Falls Road Project RFP

T
own of Shelburne, Vermont
CHARTERED 1763
P.O. BOX 88 5420 SHELBURNE ROAD SHELBURNE, VT 05482
Clerk/Treasurer Town Manager Zoning & Planning Assessor Recreation FAX Number
(802) 985-5116 (802) 985-5111 (802) 985-5118 (802) 985-5115 (802) 985-5110 (802) 985-9550
Request for Proposals
Design Services - Falls Road Streetscape Improvements and Downtown Beautification
Issued: 08/24/2026 Proposals Due: 10/02/2026, 3:30P.M. local time Issuing Department: Department of
Planning and Zoning, Town of Shelburne Contact: Aaron DeNamur, Director of Planning and Zoning,
adenamur@shelburnevt.org, 802-264-5033
1. Introduction and Purpose
The Town of Shelburne ("the Town") is seeking proposals from qualified consultant teams to provide
conceptual and preliminary design services for streetscape improvements and downtown beautification along
Falls Road and the surrounding village core.
This is primarily a design commission. The Town is seeking a team led by professionals in landscape
architecture, urban design, or streetscape design, supported by civil and traffic engineering expertise as needed.
Proposals that treat this as a conventional roadway engineering project with design as a subordinate service are
unlikely to be competitive.
The intended outcome of this contract is an ambitious long-range vision for the corridor and the Village Green,
developed with strong public support, together with a phased implementation strategy that breaks that vision
into short-, medium-, and long-term increments the Town can pursue as funding allows. Each increment must
stand on its own as a coherent, buildable improvement.
2. Background
Falls Road lies within the Shelburne Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990, which is centered on the junction of U.S. Route 7 with Harbor Road and Falls Road. The corridor
carries a mix of civic, commercial, and residential uses and functions as a primary pedestrian connection within
the village.
Shelburne has been working toward improvements of this kind for nearly four decades. The 1988 Shelburne
Village Plan articulated nine objectives for the village, among them reinforcing its visual and functional
cohesiveness, improving pedestrian circulation, retaining its pedestrian scale and character, and reviving the
Village Green as the focal point around which the village is connected. The 2006 Village Plan Update carried
those objectives forward into specific streetscape recommendations. A 2008 design set advanced them to the
edge of construction. None of this work has been built.
The Shelburne Town Plan continues to express these commitments, calling for the preservation of the Village's
character and historic integrity, for a pedestrian-oriented and economically vital village core, and for public
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spaces that serve as gathering places for the community. The Unified Land Use Regulations reinforce the
Village Core's mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented character.
This project is the Town's effort to finally deliver on that long-standing intent, and to do so with a design
ambitious enough to be worth the wait. The Selectboard has directed staff to proceed with design and planning
for the corridor. Construction is not presently funded or authorized.
Prior Studies and Designs
Three prior efforts bear directly on this project and are provided as Attachments:
1. Shelburne Village Plan Update (2006), which identified streetscape and aesthetic improvements
throughout the village, including reduced travel lane widths and paved shoulders on Falls Road and
Marsett Road.
2. Proposed Falls Road Streetscape, Civil Engineering Associates (May 30, 2008), a substantially
complete design set for Upper Falls Road from U.S. Route 7 to Church Street, including existing
conditions, layout and utility plans, plan and profile, cross sections, details, technical specifications, and
an associated lighting and electrical package prepared by others. The design was never constructed.
3. Falls Road & Marsett Road technical memorandum, Lamoureux & Dickinson (December 2,
2016), reviewing the 2006 recommendations against then-current practice. It recommended restriping to
ten-foot travel lanes, advised against physical narrowing measures and vertical speed control, and
recommended that the Town consider a mini-roundabout at the Falls Road / Marsett Road intersection.
4. Parade Ground and Village Green Master Plan Update, T.J. Boyle Associates (2012), consists of
multiple options for design improvements to Shelburne's Parade Ground and Village Green including
possible furnishings, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, and other design recommendations.
5. Safety on Falls: A Village Traffic Calming Demonstration Final Report (2025), a three-year effort
involved community engagement, collection of traffic data, and several infrastructure improvements.
