RFQ Downtown Pasadena Vision & Master Plan

PASADENA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Pasadena, Texas
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) 26-025
Downtown Pasadena Vision & Master Plan
Issue Date: August 26, 2026
Responses Due: September 14, 2026, 4:00 p.m. Central
1. Introduction and Intent
The Pasadena Economic Development Corporation (PEDC), a Texas Type B Economic Development
Corporation invites qualified multidisciplinary planning and urban design firms, or teams of firms, to
submit Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) for preparation of the Downtown Pasadena Vision and
Master Plan (the Plan).
Pasadena does not have a traditional downtown or a single established central business district. PEDC
has identified a preliminary planning area organized around key corridors, public investments,
redevelopment opportunities, and catalyst project locations that may collectively support the creation of
a recognizable downtown. The selected consultant will be expected to test and refine this premise, not
simply accept predetermined boundaries and develop a market-informed, community-supported, and
implementable framework for where and how Downtown Pasadena should emerge.
The assignment requires more than a conventional land use study. PEDC seeks a team capable of
integrating economic development, urban design, market analysis, transportation and mobility, public
realm design, community engagement, branding and identity, development feasibility, and
implementation planning.
Central question: Where can a viable, authentic, and connected Downtown Pasadena take
shape, and what coordinated public and private actions are necessary to make that vision
real?
The final Plan must be visually compelling, technically sound, financially grounded, phased, and useful
as a day-to-day decision-making tool for PEDC, the City of Pasadena, property owners, developers,
institutional partners, and the broader community.
2. Background and Strategic Context
The City of Pasadena, TX is the second largest city in the Houston MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area)
and serves as a major center for petrochemicals, manufacturing, logistics, education, healthcare,
hospitality, tourism and commerce along the Gulf Coast. Its strategic location near Port Houston, an
extensive transportation network, highly skilled workforce, and strong industrial base have positioned
Pasadena as an important contributor to the regional economy. The city is also substantially built out,
increasing the importance of redevelopment, reinvestment, and more efficient use of existing land and
infrastructure.
The PEDC has undertaken a series of strategic planning initiatives designed to guide the City's long-
term economic development efforts including the following (available at www.pasadenaedc.com).
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The 2018 Pasadena Economic Development Strategic Plan established a vision focused on
business attraction and retention, redevelopment, infrastructure investment, placemaking, tourism, and
enhancing the overall competitiveness of the community. The plan recognized that creating attractive
destinations, improving community identity, and supporting redevelopment would be essential to
Pasadena's long-term success.
Building upon that foundation, the 2023 Strategic Plan Five-Year Update reaffirmed these priorities
while placing greater emphasis on redevelopment, mixed-use development, quality of place, tourism,
entrepreneurship, innovation, and catalyst projects. The update acknowledged Pasadena's continued
evolution and the importance of creating destinations that support both economic growth and
community life.
These strategic planning efforts, together with previous planning initiatives such as the 2020 Houston-
Galveston Area Council's (H-GAC) Livable Centers Study and ongoing corridor improvement efforts,
provide the policy foundation for the Downtown Pasadena Vision & Master Plan.
2.1 Strategic Drivers
* Pasadena's image and lack of a recognizable civic or commercial center remain barriers to
business, visitor, and investment attraction.
* Vacant land is increasingly limited, making redevelopment and reinvestment essential to
future tax-base and population growth.
* PEDC's 2023 Strategic Plan Update calls for bold investments in ambitious catalyst
developments and specifically prioritizes mixed-use, housing, beautification, the historic
district, mall redevelopment, and the Convention Center.
* The city needs a coordinated framework capable of connecting individual projects and
corridors into a coherent place rather than advancing isolated investments.
* The Plan must translate broad strategic goals into geographically specific actions, capital
priorities, development opportunities, policy recommendations, partnerships, and
implementation responsibilities.
2.2 Existing and Emerging Assets
* Public and institutional anchors, including City and PEDC facilities, educational assets,
parks, cultural resources, and community-serving destinations.
* Existing commercial corridors and locally owned businesses that contribute to Pasadena's
identity and economic base.
* Catalyst sites with the potential to support redevelopment, mixed-use investment, public
gathering spaces, employment, dining, retail, arts, culture, and entertainment.
* Prior and ongoing investments in streetscape, wayfinding, trails, beautification, corridor
enhancement, and infrastructure.
* Pasadena's diverse population, Hispanic heritage, industrial history, entrepreneurial base,
and regional accessibility.
2.3 Relationship to Other Planning Efforts
* The selected consultant shall review and coordinate the Plan with relevant adopted plans,
studies, capital projects, and active initiatives.
