Skagit River Park Master Plan

Location:	Washington
Posted:	May 6, 2026
Due:	May 26, 2026
Agency:	City of Burlington
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	C - Architect and Engineering Services - Construction R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Solicitation No:	2026-001
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Anchor Outdoor Sports, Events, and Recreation Facilities

Issued by:

City of Burlington, Washington

RFP Number:

RFP 2026-001

Issue Date:

April 24, 2026

Proposal Due Date:

May 26, 2026, 4:00 p.m. PDT

Pre-Proposal Meeting:

May 5, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT via Zoom

Link: https://zoom.us/j/95914573051

Webinar ID: 959 1457 3051

Contacts:

Sarah Ward, Enrichment Services Director

sarahw@burlingtonwa.gov

215.208.0508

Andy Parks, Interim City Administrator

andyp@burlingtonwa.gov

541.913.9779

1. INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT BACKGROUND

The City of Burlington, Washington, invites qualified consultant teams to submit proposals for

the preparation of a comprehensive Skagit River Park Master Plan. Burlington is strategically

located on Interstate 5, approximately one hour north of the Seattle metropolitan area and 90

minutes south of the Vancouver, British Columbia metropolitan area. This prime I-5 corridor

location provides access to a combined market population exceeding 7 million residents within

a three-hour drive.

The 80-acre Skagit River Park Sports Complex currently hosts numerous summer tournaments

and community events, serving soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and other field sports

requiring large, flat grass surfaces. However, the park’s natural-turf fields require periodic rest

for recovery and become unusable during wet weather, limiting tournament scheduling and

overall utilization.

City of Burlington, Washington

Page 1 of 7

RFP – Skagit Park Master Plan

Sports tourism is viewed as a key driver for economic success for the City of Burlington and the

surrounding Skagit Valley region. Burlington and the immediately surrounding area offer a

robust inventory of hotel and motel accommodations, including major chains such as Hampton

Inn & Suites, La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham, Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites, Comfort

Suites, and others, providing convenient lodging for tournament participants and visitors.

The City seeks a visionary, phased Master Plan that transforms Skagit River Park into a premier

anchor outdoor sports and events facility capable of supporting regional and national

tournaments, multi-sport athletic events, musical concerts, festivals, and other large public

gatherings. The City will collaborate closely with key partners including the Skagit Tourism

Bureau, Burlington Edison School District, cities of Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and

Anacortes and Skagit County.

Project Budget: $150,000 (all-inclusive, including reimbursables).

Project Oversight: Mayor’s Office, with primary support from the City Administrator and

Enrichment Services Director.

The Master Plan will provide a defensible, actionable roadmap for future improvements that

balances sports-tourism opportunities with local community access, environmental constraints,

equity, and long-term fiscal sustainability. The resulting plan and supporting studies must

withstand rigorous scrutiny by state and federal granting agencies, auditors, and elected

officials.

2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Master Plan must deliver a realistic, phased development strategy that:

• Maximizes year-round usability through turf conversion, drainage improvements,

lighting, and weather mitigation.

• Supports multi-sport programming (soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and flexible flat-

field uses).

• Incorporates complementary amenities for concerts, festivals, and large gatherings. •

Provides an objective (non-outcome-driven) assessment of market demand and

economic impacts.

• Includes detailed operating and maintenance cost projections.

• Ensures long-term sustainability, environmental stewardship, equity, ADA accessibility,

community balance between resident use and tournament activity, and grant-ready

deliverables.

City of Burlington, Washington

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RFP – Skagit Park Master Plan

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected consultant shall provide all professional services necessary to complete the Master

Plan within the proposed fixed fee. Scope is organized in five phases with mandatory City

approval gates before proceeding (to eliminate overlap risks and lock assumptions). Proposers

may suggest minor refinements.

Phase 1 – Existing Conditions & Visioning (Weeks 1-10)

• Comprehensive site analysis (topography, environmental constraints).

• Mandatory regulatory integration: Consultant shall explicitly assess and map

constraints under the Washington Shoreline Management Act (SMA), SEPA, FEMA

floodplain regulations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements, wetlands, riparian

buffers, and all applicable local critical-areas ordinances.

• Stakeholder engagement (see Section 4 below).

Phase 2 – Community & Stakeholder Engagement (Weeks 4-12, concurrent with Phase 1 data

collection only)

• Minimum of: (1) online survey (minimum 500 responses targeted), (2) two (2) in-person

public workshops, (3) one (1) virtual stakeholder focus-group session, and (4) targeted

interviews with sports organizations, residents, and equity-focus groups.

• Facilitated (not merely presented) sessions. All materials and summaries provided to

City for review.

