HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Packet 2026-06-18 TOWN OF ITHACA
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NEW YORK
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING
215 N. Tioga St 14850
607.273.1747
townithacanyyov
TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING COMMITTEE
THURSDAY,JUNE 18, 2026 at 3:00 P.M.
Meeting Location: Ithaca Town Hall, 215 N. Tioga Street, Aurora Conference Room
(Enter from the rear entrance of Town Hall, adjacent employee parking lot.)
Members of the public may also join the meeting virtually via Zoom at
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6750593272.
AGENDA
1. Persons to be heard.
2. Committee announcements and concerns.
3. Consider approval of April meeting minutes.
4. Overview of the Tompkins County Community Housing Development Fund with
Tompkins County Department of Planning & Sustainability.
5. Review and discuss draft Request for Qualifications (RFQ)to develop scenario planning
models for 2014 Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map Character Districts/areas.
6. Staff updates and reports.
7. Discuss next meeting date and upcoming agenda items.
A quorum of the Ithaca Town Board may be present,however,
no official Board business will be conducted.
Town of Ithaca Planning Committee
Thursday,April 16, 2026
(3:00 PM Aurora Conference Room and on Zoom)
Draft Minutes
Committee members present: Rod Howe, Chair; Diana Sinton; Dave McCune.
Board/staff members: Director of Planning C.J. Randall; Director of Code Enforcement Marry
Moseley; Senior Civil Engineer Justin McNeal; GIS Specialist Max Villenueva.
Guests: Tompkins County Planning and Sustainability Department representatives David West in
person and Shawna Stevenson via Zoom.
1. Persons to be heard: None
2. Committee announcements and concerns: None
3. Approval of March minutes: Dave moved March 19, 2026, minutes for approval as presented.
Diana seconded, the minutes were approved.
4. Discussion and consideration of options to develop scenario planning models for 2014
Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map Character Districts/areas. C.J. prefaced the discussion
with the base work that brought the current matter before the committee. The town received a grant
funding award from the NYS Pro Housing Communities program for no-match technical assistance to
be used in support of housing mobilization. Staff investigated possible planning tools to help create in-
depth models for future housing development in the town.
A short overview video on what ArcGIS Urban is, was shown on screen. The brief summary was that
ArcGIS Urban is a 3D web experience that streamlines the creation and sharing of land use and zoning
plans alongside the review of proposed development projects. Town Planner Nick Quilty-Koval along
with Town GIS Specialist Max Villanueva fielded questions from committee members and C.J. and Nick
explained how the potential scenario planning models would be useful for the town.
Justin mentioned the current Sewer(Joint Interceptor) Study in cooperation with the City of Ithaca and
the integration of hydrology to help model the flow for capacity using the Esri programming will be an
asset. David West added that the potential project is in line with the County Housing Strategy and the
beginning of previous similar individual projects can be costly for the municipalities, this funding being
a good opportunity for the town. Projects like proposed could also support the County Comprehensive
Plan when it comes time for updating.
Staff summarized the options of looking at the full Future Land Use Map Characters areas as identified
in the Town's 2014 Comprehensive Plan or focus specifically on the South Hill TND (Traditional
Neighborhood Development)where the GEIS will be beginning soon could work well together for
focusing on development in that focus area.
It was explained that town has existing licensing with Esri, that includes the ArcGIS Urban feature. Esri
is the company who provides the well utilized GIS support that the town is contracted with.Additional
services and support as drafted in the information provided in the packet included options of support at
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an additional cost. If the committee is inclined to pursue the project, the RFP process would be followed
to contract for services.A draft RFP could be presented to the committee before forwarding it to the
town board for consideration and formal cost estimates would be received. The project cost would be
expensed from the grant award and is estimated to be in the range of$60,000490,000.
The committee was in overall support of moving forward with the project, focusing on the South Hill
TND area. Staff will prepare a draft RFP to present to the committee to begin the process. Diana noted
confidence in the existing staff for in-house assistance and abilities to learn from the additional
technology and support. Once the project is built out and complete, specific additional services may be
needed in other areas and there will be a remaining balance from the grand award.
5. Staff updates and reports:
After alternate meeting date discussion, the May meeting was cancelled due to no agenda items and
scheduling conflicts.
