1-City of Richardson UDC RFQ 2027-01.pdf

CITY OF RICHARDSON RFQ NO. 2027-01

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES

FOR THE RICHARDSON UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE

RFQ Issued: September 28, 2026 Submittal Deadline: November 3, 2026, prior to 2:00 PM

**NO LATE SUMITTALS WILL BE ACCEPTED**

Requested by:

Development Services Department

2360 Campbell Creek Blvd, Suite 525 Richardson, TX 75080

(972) 744-4320

Request for Qualifications (RFQ 2027-01) City of Richardson, Texas Unified Development Code Rewrite

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

RFQ No. 2027 –01

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR THE RICHARDSON UNIFIED

DEVELOPMENT CODE

The City of Richardson, Texas is accepting qualifications for highly qualified, capable and experienced external professional service firms (“Firms” or “Firm”) for Professional Services to assist the City in preparing a new Unified Development Code. Sealed Statements of Qualifications shall be submitted electronically through Bonfire at https://cor.bonfirehub.com/ and must be received prior to 2:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. RFQ documents are available at no charge through Bonfire.

Questions related to this RFQ must be submitted through Bonfire no later than 4:00 pm on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Interpretations, corrections, changes, extensions, and other revisions to the RFQ will be communicated through Bonfire by written addendum.

Unified Development Code Rewrite

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS RFQ 2027-01

CITY OF RICHARDSON, TEXAS

UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE REWRITE

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 2:00 PM, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026

**NO LATE SUMITTALS WILL BE ACCEPTED**

The City of Richardson, Texas (City) is seeking qualified candidates to respond to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional services to assist the City in preparing a new Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC is intended to consolidate, modernize, and coordinate the City’s zoning, subdivision and platting, and development regulations, sign regulations, and related development review procedures into a clear, user-friendly, and administrable regulatory document.

The selected consultant will support the City through a phased process that includes project initiation, code diagnostics, policy and framework confirmation, public and stakeholder engagement, technical drafting, regulation testing, adoption support, and implementation assistance. The consultant will not serve as legal counsel. The City’s legal representation will provide a review of proposed ordinance language.

Preferred Partner

The City desires a consultant team with demonstrated recent experience preparing a UDC, comprised of zoning, development standards, subdivision and platting, development processes, and signage regulations, preferably for Texas municipalities of comparable characteristics to Richardson. Consultant experience should include work products produced for cities with the following characteristics, including but not limited to:

• First-ring suburbs of major metropolitan area;

• Underperforming commercial areas in need of revitalization and/or adaptive reuse;

• Large employment centers;

• Transit-oriented development and other urban nodes;

• Communities whose future is focused on infill/redevelopment opportunities;

• Stable residential neighborhoods, but also neighborhoods that may have residential structures needing to be expanded and/or modernized to meet the needs of today’s families as an alternative to teardown/rebuild;

• Need for additional forms of residential housing (such as missing middle housing types) in order to provide alternate housing options for existing residents wanting to stay within their

Unified Development Code Rewrite community but also attracting new residents, including housing types that may support affordable housing opportunities; and

• Aging infrastructure that may need to be further upsized and/or modified to accommodate potential densification of development.

While the City does not intend to have a city-wide form-based code, consultant experience should also include demonstrated understanding and experience working with form-based zoning codes due to the City’s multiple existing form-based codes, and how those codes may be included within the proposed unified development code.

Additionally, the City desires a consultant team with demonstrated understanding of Texas Local Government Code requirements as it relates to zoning, development, subdivision and platting, infrastructure, and development exactions, and to be able to appropriately and effectively advise the City as it relates to these statutory requirements when considering/evaluating/drafting proposed ordinance language. The City also desires a consultant team with demonstrated experience and understanding of relevant case law as it pertains to regulating signage.

Furthermore, the City desires a consultant team with demonstrated effective public engagement methods, particularly as it relates to obtaining and receiving feedback on a highly technical, complex, and regulatory document. It is essential that the selected consultant is able to build consensus amongst different stakeholder groups, while achieving the final product needed by the City. Engagement methods should include a variety of techniques and methods, including appropriate use of visual aids, online tools, comment tracking methods, and utilization of plain-language or layperson's language, while also being able to translate the feedback received into appropriate regulatory language.

To help expedite contract negotiations, the City’s current form of Professional Services Agreement is included with the solicitation for review (Exhibit D). Respondents should be familiar with the City’s contract requirements, including but not limited to insurance, indemnification, personnel, progress reporting, and work product ownership.