* The consultant shall identify where prior recommendations remain applicable, where
conditions have changed, and where conflicts or implementation gaps exist.
* The Plan must avoid duplicating completed work, including existing wayfinding and
corridor-planning efforts, while recommending how such work should be incorporated into
the downtown framework.
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3. Project Purpose, Vision, and Goals
3.1 Project Purpose
The purpose of this RFQ is to retain a qualified consultant team to determine the most viable
location, structure, identity, and implementation pathway for Downtown Pasadena. PEDC has
identified a preliminary study area; however, the selected consultant must validate, modify, or
refine those assumptions through research, market analysis, stakeholder engagement, and
physical planning.
3.2 Preliminary Vision
Create an authentic, vibrant, connected, and economically resilient Downtown Pasadena
that serves as a recognizable civic and community gathering place; supports private
investment and local business growth; expands opportunities for, culture, dining,
entertainment, and employment; and reflects Pasadena's history, diversity, and future.
3.3 Project Goals
* Define Downtown Pasadena: Identify and justify the appropriate downtown core,
boundaries, transition areas, corridors, districts, and potential catalyst sites.
* Create a Sense of Place: Establish a distinct identity and physical character that feels
authentic to Pasadena rather than replicating another community.
* Connect Existing Investments: Link public facilities, corridors, parks, institutions,
neighborhoods, businesses, and catalyst projects through a coherent land use, mobility,
and public realm framework.
* Catalyze Private Investment: Identify market-supported development opportunities and
strategic public actions that can reduce risk and encourage reinvestment.
* Support Mixed-Use: Evaluate opportunities for retail, dining, hospitality, office, civic,
cultural, entertainment, and employment uses in an integrated setting.
* Improve Mobility and Access: Create a safe, legible, multimodal network that addresses
walking, biking, transit, vehicular circulation, parking, freight considerations, accessibility,
and connectivity.
* Strengthen Community Identity: Celebrate Pasadena's history, neighborhoods, cultural
diversity, industry, local businesses, public art, and community traditions.
* Deliver an Actionable Plan: Establish priorities, responsible parties, projected costs,
funding and partnership options, regulatory actions, performance measures, and phased
implementation.
3.4 Desired Outcomes
* A clearly defined and broadly understood downtown geography and identity.
* A realistic development framework rooted in market demand, site conditions, ownership
patterns, infrastructure, and implementation capacity.
* A prioritized set of early wins and catalytic actions that can demonstrate momentum within
the first one to three years.
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* A long-term framework that can guide public capital investment, private development
review, partnership development, and future policy decisions.
* An implementation program that assigns responsibility, measures progress, and can be
updated as conditions change.
4. Preliminary Study Area
The PEDC will provide a preliminary study area map (Exhibit A). The preliminary boundary is intended
to focus the consultant's analysis but shall not predetermine the final recommended downtown
geography.
The selected consultant shall evaluate the preliminary study area using objective criteria, including
development potential, ownership and parcel patterns, market opportunity, existing and planned public
investment, infrastructure capacity, mobility, visibility, community identity, connectivity, redevelopment
feasibility, and the ability to support a concentrated and recognizable center.
The Plan may recommend a layered geography consisting of:
- A primary downtown core where the greatest concentration of activity and investment should
occur.
- Character districts or subareas with distinct roles, uses, and development forms.
- Priority corridors and gateways that connect downtown to surrounding neighborhoods and
destinations.
- Transition areas where development intensity and character should respond to adjacent
neighborhoods or industrial uses.
- Catalyst sites that may be inside or outside the final core but are essential to the downtown
strategy.
5. Scope of Services
The following scope establishes PEDC's expectations for the submittal. Respondents may recommend
refinements based on demonstrated experience, provided that the proposed approach fully addresses
the project purpose, goals, and required outcomes.
5.1 Project Initiation and Management
* Conduct a kickoff meeting with PEDC and designated City representatives to confirm
objectives, roles, decision-making protocols, schedule, communications, data needs,
engagement expectations, and deliverable formats.
* Prepare a detailed project management plan, work plan, schedule, engagement plan,
quality-control plan, and document request list.
* Establish a recurring coordination schedule with the project management team and
provide concise written progress reports, decision logs, action items, and updated
schedules.
* Identify key assumptions, risks, dependencies, and decisions requiring owner direction
throughout the project.
5.2 Existing Conditions, Data, and Policy Review
* Review all available adopted plans, studies, policies, ordinances, capital projects,
economic development initiatives, market data, infrastructure information, and prior
engagement findings relevant to the study area.