C.J. noted upcoming attendance at the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU 34) in Northwest
Arkansas.
Proposed changes to the NYS Environmental Review process (SEQRA) are being followed by planning
staff.
The new NYS Freshwater Wetlands regulations have been annulled. The town will follow the guidance
provided by the Association of Towns.
The proposed housing development, The Woods at SouthWorks, is submitting for the sketch review
phase and will likely be before the Planning Board in May.
The potential West Hill TND development project has had new interest, and information could be
coming in the summer. Coordination with the public works and planning committees will be concurrent.
The town website still is current with the charrette and other information from the project team; C.J.
offered to send that information to new Planning Committee members.
Staff attended a data center webinar and no new information or concern was noted. Staff will stay
abreast of any potential issues or projects relative to these uses.
6. Next meeting date and upcoming agenda items:
The next meeting will be held June 18, 2026, with anticipated review of draft RFP for ArcGIS Urban
Scenario Planning Models. Future agenda items will include discussion regarding sewer exemptions.
Internal staff discussions will begin with engineering and planning.
The Town of Ithaca Planning Committee meeting concluded at 4:04 p.m.
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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ )
FOR
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
ESRI ARCGIS URBAN
SCENARIO PLANNING CREATION OF
DIGITAL DESIGN OF MODELS
FOR THE
TOWN OF ITHACA
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
LOCATED AT
TOWN OF ITHACA
215 N TIOGA STREET, ITHACA, NY 14850
TOMPKINS COUNTY, NY
ISSUED: X/XX/XXXX DEADLINE: X/XX/XXXX
PREPARED BY:
TOWN OF ITHACA
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
215 NORTH TIOGA STREET
ITHACA, NY 14850
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Contents
A. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 3
B. Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 3
C. Collaborators...................................................................................................................... 4
D. Process Overview................................................................................................................ 5
E. Scope of Ser vices ............................................................................................................... 5
F. Anticipated Scope of Work ................................................................................................... 5
G. Consultant Selection ........................................................................................................... 6
H. Submission Requirements ................................................................................................... 6
I. Evaluation Criteria............................................................................................................... 7
J. Submission Deadline .......................................................................................................... 9
Appendices:
Exhibit A – Town of Ithaca Future Land Use Map
Exhibit B – Town of Ithaca New Neighborhood Code (NNC)
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A. Introduction
Located in the southern part of the Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, the South Hill
Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) envisions a walkable community comprised of diverse
housing types. This includes single-family dwellings, duplexes, townhomes, apartments, and mixed-use
developments connected to recreational areas and commercial amenities, all in one cohesive neighborhood
unit. Developed using the New Neighborhood Code (NNC) — the enabling zoning adopted by the Town
Board in 2020 — this project completed an important next step in the process for bringing the
community’s vision to life. The NNC offers an alternative to the Town’s current conventional
development regulations, with tools that are suited to building new complete neighborhoods.
As the Town grows, the 2014 Comprehensive Plan sets priorities for ensuring implementation of Smart
Growth principles. Because the Town prioritizes and highly values protection of farmland and open space
while also ensuring the quality and livability of the Town’s business and residential neighborhoods, the
Plan’s Future Land Use Map identified areas within the municipality where development intensity and
housing density take the form of a TND. The TND is a form of development that is focused on Smart
Growth principles, including walkability, a wide cross -section of uses, densities, and building types in
new neighborhoods, various housing prices, and connectivity to existing infrastructure, including
transportation networks and utility services. These areas also have large unsubdivided parcels of land that
make land acquisition, planning, and development of a cohesive mixed-use neighborhood much more
feasible than in other parts of the Town where there the land ownership pattern is more fragmented.
In coordination with Brown & Associates, on October 25, 26, and 27, 2021, the Town of Ithaca held a
virtual charrette exploring the capabilities of one TND area, known as the South Hill TND. This project,
located at the intersection of Danby Road (New York State Route 96-B) and King Road East (County
Road 179), utilized the process and development guidelines outlined in the NNC to develop a regulating
plan that guides the built environment on a ±167-acre area just south of Ithaca College. At the conclusion
of the charrette on October 27, Brown & Associates premiered a preliminary conceptual plan, which is
located on the Town’s website here: https://townithacany.gov/south-hill-tnd/.