Background

Richardson Today

Richardson, Texas is a northern first-ring suburb of Dallas located in a 28-square-mile area. The City is a major employment center within the Dallas/Fort Worth region and is known for its high-tech history, the Telecom Corridor, Richardson IQ, institutional anchors, strong neighborhoods, transit assets, parks and trails, and a diversified economic base. The City is largely built out, with less than 3% vacant/undeveloped land remaining, and its long-term development focus is increasingly oriented towards infill development, redevelopment, adaptive reuse, and reinvestment in aging commercial, office, and industrial areas. Additionally, maintaining existing neighborhood vitality is important to the community, as well as implementing efforts to strengthen neighborhoods in need of improvements and/or modernization of housing stock to address the needs of today’s families.

Richardson is served and shaped by major regional transportation corridors, including President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT), Central Expressway (US 75), Coit Road, Plano Road, Jupiter Road, Belt Line Road/Main Street, West Spring Valley Road, and other arterial and collector roadways. The City is also served by multiple DART light rail stations and regional trail connections. These corridors and transit assets have influenced the City’s development pattern and will continue to affect future redevelopment, employment, mixed-use, and mobility-oriented regulatory decisions.

Existing Regulatory Ordinances and Policy Support

Richardson’s current Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO), originally adopted in 1956, has been amended many times to address the community’s concerns at that particular point in time, and for consistency with statutory changes at the state level; however, the ordinance has not undergone a significant rewrite to bring the ordinance into this modern day. It is a cumulative zoning ordinance, with no schedule of permitted uses table, thus making it difficult for property owners, developers, businesses, and the community to understand allowed uses, as well as for staff to administer. Some of the zoning districts were crafted based on construction standards at that time. While the CZO has served the City for decades, staff and City Council discussions have identified that the existing regulatory framework is outdated, administratively complex, and increasingly reliant on customized zoning tools such as Planned Development (PD) districts, Special Permits (SPs) (similar to specific use permits or SUPs in other communities), and Special Development Plans (SDPs). Some of the City’s development standards, such as the landscaping standards, can be found in multiple different documents and written as policies or guidelines thus making enforcement challenging. As such, the City seeks to move toward a modern regulatory framework that provides clearer base zoning districts, better development standards, consolidated standards, improved administrative procedures, and a more predictable path for property owners, developers, residents, businesses, staff, and elected and appointed officials.

The Subdivision Ordinance (originally adopted in 1970) was rewritten in its entirety in 2007 including consolidating various land subdivisions, and planning and development regulations. Following the 86th State of Texas legislative session, the ordinance was amended in 2020 to update the City’s platting procedures and relocate the site plan and landscape plan requirements, as well as the parking standards regulations, to the CZO to eliminate any ambiguity caused by HB 3167 (adopted 2019).

Furthermore, authority was given to staff to administratively approve site plans, landscape plans, building elevation plans, and certain plats (i.e. amending plats, minor plats/replats, and replats that do not include dedication/abandonments of easements and rights-of-way). Compared to the City’s CZO, the Subdivision Regulations are considered relatively current and meet the basic needs of the City;

however, this ordinance should be evaluated and updated to ensure it meets the needs of a community’s whose future is focused on infill development and/or redevelopment while preserving the administrative approval authorities and flexibility that exist today. The ordinance needs to be reviewed to ensure that development exactions are appropriate and align with state law requirements, as well as provide for appropriate upgrades of infrastructure particularly because of increased development density given the changes the community is experiencing today and anticipated for the future.

The Sign Ordinance regulations are currently housed in the City’s Code of Ordinances (Chapter 18) and not within the CZO. The Sign Ordinance was overhauled during 2011, prior to the Reed vs. Town of Gilbert (2015) Supreme Court decision. While amendments to the Sign Ordinance have been made from time to time, the ordinance has not undergone any significant revisions post Reed decision.

Overall, the sign regulations have served the City well. That being said, the City seeks to have its sign regulations evaluated and updated where necessary, including addressing content neutrality, compliance with past case law, an improved process for consideration of signage exceptions/variances, and evolution of signage as a result the digital age. It should be noted that the City has numerous PD zoning districts throughout the City, thus utilization of the Sign Control Board has been minimized likely due to all the PDs. If property owners, businesses or developers are seeking modification to the sign standards within a PD, then it has been through a PD amendment or some other alternate public hearing method (such as Special Development Plan or Master Sign Plan) subject to approval by the City Plan Commission and City Council. For purposes of the UDC project, the focus would be on evaluating and updating the Sign Ordinance (Chapter 18) and not the PD zoning districts.

In November 2024, the City adopted the Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan. Envision Richardson establishes the City’s long-range vision, guiding principles, Future Land Use Plan, PlaceTypes, five new Enhancement Areas, and implementation actions. There are approximately 18 action items identified within the plan, of which 11 items are high priority and 7 items are medium priority, which provide the policy support and direction for updating the City’s zoning and development regulations. Therefore, a new UDC would allow the City to accomplish these action items, in an effective manner and within a reasonable amount of time, thereby making significant progress towards implementing the City’s comprehensive plan.

