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NAMED FOR A GALLANT LEADER AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Hon. Carol Jean Doyle, Mayor Stephen D. Marks, PP/AICP Business Administrator TOWN OF KEARNY HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY 402 Kearny Avenue Kearny, New Jersey 07032 Tel. (201) 246-1418 Fax (201) 991-0608 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The Town of Kearny is a mature and fully developed urbanized inner-ring suburb located in western Hudson County, nestled between the cities of Newark and Jersey City. According to the 2020 decennial census the Town has a population of approximately 42,000 residents. The Town is approximately 9 square miles in size, divided into three distinctly different areas. The “Uplands Area” is approximately 2.5 square miles and is a densely populated residential neighborhood. The “Meadowlands District” is approximately 5 square miles, comprised of vast swaths of wetlands, warehouses, heavy industry, railroad yards and transportation infrastructure, where all land use planning, zoning and redevelopment decisions are made

by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (“NJSEA”). Finally, “South Kearny” is a 1.5 square mile industrial area, bounded by the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers and Newark Bay, predominantly comprised of warehouses, trucking terminals, industrial properties, and transportation infrastructure (i.e. Truck 1&9, the Pulaski Skyway, and the Kearny Yard Intermodal Rail Facility). On August 16, 2021, Acting New Jersey Governor Sheila Oliver signed the Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Reform Bill (A5580/S3600) into law which restored and revised the State’s Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program and infused $42.5 million into the Zone Assistance Fund. The legislation required each Urban Enterprise Zone community to develop a five (5) year Zone Development Plan. When creating a Zone Development Plan, each UEZ must consult with representatives of diverse statewide or regional business organizations that represent the interests of minority businesses. BACKGROUND Since its creation on January 16, 1986, the Kearny UEZ (“KUEZ”) has managed 83 funded projects totaling $29,238,013. A total of $19,745,725 of UEZ Assistance Funds have been invested in improvements to the appearance, safety, and functionality of Kearny’s main shopping districts, as well as other commercial and industrial areas. These investments include significant improvements to the Kearny Avenue Retail Shopping District vis-a-vis streetscape project. This effort included decorative sidewalks, streetlights, pedestrian corner ramps, kiosks, planters and benches. The streetscape project made Kearny’s main shopping district much more attractive and safe for the shoppers and helped revitalize the area. There are currently 1,727 properties located in boundaries of Kearny’s Urban Enterprise Zone. According to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ 2019 Urban Enterprise Zone Assessment, there were an estimated 843 eligible businesses in Kearny, but only 158 UEZ certified businesses (18.7% participation rate). Despite this record, poverty and unemployment in Kearny remain stubbornly high. According to the 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Kearny’s median household income of $71,173 was 72.5% of New Jersey’s median household income of $98,047. Kearny’s mean family income of $87,662 was 67.94% of the State’s mean family income of $129,025. Kearny’s per capita income of NAMED FOR A GALLANT LEADER AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Page 2 of 4 January 18, 2024 $27,328 was 66.82% of the State’s per capita income of $40,895. In terms of educational attainment, the number of residents who possess a bachelor’s degree was 19% compared to 23.8% for the State of New Jersey. The number of Kearny residents with a graduate or professional degree was just 7.2% compared to 15.1% for the State of New Jersey. Other demographic factors to consider, Kearny’s Hispanic/Latino population is approximately 50.2% compared to 19.9% for the State of New Jersey, Kearny’s foreign-born population is approximately 43.5% compared to 22.2% for the State of New Jersey, and the number of Kearny residents who speak a language other than English at home is 63.3% compared to 31% for the State of New Jersey. In addition, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, approximately 19,940 Kearny residents (48.6%) meet the definition of low or moderate income for purposes of federal Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) funding. Finally, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has determined that 100% of Kearny’s population lives within a census tract which has been deemed an Environmental Justice/Overburdened Community (EJ/OC). SCOPE OF WORK The Town seeks to create a Five (5) Year Zone Development Plan which meets the statutory requirements of the Urban Enterprise Zone legislation (P.L. 2021, c. 197). The Plan should be a “roadmap” for economic development and community revitalization for the Town. The Plan should analyze and evaluate Kearny’s image and economic place in the greater northern New Jersey/New York City metropolitan area. The plan should analyze and evaluate retail spending by Kearny residents and visitors and identify opportunities to