Transit Oriented Development in Washington

The Washington State Department of Commerce has released a Request for Proposals seeking qualified firms to support the development of guidance documents related to transit oriented development. This opportunity arises from new legislative requirements outlined in Chapter 267, Laws of 2025, also known as House Bill 1491. The department’s goal is to provide cities, counties, and related stakeholders with tools that will help shape effective transit oriented development station areas. Transit oriented development is increasingly viewed as a critical mechanism for supporting housing growth, affordable housing strategies, transportation efficiency, and community resilience. The scope of work includes preparing a comprehensive guidebook of approximately fifty pages on developing transit oriented development projects. In addition to the guidebook, the selected contractor will prepare a model ordinance and implementation templates that can be adopted or adapted by local jurisdictions. The contractor is also expected to create four to six micro-videos designed to serve as educational resources for stakeholders and the general public. Other deliverables will include a quick guide specifically designed for public officials and councilmembers, as well as factsheets addressing financing strategies, affordable housing options, anti-displacement tools, commercial and retail opportunities, service options within neighborhood transit areas, and parking requirements. These deliverables will combine technical planning and communications tools in order to reach both expert and lay audiences. The project may require advanced spatial data analysis. Specifically, the contractor may be called upon to perform GIS mapping, spatial analysis, and three-dimensional mockups of proposed transit oriented development sites and design options. This suggests that teams with capacity in geospatial analysis and urban planning visualization will be strongly considered. By providing visual and analytic tools, the contractor will help communities and policymakers evaluate the potential impact of development strategies on neighborhoods and transit access. Funding for the contract is capped at three hundred fifty thousand dollars. The budget is structured across two fiscal years. From November 3, 2025 through June 30, 2026, up to seventy-five thousand dollars will be available. The remaining two hundred seventy-five thousand dollars will be disbursed from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. Commerce intends to award a single contract under this solicitation. Funding will be used exclusively to cover the work associated with the deliverables outlined in the request for proposals. The application process includes several important dates. A pre-proposal conference will be held virtually on August 25, 2025 at four o’clock in the afternoon. Attendance at this conference is encouraged but not mandatory. The question and answer period for applicants runs from August 15 through August 29, 2025. All final proposals must be submitted by September 23, 2025 at four o’clock in the afternoon. The funding period begins November 3, 2025 and continues through December 31, 2026. Interested applicants should review all details carefully and plan their submissions accordingly. The Department of Commerce has designated Ashly McBunch as the RFP Coordinator. Questions regarding the solicitation should be directed to Ashly.McBunch@Commerce.WA.Gov. No phone number is provided in the solicitation. Applicants should use email as the primary channel for communication. Associated files, including the complete RFP, are available on the department’s website. The solicitation page was last updated on August 12, 2025, indicating that the posted information is current.

Applicants are encouraged but not required to attend the Aug 25, 2025 pre-proposal conference.