Purpose of the UDC Project

The purpose of this project is to prepare a new Unified Development Code (UDC) that implements the City’s Envision Richardson comprehensive plan; modernizes Richardson’s zoning, subdivision and platting, development, and signage regulations; improves predictability and usability; and provides a clearer regulatory path for reinvestment, redevelopment, adaptive reuse, neighborhood protection, housing choices, economic development opportunities, and high-quality site design.

The UDC should create a more efficient and transparent process for new and unlisted uses, reduce the routine need for customized PDs, SPs, and SDPs, and provide clear “goalposts” for applicants and decision makers. The final product should be generally understood by residents, property owners, businesses and developers; legally coordinated; technically sound; in a format editable by City staff without using specialized software tools; visually accessible; include improved application and permit processes (where needed); and structured for long-term ease of administration, implementation and enforcement.

Project Objectives

The following is a list of objectives that staff has initially identified in which the new UDC needs to address. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and that other items could be identified throughout the duration of the project.

• Implement the Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan, including but not limited to the Future Land Use Plan, PlaceTypes, five Enhancement Areas, and relevant high-priority and medium-priority implementation actions. The PlaceTypes should be translated into practical zoning and development tools without creating a citywide form-based code.

• Replace and substantially modernize the City’s CZO, Subdivision Regulations, and Sign Ordinance with a coordinated UDC that is internally consistent, user-friendly, and administrable in an effective and consistent manner. Usable as a single, consolidated document that combines zoning regulations, subdivision and platting regulations, development regulations, and signage regulations.

• Establish regulations that facilitate infill development/redevelopment, adaptive reuse, revitalization, and reinvestment, rather than greenfield expansion, while also providing protections to nearby residential neighborhoods.

• Establish clear base zoning districts (no cumulative zoning districts), use permissions, development standards, procedures, and amendment pathways that reduce routine reliance on PDs, SPs, and SDPs. Must establish a Schedule of Permitted Uses table.

• Evaluate and recommend how to address numerous existing PDs, SPs, and SDPs, including how best to transition from those adopted ordinances into the new UDC. (Note that existing form-based codes and other highly customized Planned Development (PD) district regulations may need to be preserved, referenced, and/or integrated as appropriate within the UDC.)

• Evaluate and recommend how to address properties with existing nonconformities (use, buildings, signage, and site elements) and vested rights, including how properties with nonconformities transition to compliance (whether full or partial compliance). Establish processes and regulations that address the transition of properties from a noncompliance status to partial or full compliance.

• Modernize standards related to (including but not limited to) height, setbacks, accessory structures, patios, parking, landscaping, signage, residential adjacency, mixed-use developments, industrial/employment uses, redevelopment, and public realm design, as well as administrative procedures.

• Modernize residential development standards that allow for improvements to residential structures needing to be expanded and/or updated to meet the needs of today’s families as an alternative to teardown/rebuild, while also protecting existing stable neighborhoods.

• Evaluate and recommend missing middle housing options in appropriate zoning districts and locations, consistent with the PlaceType descriptions from the Envision Richardson comprehensive plan and considering existing neighborhood compatibility characteristics.

• Account for Richardson’s major transportation corridors, DART light rail stations, and regional trail connections as factors shaping redevelopment, employment, mixed-use, and mobility-oriented regulatory decisions.

• Evaluate how zoning and development standards can support safe, efficient, accessible, and context-sensitive transportation outcomes, including complete streets, access management, parking, pedestrian connectivity, site design, and public realm quality.

• Maintain an efficient site plan, civil engineering and platting review process in order to preserve the effective and timely administrative process that Richardson is known for accomplishing.

• Ensure the code is compatible with Texas municipal zoning, subdivision and platting, public notice, public hearing, vested rights, and sign regulation requirements, subject to review by City legal representation.

• Create a code document that is generally understood by residents, property owners, businesses and developers; legally coordinated; technically sound; in a format editable by City staff without using specialized software tools; logically organized; utilizes graphics and tables that effectively communicate regulations but also consistent with written text; visually accessible; searchable;

and deliverable in Microsoft Word format for City staff and legal editing.

• Create and implement a public engagement strategy that allows residents, businesses, property owners, developers, design professionals, City staff, and elected and appointed officials to provide meaningful feedback on technical code issues; the public engagement strategy should provide for effective public input, be transparent, and achieve consensus associated with zoning, development, platting and signage regulations.

Planning Studies and Regulatory Documents

The City has completed multiple planning studies and regulatory initiatives that must be reviewed and considered as part of the UDC process. The selected consultant will be expected to evaluate and integrate relevant previous planning and regulatory work, including but not limited to:

• Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan, including Future Land Use Plan, PlaceTypes, Guiding Principles, Enhancement Areas, and Implementation Matrix.