* Compile and map existing land use, zoning and development regulations, parcel and
ownership patterns, public ownership, assessed values, development activity, vacancies,
building conditions, historic and cultural resources, floodplain and drainage constraints,
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utilities, environmental considerations, transportation, parking, sidewalks, bicycle facilities,
transit, public spaces, and community assets.
* Assess demographic, workforce, retail, hospitality, office, civic, entertainment, and
employment trends relevant to downtown development.
* Identify constraints and opportunities affecting redevelopment feasibility, including parcel
fragmentation, access, infrastructure, code requirements, parking standards, setbacks,
drainage, and approval processes.
* Prepare an Existing Conditions and Opportunity Assessment with clear findings rather
than a data-only inventory.
5.3 Downtown Location and Boundary Analysis
* Develop and apply transparent criteria for evaluating the preliminary study area and
potential downtown locations.
* Analyze alternative downtown configurations and explain the advantages, disadvantages,
dependencies, and implementation implications of each.
* Recommend a preferred downtown core, supporting districts or character areas, corridors,
gateways, transition areas, and catalyst sites.
* Document the rationale for the recommended geography and identify conditions under
which the boundary may evolve over time.
5.4 Market and Economic Development Analysis
* Conduct a market assessment proportionate to the project, addressing realistic demand
and development potential for retail, food and beverage, hospitality, office, entertainment,
civic, cultural, institutional, and mixed-use development.
* Identify target users, customer segments, development typologies, approximate
supportable scale, sequencing considerations, and market gaps.
* Evaluate the role of local businesses, entrepreneurship, small-scale development, and
culturally relevant businesses in creating an authentic downtown economy.
* Identify catalyst development opportunities and the public actions necessary to improve
feasibility or attract private investment.
* Recommend economic development tools, partnerships, incentives, district mechanisms,
or financing approaches that may support implementation, while distinguishing between
tools that are immediately available and those requiring further legal, financial, or policy
evaluation.
* Establish measurable economic and community outcomes, such as investment,
redevelopment activity, business formation, sales tax generation, occupancy, visitation,
and public-space use.
5.5 Community and Stakeholder Engagement
The selected consultant shall facilitate a stakeholder engagement process that includes a
minimum of:
* Stakeholder Meeting No. 1 - Visioning Workshop
- Project introduction.
- Existing conditions review.
- Opportunities and challenges identification.
* Stakeholder Meeting No. 2 - Draft Master Plan Review
- Presentation of draft concepts.
- Stakeholder feedback.
- Refinement recommendations.
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* Stakeholder Meeting No. 3 - Final Plan Presentation
- Presentation of final recommendations.
- Implementation priorities.
- Adoption discussion.
Consultants may propose additional engagement activities as part of their approach.
5.6 Vision, Identity, and Guiding Principles
* Facilitate development of a clear downtown vision and a concise set of guiding principles
that can be used to evaluate future public and private decisions.
* Define the desired experience, identity, character, and role of Downtown Pasadena within
the city and region.
* Identify opportunities to celebrate Pasadena's history, culture, diversity, industrial and
working class heritage, public art, local businesses, and community traditions.
* Develop a preliminary identity and branding framework sufficient to guide place naming,
gateways, signage, public art, storytelling, and future branding work. The plan should
coordinate with, not duplicate existing citywide wayfinding plans.
5.7 Land Use and Development Framework
* Prepare a preferred land use and development framework for the downtown core and
supporting districts.
* Recommend the appropriate mix, location, intensity, and form of uses, including retail,
dining, hospitality, office, civic, institutional, entertainment, recreation, arts and culture,
public space, and employment uses.
* Identify development and redevelopment opportunity sites and illustrate potential building
placement, scale, frontage, block structure, parking approach, and relationship to public
space.
* Address compatibility and transitions between higher intensity downtown development and
surrounding neighborhoods, industrial areas, institutions, and existing businesses.
* Recommend regulatory, zoning, design, entitlement, or development process changes
needed to support the preferred framework.
5.8 Urban Design, Public Realm, and Placemaking
* Develop a public realm framework that creates a connected network of streets, sidewalks,
plazas, parks, trails, greenways, civic spaces, gathering places, and event locations.
* Recommend streetscape character, shade, landscaping, lighting, seating, materials, public
art, gateways, signage, green infrastructure, and other place-defining elements.
* Identify a hierarchy of public spaces and clarify how each could support daily use,
programmed events, festivals, markets, performances, and community gatherings.
* Develop conceptual design guidance for priority streets, intersections, gateways, public
spaces, and catalyst locations.
