Request for Proposals

Buy-in Issues Request for Proposal (RFP) for Relocation to Restoration: Community-led relocation planning and habitat restoration in the Mississippi Sound 

Buy-In Community Planning, Inc. (Buy-In) seeks a technical delivery partner specializing in community and stakeholder engagement, design charette workshops, landscape architecture, Landscape Restoration Ecology, Open Space planning, and/or Gulf Coast Ecosystems to support the development of a Relocation to Restoration plan for a neighborhood in East Pascagoula.

Project Background

Since 2022, Buy-In has been working with Community-Based Organization Cherokee Concerned Citizens (CCC) to explore voluntary buyout programs for residents in the Cherokee Forest subdivision of Pascagoula, MS, who are interested in relocating due to industrial pollution and flood risk. In 2024, Buy-In was awarded funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund to advance planning in line with the community’s vision for relocation. The Relocation to Restoration plan aims to develop a strategy for acquiring high risk properties voluntarily from willing owners living in Cherokee Forest subdivision and restore the parcels into native Gulf Coast landscapes. This type of ecosystem restoration will not only improve biodiversity, water quality, and ecosystem health, but provide an essential ecological “green-blue buffer” to protect the nearby homes and businesses of East Pascagoula from hurricanes, sea level rise, and the ongoing industrial pollution from Bayou Casotte Industrial Park.

The goal of this project is to create a relocation to restoration plan that is mutually beneficial for the residents of Cherokee Forest subdivision who want to relocate and other stakeholders in Pascagoula and Jackson County, including the City of Pascagoula, Jackson County, Bayou Casotte Industrial Parkway facilities, and other nearby businesses, households, and neighborhoods. Because buyout programs can sometimes be seen as negatively impacting local economies and neighborhood fabric, the Relocation to Restoration Plan must effectively position the positive benefits of a voluntary relocation program in a way that also improves community and ecological resiliency and environmental quality along the bayous of East Pascagoula.

Buy-In and Cherokee Concerned Citizens (CCC) are seeking expert support in the development of the end use and restoration plan for the acquired land within Cherokee Forest subdivision and surrounding bayous. While the primary focus of the NFWF planning grant is the restoration of land within the boundaries of Cherokee Forest subdivision and surrounding bayous, we envision this neighborhood-scale adaptation as part of a broader vision for hazard mitigation and climate resiliency for East Pascagoula. Thus, we are looking for expertise that can offer design concepts that align our goals with those of the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) and the state and local hazard mitigation plans.

Timeline

Expected start date is April 1, 2025. Completion of work and deliverables must occur by November 15, 2025.

Scope of Work

The selected technical delivery partner will be responsible for facilitating two community workshops on restoration strategies and drafting, with the support of project partners, the part of the Relocation to Restoration Plan document that will be used for end-use planning and implementation.

Task 1: Site Analysis and Stakeholder mapping

1A. Review existing materials including CCC advocacy report, existing hazard mitigation plans, household survey map (map of parcels to consider for restoration plans based on household buyout survey results), and other relevant documentation to create a report that details existing conditions and strategies for relocation to restoration.

The selected firm will work with the TAP as directed to review existing data on local ecology, coastal hazards, and environmental and socioeconomic conditions and finalize the draft restoration plan. The firm will also work with other technical delivery partners to incorporate their respective research into the restoration design charette. 

Task 2: Outreach and Engagement 

2A. Work with the Steering Committee and TAP to identify stakeholders and develop content for outreach materials. The Steering Committee will take on the role of inviting stakeholders to the workshops and securing a venue. Community stakeholders include:

  • Residents of Cherokee Forest subdivision

  • Residents of neighboring communities, particularly located along shared waterways and in close proximity to Cherokee Forest

  • Community and faith leaders

  • Non-profit and NGO organizations, such as MS Sound Estuary Program, Grand Bay NERR

  • Local TAP members

  • Local and state elected officials

  • Local agencies, such as City of Pascagoula and Jackson County administrators, LEPC

  • State and federal agencies, such as MDEQ, MEMA, FEMA, MDA, NOAA

Task 3: Workshops

3A. Workshop 1 - What is relocation to restoration? The purpose of the first workshop is to educate a diverse group of community stakeholders about the project and the benefits of a blue- green buffer and to solicit feedback about the project in order to design a plan with broad support. 

3B. Workshop 2 - Community driven relocation to restoration planning.  The second workshop will be exclusively for the residents of Cherokee Forest and include the presentation and discussion of different restoration design strategies for the neighborhood and the surrounding bayous. Strategies should incorporate feedback from the first workshop, the results of the stormwater and air pollution modeling and other data and research collected by project partners, and prioritize flood reduction benefits, wildlife habitat benefits, long-term sustainability/maintenance implications, and critical infrastructure benefits. 

Task 4: Draft Restoration Plan

4A. Following the presentation and discussion, residents will decide on the best strategies to include in the final plan. With this information, the selected firm will draft the end-use planning portion of the Relocation to Restoration report and action plan. 

Task 5: Review Draft Restoration Plan 

5A. Prior to submitting the final draft restoration plan to the Steering Committee, the selected technical delivery partner will participate in a virtual meeting with TAP members to review and solicit feedback for the final draft. 

5B. Workshop 3– Review & discussion of draft plan. The selected technical delivery partner will work with the Steering Committee to plan and host a meeting to review and discuss the draft plan in order to build consensus among the residents of Cherokee Forest subdivision regarding the final restoration plan. 

Summary of Activities

  • Coordinate with project partners to design workshops

  • Host multi-stakeholder educational workshop

  • Collect feedback from stakeholders 

  • Facilitate restoration design charette with residents of Cherokee Forest subdivision

  • Write draft restoration plan

Summary of Outputs

  • Multi-stakeholder educational workshop

  • Restoration design charette

  • Restoration project visuals

  • Written stakeholder feedback

  • Written draft restoration plan

Evaluation Criteria

  • Knowledge and understanding of project goals and objectives

  • Demonstrated experience working on projects related to community engagement, landscape restoration, and coastal resilience along the Gulf Coast, especially in Mississippi.

  • Experience working on or incorporating voluntary acquisition and buyout programs into hazard mitigation planning, post-disaster recovery, or land use planning is desired, but not required.

  • Demonstrated experience working with multiple stakeholders to develop plans that align with city, county, state, and federal goals, while meeting residents needs

  • Proximity to Pascagoula for ease of site visits

  • Budget and Cost Proposal

Submissions 

Buy-In will host a presentation and Q&A session on February 12, 2025, at 1pm CT. Prospective applicants can register for the zoom meeting by clicking here. Proposals must be submitted to jennifer@betterbuyout.com by March 1, 2025. Candidates will be selected by March 15, 2025, with expected kick off on April 1, 2025. Delivery of restoration draft plan must occur by November 15, 2025.

A submission must, at a minimum, include the following elements:

  • Detail approach to designing workshops described above 

  • Budget (Should not exceed $60,000)