Regional Housing Study REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

ACCOMACK-NORTHAMPTON PLANNING DISTRICT

FACILITATION SERVICES & HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS

PROPOSALS DUE NO LATER THAN:

5:00 PM EST

April 16, 2021

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS 

FACILITATION SERVICES & HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS

The Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission is soliciting consultant qualifications for a Facilitation Services and Housing Needs Analysis for the planning district that includes Accomack County and Northampton County.  The results of this Housing Needs Analysis should provide the region, local governments, developers and the community a meaningful sense of the housing market to formulate housing priorities. The analysis should further provide current and future needs and a recommended housing mix.

ABOUT THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA

The Eastern Shore of Virginia comprises two rural counties on the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from mainland Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. The mainland of Virginia is accessed by U.S. Route 13 across the 18-mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Northampton County, Virginia is the southernmost county and includes the road access to mainland Virginia. Accomack County is contiguous to Worcester County, Maryland and Somerset County, Maryland along its northern border.

The character of the Eastern Shore of Virginia is rural with small villages and small towns. The region has three island towns; the Town of Chincoteague, Saxis and Tangier. The Town of Tangier is only accessible by boat or plane. The region has a diverse mix of different types of industry that includes poultry processing and agriculture, aquaculture, the Wallops Flight Facility, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and tourism.

SCOPE OF WORK

The proposal should break down elements by Task and include cost estimate for the tasks.

Project Scope and Deliverables

1)Tasks

Task 1. Kick-Off Meeting and Background Review

Consultant will participate in a kick-off meeting with the Regional Housing Study Management Team. The purpose of the meeting will be to hear directly from the stakeholders regarding their priorities and refine the consultant methodology and presentation materials. Meetings may be in a virtual format.

Task 2. Development of Community Meeting Materials

Consultant will prepare sign-in materials, presentation materials and agendas for each community meeting for A-NPDC approval prior to the identified meeting. A-NPDC will supply a basic inventory of housing using the Census estimates. A-NPDC will provide the consultant local information regarding the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, the latest cost estimates for multifamily development on the Eastern Shore, latest cost estimate for a single-family unit and other appropriate, available local housing data. The consultant is expected to provide housing data analysis.

Task 3. Community Meetings

Consultant will arrange locations, invitations and outreach. A-NPDC will advertise the schedule of public meetings and topics. Meetings may be in a virtual format.

Consultant will provide methodology for facilitation of community meetings with topical or location-based agendas as selected by the Regional Housing Study Management Team, to provide citizen and stakeholder input. Consultant will facilitate the Team to select the topics for the community meetings. Location based topics have not been identified. The topics that the Team has identified, as potentials, are: vacant houses, community infrastructure concerns, wastewater/water infrastructure, regional gentrification impact, affordability, construction cost increases, impact of zoning on affordability, capacity of government, and capacity of private market housing supply.

The consultant will gather the names and general home location of participants, raw information such as counts of dots toward identified issues, raw surveys or other citizen and all other stakeholder input. Community identified needs will be organized and prepared in a presentation format for inclusion in the Draft and Final Report.

Task 4. Housing Needs Analysis

Parcel and 911 address data exists for Accomack County and Northampton County and will be provided to the consultant by A-NPDC. The consultant should detail a housing count need analysis based on population, generational mix and other consultant and stakeholder identified demographics.

Task 5. Socioeconomic and Demographic Analysis

Consultant will analyze socioeconomic conditions and demographic trends in the region and in Accomack County and Northampton County.

Task 6. Projected Housing Demand

Consultant will project future population, households, householder age, household income and housing preferences for 2025, 2035 and 2045 based on the preceding trends analysis and projections prepared by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

Consultant and the Regional Housing Study Management Team will review this data and the Team will select two additional scenarios of changing population conditions. Consultant will then project the two scenarios for housing demand under those conditions.

Task 7. Housing Gaps

Consultant will project future housing needs (both affordable and market-rate needs) based on housing affordability levels, tenure and housing types. Consultant will identify and quantify gaps between housing needs and supply, including seniors and disabled households, single person households, and the homeless.

Task 8. Local Gaps

Consultant will provide housing needs and analysis based on specific issues identified by the community meetings (this may include aging of units in mobile home parks, localized lack of housing, conversion of year-round units to short term vacation rentals/second homes or other identified local gap).

Task 9. Draft and Final Reports

Prepare a draft report that summarizes the analysis, incorporating graphics, tables and maps. The report will include a chapter that addresses the issues and quantifies the gap for each county. A technical appendix must be provided for more detailed tabular data. Following receipt of one set of consolidated comments and revisions from A-NPDC, a final report will be developed and delivered.

The following tasks are alternates of desired proposal elements that may be constricted by the overall budget and, if selected, be required to be included in the Draft and Final Reports.

Alternate Task 10. Detailed Neighborhood Analysis

Consultant will need to provide a methodology and price to complete a more detailed analysis of needs, neighborhood conditions and improvements of specific neighborhoods that range from 5 houses to 25 houses.

2) Timeline

Recommended timeline:

Activity                                                            Time Period

Notice To Proceed                                        May 2021

Kick-off Meeting                                            July 2021

Data collection                                               Summer/Fall 2021

Community Meetings                                    Summer/Fall 2021

Draft Report                                                   Winter 2021/2022

Final Report                                                   Spring 2022

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment will be managed by A-NPDC staff and guided by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Regional Housing Study Management Team, as well as the Accomack-Northampton Regional Housing Authority Board and Eastern Shore of Virginia Housing Alliance Board. The two Boards will guide and evaluate the project and act in a liaison capacity with the broader community.

A-NPDC staff will maintain open communication with the consultant, ensuring consistency with the established work plan and completion of project deliverables in accordance with established deadlines. The A-NPDC will provide background reports, GIS, transportation and other information for the region and, where possible, facilitate access to municipal information. A-NPDC staff may provide a limited amount of in-kind assistance to the consultant team to ensure successful completion of the project, placement of news advertisements, and staff support at community and stakeholder meetings.

Project Manager: Director of Housing Services, Russ Williams, will be the project manager.

SERVICE AREA

The housing analysis will study housing needs in the Counties of Accomack and Northampton.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

1. Qualifications of Consultant

• Experience working with peer communities
• Experience working on similar projects
• Personnel qualifications
• Personnel experience

2. Understanding of this project

3. Familiarity with this region

4. Ability to meet project schedule

5. Cost estimates

A complete Proposal will include:

1. Narrative response to RFP with cost estimate by task

2. Proposed timeline

3. Statement of staff qualifications

4. Contact information

5. List of three references

The A-NPDC reserves to accept or reject any and all proposals.

Sealed, hard copy submittals received before the deadline for submission will be considered.

Responses to RFP are to be submitted by 5:00 PM April 16, 2021 to:

Russ Williams

Director of Housing Services

Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission

PO Box 417

Accomac, Virginia 23301