recapture economic “leakage”. Respondents are encouraged to include within their technical and cost proposals commercially available data analytics, such as “Placer.ai” which are a powerful dashboards that use the power of mobile analytics to help communities measure success & identify opportunities with foot traffic insights, real visitor demographics, and true trade area mapping. The plan should capitalize on Kearny’s relative strengths in the northern New Jersey/New York City metropolitan marketplace and identify opportunities for economic growth. The plan should make specific and actionable recommendations with regard to capital planning, projects and programming (i.e. infrastructure investments, streetscape improvements, creative placemaking, wayfinding, public art installations, special events, performances and marketing initiatives, etc.). The plan should make specific and actionable recommendations to improve the Town’s zoning ordinance, if necessary, including but not limited to creating sign regulations and/or guidelines. The plan should analyze and evaluate Kearny’s business climate and make specific and actionable recommendations to improve business operations, including, but not limited to creating a façade improvement program and promoting proven/successful marketing and business development strategies. The selected consultant shall work directly with the Kearny Mayor and Town Council, Business Administrator, UEZ Coordinator, and Kearny Enterprise Zone Development Corporation (KEZDC) members to develop the Five (5) Year Plan. The selected consultant shall conduct regular (weekly or biweekly) meetings with municipal representatives during the life of the contract. Said meetings may be conducted telephonically, or via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, or an approved equivalent platform. The selected consultant shall assist the Town prepare all public outreach materials for local businesses, including materials for minority business organizations. The selected consultant shall assist with the translation of all survey and public outreach materials into Spanish and Portuguese. The selected consultant shall present the draft zone development plan to representatives of diverse statewide and regional business NAMED FOR A GALLANT LEADER AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Page 3 of 4 January 18, 2024 organizations which represent the interests of minority businesses, including but not limited to the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, the Hudson County/Jersey City Workforce Development Board (HCJCWDB), the Hudson County Community College, and the Kearny Board of Education. The selected consultant shall provide at least (30) days to the aforementioned organizations to review the draft plan and provide comments back to the UEZ. Finally, the selected consultant shall present the draft plan, in person, to the Mayor and Town Council, the Kearny Enterprise Zone Development Corporation, and the Kearny Planning Board, and may be asked to present to the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Authority and staff. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS All proposals shall be evaluated using the following criteria: 1. The consultant’s approach to accomplishing the scope of work: 20 points 2. The demonstrated experience and qualifications of the consultant firm: 20 points 3. The demonstrated experience and qualifications of project manager & team: 20 points 4. The schedule with key target dates, including Gantt charts: 20 points 5. The competitiveness of the Cost Proposal with an itemized fee schedule, Hourly rates, amounts by task and for the entire scope of services, and a total “Not to Exceed” amount: 20 points TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 100 points Award of a professional service contract shall be based upon the highest score of the above referenced criteria. The contract for this effort shall not exceed $125,000.00. Proposals are due by 5:00 P.M. (EST) on February 9, 2024. Requests for Information (RFI) and clarification are due by 5:00 P.M. (EST) on January 26, 2024. Please submit all questions (RFI) and proposals to smarks@kearnynj.org. Conditions, Terms and Limitations: Reservation of Rights The Town shall be the sole judge of each Proposer's conformance with the requirements of this RFP. The Town reserves the right: to amend, modify or withdraw this RFP; to waive any immaterial inconsistencies in any submission to the requirements of this RFP; to request supplemental or additional details or clarifying statements or information from any Proposer to this RFP; to correct deficient responses that do not completely confirm with this RFP; to waive any conditions or modify any provisions of this RFP with respect to one or more Proposers; and to cancel this RFP and "opt out" of the RFP process, for any reason or no reason, all in the Town's sole discretion. The Town may exercise any such rights at their sole discretion at any time, without notice or liability to any Proposer or other parties for costs, expenses or other obligations incurred in the preparation or review of a response or otherwise. NAMED FOR A GALLANT LEADER AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Page 4 of 4 January 18, 2024 1 - Map of UEZ properties in the Uplands neighborhood of Kearny. 2 – Townwide Map of Kearny's entire Urban Enterprise Zone district.