Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District In partnership with Metro Transit Fall 2015 Downtown Mpls Bus Stop Pilot Projects BUS STOP PILOT PROJECTS FALL 2015 Request for Qualifications for Designing and Building Temporary Projects in Downtown Minneapolis Issue Date: Tuesday, September 1 st, 2015 Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 9 th, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Submission Contact: Ben Shardlow, Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District Email: bshardlow@minneapolisdid.com Phone: 612 656 3830 1
1. Overview The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (MDID), in partnership with Metro Transit, is interested in exploring improvements to bus stops at high ridership, high priority locations in downtown Minneapolis that lack permanent waiting area fixtures. These sites exist throughout downtown Minneapolis for a variety of reasons: considerations related to the adjacent building and/or business, insufficient space for standard Metro Transit shelter designs, changes in ridership over time, or a previous lack of resources to make waiting area improvements. MDID is interested in this topic because high ridership bus stops without adequate permanent fixtures are common sites of concern for perceived safety and other livability concerns, and they do not offer downtown workers, residents, and visitors a high quality experience. Common issues identified by downtown stakeholders for sites include: transit riders leaning against buildings, waiting inside doors, loitering, and concerns about transit shelters blocking views into buildings or front entrances. Metro Transit is interested and engaged in this project. In Metro Transit s 2013/2014 evaluation of bus stops, 10 out of the 27 highest priority sites for a shelter were in Downtown Minneapolis. Two of these bus stops (7th St S & Nicollet Mall and 7th St S and Hennepin Ave) will be addressed in 2015 as part of the Downtown East-West Improvements project. The remaining 8 bus stops range in average daily boarding s from 250 to 1,200 riders. This is 6 to 30 times the minimum required for a Metro Transit shelter, respectively. This project will test temporary, experimental prototypes for addressing transit waiting area needs in the downtown public realm. This project will be aimed at generating design solutions that can be applied to multiple sites and that can be used by Metro Transit to apply toward permanent installations. Key Objectives 1. Identifying solutions for a safe and defined waiting space for transit riders in downtown. 2. Improving the quality and dignity of the transit waiting environment and enhancing the downtown public realm. 3. Collaborating with property owners to determine mutually beneficial solutions. 4. Learning more about challenges and the range of design solutions. 5. Developing design solutions that can be easily adapted to similar contexts. 6. Establishing a partnership between Metro Transit and the DID to address public realm issues that are of strong interest to both parties. The 2015 Bus Stop Pilot Project sites will be selected from the Metro Transit priority sites identified in Appendix A. Eligible improvements Seating Shelter Information Lighting Greening Activation 2
We are looking to you for creative new ideas! See Appendix B for examples of what has been done in other cities and related research on how bus stop waiting area design affects transit ridership. DID Tactical Urbanism Initiative The Tactical Urbanism Initiative evaluates hotspots for concerns about safety both real and perceived and oversees quick, low-cost, tactical environmental changes in order to positively influence behavior, perception, and economic outcomes. The impacts of these tactical interventions are evaluated and used to guide decisions on more permanent changes in the built environment. Request for Qualifications The Downtown Improvement District believes creativity comes in all shapes and sizes and hopes to be surprised. The application process is simple 6 pages maximum. We are not looking for design solutions or proposals at this time; we want information that is easily put together bios, previous projects and a short statement that demonstrates your creativity, your connection to this kind of work, and your specific interests in the project. Our hope is that this process will entice creative folks of all backgrounds to apply. Applications from design firms, freelance designers and makers, placemakers, students, public artists, and others who can design and build a pop-up project are welcome. For the Request for Qualifications submissions, three design-build teams will be selected and awarded a contract to develop and construct projects for three separate and distinct sites. Design concepts will be developed in part through a charrette process with project staff. 2. Request for Qualifications Submission & Selection Guidelines a. Inquiries All inquiries related to this RFQ are to be directed by phone or email to Ben Shardlow with the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District. Contact information is listed on the front cover of this RFQ. b. Closing Date Complete electronic copies of each response must be received before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9 th, 2015 to the email address listed on the front cover of this RFQ. Email submissions should be clearly titled with the individual or organization s name (ex. DID Bus Stop Pilot Project RFQ Fall 2015 Submission Name of Individual/Organization). c. Qualifications Review Committee The MDID Tactical Urbanism Initative is guided by an Advisory Committee, with representatives from the Warehouse District Business Association, the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association, St Stephen s Human Services, the East Downtown Council, Metro Transit, and relevant departments at the City of Minneapolis (CPED, Public Works, MPD). This group will serve as the selection committee for this project. d. Selection Criteria i. RFQ submission demonstrates innovative thinking and problem solving. 3