The Town of Ithaca, in collaboration with internal Departments, intends to engage consultants with
geospatial design and development understanding to provide scenario planning and fiscal analysis for the
South Hill TND, TND Medium Density, and TND High Density areas shared on the Town’s Future Land
Use Map, in accordance with the NNC and existing municipal zoning requirements.
The goal of this project includes implementation of existing regulating plan concepts from the South Hill
TND project, scenario planning for neighborhoods units in the TND areas in accordance with the NNC,
and visualization of impacts to development based on underlying zoning conditions. Along with
accompanying metrics analyzing fiscal, land use, and environmental impacts in an ArcGIS Urban digital
environment.
B. Purpose
This project outlined in the RFQ to create a digitized scenario planning model is funded by the New York
State Homes and Community Renewal Technical Assistance to Grow Pro-Housing Communities Grant.
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The purpose of this “Request for Qualification” (RFQ) is to solicit qualified vendors (hereinafter
called “Consultants”) to assist with the implementation of Esri ArcGIS Urban for detailed scenario
planning analysis of the South Hill Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Medium Density
areas, and TND High Density areas located on the Town of Ithaca’s (Town) Future Land Use Map. The
Town is seeking a vendor to provide comprehensive services to apply its existing GIS environment that
currently uses ArcGIS Pro, Utility Network, and Cartegraph and integrate them into ArcGIS Urban. This
effort should integrate ArcGIS Urban metrics for site capacity and cost to serve analysis, specifically to
help determine the most productive development scenarios, maximizing the value per acre and
minimizing the public costs per acre over the long-term, and ultimately evaluate development based on
realistic absorption forecasts.
This project proposes building robust models within the ArcGIS framework allowing for modulation in
assumptions of land uses, densities, and population in these development focus areas. Land use
assumptions will assist the Town in determining need and timing of capital improvements to serve future
planned development. While this tool is anticipated mainly for internal use for large scale development
projects, the Town envisions a public facing interactive experience where community members, ranging
from residential property owners to developers and venture capitalists, can locate an area of interest to
learn of development impacts during the initial phase of a project’s lifecycle.
T he ArcGIS Urban tool developed by the consultant should be able to perform site capacity analysis,
development scenarios, and regulating plans for the conceptual TND developments. This in turn will be
able to provide the basis for calculating development costs and expectations for projects within the
municipality. This tool will guide municipal officials and the development community by establishing
clear expectations associated with development costs, including costs per unit and square foot for the
following: water (residential and non-residential), sewer, roads, recreation, park land, fire protection,
transportation, and Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) preparation for existing TND
proposals.
This RFQ also seeks qualified vendors to provide clear and concise documentation and training
for the Town Staff. The finished Esri tool, intended to be user -friendly and accessible to Town
staff, will require hands -on training upon completion, as well as a detailed manual that can be
used to train additional Town staff and community members in the future.
C. Collaborators
The Town of Ithaca (Planning and Engineering Departments ), in collaboration with Esri Professional
Services, intends to establish foundational data for implementation in a robust ArcGIS Urban
development impact analysis model.
Stakeholders also include, but are not limited to Town of Ithaca Public Works Department, Town of
Ithaca Finance Officers, Ithaca Fire Department, Tompkins County Department of Planning and
Sustainability, Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission (Bolton Point), Tompkins
County Highway Department, New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New York
State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) utility, and the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC),
which is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Tompkins County.
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D. Process Overview
The primary objective of the project will be to prepare scenario planning model s used for analysis of
development proposals and long-term capital improvement planning for the South Hill TND and TND
Areas, as identified on the Town of Ithaca Future Land Use Map (Exhibit A ).
E. Scope of Services
The Town is seeking qualifications from firms that have demonstrated expertise providing geospatial
analysis, economic development analysis, land value economics, and/or revenue modeling, in one or
more of the following areas:
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Fiscal A nalysis of D evelopment
• Scenario Planning
• Master Planning
• Digital Twins
• Transect-based Development
• Environmental Assessments
F. Anticipated Scope of Work
1. Implement data prepared by the Town, including data outlining the Town Zoning Code, the
New Neighborhood Code (NNC), parcels, street centerlines, development costs (sewer, water,
road construction cost per mile, and the like), and land use in ArcGIS Urban.
