Urban Greenway Development

Please contact kenriquez@grcity.us for full RFQ and associated appendix.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

Introduction & Vision

The City of Grand Rapids is seeking a qualified consultant team to develop a transformational and actionable vision for the development of greenways and adjacent neighborhoods and industrial corridors centered around two urban waterways in southeast Grand Rapids, Plaster Creek and Silver Creek.

A growing coalition of community stakeholders have identified the opportunity to deliver on multiple community objectives through the development of a holistic plan of action for the Plaster Creek and Silver Creek corridor as a transformational revitalization opportunity for southeast Grand Rapids.

The community aims to create an urban greenway development project that will improve economic, social, and environmental outcomes following the best practices of the Atlanta Beltline, the Joe Louis Greenway and other similar projects around the United States, while also creating innovative solutions to ensure those who reside in the Boston Square, Madison Square, Burton Heights, and Roosevelt Park neighborhoods receive the majority of the benefit.

While a non-motorized trail is a significant component of the project as a unifying asset connecting several neighborhoods, this vision is much more than just a trail. Following a trail-oriented development model, the corridor will address legacy inequities in southeast Grand Rapids by making connections to green spaces offering natural areas for community gathering and outdoor recreation; connections to commercial and housing developments that prioritize local ownership, wealth building, and economic advancement; identify areas to change land use and zoning to complement the trail and environmental restoration and resiliency.

Collectively, these project components have the potential to result in one of the most transformational projects in our region's history.

Project goals include:

• Improve the quality of life for residents
• Connect southeast Grand Rapids to the downtown and the regional Grand River Greenway trail network
• Leverage public space investment to drive wealth-building and economic opportunities for residents of southeast Grand Rapids
• Provide additional affordable housing for area residents
• Identify opportunities for new, and expand existing, locally owned small businesses
• Increase opportunities for outdoor recreation, active mobility, and human connection
• Improve environmental outcomes for residents by adding intentional greenspace, reducing environmental impacts of historic development, and increasing climate resiliency
• Embody the cultures and spirit of southeast Grand Rapids through placemaking
• Implement the project with intentionality around avoiding displacement/gentrification of southeast Grand Rapids neighborhoods
• Ensure that the community and relevant neighborhood organizations are engaged throughout the planning and implementation process to ensure an inclusive process

Under the guidance of the City of Grand Rapids and community partners, the chosen team will analyze previous planning studies, engage residents and local stakeholders, and develop recommendations and implementation strategies for trail routing, development and phasing, environmental assessment/impacts, economic development strategies and zoning analysis and land use policies.

This project is funded in whole or in part using federal U.S. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Funds are to be encumbered by December 31, 2024 and fully expended by December 31, 2026. To meet the encumbrance deadline the agreement with the consultant must be executed by December 13th, for an amount not to exceed $1.5M. Due to this tight timeframe, it is anticipated that the full final project scope will be agreed upon between the City and the selected consultant team, after signed contract. This final project scope will be determined through initial conversations and scoping exercises between both parties.

Consultant fee, to be solicited from short-listed firms, will include costs for all scope and deliverables identified in the project RFQ and RFP including consultant labor hours, consultant reimbursables (travel, printing, etc.), proposed community engagement including stakeholder stipends, placemaking, engagement activities (food, venues, entertainment, swag, etc.). The allocated budget for this planning project is $1.5M.

Selection Process

Interested firms must respond to the requirements included herein and submit one electronic copy of their response. The information gathered will be evaluated by Project Team members and other Owner representatives to short-list qualified firms to submit a technical proposal in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) and be invited for interviews, if necessary. Firms invited to interview will address a few questions on their qualification and the project. A list of questions will be provided to the short-listed firms ahead of time. A formal presentation is not requested.

Firm(s) receiving RFP's will be provided additional information and contractual requirements for the project to help them prepare their proposal. The technical proposal, as well as the interview, will be evaluated to determine the firm(s) best qualified to provide services for this project. The City reserves the right to reject any and all applicants, in whole or in part, or waive immaterial irregularities, and may stop the selection process for the project at any time, based on the City's sole discretion. By submitting a response, firms waive the right to protest or object to the evaluation, the City's administration of the process, or any final decisions or selections made by the City and its project partners.

The Project Team will utilize a ranking matrix to identify what firms will receive the above referenced RFP. The matrix will focus on the areas listed below.

• Past Performance with City of Grand Rapids: How has your firm performed on past projects with the City of Grand Rapids. This will include the firm as a whole and project team members. (10%)
• Quality & Completeness of Response: 20%
  
  • Quality of qualification including understanding of project scope and timeline; firm's statement of what the project entails and goals stated in their own words.
  • Extent to which the submittal addresses all questions outlined in this RFQ.
  • Level of effort and detail, uniqueness of response, and degree to which the submittal exceeds baseline information requested in the RFQ.
• Project Team's Experience: 20%
  
  • Qualifications and utilization of the firm's employees assigned to the provision of these services, including previous work experience, technical management experience, education, and training.
  • Relatable experience of the Project Manager and personnel assigned to the project. Consideration will be given to projects identifying site complexity, working within residential neighborhoods, relationships with the City of Grand Rapids, phasing, etc.
• Firm's Experience: 50%
  
  • Equivalent criteria to the evaluation of the Project Team's experience but as applies to the firm. The perception of this project and your firm's expertise for the provision of the Professional Services as described in this RFQ.
  • Record of performance in the provision of similar services, including such factors as project management, budget and financial control of cost, fee and compensation experience and methods, quality of work, and ability to meet schedules.