• City of Richardson Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, including base zoning districts, Planned Development (PD) regulations, Special Permit (SP) provisions, nonconforming use provisions, supplemental regulations, parking, site development requirements, and amendment procedures.

• City of Richardson Subdivision Regulations (Code of Ordinances Chapter 21) and related development plan, platting, infrastructure, and public improvement standards.

• City of Richardson Sign Ordinance regulations (Code of Ordinances Chapter 18) and related permitting procedures.

• Site design standards and policies including the landscape ordinance requirements and policies for non-residential properties, US 75 amenities planning guidelines, and President George Bush Highway Design Guidelines.

• Zoning Atlas and interactive zoning resources showing current zoning districts, PDs, SPs, SDPs, and ordinance history.

• West Spring Valley Corridor PD Regulations.

• Main Street/Central Expressway Form Based Code.

• Collins/Arapaho TOD & Innovation District Form Based Code.

• CityLine East and Bush Central Station PDs (southwest quadrant of PGBT/US 75 near CityLine DART Station).

• Palisades PD (area west of US 75, north of Galatyn Parkway).

Existing form-based codes and other highly customized Planned Development (PD) district regulations may need to be preserved, referenced, and/or integrated as appropriate within the UDC. Pending further conversation and direction from City Council (anticipated fall 2026), some of the existing form-based codes that apply to the three existing enhancement areas (i.e. West Spring Valley, Main Street/Central Expressway, Collins Arapaho) may need to be amended as part of the UDC effort (note:

this is anticipated to be a light touch effort and not a rewrite of these three form-based codes).

Preliminary Scope of Services, Tasks and Deliverables

The consultant team selected will generally be responsible for, but not limited to, the following core services. The final scope of services, fee, schedule, and deliverables will be negotiated with the most qualified consultant team after selection. Project deliverables identified below are initial assumptions and may be further refined during negotiating the proposed scope of services. The final scope of services should clearly define project deliverables and are presumed to be provided by the consultant, unless otherwise identified for City staff.

As it relates to project administration, the following are items that are anticipated to come from the consultant team which would influence the negotiated scope of work:

• Prepare a detailed project management plan, project team communication plan, public engagement strategy/plan, review schedule, and project calendar with key project deliverables/milestone identified.

• Identify critical City staff roles, consultant team responsibilities, review time periods, and decision points for staff, City Plan Commission, and/or City Council. Joint meetings with the City Plan Commission and City Council are appropriate for consideration.

• The consultant team should anticipate significant engagement with City staff, the City Plan Commission, City Council, and stakeholders at appropriate points in the process.

• Project status meetings should occur every two weeks (bi-weekly) with project status reports provided within two business days. Some meetings may occur in person, and others may occur via teleconference or other video/audio conference methods where appropriate. Additionally, provide appropriate documentation for tracking tasks and identified issues.

• Conduct a project kickoff meeting with Development Services staff and other City representatives identified by City staff. Also, the consultant team may be introduced to the City Plan Commission and/or City Council shortly after the project contract is executed.

• Public engagement activities should be designed to obtain meaningful feedback on technical code products, not merely high-level vision statements. The consultant team will be expected to effectively track public comments received and assist the City with addressing public comments throughout the duration of the project.

• The consultant team should be able to communicate zoning concepts in a manner that is understandable to lay audiences while still producing technically precise code language.

Phase 1: Diagnostic Assessment

This phase will establish the project foundation and provide an objective third-party review of the City’s existing CZO, Subdivision Regulations (Code of Ordinances Chapter 21), signage regulations (Code of Ordinances Chapter 18), and other related development regulations and policies addressed below. The Diagnostic Assessment shall identify key action items that need to be addressed by the UDC, including identifying action items by priority, any policy questions/decisions that need to be addressed, policy direction needed related to major issues identified, inconsistencies amongst regulations, barriers to infill development/redevelopment, and opportunities for modernization. The selected consultant will be expected to assess the following, including but not limited to:

• Review the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations, Sign Ordinance, Zoning Atlas, Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan which includes the Future Land Use Plan and Enhancement Areas, existing Planned Development and form-based code documents, recent City Council discussions (February 2026 and May 2026), and related City plans and studies (refer to Planning Studies and Regulatory Documents addressed earlier in the RFQ). The Envision Richardson comprehensive plan identifies approximately 18 action items that could potentially be addressed with the proposed UDC (see attached document provided to City Council in May 2026).

• Identify conflicts, gaps, obsolete provisions, ambiguous definitions, outdated districts, unclear procedures, administrative inefficiencies, and barriers to infill, redevelopment, adaptive reuse, reinvestment, and desired development outcomes.