Phase 3 – Market Analysis & Objective Economic Assessment (Weeks 7-16, overlaps Phase 2

only; complete by December 15, 2026)

The consultant shall conduct an independent, objective sports-tourism market analysis and

economic-impact evaluation using industry-standard, transparent methodologies (e.g., IMPLAN

or equivalent). The analysis shall not be framed or scoped to “justify” capital investment.

Instead, it must:

• Establish a credible “no-build / minimal-build” baseline. • Present at minimum three

scenarios: conservative (base), moderate, and high (with explicit justification and

sensitivity analysis on all key variables).

• Rely on defensible, peer-reviewed comparables from similar Pacific Northwest river-

adjacent sports facilities.

• Quantify incremental (not gross) demand and impacts only.

• Include full documentation of assumptions, data sources, and limitations so findings can

withstand grant-agency and auditor review.

• Deliver the complete model, spreadsheets, and data sets in native, editable format.

City of Burlington, Washington

Page 3 of 7

RFP – Skagit Park Master Plan

Phase 4 – Conceptual Master Plan & Phasing (Weeks 17-28)

• Alternative development concepts (up to three at 10% design level) that fully integrate

regulatory constraints identiﬁed in Phase 1.

• Recommended phased implementation plan (short-, mid-, long-term).

• Conceptual designs for turf conversion, additional ﬁelds, spectator amenities, event

infrastructure, parking, and multi-use spaces.

• High-level order-of-magnitude capital cost opinions (±30% Class C), phased

implementation plan, and funding strategy (explicitly formatted for state/federal grant

applications).

• High-level operating & maintenance pro-formas (10-year horizon, conservative

assumptions).

Phase 5 – Final Master Plan & Implementation Tools (Weeks 29-34)

• Polished final Master Plan document with renderings, cost opinions, and phasing

schedule.

• Prioritized capital improvement program.

• Draft design guidelines and maintenance standards.

• One formal presentation to City Council and public.

Approval Gates: City must provide written approval of Phase 1 Existing Conditions Report and

Phase 2 Engagement Summary before consultant proceeds to detailed analysis or concept

development.

4. REQUIRED CONSULTANT TEAM EXPERTISE & QUALIFICATIONS

The City seeks a multi-disciplinary prime consultant team with demonstrated experience

preparing master plans for comparable anchor outdoor sports and events facilities. Required

expertise includes:

• Lead Consultant / Project Manager – Minimum 10 years’ experience leading

park/sports complex master plans.

• Sports Facility Designers – Proven work on multi-sport tournament venues.

• Sports Tourism & Economic Consultants – Expertise in objective feasibility studies and

economic impact analysis for tournament facilities.

• Turf & Drainage Specialists – Experience converting natural turf to synthetic or hybrid

systems and managing wet-weather playability.

• Financial/Economic Analysts – Operating cost modeling and funding strategy

development.

City of Burlington, Washington

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RFP – Skagit Park Master Plan

Minimum Qualifications (Prime and all subconsultants):

• At least three (3) comparable master-plan projects completed in the last seven (7) years,

preferably involving natural-to-synthetic turf conversion and tournament-level facilities.

• Strong familiarity with Pacific Northwest climate, I-5 corridor market dynamics, and

Washington State public-procurement requirements.

• All team members must be licensed/registered in Washington where required.

5. DELIVERABLES

All deliverables scaled to proposed fixed fee:

• Existing Conditions Report (including regulatory constraints map).

• Engagement Summary Report.

• Objective Market & Economic Assessment Report (with full model).

• Three conceptual alternatives + one preferred Master Plan (PDF and GIS).

• Limited visualization: Three to five (3-5) high-quality perspective renderings or 3D views

only.

• Capital cost opinions (±30%), O&M pro-formas, and implementation/funding matrix

explicitly formatted for grant use.

• Digital master plan document suitable for public distribution and future

RFP/procurement.

Ownership: All data, models, and deliverables become sole property of the City of Burlington.

Consultant grants perpetual license for grant, bond, and implementation use.

6. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS & FORMAT

Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format via the City’s designated procurement

portal or email (as specified in addenda). Limit total response to 25 pages (excluding resumes,

examples, and forms).

Required sections:

1. Cover Letter (1 page).

2. Team Qualifications & Experience (include 3–5 relevant projects with client references).

3. Project Approach & Work Plan (address phased scope, innovation, risk identification,

and realism within budget).

4. Team Organization & Resumes.

City of Burlington, Washington

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RFP – Skagit Park Master Plan

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

Bid Number:	2026-001
Bid Title:	Skagit River Park Master Plan
Category:	Request for Qualifications
Status:	Open

Skagit River Park Master Plan

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See also