Background

Parks, green spaces, and trails play a leading role in providing shared community spaces that foster vibrant communities that benefit residents' physical, emotional and mental health. The ties to our neighborhoods, the strength of our relationships, and the natural resources present in our communities are all related to our community's well-being.

Plaster Creek Trail is an existing three-mile trail system that provides recreation opportunities and non-motorized transportation through southeast Grand Rapids. There are gaps in the Plaster Creek trail system that direct pedestrians from a dedicated non-motorized trail to city sidewalks and areas where there is no trail or sidewalk available across major barriers of railroads and a federal highway. This project will create a plan to close the existing gaps as well as make improvements to the existing trail system and develop a trail design standard.

Silver Creek was once an open waterway connecting Reeds Lake to the Grand River. Between 1920 and 1933, the entire creek was buried as a culvert which remains today under the control of the Kent County Drain Commissioner. The path of the Silver Creek drain runs through the heart of Southeast Grand Rapids through residential, commercial, and industrial areas in the Boston Square, Madison Square, and Burton Heights neighborhoods to the Roosevelt Park neighborhood and ultimately Plaster Creek and the Grand River to the west.

After decades of disinvestment and systemic inequities, these neighborhoods in Grand Rapids' Third Ward are experiencing new energy through recent development projects such as MCPC West Michigan Technology Center (2022, $14 million), Boston Square Together community hub and business incubator (2024, $26 million), a new Gentex satellite plant (2024, $1.1 million), and the MoTown Square senior living project (2024, $18 million).

Project partners see the vision for the Silver Creek Corridor as an urban greenway that connects and expands access to housing and jobs while ensuring that long-term residents benefit from new investment. This planning process will create a framework for holistic equitable development through the corridor that incorporates non-motorized trails and green spaces, environmental assessment, economic development strategies and zoning analysis and land use policies.

Strategic Plan & Organization Vision

The planning study will develop actionable strategies to support and build upon the community's vision of equitable development and improved quality of life as identified in several past plans.

Parks, Public Spaces and Non-Motorized Transportation

• The 2022 Parks & Recreation Strategic Master Plan has the goal to "create a connected network of parks, trails, natural areas, and waterways that is accessible to all of the Grand Rapids community." In addition, Silver Creek travels directly through multiple priority areas for new parks and greenspace.
• The 2023 Grand River Equity Framework identifies Plaster Creek Trail as a critical connection to the Grand River corridor for neighborhoods that have historically lacked access to the river and who experience ongoing environmental justice issues.
• The River for All Design Guidelines were developed to guide all river trail and river edge improvements along the 7.5 mile river corridor in Grand Rapids (Riverside Park to the north and Butterworth Site to the south). These guidelines should serve as a starting point for the neighborhood-based design for the Silver Creek and Plaster Creek Trails.
• The Grand Rapids Bicycle Action Plan , contains multiple suggestions from the public for infrastructure improvements along the Plaster Creek trail, including improvements to the existing trail, new intersection/bridges and underpasses and new trail segments. The Silver Creek corridor is not mentioned by name, however, new bike facilities and improved intersections were public requests throughout the corridor.

The City considers in its projects, improvements that promote environmental stewardship and sustainable practices in the operations, renovations, and construction of its facilities as outlined in the previously adopted City Commission " Sustainability Policy for City Buildings " and the Green Grand Rapids , renewable energy, Complete Streets, Green Infrastructure and Portfolio Standard , and Vital Streets initiatives. The City's Strategic Plan further promotes the value of sustainability and "...making decisions with an understanding of how those decisions will impact the environment, people and communities, and finances, both today and in the future." In keeping with this philosophy, the City intends to practice and promote sustainable design practices. The Consultant shall propose sustainable practices and improvements in the provision of services for project design and construction.

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The development of a holistic plan of action for the Plaster Creek and Silver Creek corridor will include multidisciplinary planning around existing and future trails and adjacent communities. While Plaster Creek Trail is a well-established community idea that needs a plan of action for implementation, Silver Creek Trail is a fairly new concept that needs significant study around routing feasibility, alignment with other community goals/plans/projects, and deeper community conversation before being positioned to a point of action.

The Plaster Creek Trail project will focus on improvements to the existing trail, developing trail design guidelines and filling gaps in the trail system. The Silver Creek Corridor project will center on creating a conceptual framework for an urban greenway development project that will improve economic, social and environmental outcomes for the community.

The services to be performed are broken into the following subsections:

Silver Creek Corridor

1. Trail Routing and Development
2. Daylighting & Environmental Assessment
3. Planning & Zoning
4. Community Engagement
5. Economic Development

Plaster Creek Trail

1. Trail Development
2. Community Engagement

Both Projects

1. Implementation and Funding Plan