• Evaluate current reliance on Planned Development (PD) Districts, Special Permits (SPs), Special Development Plans (SDPs), and customized zoning processes and tools.

• Recommend where standard base zoning districts, tables, use specific standards, administrative procedures, limited special districts (or overlay districts), or other tools could reduce repeated customized zoning approvals.

• Evaluate known issues determined by the City, including height limitations, residential setbacks, accessory structures versus temporary structures, residential adjacency standards, nonconformities, parking, landscaping, signage, and public engagement around technical code issues.

• Conduct stakeholder interviews to understand current challenges using the various existing code documents and policy documents related to development and adaptive use of properties, as well as identifying opportunities for improvements to the various documents. Stakeholders should be frequent users of the documents (both internal and external users). A summary of findings from the stakeholder interviews shall be prepared.

• Prepare a Diagnostic Assessment Report that identifies key action items that need to be addressed by the new UDC, including identifying action items (by priority); policy direction needed related to major issues identified; inconsistencies amongst regulations; barriers to infill development/redevelopment; and opportunities. The report will be subject to review by staff, with any necessary edits performed by the consultant team. Additionally, the report should include a proposed UDC outline, since the report and UDC outline will frame the rest of the work completed by the project team.

• Presentation of the Diagnostic Assessment Report to the City Plan Commission and City Council for feedback and direction (including creation of presentation materials).

• Review project scope of work to determine any refinements/changes that may be necessary because of the Diagnostic Assessment Report.

• Prepare and implement a public engagement strategy/plan appropriate for a technical code rewrite project that aligns with the Diagnostic Assessment Report findings.

Key deliverables include:

• Stakeholder interviews; a summary of findings from the stakeholder interviews.

• Diagnostic Assessment Report (including proposed UDC outline).

• Presentations to City Plan Commission and City Council (including presentation materials).

• Public engagement strategy/plan.

• Review of the project scope of work and public engagement strategy/plan to determine if any refinements/changes are needed because of the Diagnostic Assessment Report.

Phase 2: Enhancement Area Assessment and Policy Direction

The Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan identifies five enhancement areas: West Campbell, West Arapaho, West Spring Valley, Belt Line/Bowser, and Belt Line/Plano. With exception of a portion of

West Spring Valley, these five enhancement areas differ from three existing enhancement areas (from the 2009 Comprehensive Plan) of which the City has already completed significant vision studies and adopted form-based zoning codes (i.e. West Spring Valley, Main/Street Central Expressway, and Collins Arapho). As it relates to the five (5) enhancement areas, Envision Richardson took the initial first step and identified a vision for each area along with the recommended PlaceTypes in which the community was supportive for these areas; the PlaceTypes include recommended primary and secondary land uses.

This phase of this project will seek to confirm City Council’s goals for each of the five areas, including if Council is interested in a “light touch” approach, versus significant transformative change, or somewhere in between. Based on City Council’s direction, the project team will need to identify potential zoning strategies to address the needs/opportunities for the areas. Staff anticipate that overlay districts may be a potential solution to addressing the needs/opportunities for the five areas, or it could be that base zoning districts are crafted for some or all the five areas. This phase should confirm major policy direction before detailed code drafting begins.

• Study the five Envision Richardson Enhancement Areas to confirm Council goals, regulatory needs, redevelopment opportunities, and potential overlay or area-specific zoning and development standards.

• Facilitate policy discussion meetings with staff and City Council, including preparing presentation materials for City Council meeting. Provide a written summary of direction received from City Council.

• Develop a proposed UDC zoning strategy (or outline) for each of the five enhancement areas that translates Envision Richardson PlaceTypes and implementation actions, as well as Council’s direction, into regulatory tools; the strategy (or outline) for the five enhancement areas needs to work seamlessly with the remainder of the proposed UDC.

• Conduct public engagement sessions with necessary stakeholders (i.e. property owners, businesses, nearby neighborhood groups) if determined necessary to further refine zoning and development goals for the various enhancement areas.

Key deliverables include:

• Facilitate policy discussion meetings with staff and City Council, including preparing presentation materials.

• Written summary of direction received from City Council.

• Proposed UDC zoning strategy (or outline) for each of the five Enhancement Areas that translates Envision Richardson PlaceTypes and implementation actions, as well as Council’s direction, into regulatory tools.

• Public engagement sessions (if determined necessary).

• PlaceType-to-proposed zoning district crosswalk table (crosswalk table will illustrate PlaceType recommendations with proposed zoning district in order to understand relationships being achieved (or not achieved).