They include: an extra-wide crosswalk between the Shelburne Country Store and the Pierson Building, a
sidewalk and crosswalk at Shelburnewood Drive, a walkway in front of the Shelburne Country Store,
and etc.
These documents are provided as inputs to be evaluated, not as constraints to be inherited. The consultant
shall review each, assess the continued validity of its recommendations against current design practice, current
accessibility and stormwater requirements, and the goals of this project, and state clearly in the alternatives
analysis where the consultant concurs and where it departs, with reasons. Proposers should note in particular
that the 2016 memorandum's recommendation against physical traffic calming rests on an assumption that
bicycles are accommodated in paved shoulders. The Town does not anticipate a separated shared-use path along
Segment B (see Section 3), and therefore expects the consultant to address directly how meaningful traffic
calming and improved bicycle accommodation can be reconciled within a shoulder-based cross section.
The project is undertaken in partnership with Experience Shelburne, the nonprofit organization anticipated to
serve as the Town's downtown organization upon Shelburne's designation as a State Designated Downtown
(Center Step 3), which the Town expects to achieve in the Fall of 2026. The Town of Shelburne is the
contracting party and the client under this agreement.
The Town has established a project team consisting of the Director of Planning and Zoning, a member of the
Selectboard, the Chair of the Planning Commission, a downtown business owner with frontage on Falls Road,
interested residents who live in the Village, and other engaged residents. This team will serve in an advisory
capacity, meet with the consultant at regular intervals, and take an active role in public engagement. The team
does not hold contracting or approval authority; recommendations proceed to the Selectboard and Town
Manager through the Director of Planning and Zoning.
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3. Project Area
The project area extends from the edge of the U.S. Route 7 / Falls Road intersection, southerly and easterly
along Falls Road, to a terminus just east of the LaPlatte River on Irish Hill Road, as shown in Attachment A.
The corridor is approximately 1.4 miles in total length.
The corridor has two distinct characters, and the RFP treats them as separate segments with different expected
levels of design development. Proposers shall organize their work plan and fee proposal accordingly.
Segment A - Upper Falls Road (Church Street to U.S. Route 7). The focus of the downtown beautification
work and the primary design commission. The Town expects a high level of design development here: sidewalk
and crossing treatment, materials, lighting, street trees and plantings, site furnishings, wayfinding, gateway
treatment at Route 7, traffic calming measures, bicycle facilities, and public space opportunities. Additionally,
the Town would like to explore the feasibility of a design targeted at containing traffic speeds to 20 mph or less.
This segment also includes improvements to Church Street, particularly on the north side of that road (south
side of the Parade Ground).
Segment B - Falls Road south of Church Street to the eastern terminus. The focus is bicycle and
pedestrian infrastructure: facility continuity and type, crossing locations and treatment, traffic calming, and
connection eastward to planned development south of Irish Hill Road. Design development at a level
appropriate to a corridor improvement rather than a full streetscape. The Town does not anticipate a separated
shared-use path along this segment and proposers should not organize their approach around one.
The Village Green and Parade Ground. The triangular Village Green fronting the Falls Road / U.S. Route 7
intersection and the historic Parade Ground north of Church Street are within the project area and are central
elements of the design commission, not an adjacent consideration. The Town seeks improvements,
beautification, and placemaking upgrades to both the Green and Parade, developed as an integral part of the
Segment A design and of the gateway treatment at Route 7. The Green is Town-owned, although a portion of it
lies within the VTrans right-of-way for U.S. Route 7 and improvements in that portion will require state
coordination and permitting. The same is true of the Parade Ground though a much smaller portion of it is
impacted by the state right-of-way. There are no monuments, memorials, or other fixed features on the Green or
Parade that could not readily be relocated as part of a new design. As part of this project, the Town wants to
pursue the installation of decorative, period street lighting along the whole perimeter of the 'Triangle' that is
between the Falls Rd/Rte 7 intersection and Church Street (depicted on project area map).
Falls Road / Marsett Road intersection. Notwithstanding that no corridor improvements are proposed along
Marsett Road, the intersection itself is within the project area, together with sufficient extent of each approach
leg to accommodate intersection geometry, crossings, and tie-ins (see Task 2).