2. Digitize a scenario master plan for the South Hill TND based on the NNC and existing
preliminary designs.
3. Establish fiscal and environmental metric templates for the South Hill TND that can be
replicated in TND Medium Density and TND High Density areas.
4. Support existing integrations with critical operational and enterprise systems, including
Cartegraph (now OpenGov) Asset Management and the Esri-suite (ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS
Utility Network).
5. Align ArcGIS Urban workflows with Esri best practices and future-ready GIS architecture.
6. Utilize publicly available data and other GIS files of existing conditions hosted by the Town
of Ithaca to develop robust ArcGIS Urban models .
7. Digitize road profiles from the Town of Ithaca’s forthcoming Site Design and Development
Criteria Manual.
8. Incorporate existing infrastructure capacity and utility network data into ArcGIS Urban
analysis to estimate impacts and associated costs to serve development projects.
9. Establish fiscal analysis review principles and incorporate them as metrics in ArcGIS Urban,
including parameters that detail anticipated job creation, anticipated housing needs, and expected
infrastructure service delivery requirements.
10. Incorporate accessible design practices in all models.
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11. Provide training sessions and create a training workflow to effectively transfer knowledge to
Town Staff for successful operation and maintenance of ArcGIS Urban data and models
developed under this project.
12. Develop as-built documentation and system administration manuals used as training materials for
future Town staff.
Qualifications should be submitted to the Town of Ithaca Planning Department (submission details
identified at end of RFQ).
G. Consultant Selection
The Consultant(s) selected through this Request for Qualifications process will finalize a scope
of work and total fee for professional services once a Consultant(s) is selected. The Consultant(s)
shall carry out the scope of services identified in the Notice to Proceed. Answers to technical
questions may be deferred to the Contract Negotiation phase of the selection schedule.
It is anticipated that the consultant selection will be based on the following schedule:
Consultant Selection Schedule
Advertise Request for Qualifications (RFQ) June 22, 2026
Deadline for Questions July 8, 2026
Addenda published (if needed) July 15, 2026
RFQ Due July 31, 2026
Presentations (as requested) August 20, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET
Notice of Preliminary Selection August 25, 2026
Scope and Contract Negotiation summer 2026
Notice to Proceed September 15, 2026
Project Initiation Meeting Late September 2026
H. Submission Requirements
Responses to this RFQ should include the following:
1. Lead Consultant Information. For the lead consulting firm, provide the following information:
a. Firm name
b. Mailing address
c. Website (if applicable)
d. Contact name, email, telephone number
e. Form of Organization (partnership, corporation, sole proprietorship, etc.)
f. Where Organized
g. Names of principals, officers, and directors
2. Sub-consultants. For each member of the consultant team, provide the following:
a. Firm name
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b. Mailing address
c. Telephone
d. Website (if applicable)
3. Personnel and respective Fee Structure. For personnel involved in the project, please provide
names, titles, period of service with the firm, a resume or description of experience, and an all -
inclusive flat hourly rate for the actions in the project scope.
4. Statement of Qualifications. Provide a narrative description (up to ten pages) of the qualifications
of the consulting firm, or consulting team, for the proposed project.
5. Statement of Availability. Provide a brief statement on the availability of key personnel to
undertake the project.
6. List of Relevant Projects. Provide a list, with brief project descriptions, of no fewer than three and
up to five projects of similar nature to the type of work proposed that have been successfully
completed within the last five years by the consulting firm, consulting team, or key personnel.
Indicate which projects were in New York State. Discuss the proposed planning, organization, and
management tools to be used to control schedule and costs.
7. References. Provide names, telephone numbers, and emails of people to be contacted for
references regarding past performance of the consulting firm, consulting team, or key
personnel on each of the 3-5 similar projects cited in paragraph 6 above.
8. Equal Employment Opportunity. Provide a description of efforts to solicit collaboration
with Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) and NYS-Certified Service-
Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOBs) in accordance with the New York State
Department of Empowerment, Compliance and Opportunity (DECO).
Consultant selection will be based on a rating of Consultant qualifications. The criteria will be as follows:
Firm Qualifications (10% of total score), Technical Qualifications (40% of total score), and Team
Qualifications (50% of total score).
