Solicitation Detail - City of Springfield, MA

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16-140 - RFP: Downtown/Metro Center Pedestrian Wayfinding Enhancement Initiative

End date: Thursday March 10, 2016 at 2 p.m.

The Springfield Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Planning and Economic Development, and the Department of Elder Affairs have been guiding the city's recently expanded Pedestrian-focused downtown way-finding work, with assistance from WalkBoston, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The PVPC has facilitated the pre-RFP work in collaboration with the Office of Planning and Economic Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Public Works, DevelopSpringfield, WalkBoston, the TDI initiative, the Cultural District, and the University of Massachusetts School of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning.

A Project Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) will be formed from the above participants to review all work performed by the consultant.

The public will be involved in the project through participation in meetings where final concepts for the Downtown/Metro Center Pedestrian Way-finding initiative will be presented and discussed. A minimum of two informational meetings or forums for the general public will be held during the project.

BACKGROUND
The City of Springfield has a number of recent and ongoing downtown (and city-wide that focus on downtown) planning initiatives, including the 2014 Pedestrian and Bicycle Complete Streets Plan, the Residential Market Potential Report (Zimmerman and Volk-2013), the Worthington Street District Planning Study (Utile 2014), and the downtown Transformative Development Initiative (TDI-2015). The City of Springfield also has an active Wellness/Leadership Team which has secured funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to improve downtown walkability, focusing on the needs of vulnerable populations. One of the major place making and way finding goals of this initiative is the development of a "Walk Downtown/Metro Center System" and other public realm / pedestrian circulation amenities. The ‘walk system' and way-finding amenities are understood to be a major unifying element for the City that will link or tie together specific land uses, destinations, attractions, parks and open spaces, special features, historic resources, entertainment venues, parking facilities and PVTA bus stops with the explicit goal of promoting Springfield as a healthy destination where people can walk and bike to meet their daily needs as well as to visit the city's major attractions.

The ‘walk system', its amenities and improvements will significantly enhance the development potential of several key sites around the Downtown/Metro Center Core by creating another powerful level of urban lifestyle amenity within Downtown/Metro Center in the region's urban center. They will function as connectors of neighborhoods and districts and linkages between a variety of transportation facilities, routes and systems (Union Station, potential Bike Share stations, and PVTA bus stops). They will serve as corridors for movement, open space amenities to be enjoyed by residents, visitors and tourists, a visual and aesthetic experience singularly unique to Downtown/Metro Center and a supporting link and connecting mechanism between and to various destinations and attractions as well as important transportation elements. The Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway is understood to be a major pedestrian destination, and improving access to it, via way-finding and enhanced pedestrian infrastructure is very important.

The City of Springfield is seeking assistance with the creation of a seamless, integrated pedestrian way- finding experience within its Downtown/Metro Center that provides connections to and from attractions, destinations, public venues, businesses, PVTA stops, potential Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stops, parking areas and transportation infrastructure/amenities for residents, and tourists and visitors. This work will build on the temporary way-finding system and provide a re-imagined Downtown/Metro Center to compliment the surge of public and private development taking place in the Downtown/Metro Center and to provide the physical infrastructure, amenities and aesthetic presence reflective of both the city's and the region's cultural and economic heart.

As Springfield's Downtown/Metro Center continues to attract new investment, interest in improving pedestrian movement, circulation and safety has grown. The concept of way-finding is increasingly viewed as an important component of a comprehensive, longer-term strategy to market Downtown/Metro Center and to encourage new residential, retail and commercial investments. Improvements shall provide a unique amenity that will boost walkability, facilitate development and enhance the attractiveness of Downtown Springfield as a place to live, work, and play. The following resources provide additional background information.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this work is to create and design a permanent way-finding system that builds on the newly to be installed (March 2016) temporary Downtown/Metro Center Way-finding system. The goal of the permanent way-finding system is to aid and improve the experience of residents, tourists, and visitors in the core of our urban center. While the primary emphasis of this way-finding system will focus on pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles will need to be considered in the design of a comprehensive way-finding system. The work will affirm and/or revise as necessary the temporary way-finding system and will also address existing streetscape conditions that are not conducive to the effective installation of a new way-finding system. This new system will provide needed way-finding guidance for users that will connect them to vital Downtown/Metro Center attractions, destinations, entertainment venues and other transportation infrastructure.

