City of Hesperia
Request for Proposal 2025-26-004
Comprehensive Development Code
Update
Release Date: January 04, 2026
Planning Department
City of Hesperia
RFP 2025-26-062 Comprehensive Development Code
Update
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1
A. City Contact ........................................................................................................... 1
B. Deadline for Submitting Questions ........................................................................ 1
C. RFP Schedule ....................................................................................................... 2
1) RFP Deadlines........................................................................................... 2
2) RFP Tentative Scheduling ......................................................................... 2
D. Minimum Qualifications and Experience ............................................................... 2
II. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 2
III. SCOPE OF WORK ........................................................................................................... 4
IV. PROPOSAL FORMAT ...................................................................................................... 4
A. Technical Proposal ................................................................................................ 5
B. Fee Proposal ......................................................................................................... 6
V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION ............................................................................................... 6
VI. SELECTION PROCESS ................................................................................................... 7
A. Evaluation..............................................................................................................7
B. Selection Criteria ................................................................................................... 7
ATTACHMENT A: SCOPE OF WORK ......................................................................................... 9
ATTACHMENT B: SAMPLE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT................................12
ATTACHMENT C: Terms and Conditions...................................................................................18
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City of Hesperia
RFP 2025-26-004 Comprehensive
Development Code Update
I. INTRODUCTION
The City of Hesperia invites proposals from qualified consulting teams with demonstrated
experience in comprehensive municipal code and zoning or development-code updates. The
City’s existing Development Code (Title 16 of the Municipal Code) has not undergone a
comprehensive update in over 30 years. As such, the City is seeking a full-scale restructuring
and modernization of the Code to ensure clarity, consistency, and compliance with current State
law, and to support the City’s long-term growth and development vision.
The selected Consultant will work closely with City staff, decision-makers, and the community to
modernize, reorganize, and update the Development Code to ensure consistency with the City’s
General Plan, adopted Housing Element, applicable specific plans, and current State and
Federal laws. The City seeks a user-friendly, legally defensible, and clearly illustrated
Development Code that supports high-quality development and efficient permit processing.
Additionally, the scope of work includes a review of the City’s existing adopted specific plans
(including but not limited to the Main Street Specific Plan and the Freeway Corridor Specific
Plan) to ensure consistency between those plans and the updated Development Code. The
consultant must also prepare any necessary documentation under the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) to support adoption of the revised Code.
The overarching goal is to produce a clear, internally consistent, state-law-compliant, modern
Development Code — easier to navigate, straightforward to apply, and aligned with the City’s
vision for future development.
A. City Contact
The City contact (Contact) for this Request for Proposal (RFP) is the sole point of
contact for this procurement. All communication shall be in writing and submitted to
the Contact as designated below. Consultants are not permitted to communicate
with other City staff or officials about this RFP, except during pre-proposal meetings
and/or interviews, unless otherwise directed by the Contact. Direct written questions
and/or correspondence related to this RFP to:
Jonathan Settle, Accountant
E-mail: purchasing@hesperiaca.gov
Consultants interested in participating in this RFP should immediately provide the
Contact with a telephone number, and an e-mail address for dissemination of
addenda and/or supplemental information, as applicable. Failure to provide said
contact information may result in late notifications and/or incomplete proposals. (See
Section V for proposal submittal address).
B. Deadline for Submitting Questions
Any questions regarding the RFP must be submitted to the Contact referenced
above no later than January 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM. Reference the RFP Number and
Title when making inquiries.
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City of Hesperia
RFP 2025-26-004 Comprehensive
Development Code Update
C. RFP Schedule
1) RFP Deadlines
Request for Proposals Released................................................... January 4, 2026
Deadline for Submitting Questions. ........................... January 20, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Response to Questions ............................................................... January 21, 2026
Deadline for Submitting Proposals.....................February 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Evaluation of Proposals Completed ...........................................February 11, 2026
2) RFP Tentative Scheduling
Interviews with the Top Ranked Firm…………………………. February 25, 2026
Professional Service Agreement (PSA) Executed.......................... March 11, 2026
D. Minimum Qualifications and Experience
The City seeks professionals with demonstrated expertise in performing the services
described herein. The successful Consultant shall have proven experience in
providing the subject professional services and shall, at minimum, have five (5)
years’ experience.
