Location: Somerville, MA

RFP 26-58 McGrath Boulevard Planning Study

Full RFP Info: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/finance/purchasing/bids/rfp-26-58

Deadline for Submitting Questions to RFP: 4/17/2026 by 11AM EST
Proposals Due: 4/29/2026 by 2PM EST
Anticipated Contract Award: 5/15/2026
Est. Contract Commencement Date: 5/18/2026
Est. Contract Completion Date: 12/31/2027

Description

The Planning, Preservation, & Zoning (PPZ) division of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development (OSPCD) is responsible for coordinating the long-range planning efforts for the City of Somerville. Somerville is a city of roughly 80,000 residents on a little over four square miles and located just north of Boston and Cambridge. It has been experiencing significant change in recent years and, with the extension of the MBTA Green Line, Somerville has over 85% of its population within a ½ mile walk of a rapid transit rail station. SomerVision2040 (https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/somerville-ma-cp/), the city’s comprehensive master plan, is the document that guides planning decisions and growth strategies. It is built on shared values, is an important checkpoint about the priorities and concerns of the community, and considers how the many different goals can support each other.

PPZ is seeking a qualified, multi‐disciplinary planning consultant team to produce a Planning Study for the neighborhoods surrounding the existing McGrath Highway (State Route 28), which will be transformed into an at-grade urban boulevard by Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) McGrath Boulevard capital project. This state project is currently at its 25% design stage and is scheduled for construction to begin in 2028. A team with considerable experience in community engagement, visioning, land use planning, and urban design, along with market feasibility and development potential analysis is needed to ensure the goals of SomerVision are balanced. This study will focus on physical design, both public realm and site planning, and the economic possibilities of upzoning, as well as developing the related policies necessary for successful implementation.

Full RFP info is available at this link: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/finance/purchasing/bids/rfp-26-58