• Lead and facilitate a robust in-person and online public participation process. The proposal should outline how the consultant team intends to use creative and diverse public engagement methods to maximize public awareness, as well as gather and present information. The City has requested that the public involvement process include the following: o Hosting at least three rounds of public meetings in each of the four Wards o Meetings throughout the duration of the project with a Steering Committee that will likely be composed of five people from each of the four Wards (including the four Ward Councilors) • Review and assess existing and current plans, studies and land development regulations to become familiar with prior and current planning efforts and to incorporate relevant plan recommendations into the Comprehensive Plan. Such plans, studies and regulations can be found at https://www.cityofhomewood.com/engineering-zoning: o Homewood Master Plan (2007) o West Homewood Neighborhood Plan (2013) o Heart of Homewood Downtown Master Plan (2018) o Transportation Master Plan (2020) o Subdivision Regulations (last amended in 2011) o Zoning Ordinance (last amended in 2024) • Compile a detailed analysis of the existing conditions and trends that will provide a baseline for creating the plan. • Develop a data-driven housing needs assessment to educate City leaders and the public about current and future housing needs in Homewood and help recommend potential solutions to provide housing options that are available for all demographics. The results should be incorporated into future land use recommendations, the Future Land Use Map, and suggested revisions to the Zoning Ordinance. • Create a new citywide Future Land Use Map to guide future rezoning and land development decisions. This should account for existing Future Land Use Maps, such as that provided in the Heart of Homewood Downtown Master Plan and include changes to those maps where necessary. • Create a plan that considers both citywide growth concerns and neighborhood-based strategies and policies. This will entail developing a set of strategies or recommended actions for implementation that are unique to each of the four Wards, as well as policies and programs that should be implemented citywide. The strategies and recommendations should cover a range of topic areas such as housing, multi-modal transportation, public services and infrastructure, recreation, public safety, economic development, etc. • Conduct a codes assessment that includes a review of current zoning and development regulations and propose changes to reflect the broader vision identified by the Comprehensive Plan. These proposals do not have to include specific edits to codes, but should provide direction to align these codes with the Comprehensive Plan. • Develop a comprehensive document that provides guidance for decision-making and capital investment decisions for elected officials, the city manager, and city departments. This document should also serve as a resource for various boards, commissions and committees to support informed decision-making and address growth-related challenges within the City.
