Best Practices Residential Zoning Code to Address the Housing Crisis

Dane County, Wisconsin is seeking a consultant to develop a Best Practices Residential Zoning Code to Address the Housing Crisis through a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Dane County Purchasing Division. The project aims to create a comprehensive guide for municipalities, particularly those with populations under 50,000, to reduce housing development costs, allow for diverse housing types, and increase housing supply. The selected consultant will be required to develop a checklist tool, model code language, and recommendations for zoning updates that facilitate various housing types including single-family homes, townhomes, multi-family units, accessory dwelling units, and small-format housing. The project is part of the Dane County Regional Housing Strategy, which identified a need to develop 2,000 housing units annually, including 900-1,000 affordable units. The RFP evaluation will be points-based, with 45% weight on project strategies, 20% on organizational capabilities, 20% on staff qualifications, 10% on cost, and 5% on local vendor preference. Key dates include a question deadline of June 20, 2024, and proposal submission due by July 2, 2024, at 2:00 am. The selected consultant will have 12 weeks to complete the project, including delivering a first draft within six weeks and a final draft within 12 weeks, followed by a community presentation.

The RFP does not explicitly mention specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The document highlights Dane County's unique position as the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin, accounting for 27% of new state jobs and experiencing a housing shortfall of 11,000 units from 2010-2020. While no specific budget range is provided in the available documentation, the comprehensive nature of the project suggests a substantial investment in addressing the regional housing crisis. The procurement appears open to consulting firms, urban planning experts, and organizations with expertise in zoning, housing policy, and municipal code development. The project's focus on creating a replicable model for addressing housing challenges suggests potential broader applicability beyond Dane County, making it an attractive opportunity for firms specializing in urban planning and housing policy solutions. The emphasis on local vendor preference (5% of evaluation points) indicates a slight preference for local or regional providers, though this does not appear to be a strict requirement.