* Address comfort and usability in the Gulf Coast climate, including heat, shade, stormwater,
flooding, maintenance, and year-round activity.
5.9 Mobility, Access, and Parking
* Assess pedestrian, bicycle, transit, vehicular, freight, emergency access, and accessibility
conditions within and connecting to the study area.
* Recommend a connected street and pathway network that improves safety, legibility,
access, and circulation while supporting desired development patterns.
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* Evaluate parking supply, utilization, requirements, shared parking, district parking, curb
management, event demand, and phased parking strategies.
* Identify priority mobility improvements and coordinate recommendations with existing
transportation, trail, streetscape, and wayfinding plans.
* Address first and last mile connections to major destinations, neighborhoods, employers,
and regional transportation routes.
5.10 Catalyst Projects and Concept Plans
* Identify and prioritize a limited number of catalyst projects capable of changing market
perception, demonstrating momentum, attracting follow on investment, or connecting
existing assets.
* Prepare illustrative concept plans and visualizations for selected catalyst sites, corridors,
gateways, and public spaces. Concepts shall be detailed enough to communicate intent,
approximate scale, development relationships, public improvements, and phasing, but are
not expected to constitute construction documents.
* For each catalyst project, identify purpose, ownership considerations, partners,
prerequisites, estimated order of magnitude cost, potential funding or delivery approach,
implementation steps, and timing.
* Include a balanced portfolio of near term public realm improvements, redevelopment
opportunities, policy actions, programming, and longer-term transformational projects.
5.11 Infrastructure, Resilience, and Development Readiness
* Evaluate available information regarding drainage, flood risk, utilities, roadway capacity,
broadband, and other infrastructure relevant to the preferred downtown framework.
* Identify infrastructure limitations, additional studies, and capital improvements necessary
to support desired development.
* Incorporate resilience, stormwater management, heat mitigation, emergency access, long-
term maintenance, and lifecycle considerations into recommendations.
* Distinguish between confirmed infrastructure conditions and matters requiring future
engineering or technical analysis.
5.12 Implementation and Action Plan
* Prepare a phased implementation program organized by immediate actions, short term
actions, medium term actions, and long term initiatives.
* Identify responsible and supporting parties, dependencies, decision points, policy actions,
partnerships, preliminary cost ranges, and potential funding or financing sources.
* Prioritize recommendations using clear criteria such as impact, feasibility, urgency, market
readiness, cost, community support, and ability to catalyze private investment.
* Prepare a public investment framework and preliminary capital improvement priorities.
* Recommend organizational structure, governance, partnership, or district management
approaches for long term implementation and programming.
* Create measurable performance indicators and a monitoring framework for reporting
progress and updating the Plan.
* Identify an initial set of actions PEDC and the City can begin before final adoption or within
the first 12 months following completion.
5.13 Final Plan and Adoption Support
* Integrate technical findings, engagement results, preferred concepts, design guidance,
and implementation actions into a concise, visually compelling final Plan.
* Prepare executive level presentations and materials for PEDC leadership, the PEDC
Board, City leadership, City Council, and the public.
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* Present the draft and final Plan at meetings identified in the approved work plan and
respond to comments.
* Provide final editable source files, GIS data, graphics, presentations, engagement
summaries, and all other project materials in formats acceptable to PEDC.
6. Required Deliverables
At a minimum, the selected consultant shall provide the following. Respondents may recommend
additional deliverables or refinements that improve usability and implementation.
Deliverable Minimum Content
Detailed work plan, schedule, engagement plan, meeting
Project Management Plan cadence, data needs, decision structure, and quality-
control approach.
Existing Conditions and Opportunity Maps, analysis, market findings, development constraints,
Assessment assets, opportunities, and key planning implications.
Downtown Location and Boundary Evaluation criteria, alternative geographies, comparative
Alternatives analysis, and recommended downtown framework.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement activities, participation, findings, areas of
Engagement Summary consensus, unresolved issues, and influence on the Plan.
Market and Economic Development analysis, comparable
Technical Deliverables
downtown analysis, concept alternatives
Land use and development framework, character districts,
Planning Deliverables opportunity sites, mobility, parking, public realm and
placemaking strategy, development opportunity map
Downtown recruitment strategy, target industry and tenant
Economic Development Deliverables
matrix, retail site assessment and strategy
Draft Downtown Pasadena Vision and Complete draft suitable for public and decision-maker
Master Plan review.
Prioritized actions, sequencing, responsibilities, cost
Implementation and Action Plan ranges, funding and partnership options, metrics, and first
year work program.