Phase 3: Drafting the UDC, Public Engagement, Testing, and Legal Coordination

This phase will include the technical drafting of the UDC, public and stakeholder engagement, testing of draft standards, and coordination with the City’s legal team (note that the City contracts with Nichols Jackson for its legal team). Furthermore, this phase will translate the City’s adopted Envision Richardson comprehensive plan direction into a practical regulatory framework; as such, the consultant should write a UDC that supports Envision Richardson’s recommendations, including the Future Land Use Plan and PlaceTypes, redevelopment priorities, and the City’s five new Enhancement Areas. The consultant should use a modular drafting approach so City staff, legal representation, elected and appointed officials, and stakeholders can review the code in manageable segments.

• Use plain-language explanations, diagrams, tables, and illustrations to effectively and clearly communicate technical zoning concepts; text shall be written in the positive or affirmative voice (instead of a negative, prohibitive voice).

• Recommend a practical zoning district structure (no cumulative zoning districts), use classification system, development standards framework, administrative procedures framework, and transition strategy. Must include a Schedule of Permitted Uses table.

• Identify where current districts should be retained, consolidated, renamed, replaced, repealed, or converted.

• Identify how existing form-based code areas, Planned Development (PD) Districts, Special Permits (SPs), Special Development Plans (SDPs), and nonconforming conditions should be preserved, transitioned, integrated, or amended.

• Evaluate whether area-specific standards, overlay districts, or targeted regulatory tools are appropriate for certain areas of the City (such as the five Enhancement Areas).

• Conduct engagement with residents, businesses, property owners, design professionals (i.e.

architects, engineers, builders), and other groups identified by the City, consistent with the project public engagement strategy/plan.

• Test draft standards against properties within Richardson, including but not limited to common development scenarios, redevelopment scenarios, Enhancement Areas, infill development scenarios, residential/housing additions, employment areas, commercial corridors, mixed-use opportunities, and transit-oriented development opportunities.

• Prepare a testing report identifying whether the draft UDC produces intended zoning and/or development outcomes instead of defaulting to customized Planned Development (PD), Special Permit (SP), or Special Development Plan (SDP) approvals, and identify the modifications that are needed to the UDC to achieve the intended outcomes. If a “relief valve” mechanism is still needed to accommodate intended outcomes but that does not necessitate or warrant a hardship variance threshold, then identify potential solutions (i.e. administrative approvals, Director determinations, City Plan Commission approvals, etc.).

• Coordinate draft code modules with the City’s legal team for review. The consultant will not provide legal advice to the City but must be capable of preparing ordinance text suitable for legal review and adoption.

• Track staff, legal, public, City Plan Commission, and City Council comments and provide revised drafts and response matrices.

• See also list from Project Objectives within this RFQ.

Key deliverables include:

• Development regulations that include high-quality graphics and can be quickly and easily modified by staff; all draft text deliverables must be provided in Microsoft Word format and tables, graphics, diagrams, and illustrations should also be provided in editable or reusable formats acceptable to the City.

• GIS data for any associated zoning map changes.

• Implementation of public engagement strategy/plan and including publishing of public comments received.

• Work sessions with the City Plan Commission and City Council, including preparation of presentation materials.

• Zoning district and development regulations transitioning table (showing current zoning and development regulations versus new regulations).

• Testing report identifying whether the draft UDC produced the desired intended outcomes, and recommended UDC changes (if warranted).

• Redline edited documents for tracking proposed changes to draft documents.

• PlaceType-to-proposed zoning district crosswalk table (crosswalk table will illustrate PlaceType recommendations with proposed zoning district in order to understand relationships being achieved (or not achieved).

Phase 4: Adoption Support, Implementation, and Post-Adoption Transition

This phase will support the formal public hearing and adoption process before the City Plan Commission and City Council. It will also prepare City staff, applicants, and the public for implementation of the new UDC after adoption.

• Prepare the final UDC document for adoption, including any final formatting, organization, cross-references, tables, graphics, definitions, appendixes and items identified by staff.

• Prepare presentation materials and any summary materials explaining key changes, policy decisions, transition provisions, and implementation impacts that may be necessary for public hearings, City Plan Commission recommendation, and City Council consideration.

• Attend, present, and answer questions to support staff during the formal public hearing process before the City Plan Commission and City Council for final approval.

• Prepare implementation tools, including staff training materials, applicant guides, checklists, procedural flowcharts, and a transition/action matrix.

• Provide post-adoption support for a limited period to assist staff with code interpretation, correction of minor scrivener’s errors, and implementation questions.

• A joint work session with the City Council and City Plan Commission may be considered to allow elected and appointed officials to work together and hear the same information regarding the new proposed UDC regulations, prior to initiating the formal public hearing process. If this joint meeting is to occur, then the City Plan Commission and City Council will conduct their respective public hearings (as required by state law) for possible adoption of the UDC.

Key deliverables include:

• Preparation of final UDC document for adoption.

• Preparation of presentation materials and any summary materials explaining key changes, policy decisions, transition provisions, and implementation impacts that may be necessary for public hearings, City Plan Commission recommendation, and City Council consideration.