ii. RFQ submission demonstrates ability to build a project. 3. Submission Requirements a. Page 1: Statement (up to 500 words) describing why you think we should choose you/your team for the Bus Stop Pilot Project. i. What excites you about the project? ii. What are the strengths that you can bring? iii. If you have a preference for one or more of the designated sites, please state your preference. Please be aware that your preference does not guarantee that you will be paired with that site. The Selection Committee will determine which team is best suited for a specific site. b. Page 2: Team member bios i. Include primary contact information ii. Description of each team member s strengths iii. Include information that describes the ability of your team to implement the design, construction and removal of a Pilot Project c. Pages 3 6: up to four pages illustrating previous creative work (include graphic images and text) i. You may include links to above work or additional work. 4. Bus Stop Pilot Project Design Guidelines The design guidelines below are intended to give an idea of elements that we are looking to be incorporated into Bus Stop Pilot Projects. How you interpret the guidelines is up to you and we encourage innovative ideas that put a twist on average designs. Seating Safety Regulations o Must pass City and Metro Transit inspection (to be handled by MDID staff) Durability o Materials used must be able to withstand outdoor elements, and intense human interaction. Design Language Maintenance o Installed projects should be able to be easily maintained and cleaned. 5. Project Timeline September 1 st Request for Qualifications announced September 7 th 12-1pm September 8 th 1-2pm Rescheduled RFQ Informational Meeting MDID Offices, 81 South 9 th Street, Suite 260: Attendance at this meeting is not required. September 9 th RFQ submissions due by 5pm. September 14 th 16 th Interviews with finalists. September 18 th Selection of designers. September 21 st -23 rd Charrette between designers and project staff to develop concepts; finalize site selections; and execute contracts. October 12 th Projects installed 4
October 31 st Projects deconstructed. 6. Services provided by Pilot Project Teams: Services that the Fall 2015 Pilot Project winners will be required to perform and be responsible for include: Design/Construction/Installation/Removal and Disposal of Pilot Projects and materials. Maintenance o Teams will be responsible for any structural/design maintenance that may occur over the allotted time frame of the project. 7. Services provided by the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District: Insurance 8. Payment/Budget a. Up to $10,000 per site a. Includes materials, construction, deconstruction, design team compensation 5
APPENDIX A: METRO TRANSIT PRIORITY SITES 6
Possible Bus Stops for Minneapolis DID & MT Tactical Urbanism at Bus Stops Site ID Stop On/At Corner City 17882 17884 17900 44062 6 ST S @ NICOLLET MALL 6 ST S @ 2 AV / 3 AV S 7 ST S @ 4 AV / 3 AV S 4 ST S @ 2 AV / 3 AV S 19263 2 AV S @ 2 ST S HENNEPIN AV @ 13 17942 ST / 12 ST S CAREW DR @ 6 ST / 17974 7 ST S CHICAGO AV S @ 8 819 ST S 17863 4 ST S @ 4 AV S MARQUETTE AV S @ 19267 2 ST S 49415 4 ST S @ 2 AV S 3 ST S @ NICOLLET 40172 MALL Shelter Priority Score Priority LimMob (Month) Daily Boardings Nearside / Eastbound MINNEAPOLIS 8.0 1- High 907 1,188 Note for DID project Building overhang provides covered Midblock / Eastbound MINNEAPOLIS 6.7 1- High 155 933 waiting space, so shelter may not be necessary. Midblock / Westbound MINNEAPOLIS 6.6 1- High 319 536 Pavers is that an issue? Midblock / Eastbound MINNEAPOLIS 5.7 1- High 93 509 In front of the Hotel Minneapolis Across From / 2- Medium- Adjacent to Bottle House Wine & Southbound MINNEAPOLIS 5.1 High 173 163 Spirits Midblock / Northbound MINNEAPOLIS 4.2 3- Medium 63 180 Adjacent to Lunds Midblock / Southbound MINNEAPOLIS 4.2 3- Medium 62 182 Adjacent to parking lot Nearside / Northbound MINNEAPOLIS 3.8 3- Medium 63 102 Adjacent to HCMC Farside / Adjacent to Hennepin County Public Eastbound MINNEAPOLIS 3.5 4-Low-Medium 21 119 Safety Facility Nearside / Northbound MINNEAPOLIS 3.5 4-Low-Medium 23 109 Nearside / Adjacent to building (OFFICE) Westbound MINNEAPOLIS 3.5 4-Low-Medium 33 112 entrance, under skyway DRAFT Nearside / Westbound MINNEAPOLIS 3.2 4-Low-Medium 9 148 Space Constrained due to tall adjacent retaining wall 1 7
Site ID 17882-6 ST S @ NICOLLET MALL Nearside / Eastbound Site ID 17884-6 ST S @ 2 AV / 3 AV S Midblock / Eastbound DRAFT 2 8
AF T Site ID 17900-7 ST S @ 4 AV / 3 AV S Midblock / Westbound D R Site ID 44062-4 ST S @ 2 AV / 3 AV S Midblock / Eastbound 3 9
Site ID 19263-2 AV S @ 2 ST S Across From / Southbound Site ID 17942 -HENNEPIN AV @ 13 ST / 12 ST S Midblock / Northbound DRAFT 4 10
Site ID 17974 -CAREW DR @ 6 ST / 7 ST S Midblock / Southbound Site ID 819 -CHICAGO AV S @ 8 ST S Nearside / Northbound DRAFT 5 11
AF T Site ID 17863-4 ST S @ 4 AV S Farside / Eastbound D R Site ID 19267 - MARQUETTE AV S @ 2 ST S Nearside / Northbound 6 12
AF T Site ID 49415-4 ST S @ 2 AV S Nearside / Westbound D R Site ID 40172-3 ST S @ NICOLLET MALL Nearside / Westbound 7 13
APPENDIX B: BACKGROUND RESEARCH 1. Want to Make Your Commute Feel Shorter? Wait at a Tree-Lined Bus Stop, Gizmodo a. http://gizmodo.com/want-to-make-your-commute-feel-shorter-wait-at-a-tree-1723933889 2. A Tiny Austrian Town Has the Coolest Bus Shelters We've Ever Seen, CityLab a. http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/05/a-tiny-austrian-town-has-coolest-bus-shelters-weveever-seen/371078/ 3. How to Make Waiting for the Bus Feel Much, Much Shorter, CityLab a. http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/01/why-technology-forever-changing-psychologywaiting-bus/8158/ 4. A Basic Shelter Can Make the Wait for the Bus Feel Shorter, CityLab a. http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2014/09/a-basic-shelter-can-make-the-wait-for-the-bus-feelshorter/380297/ 5. paris: "the bus stop of the future", Human Transit a. http://www.humantransit.org/2012/05/paris-the-bus-stop-of-the-future.html 14