Springfield's Downtown/Metro Center neighborhood is experiencing a surge of investment with a number of new projects underway and nearing completion: Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center, the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), new market rate housing and the MGM Casino, arts, retail, and entertainment area (opening September 2018). These projects will bring considerable new retail, employment, housing, and entertainment opportunities to the Downtown/Metro Center and it is especially important that residents, particularly residents who have had limited access to opportunity, be able to take advantage of these new opportunities and have access to them via walking and bicycling.

The way-finding system must inform, relate to and coordinate with the city's Cultural District, Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway, Pedestrian and Bicycle Complete Streets Plan, Downtown parks, hotels, attractions, entertainment venues and historic resources, Downtown/Metro Center vehicular signage system, parking facilities, PVTA bus stops and other bicycle/pedestrian amenities in order to create a safe, seamless and integrated resident and tourist/visitor pedestrian/bicyclist/vehicular circulation experience.

The Downtown/Metro Center Pedestrian Way-finding project is among the highest priorities for Springfield's downtown community. The functional and aesthetic quality of the focus area-bounded by the Connecticut river to the west, Byers Street to the east, Liberty Street to the North and Union Street to the South, is of paramount importance to the city and the region's economic development and quality of life.

TARGET AREA

The Target Area includes the Downtown/Metro Center district of the City of Springfield.

The Target Area is one of the region's largest employment centers and is home to a growing residential community. With roughly 8000 employees, 6800 residents, and thousands of annual visitors, Springfield's Downtown/Metro Center is the legal, cultural, civic, and economic heart of the Pioneer Valley Region. The map on the following page illustrates the target area (Downtown/Metro Center Core) in context and in greater detail.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City of Springfield is seeking a consultant team that includes a
planning/design/landscape architecture firm and a communications/graphic arts/marketing firm that have demonstrated experience in the design, development and implementation of urban pedestrian way finding systems. While the focus of this way-finding system will be for pedestrians, a system that can accommodate way-finding for bicyclists and vehicles shall also be considered.

• This work consists of transforming the temporary pedestrian focused way-finding system into a permanent Downtown/Metro Center way-finding system within the target area.
• The consultant will identify streetscape conditions in the target area that are not conducive to the implementation of a way-finding system. Alternative streetscape design solutions shall be generated by the consultant.
• The consultant will identify locations and designs for way-finding kiosks and other appropriate signage to complement a newly designed way-finding system.
• The consultant shall provide guidance on what current way-finding signage shall be removed once a new-way-finding system is in place.
• The consultant will conduct two public meetings to solicit input from residents, visitors and stakeholders to solicit input and present way-finding proposals. Recommended alternatives and/or improvements will be presented to the community in the form of drawings, photo and/or video simulations, and other visual techniques appropriate to convey the information. The consultant shall assist the City in promoting information about the initiative using the city's website, social media and other techniques as appropriate to reach the target audiences.
• The consultant shall review and use for guidance all reports and resources outlined in this RFP.
• The consultant shall provide itemized cost estimates for all components of the proposed way-finding system.
• The consultant will ensure that the Project Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) has a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on any recommendations before they are presented at any public meetings.
• The consultant shall ensure that all way-finding system proposals are consistent with both local and MassDot requirements for such systems.
• The consultant shall provide at the completion of the project electronic files of all project documents and presentation materials.
• Phase two of this project will include the fabrication and installation of the planned-designed way-finding system. Consultants shall include a budget for the fabrication and installation of the proposed way-finding system.