• Preparation of UDC implementation materials, including implementation guide, staff training materials, applicant checklists, procedural flowcharts, and transition/action matrix.

• Any additional post-adoption support materials may be considered.

Optional / À La Carte Scope Components

While the City desires to have a UDC as the end product, given the scope of work and associated cost, City Council is interested in evaluating whether certain tasks could be conducted separately and at what cost. On the contrary, if certain tasks are to be included in the project, then what are the cost implications associated with the tasks (savings or increase). As such, the City may elect to include some or all the following optional services in the final negotiated scope. The selected consultant team should be prepared to describe their recommended approach for each option and related cost. The City may request separate scope of work and fee information for selected optional components during scope negotiation with the selected consultant team. Prior to finalizing the contract, staff will conduct a discussion with City Council regarding which tasks may/may not be included in the final contract.

Optional Component Description Subdivision Regulations Integration

Review, write, and update/modernize the Subdivision Regulations (Code of Ordinances Chapter 21) and related development plan, platting, infrastructure, and public improvement standards into the proposed UDC, and prepare coordinated amendments; includes graphics, tables, definitions, procedures, public engagement, and legal coordination.

Sign Ordinance Integration Review, rewrite, and update/modernize the Sign Ordinance regulations (Code of Ordinances Chapter 18) and integrate into the proposed UDC;

includes graphics, tables, definitions, procedures, public engagement, and legal coordination.

Technical Advisory Committee Facilitate a technical advisory committee of local stakeholders to review technical code modules, policy options, and public feedback.

This would be in addition to other public engagement strategies factored in the original contract. Also, this committee would be in addition to any staff technical committee associated with the project.

Enhancement Areas Regulations Provide additional land use and development regulation analysis and public engagement for the five Envision Richardson Enhancement Areas; including recommending zoning and development strategies and other regulatory implementation tools.

Post-Adoption Training and Implementation Support

Provide training sessions, applicant guides, internal staff manuals, and limited post-adoption technical assistance.

Legal Coordination and Ordinance Drafting

The City will use its own legal team for legal review. The selected consultant will not serve as the City’s legal counsel. However, the consultant must have demonstrated experience preparing ordinance language, cross-references, definitions, procedures, and transition provisions suitable for review by a Texas municipal legal team.

The consultant must coordinate with the City’s legal team, Development Services Department, and other City staff to support compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including but not limited to Texas zoning, subdivision and platting, public notice, public hearing, vested rights, sign regulation, nonconformity, and ordinance adoption requirements. Final legal determinations will be made by the City’s legal team.

Digital Product, Data Ownership, and Work Product Requirements

• All narrative, draft code, final code, reports, matrices, and other text deliverables must be provided in Microsoft Word format.

• Graphics, tables, diagrams, maps, GIS files, presentation materials, and other supporting products must be provided in editable or reusable formats approved by the City.

• The final UDC should be designed for ease of use in print, PDF, and digital/online formats. It should be searchable, internally cross-referenced, and structured for future amendments. It should also be compatible for publishing by Municode.

• All data, text, maps, GIS files, graphics, tables, diagrams, presentations, meeting summaries, comment logs, and other work products created for the project shall become the property of

Unified Development Code Rewrite the City of Richardson, subject to final contract terms. Project deliverables identified in the final Scope of Services shall, upon payment of all amounts due under the final agreement, become the property of the City of Richardson consistent with the City’s standard Professional Services Agreement.

• The consultant must identify any third-party software, fonts, graphics, data, licensing restrictions, or intellectual property issues that could affect the City’s long-term ownership, editing, use, or publication of the work product.

Project Schedule

It is the City’s objective to complete this project within an approximately 18–24-month time frame, subject to final negotiated scope of work, funding, public engagement, and adoption process requirements. Respondents should provide a recommended reasonable project schedule and identify major tasks, milestones, staff review time periods, City Plan Commission and City Council touchpoints, public engagement events, and final adoption steps. Note that the State of Texas Legislature will convene January 2027, and final actions resulting from the legislature could impact the project timeline; should that occur, the City and consultant team will review any possible changes to the project timeline and scope of work.

Below is the proposed calendar for consultant selection and contract execution:

Task Approximate Schedule RFQ Issuance September 28, 2026 Submittal Deadline November 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

Submission Review / Shortlist Notification November 4-24, 2026 Consultant Interviews December 15-18, 2026 Consultant Selection December 22, 2026 Scope, Fee, Schedule, and Contract Negotiation January 4-13, 2027 Scope of work discussion (a la carte options) with City Council

January 25, 2027

Finalize Scope/Contract Execution January 26, 2027 - February 12, 2027 Project Initiation March 1, 2027

Budget

The anticipated budget for this project is approximately $900,000. The City anticipates negotiating a final scope of work, fee, and schedule with the most qualified firm/team in accordance with applicable procurement requirements and within the City’s available project budget. DO NOT submit any proposals or fees for this scope of work at this time.