II. BACKGROUND
The City of Hesperia is located in the High Desert area of San Bernardino County along
Interstate 15 (I-15), approximately 40 miles northeast of Ontario International Airport.
Incorporated in 1988, the City encompasses approximately 75 square miles and has a
population of roughly 101,836 residents.
The City’s Planning Department operates within the Development Services Department
and is responsible for administering and implementing the City’s land use and
development regulations. Core functions include the review and processing of
development applications, preparation of regulatory programs, policies, and ordinances,
and engagement with residents, property owners, developers, and other stakeholders.
The Planning Department works collaboratively with applicants, neighboring communities,
and community partners to promote high-quality development outcomes and to support a
sustainable and resilient future for the City of Hesperia.
The City’s Development Code (Title 16 of the Municipal Code) has not been
comprehensively updated in more than three decades. Since its original adoption, there
have been substantial changes in State housing law, environmental regulations, and best
practices in land use planning and zoning administration. These changes include evolving
requirements related to housing production, objective development standards,
environmental review, and streamlined permitting processes.
The City adopted its 6th Cycle Housing Element (2021–2029), which was certified by the
California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The Housing
Element includes multiple implementation programs that require updates to the City’s
zoning and development regulations to accommodate housing production, facilitate mixed-
use development, and comply with State law. More recently, in 2025, the City completed a
Focused General Plan Update, which included targeted updates to the Land Use,
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City of Hesperia
RFP 2025-26-004 Comprehensive
Development Code Update
Circulation, and Health and Safety Elements. Concurrent with this effort, the City adopted
Objective Design Standards to ensure compliance with State housing statutes and to
provide clear, objective criteria for residential and mixed-use development. This effort is
also intended to align the Development Code with the City’s 2024 Strategic Plan, which
reflects the priorities, policy direction, and long-term vision established by the City Council.
The City now seeks consultant assistance to prepare a comprehensive update and
restructuring of its Development Code to implement the Housing Element programs,
reflect the goals and policies of the 2025 Focused General Plan Update, and integrate the
recently adopted Objective Design Standards. This effort is intended to result in a modern,
user-friendly, internally consistent regulatory framework that supports the City’s long-term
planning objectives and responds to current statutory requirements.
PURPOSE OF THE DEVELOPMENT CODE UDPATE
The comprehensive Development Code Update is intended to:
• Ensure compliance with current State housing, land use, and environmental laws;
• Improve the clarity, usability, and internal consistency of the Development Code for
applicants, staff, and the public;
• Ensure internal consistency across titles, chapters, and sections of the Municipal
Code;
• Support housing production, mixed-use development, and economic development
consistent with adopted City policies;
• Align development standards and procedures with the City’s Housing Element,
Focused General Plan Update, Objective Design Standards, and applicable
specific plans;
• Include a comprehensive legal review of the updated Development Code; and
• Streamline development review and permitting processes to create transparent
and predictable paths to approval while maintaining appropriate design quality and
community standards.
Anticipated Development Code Updates
The Consultant shall reorganize and reformat Title 16 as necessary to ensure the
Development Code is clear, intuitive, and user-friendly for the public, applicants, and City
staff. This effort shall include a comprehensive review and update of definitions; an
examination of required findings for all entitlement and permit applications to determine
whether additional or revised findings are necessary; and clarification of development
standards to ensure they are easily understood and consistently applied.
The update shall address nonconforming uses and structures, including clarification of
legal status, expansion, alteration, and amortization provisions, as appropriate. The
Consultant shall review allowed uses within all zoning districts, with particular emphasis
on better differentiating permitted and conditional uses across the City’s three commercial
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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.