Sign Ordinance Review and Update

The Town of Londonderry, New Hampshire, is soliciting proposals from qualified firms for review and update of its Sign Ordinance.

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

All proposals must be submitted in a sealed enveloped marked “Sign Ordinance Review and Update” and addressed as follows:

Town of Londonderry
Finance Department
268B Mammoth Road
Londonderry, NH 03053
Attention: Justin Campo

Proposals must be received no later than 3:00 pm on Friday, January 14, 2022.

Proposals must be submitted in the format provided and must address the items specified in the RFP package.

The proposals will be reviewed and a decision may be made based solely on the written material submitted. However, the Town may choose to invite one or more proposers to an interview.

The Town of Londonderry reserves the right to accept or reject any/and or all proposals, to waive any formalities and informalities in the proposals received, and to accept any proposal, which in its opinion, may be in the best interest of the Town.

Firms who require additional information upon which to base their proposal should contact Town Planner, Colleen Mailloux, at cmailloux@londonderrynh.org.

Request for Proposals

Sign Ordinance Review and Update

The Town of Londonderry, New Hampshire (the Town) is seeking a consultant (or consultant team) to assist with an update to its Sign Ordinance, Londonderry Zoning Ordinance, Article 7. Through this process, the Town intends to ensure that current policies and development regulations for signs are consistent with recent and relevant court cases, are clear and easy to understand and administer, and reflect changes and needs of the community regarding signage.

Project Overview

The Town of Londonderry has had a sign ordinance in place for several decades, however the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015), and subsequent sign-related court cases, highlight the need for the Town to update its sign ordinance. Londonderry Zoning Ordinance Article 7 contains the primary regulation on signage in the Town. Additional design review standards and language relating to signage can be found within the Londonderry Site Plan Regulations and throughout the Londonderry Zoning Ordinance. The Town’s goal is to develop a sign ordinance, and supporting design standards, which are clear and easy to understand, are legally defensible in light of the Reed decision, and address technological advances relating to sign lighting and materials.

Project Scope and Deliverables

The Town is seeking to secure the services of a consultant or consultant team to work collaboratively with staff on a focused and strategic approach to updating the sign ordinance. The scope of the project will include identification of necessary ordinance and regulation changes, aid in preparation of materials for presentation at public hearings, and participating in a minimum of 4 public meetings, including two Planning Board worksession meetings, one Planning Board public hearing, and one Town Council public hearing.

The Scope of Work includes:

Task 1 – Code Analysis

Review existing sign ordinance and site plan regulations to:

1. Identify sections that require revision for consistency with recent court cases relating to signage (i.e. Reed v Town of Gilbert)
2. Identify ways to simplify and clarify the sign ordinance, such as by improving formatting, text, and/or adding graphics/tables.
3. Identify sign provisions that are not addressed in the current ordinance that the Town may want to consider
4. Identify changes to eliminate inconsistencies or redundancies within the existing ordinance
5. Identify amendments for consideration relating to new technologies, material type and lighting, size, etc
6. Cross reference applicable sign references in the Town’s Zoning Ordinance and Site Plan Regulations

Deliverable 1: Draft and final memorandums that identify recommendations for revisions to the ordinance and regulations based on the Code Analysis outlined above. This memorandum will be

presented to the Planning Board at a Planning Board worksession for discussion and concurrence prior to preparation of Deliverable 2 below.

Deliverable 2: Formatted, draft sign ordinance incorporating the changes identified in Deliverable 1. Both a “red-line” and a “clean” version of the ordinance may be appropriate, depending upon the identified changes, and a memorandum summarizing the recommended changes to accompany the draft ordinance.

Task 2 – Public Meeting Participation

The Consultant/Consultant team will participate in a minimum of four public meetings, to include but

not be limited to the following:

Planning Board Worksession #1 – Attendance at a preliminary meeting to discuss with the
Planning Board the scope of the project and identify primary areas of concern of the Board.

Planning Board Worksession #2 – Upon completion of the Code Analysis, attendance at a
Planning Board worksession to present Deliverable #1, a memorandum identifying
recommendations for revisions and receive input prior to preparing Deliverable #2.

Planning Board Public Hearing #1 – Attendance at a Planning Board Public Hearing to present draft sign ordinance (Deliverable #2) for public comment and receive a recommendation from the Planning Board to the Town Council on adoption of the proposed zoning amendments.

Town Council Public Hearing #1 – With recommendation from the Planning Board, attendance at a Town Council Pubic Hearing on the draft sign ordinance to present the proposed sign ordinance and receive approval on adoption of the proposed zoning amendment.

Task 3 – Additional Consultation

Staff may have a need for continuing consultation during the drafting of the ordinance revisions, the Planning Board review and recommendation process and the Town Council review and recommendation process. The consultant may be requested to provide additional context, background or expertise to support staff. Task 3 includes possible phone calls or meetings to provide staff with support as needed during the sign ordinance update process.

Estimated Project Timeline (Dates are subject to change)

Consultant Qualifications

Qualified consultants/consultant teams must have experience in preparing local government zoning ordinance, in particular sign ordinances & regulations. Specifically, the selected consultant/consultant