Medford Homes In On Master Plan Consultant

MEDFORD, MA — The city has narrowed down its list of finalists for a consultant to lead the Comprehensive Master Planning process. The Selection Committee chose Agency Landscape & Planning, Utile and The Collaborative from a list of eight applicants.

Public interviews will be held the week of Dec. 14. Residents are invited to watch via Zoom Webinar and submit possible follow-up questions for the staff to consider. All agency proposals are available on the City website at www.medfordma.org/masterplan.

Proposals from all eight agencies were reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of representatives from the Office of Community Development, the Mayor’s Office, and the Community Development Board.

The city launched its Comprehensive Master Planning process in September 2020, with a Request for Qualifications of professional consultants. The Comprehensive Master Planning process, which would begin after a consultant is selected, is expected to take approximately 12-18 months and result in a long-range vision for the city, with corresponding policy and guidance for implementation of the plan over the next 10 years.

The plan will provide a basis for decision-making about climate adaptation and mitigation practices, land use planning and redevelopment, budget preparation, capital improvement planning for public facilities and services and economic development for the city of Medford’s future.

The Comprehensive Master Planning process will place a large emphasis on public participation, and the city will select a consultant who has a history of engaging with the public and community, using techniques designed to engage with a diverse population, and who is prepared to engage in communication techniques dictated by the impact of the current global health emergency.

Webinar interviews have been scheduled as follows:

Monday, December 14, 6:00 pm: AGENCY LANDSCAPE + PLANNING

1. Join the Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/98108733533 OR Dial in via telephone: 1-929-205-6099 Webinar ID: 981 0873 3533
2. View the Agency + Landscape Planning proposal here.

Wednesday, December 16, 6:00 pm : UTILE

1. Join the Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/93758186495 OR Dial in via telephone: 1-929-205-6099 Webinar ID: 937 5818 6495
2. View the Utile proposal here.

Wednesday, December 16m, 7:15 pm – THE COLLABORATIVE

1. Join the Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/91249325447 OR Dial in via telephone: 1-929-205-6099 Webinar ID: 912 4932 5447
2. View the The Collaborative proposal here.

The public may make suggestions regarding follow-up questions for the Selection Committee to ask. If appropriate, the committee will forward some of these questions along to the consultants following the webinars.

All RFQ responses received are available at www.medfordma.org/masterplan.

The city hopes to select a consultant by the end of December and begin the public process in early 2021. To stay updated about the process and ways to be involved, sign up for the City’s E-Newsletter by emailing alerts@medford-ma.gov.