Overview

The community known as Harbour Heights is roughly bounded by I 75 to the west, the Peace River (Bay Harbor) to the east, Deep Creek Blvd. to the north, and Peace River Drive to the South.  The community consists of single family residences, commercial businesses, and some multi-family development.  There is also an 8.1 acre Harbour Heights Park which is located adjacent to the Peace River.  Harbour Heights has an existing mixture of residential and commercial uses as well providing known habitat for scrub jays and other wildlife.

Harbour Heights provides an excellent opportunity to create a successful, attractive, vibrant community with diverse opportunities for business, pleasure, and recreation.  In order to maximize their community’s ability to reach its full potential, an active and motivated group of residents have already met on numerous occasions and identified several key issues within their community.  These include:  the provision of quality commercial development (over 100 contiguous acres-centrally located), protection and enhancement of natural areas and native wildlife, and the development and focus on community identity-without becoming a deed-restricted community. 

The purpose of this RLI is to retain professional consulting services in the various disciplines of planning as necessary to implement the community’s vision consistent with the Charlotte County Comprehensive Plan.  To this end, the successful consultant will provide those services listed below as “Consultant Responsibilities” to augment and assist County staff in the development of the Harbour Heights Community Plan.

Consultant Responsibilities

·                     The consultant will perform a traffic analysis of the Harbour Heights Community, taking into consideration both existing neighborhood conditions as well as a reasonable assumption of traffic circulation patterns upon build-out, including development of the Harbour Heights commercial core.  The traffic analysis will identify potential problem areas and provide recommendations for how such problems may be mitigated, including traffic calming, alternative routes, or other measures which, in the opinion of the consultant, will maintain acceptable levels of service on Harbour Heights’ road network.

·                     The consultant will prepare a market analysis to determine the potential viability of commercial businesses within the neighborhood commercial core.  The analysis shall take into consideration both existing conditions as well as potential future conditions based upon reasonable potential build-out scenarios, and shall further address businesses that could be sustained primarily by the surrounding Harbour Heights residential areas, and those businesses which would need additional customers from outside of Harbour Heights (i.e., which potential businesses could be sustained by Harbour Heights alone, and which would need outside customers to flourish).

·                     Upon completion of the market analysis of both existing and potential future conditions the consultant will provide at least two neighborhood commercial core renderings, which should include any existing or proposed commercial design standards.  Representations should include photos of the area as it currently exists.  Further, any “before and after” visual and design recommendations should include –as much as possible- neighborhood specific examples.

·                     Consultant will conduct a minimum of two stakeholder interviews as well as a minimum of two large scale public workshops/charettes.  County staff will provide a list of potential stakeholders with whom to meet for the interviews.  The public workshops will be advertised and all property owners within the community will be notified by mail (also to be done by County staff).

·                     Consultant will provide within 10 business days, a written summary of each of the interviews and workshops.  Summaries will include issues, opportunities, and recommendations. 

·                     Consultant will provide, for county staff to utilize in preparing the final plan, an implementation strategy and funding options, as it relates to the goals formulated by the community visioning process.  The discussion of funding options (eg. CRA, CDO, CIP, etc.) shall be of sufficient depth to provide the County and public an idea of the magnitude of revenue that could be generated through each option.  A generic discussion of Community Redevelopment Areas, Tax Increment Financing, special districts, or other measures will not be accepted as fulfilling this portion of the Consultant’s Responsibilities.  This shall be provided within the consultant’s final summary document to the County.

·                     Consultant will make field visits as necessary to photograph and research the community for information necessary in drafting interview/workshop questions and topics.  Photographs shall be taken to provide for “before and after” renderings for summary documentations and presentations.  These may also be used by County staff in presentations before the Planning and Zoning Board and the Board of County Commissioners.

·                     Consultant will focus on local community examples, where possible, for signage, landscaping, and other areas of interest as determined by community input.

·                     Consultant will have at least one meeting with the commercial/business stakeholders within the community.

·                     Consultant will be present at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting and Board of County Commissioner meeting to adopt the plan. 

The consultant shall focus on the previously established interests of community citizens.  These include, but are not limited to, commercial design standards, specific to the Harbour Heights Community, and sign control to provide for quality development of the community’s approximately 100 contiguous acres, protection and enhancement of the existing natural and park areas within the community and properties located along the Peace River, and the establishment and focus on creating a distinct community identity.  This final focus point may include community asset identification, entryway development, a commercial architectural overlay formation, pedestrian/bicycle pathways, and special lighting throughout the community.

County Staff Responsibilities

·                     Oversight on the formation of a Harbour Heights Advisory Committee to assist both staff and the consultant in data collection and other activities needed to draft the Harbour Heights Community Plan.

·                     Creation of a link on the County’s website to promote community involvement and provide information regarding the Harbour Heights Community Plan and related information.

·                     Preparation of stakeholder and association contact information for use in establishing interviews and workshops/charettes.

·                     Mailing of invitations to public meetings and hearings.

·                     Serve as contact person for citizens and other County staff.

·                     Provide necessary background data such as Future Land Use Map designations, zoning districts, FEMA maps and information, and other data which can be reasonably supplied by the County as needed for this project.