Skills Required

Consultants should have extensive successful experience preparing unified development codes, comprised of zoning, development standards, subdivision and platting, development processes, and signage regulations, preferably for Texas municipalities. The City strongly prefers consultant teams with recent, directly relevant experience within the last five years, for cities with characteristics similar to Richardson. (See also Preferred Partner section of this RFQ.) Additionally, the selected consultant will need to demonstrate successful experience with delivering completed final code products that are comparable to (or align with) Richardson’s desired project objectives and preliminary scope of work previously identified in this RFQ.

Of course, respondents must be able to demonstrate that they have for the duration of this project the project management capacity, qualified staff members, a highly effective and experienced Project Manager, ability to maintain schedule and project budget, quality assurance, and project status reporting in a clear and effective manner.

Statement of Qualifications Response Format / Submission Requirements

The consultant firm/team shall submit its Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) electronically through Bonfire at https://cor.bonfirehub.com/ prior to Tuesday, November 3, 2026, prior to 2:00 pm.

Qualifications responses received after this time and date will not be accepted or considered. Emailed or faxed submissions will not be accepted. Failure to provide required information in the desired format may result in elimination from the selection process.

The submission shall include the following information in the order listed below, with each section clearly labeled and pages numbered. SOQ pages shall be no larger than letter size (8 1/2” x 11”) or, if folded to that dimension, twice letter size (11” x 17”). Elaborate covers, binding, and dividers are not required. The SOQ shall use no font smaller than 10-point Arial. The SOQ shall not exceed thirty (30) pages, excluding required forms, resumes, and appendices, unless otherwise directed by the City. The SOQ shall document that the consultant can provide the necessary insurance and identify any objections or requested exceptions to the City’s standard form of Professional Services Agreement.

Again, DO NOT submit any proposals or fees for this scope of work at this time.

1. Cover Letter

Provide a cover letter signed by a person authorized to bind the firm/team. Identify the lead firm, contact person, Project Manager, proposed subconsultants, and primary reasons the team is qualified for Richardson’s UDC project. The cover letter shall also confirm the firm/team’s ability to provide the required insurance and shall identify any objections or requested exceptions to the City’s standard form of Professional Services Agreement. The cover letter shall not exceed five (5) pages.

2. Firm / Team Qualifications

Describe the experience and qualifications of the firm/team, including relevant experience with writing UDCs, including zoning, subdivision and platting, signage, and development regulations.

3. Project Manager and Team Member Qualifications

Identify the proposed Project Manager and key team members. Provide resumes or bios, availability, roles, responsibilities, and relevant experience. Identify any subconsultants and their role in the project.

Regarding the Project Manager, the City considers the Project Manager to have an essential vital role in this project. Therefore, the selection of the Project Manager should be carefully considered.

The consultant should appoint a Project Manager that is able to provide effective project planning and project management, as well as have extensive experience with a project of this size and scope. The Project Manager will provide oversight of all project activities and tasks for the duration of the project and will facilitate the status report meetings and provide meeting minutes and written reports.

Additionally, the Project Manager will be expected to effectively communicate to staff, the public, and elected and appointed officials in a manner where technical requirements can be explained in lay persons terms, while also being able to effectively provide direction and write highly technical, regulatory code language.

The City expects the person in the Project Manager role to have the capability to effectively carry out the responsibilities of the role, as well as availability for the duration of the project. The City anticipates the duration of this project to be 18-24 months, hence why the person assigned to the Project Manager role is important to have the availability for the duration of the project. The Project Manager will serve as the single point of contact and will regularly interact with the City’s designated Project Manager. All project tasks, designs, scope of work changes, and project issues shall be coordinated by the Project Managers. The consultant Project Manager will provide project assignments and direction to the consultant team.

Additionally, if the City deems the consultant Project Manager’s performance to be unacceptable or unsatisfactory, the consultant shall remove the Project Manager from the project at the City’s request and provide a qualified replacement at no additional cost to the City. Any delays associated with this action shall be the responsibility of the consultant and not the City.

Any work performed by the consultant team outside the agreed-upon contract will be considered work performed at the consultant’s risk and will not be considered billable to the awarded contract.

4. Texas Municipal Experience

Describe successful municipal zoning, subdivision and platting, signage, or UDC projects completed for Texas cities within the last five years. Include client contact information, project status, adoption status, and relevance to Richardson.

5. Comparable Project Experience and Work Samples

Provide examples of comparable projects for cities with characteristics similar to Richardson, including but not limited to, primarily built-out, a first-ring…