Existing conditions of note:
* Sidewalk exists on the east side of Falls Road only, approximately five feet in width, contiguous with
pavement north of LaPlatte Park and separated by a green strip of varying width to the south.
* Posted speed is 25 mph north of Church Street and 30 mph between Church Street and Marsett Road.
* A recently constructed pedestrian bridge over the LaPlatte River adjoins the vehicle bridge. No
pedestrian accommodation across the river is required under this contract.
* A short portion of the work at the north end falls within the VTrans right-of-way at U.S. Route 7. No
modification of that intersection is proposed. The remainder of the Falls Road corridor is within Town-
owned right-of-way.
* Numerous businesses and residences front the corridor, particularly along Segment A.
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* A significant known challenge is the thickness of the asphalt for Falls Rd. While it may appear that the
sidewalk on the east side of the road was built below the road, the sidewalk curb has actually been
buried by years of accumulated asphalt. This occurred because no grinding was done before repaving.
The consultant will need to study this issue and make recommendations to the Town on whether a
significant grinding effort should be undertaken or if the new raised sidewalks should be built on top of
the existing buried ones.
The Town reserves the right to adjust the study area in consultation with the selected consultant.
4. Funding and Budget
Design services under this contract are funded entirely with municipal funds. No federal funds are involved in
this contract, and federal procurement requirements do not apply.
The Town anticipates that construction would be funded primarily through a bond, subject to voter approval,
supplemented by state grant funds. No construction funding is presently committed, and proposers should not
assume that a subsequent final design or construction phase will follow within any particular timeframe. The
Town intends to apply to the Vermont Downtown Transportation Fund (DTF) administered by the Agency of
Commerce and Community Development. Deliverables under this contract must be produced in a form
that directly supports a DTF application (see Section 5, Task 5).
The Town has not established a published budget for design services under this contract, and is not setting a
construction cost target. The Town's intent is to obtain a design of genuine ambition and then implement it
incrementally as funding allows, rather than to constrain the design to a figure fixed in advance.
Proposers shall accordingly propose a fee appropriate to the scope described in Section 5, supported by hours
and rates by task and by staff classification so that the Town can understand what it is buying. The Town
reserves the right to negotiate scope and fee with the highest-ranked proposer, including adjustment of the
number of alternatives, meetings, or graphic deliverables, and to award a contract for a reduced scope.
5. Scope of Services - Base Contract
Task 1 - Project Initiation and Existing Conditions
* Kickoff meeting with Town staff and the project team and a review of available data, mapping, and prior
studies.
* Field assessment of existing conditions: sidewalks and curbing, crossings, lighting, street trees and
plantings, drainage, signage, on-street parking, transit stops, and building frontages.
* Assessment of pedestrian accessibility against PROWAG and applicable ADA standards, with
deficiencies mapped.
* Base mapping. The Town will furnish the 2008 design set. The associated CAD files would provide an
excellent base for this work but the Town does not presently possess these files. The consultant chosen
will need to work with the Town to obtain these from Civil Engineering Associates. The Town's
expectation is that this base will be verified and updated, not reproduced. New topographic survey of
the full corridor is not assumed and shall not be included in the base fee. The consultant shall describe
its verification approach - at minimum, field verification of visible surface features, confirmation of
utility locations and rims, and current topography in any area where grade change is proposed - and
shall identify, in the existing conditions memorandum, any area where the prior base is insufficient and
supplemental survey is warranted. Supplemental survey shall be priced separately as described in
Section 8.
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* Identification of utilities, easements, and right-of-way constraints, including private encroachments into
the public right-of-way - signage, plantings, parking, steps, walls, and similar - mapped and
documented for the Town's use.
* Early coordination with the VTrans District office regarding work within the state right-of-way - both
at the U.S. Route 7 / Falls Road intersection and within the portion of the Village Green lying inside the
Route 7 right-of-way - including determination of the right-of-way limits on the Green, identification
of permits required (Section 1111 or otherwise), and any accessibility obligations triggered at the
intersection corners.
* Deliverable: Existing conditions memorandum with annotated mapping.
Proposers are encouraged to propose a stronger or more creative engagement approach than the minimum
described.
