Title
Resolution to Approve a Professional Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Michigan Inc. RFP No. 26-39 and Appropriate Funding ($786,499.00) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
In March of 2026, City Council adopted the Comprehensive Land Use Plan - 2050 (the “Plan”.) The Plan sets forth a series of ambitious goals to advance housing development, land use flexibility, and other measures to promote a more affordable, sustainable, equitable, and dynamic community. In addition to a variety of resource investments, the path toward realizing the goals of the Plan includes significant updates and amendments to the City’s current Unified Development Code.
The City Council has also established the City’s Economic Development Department, and recently budgeted funds for this team to engage consultants to undertake an analysis of the City’s Development Review process, with the goal of developing recommendations to increase clarity, reduce cost, and increase speed of processes, as a means of ensuring the City is availing itself of appropriate opportunities to achieve City goals.
Collaboratively, Economic Development and Planning Services issued Request for Proposals No. 26-39 earlier this year to advance both processes. This approach has resulted in a proposed workplan that accelerates the development review analysis at the beginning of the work, so that any recommended ordinance changes can be seamlessly incorporated into the development of an updated code.
Evaluation of proposals, and this recommendation has been conducted by City staff, including representation from Planning, Economic Development, Public Services, and the City Attorney. The Stantec Consulting Michigan Inc. team was selected based on evaluation of written proposal, project management and product examples from other communities, reference checks to other communities where they have performed similar work, and interview. The teams project management experience and expertise will provide staffing resources, best practices examples and analysis, and an experience of similar work that will help the City of Ann Arbor navigate and resolve important ordinance decisions.
This resolution approves a Professional Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Michigan Inc. in the amount of $786,499.00 to provide professional planning, zoning, development-review process improvement, public engagement assistance, mapping, and implementation support services for the City’s Unified Development Code rewrite and Development Review Process Improvement initiatives.
The services will provide an integrated, phased approach to evaluate the existing Unified Development Code, zoning map, development-review processes, and applicable planning and legal frameworks; develop zoning districts, development standards, procedures, and a corresponding zoning map that reflect the goals established by the Plan. The work will result in an adoption-ready Unified Development Code and zoning map. To reduce costs, City staff will lead the majority of any determined public engagement activities, with support (e.g. materials, illustrations, etc.) from the consultant team. The UDC work will culminate with Planning Commission review and City Council adoption.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: The total cost of services is $786,499.00 including a contingency of $71,500.00. Of this amount, $389,999.00 ($324,999.00 for UDC rewrite; $65,000.00 for Development Review Process Evaluation) is already appropriated via the adopted FY 2027 budget. This work is expected to span two fiscal years and as such an additional $325,000.00 is being planned in the FY 2028 budget. The $71,500.00 contingency has not been budgeted and it is being requested that this funding be appropriated from the FY 2027 General Fund budget.
Staff
Prepared by: Brett Lenart, Planning Manager
Reviewed by: Joe Giant, Economic Development Director
Eric Rapp, Budget Analyst
Derek Delacourt, Community Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The City seeks to implement the land use, housing, redevelopment, sustainability, transportation, natural-features protection, and economic-development objectives of the Comprehensive Plan 2050 through a comprehensive rewrite of the City’s Unified Development Code and associated zoning map;
Whereas, The City further seeks to evaluate and improve its development review, permitting, and inspection processes to improve transparency, predictability, coordination, customer service, and timeliness;
Whereas, Stantec Consulting has proposed to provide professional services for the Unified Development Code rewrite and Development Review Process Improvement initiatives, including diagnostic review, policy calibration, code and zoning-map drafting, public engagement, legal and technical quality assurance, adoption support, and implementation materials; and
Whereas, The Professional Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Michigan Inc. will provide for an integrated and coordinated work program that distinguishes recommendations that may be implemented administratively from recommendations requiring Unified Development Code or policy amendments;
RESOLVED, That City Council approves a Professional Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Michigan, Inc. in the amount of $786,499.00;
RESOLVED, That City Council approves a total contingency $71,500.00 to fund additional services under this agreement; subject to City Administrator approval;
RESOLVED, That City Council appropriates $65,000.00 from General Fund fund balance to the FY 2027 Planning Services General Fund budget for the project contingency;
RESOLVED, That City Council appropriates $6,500.00 from General Fund fund balance to the FY 2027 Economic Development General Fund budget for the project contingency;
RESOLVED, That all amounts herein are without regard to fiscal year;
RESOLVED, That the Mayor and City Clerk are authorized and directed to execute the Professional Services Agreement after approval by the City Administrator and City Attorney; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator is authorized to take all appropriate actions to implement this resolution and the agreement, including execution of subagreements, change orders up to the contingency amounts, or related documents, and to make all determinations and exercise all authority delegated to the City under the agreement.