price will be provided at the July council meeting (staff quoted $214,003.61 from memory).
Planning commission and steering committee members told council they solicited eight proposals to update Oak Ridge's comprehensive plan and interviewed the three highest-ranked teams. After scoring and interviews the steering committee recommended the Friese Nichols planning firm paired with Pillars for public engagement.
Committee members said Friese Nichols demonstrated planning experience, GIS capacity and a diverse project team; Pillars was praised for community-engagement expertise. The recommended scope includes an 18-month schedule, data-driven small-area planning, an implementation plan and outreach strategies targeted to underserved groups.
Staff told council a full memo and the contract will appear in the July packet; a staff speaker quoted the contract price from memory as $214,003.61 and said the proposal includes budget assumptions, public involvement costs and report-writing allocations. Council members emphasized stakeholder inclusion and steering-committee oversight and asked staff to ensure the contract includes clear deliverables and timetable checkpoints.
No contract was signed at the meeting; staff said they will return with the procurement packet, final contract language, and pricing assumptions for formal council action in July.