Task 2 - Concept Alternatives
* Development of no fewer than two (2) distinct design alternatives for the corridor, addressing sidewalk
and crossing improvements, bike infrastructure improvements, traffic calming, lighting, street trees and
green infrastructure, site furnishings, wayfinding, gateway treatment, parking configuration, explore
opportunities to add public parking, and public space opportunities.
* Falls Road / Marsett Road intersection analysis. Evaluation of at least three treatments: a mini-
roundabout as contemplated in the 2016 memorandum, a raised table intersection, and improvement of
the existing multi-way stop with crossing and sidewalk realignment. Analysis shall address emergency
vehicle and school bus turning movements, truck volumes, accessibility, right-of-way and utility
impacts, and consistency with the village character. The Town has not selected a preferred treatment; a
recommendation with supporting reasoning is a required deliverable.
* Illustrative graphics sufficient for public understanding: plan views, sections, and an adequate number of
perspective renderings or photo simulations per alternative.
* Order-of-magnitude cost comparison of alternatives.
* Deliverable: Alternatives package and presentation materials.
Task 3 - Public Engagement
The Town places substantial weight on the quality of the public process. At minimum:
* Two (2) public workshops at milestone points, designed for meaningful participation rather than
presentation only.
* Regular working meetings with the project team described in Section 2 - monthly meetings are
anticipated over the project period - at which the team reviews work in progress and shapes the
engagement approach.
* Meetings with the Selectboard, Planning Commission, Community and Economic Development
Committee, and Bike and Pedestrian Paths Committee at appropriate intervals, and Historic Preservation
and Design Review Commission as/if deemed necessary.
* Targeted outreach to corridor property owners and businesses, coordinated with Experience Shelburne
and the project team.
* An online engagement component accessible to residents unable to attend in person.
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* Deliverable: Engagement summary documenting input received and how it shaped the design.
Proposers are encouraged to propose a stronger or more creative engagement approach than the minimum
described.
Task 4 - Preferred Concept Design
* Refinement of a single preferred concept based on public and Town input, covering the corridor and the
Village Green.
* Design of the Village Green improvements at a level consistent with Segment A, addressing circulation
and paths, plantings and tree canopy, seating and gathering space, lighting, monuments or memorials
present, event and programming use, and the Green's relationship to the Route 7 gateway and to
adjoining building frontages.
* Phasing strategy. Division of the preferred concept into short-, medium-, and long-term
implementation increments. Each increment shall be independently buildable, shall deliver visible public
benefit on its own, and shall not foreclose or require rework of later increments. The consultant shall
recommend a sequence and explain the reasoning. At least one short-term increment shall be scaled and
detailed appropriately for a Downtown Transportation Fund application.
* Concept plans prepared in CAD at a scale suitable for review, showing dimensioned layout, materials,
plantings, lighting, and furnishings.
* A materials and furnishings palette consistent with the Design Review Guidelines and the historic
character of the village.
* Identification of all anticipated permits and approvals, including state and local historic review,
stormwater, ANR, and any VTrans permits, with status and timeline for each.
* Phasing recommendations, including logical construction phases if the project is built incrementally.
* Deliverable: Preferred concept design package and final report.
Task 5 - Cost Estimate and Grant Support
* Construction cost estimate for the preferred concept, prepared in a format consistent with VTrans and
DTF cost estimating guidance, broken out by implementation increment and by discrete project element,
so that the Town can pursue the work in fundable pieces and can scale any given increment to available
funding.
* Estimate of soft costs, contingency, and escalation to the anticipated construction year.
* Preparation of the design exhibits, cost documentation, and technical narrative needed to support a
Downtown Transportation Fund application, including completion of the DTF Historic Preservation
Project Review form and the permit status list.
* Reasonable responsiveness to state agency questions during the grant review period.
* Deliverable: Cost estimate package and DTF application support materials.
6. Optional Services
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The following services are not included in the base contract and will be procured separately, at the Town's sole
discretion, under a subsequent contract:
* Final design, construction documents, and specifications
* Bid phase services
* Construction administration and inspection
Proposers shall not include fees for these services in the base fee proposal. Proposers shall provide, in a clearly
labeled appendix, current hourly billing rates by classification, which the Town may use as a reference in any
future negotiation. Selection under this RFP creates no obligation on the part of the Town to award any
subsequent contract.