Final adopted format document, concise executive
Final Plan and Executive Summary summary, presentation deck, and public facing summary
materials.
Accessible PDF, editable document and presentation files,
Digital and Editable Files GIS shapefiles or geodatabases, graphics, engagement
data, and native source files.
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6.1 Deliverable Standards
* Deliverables must be concise, graphic-rich, accessible, and written for both technical and
nontechnical audiences.
* Maps and graphics must be legible at common print sizes and suitable for public
presentations.
* Recommendations must clearly distinguish adopted direction, consultant
recommendations, conceptual ideas, assumptions, and items requiring additional study.
* Cost estimates shall be order of magnitude planning estimates with assumptions and
exclusions clearly stated.
* All final materials shall become the property of PEDC and must be provided without
proprietary restrictions that would prevent future public use or modification.
7. Project Administration and Engagement
7.1 Owner and Project Management
* PEDC will serve as the contracting entity and project manager. The selected consultant
will coordinate with a project management team that may include representatives from
PEDC, City Administration, Planning, Public Works, Engineering, Parks,
Communications, Convention Center operations, and other departments or partners as
appropriate.
* The consultant shall not rely on broad, unstructured owner conferences as a substitute
for disciplined project management. Meetings shall have clear purposes, agendas,
materials, decisions, and documented action items.
7.2 Anticipated Engagement Structure
Respondents should propose an engagement program appropriate to the work. For budgeting
and approach purposes, teams should anticipate a combination of the following, subject to
refinement during contract negotiations:
* Project management team meetings at regular intervals.
* Interviews with City and PEDC leadership, property owners, developers, institutions,
businesses, and community stakeholders.
* Targeted focus groups or roundtables addressing development, mobility, local business,
arts and culture, youth, and community identity.
* At least two major public workshops or charrette-style events at meaningful project
milestones.
* Bilingual and accessible engagement tools, including digital participation opportunities.
* Presentations to the PEDC Board and City Council or other public bodies as directed by
PEDC.
7.3 Consultant Team Expectations
The selected team should demonstrate integrated expertise in the following areas:
* Downtown, district, corridor, redevelopment, or urban-center planning in communities
without a traditional downtown.
* Urban design, placemaking, public realm design, and visual communication.
* Economic development, real estate market analysis, development feasibility, and
implementation.
* Land use, zoning, development standards, and redevelopment policy.
* Mobility, parking, pedestrian and bicycle planning, and accessibility.
* Community engagement in diverse and bilingual communities.
* Infrastructure, resilience, drainage, and Gulf Coast development conditions.
* Branding, identity, cultural planning, public art, and destination development, as
appropriate.
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8. Anticipated Project Schedule
PEDC anticipates an approximately 8 month planning process following notice to proceed.
Respondents shall provide a proposed schedule that demonstrates the sequence, duration,
dependencies, engagement points, decision milestones, and deliverables necessary to complete the
assignment efficiently.
The following schedule is preliminary and subject to modification at PEDC's sole discretion:
Anticipated Date
RFQ issued August 26, 2026
Deadline for written questions September 4, 2026
SOQs due By 4:00 p.m CST on September 14, 2026
Shortlist & Interviews (if necessary) September 24 - October 1, 2026
Consultant selection and notice of intent to award
October 2 - October 9, 2026
(negotiations begin)
Contract approval and notice to proceed October 22, 2026
Project kickoff October 29, 2026
Target completion of Final Plan June 30, 2027
All questions must be submitted in writing to the Purchasing Department, Attn: Karen
Wallace at 1149 Ellsworth Dr., Ste. 400, Pasadena, TX 77506, emailed to
kwallace@pasadenatx.gov or faxed to (713) 920-7938. If required, written addendum will
be issued within four (4) business days to respondents that have received this RFQ as
well as posted on the City of Pasadena website, the Pasadena EDC website, and
DemandStar.com.
9. Submittal Requirements
Interested firms should submit a concise SOQ that includes the following components in the order listed
below. Marketing material that does not directly demonstrate the respondent's qualifications for this
assignment should be limited. Submittals should not exceed 25 pages excluding covers.
i. Cover Letter
* Brief statement of interest
* Summary of understanding of the project and commitment to the anticipated schedule.
* Acknowledge receipt of addenda (if applicable).
ii. Firm Qualifications and Availability
* Describe the firm's relevant capabilities, organizational structure, current workload,
availability, quality-control practices, and ability to meet the anticipated schedule
* Identify any potential conflicts with other major commitments and how those will be
managed
iii. Project Team
* Organizational chart of the prime firm and any subconsultants.
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