The Qualification response (with transmittal letter) shall address the following at a minimum:
Firm Qualifications (10% of total score)
Firm Identification & Qualifications: A description of the firm, including the number of employees and
their disciplines, location, and number of years the firm has been in the business of conducting the
described services.
Technical Qualifications (40% of total score)
Understanding and Approach for Professional Services: The Consultant must demonstrate that they have
the capability and resources
Technical Experience, Recent Clients, & Relevant Projects: Demonstrate specific qualifications and areas
of expertise with brief examples of projects or work related to the anticipated tasks listed herein . Include
a summary list of relevant projects including client name and contact information, specific dates when the
work was performed, and type of work services performed. Provide the name of the client and approximate
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dates the work was performed at a minimum.
Technical Understanding: Provide a summary to demonstrate an understanding of the scope of services
for the completion of the tasks identified in this RFQ including, but not limited to, the following:
• Demonstrates understanding of the GIS, fiscal, and planning services requested by the Town
• Demonstrates understanding of administering projects on budget and on schedule
• Demonstrates understanding of implementing projects of varied scope with subconsultants
• Demonstrates internal redundancy and ability to administer projects on time
Team Qualifications (50% of total score)
Team Organization: Present a detailed organizational chart of the Respondent’s internal team showing the
names and roles of all key personnel. This section should showcase, as applicable, team members’
experience and demonstrate capabilities relevant to their proposed area of expertise.
Team Summary: Any other factors that would be helpful to the Selection Committee in evaluating the
Consultant based on the types of services and requirements described in this RFQ.
Team Resumes: Include for all key team members that are proposed to provide professional services,
including a list of their specific relevant projects. Include summaries of the work specifically performed
by each team member. For any projects included in this section, provide the name of the client and
approximate dates the work was performed at a minimum.
Collaboration with M/WBE & SDVOBs Summary: Provide a summary to demonstrate how the firm plans
support opportunities for meaningful collaboration with M/WBE & SDVOBs through good -faith outreach
efforts to solicit their participation in this project. For this section, provide utilization plans and previous
examples of outreach strategies.
By submitting Qualifications, the Consultant certifies that it is not currently debarred from submitting bids
for contracts issued by any political subdivision or agency of the State of New York and that it is not an
agent of a person or entity that is currently debarred from submitting bids or contracts issued by any
political subdivision or agency of the State of New York.
Conflict of Interest
The Consultant shall prepare and submit a statement that no conflict -of-interest issues exist with the
Statements of qualifications. In addition, non-conflict of interest statements must also be provided for any
sub-consultant.
Agreement
The Consultant selected to provide the above-referenced services will be expected to enter into a
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Consulting Agreement contract with the Town of Ithaca.
Insurance
The Consultant shall maintain minimum insurance coverage as outlined in the Agreement.
J. Submission Deadline
Statements of qualifications are due at the close of business (4:00 PM eastern time) on July 31, 2026.
Responses must be sent electronically, in PDF format, with the subject line: ‘Esri ArcGIS Urban Scenario
Planning – response’ to:
nquiltykoval@townithacany.gov
To ensure that all Respondents have a clear understanding of the scope and requirements of this RFQ, the
Town will respond to all questions submitted in writing to the Town contact
(nquiltykoval@townithacany.gov) by the deadline for questions stated above.
The Town of Ithaca reserves the right to reject any and all of the responses received as a result of this
RFQ. The Town of Ithaca does not intend to award a contract solely on the basis of responses to this RFQ
or otherwise pay for the information solicited or obtained in response to this RFQ.
The Town will make every reasonable effort to keep Respondents informed about the RFQ process.
Questions and responses, notifications about timeline date changes, amendments to the RFQ and other
information will be sent via email to all Respondents who have provided an email address to the Town
contact. There are no site visits scheduled.
Questions or requests for clarification regarding the RFQ should be submitted via email, citing the RFQ
page and section in accordance with the Timeline section, to nquiltykoval@townithacany.gov. Questions
will not be accepted orally, and any question received after the deadline may not be answered. This RFQ
is only available electronically. Interested parties may download this RFQ , any comprehensive list of
questions/requests for clarifications, as well as the official responses at no cost on both the New York
State Contract Reporter and BidNet websites.
The Town of Ithaca will not be liable for any cost incurred by the Consultant for any work performed
through, and including the execution of, a contract for professional services prior to the execution of a
contract.
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