7. Schedule
Milestone Date
RFP issued 08/24/2026
Deadline for written questions 09/11/2026
Town responses posted 09/18/2026
Proposals due 10/02/2026
Interviews (if held) 10/19-10/30/2026
Anticipated notice of award 11/02/2026
Anticipated contract execution 11/13/2026
Preferred concept and cost estimate complete TBD
The Town's schedule is driven in part by the Downtown Transportation Fund application cycle. Proposers
should demonstrate that their proposed schedule delivers Task 4 and Task 5 deliverables in advance of that
deadline, as applicable.
8. Submission Requirements
Proposals shall not exceed 10 pages excluding cover letters, resumes, required forms, and evidence of relevant
experience, and shall include:
1. Cover letter - signed by an individual authorized to bind the firm.
2. Team structure - identification of the prime firm and all subconsultants, an organizational chart, and
identification of the design lead by name, with that individual's anticipated percentage of total project
hours.
3. Key personnel - resumes for the project manager, design lead, and other key staff, with their
availability during the project period.
4. Relevant experience - no more than 2 to 3 comparable projects, preferably in historic village or small
downtown settings in Vermont or northern New England. For each, include the client reference, the role
of the proposing firm, the design lead on that project, the construction cost, and whether the project was
built. Visual material is encouraged and does not count against the page limit if provided as an appendix.
5. Understanding and approach - the team's reading of the corridor's opportunities and constraints, its
design philosophy for a historic village setting, and its approach to public engagement.
6. Work plan and schedule - tasks, deliverables, meetings, and milestones.
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7. Fee proposal - a not-to-exceed fee with hours and rates by task and by staff classification, plus
expenses. Fees shall be broken out separately for Segment A, Segment B, and the Falls Road / Marsett
Road intersection. Supplemental survey shall not be included in the base fee; proposers shall instead
provide unit rates for survey services, which the Town may authorize by amendment if the consultant
demonstrates that the furnished base is insufficient. Provide separately the optional-services rate
information described in Section 6.
8. Required forms and certifications - evidence of insurance coverage.
Submit an electronic copy in PDF format to adenamur@shelburnevt.org no later than 3:30P.M. on 10/02/2026.
Late proposals will not be considered.
Questions must be submitted in writing to the contact listed above by 09/11/2026. Responses will be issued by
addendum and posted here. Proposers shall not contact Selectboard members, commission members, or other
Town staff regarding this RFP.
9. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee consisting of Town staff and the project team described in
Section 2. Committee members will disclose any interest as required by the Town's conflict of interest policy.
Proposals will be evaluated on the following basis:
Criterion Weight
Demonstrated design quality in comparable streetscape and public realm projects 30%
Qualifications and availability of the design lead and key personnel 20%
Public engagement approach and demonstrated facilitation experience 15%
Understanding of the project and quality of the proposed work plan 10%
Experience in historic districts and with historic review processes 10%
Demonstrated design expertise in active transportation and multimodal streetscapes 10%
Fee and value 5%
The Town may shortlist and interview firms before making a final selection and may request revised or clarified
submissions. The Town is not obligated to select the lowest-cost proposal.
10. Selection and Award
The selection committee will make a recommendation to the Selectboard/Town Manager for award.
11. Insurance
The selected consultant shall maintain and provide certificates of insurance.
12. General Conditions
* The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive informalities, to negotiate with one
or more proposers, and to cancel this solicitation at any time. Issuing this call for proposals does not in
any way commit the Town to accepting any proposal.
* Costs of proposal and interview preparation are the sole responsibility of the proposer.
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* Proposals become public records subject to the Vermont Public Records Act. Material claimed as
confidential must be clearly marked and segregated; a blanket confidentiality designation will not be
honored.
* All work products, including drawings and digital files, become the property of the Town upon payment.
* The consultant shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Vermont Fair
Employment Practices Act, and shall not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic.
* The consultant is an independent contractor and not an employee or agent of the Town.
Attachments
* Attachment A - Project area map, found below
* Attachment B - Relevant prior studies found here.
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Attachment A
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