1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: June 24, 2025
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Patrick Prescott, Community Development Director BY: David Kriske, Assistant Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Approval of an Amendment to an Engineering Services Agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for Landscape Design Services for the San Fernando Bikeway and Metro Railroad Landscaping Project
RECOMMENDATION
Approve an amendment (Amendment) (Attachment 1) to the Engineering Services Agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (Attachment 1) for landscape design services for the San Fernando Bikeway and Metro Railroad Landscaping Project, in the amount of $41,685 to finalize plans, specifications, and estimates for the project and authorize the Community Development Director, as the City Manager’s designee, to execute the Amendment.
BACKGROUND
On July 18, 2023, the City Council approved a Master Agreement with Caltrans to receive $3,000,000 in state grant funding sponsored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman to landscape the railroad right of way along San Fernando Boulevard and Victory Place between Hollywood Way and the Burbank Animal Shelter ( Landscaping Project). The purpose of this project is to remediate the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) right of way that was damaged by the Interstate 5 North HOV / Empire Interchange project. The Landscaping Project will install landscaping and recycled water irrigation systems within the railroad right of way to improve aesthetics and deter graffiti and illegal dumping.
The Landscaping Project will also compliment the related San Fernando Bikeway Project (Bikeway Project), which will construct a dedicated, off-street Class I bike path in this right of way along San Fernando Blvd and Victory Place between Hollywood Way and the
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
2 Burbank Empire Center. This Bikeway Project, partially funded by a $6,172,836 F ederal grant approved by Metro, will serve as a portion of the City’s “8-to-80” fully-protected bike network, where riders of all ages (from age 8 to 80) and abilities are able to travel with minimal conflicts with vehicles. When complete, the Bikeway Project will close a critical gap in the regional bikeway network by extending a 12- mile regional bike path from Sylmar south through the cities of San Fernando and Los Angeles to B urbank. Further, the Bikeway Project also completes the final gap of the related Chandler Bikeway Extension, which is also currently in the planning stages. A map of the proposed Bikeway Project alignment, along with other related facilities, is attached (Attachment 2).
On December 5, 2023, the City Council approved a sole source Engineering Services Agreement in the amount of $168,820 with Kimley -Horn and Associates, Inc. (Kimley - Horn) to prepare plans, specifications, and estimates for the L andscaping Project that would be integrated within the design plans for the related Bikeway Project. Kimley-Horn was selected as the sole-source consultant for the Landscaping Project because they were the firm awarded the competitive bid to prepare plans for the Bikeway Project. It was recommended that the same firm prepare the landscape plans to ensure seamless integration with the Bikeway Project.
The Bikeway Project and the Landscaping Project have distinct grant requirements, which staff anticipates may present some challenges in coordinating the administration of both projects. As a result, staff requests that Council approve the Amendment to the Engineering Services Agreement to split the Bikeway Project and Landscape Project plans and specifications into two distinct plan sets, so that each project can be built separately and conform to the different grant requirements.
DISCUSSION
Since 2023, design plans for both projects have been completed to the near-100 percent level, and staff is currently securing approvals and permits from various external agencies responsible for overseeing construction of both projects within the Metro right of way.
Construction is expected to begin in mid- 2026 and be complete by late 2027. Because the projects are tightly integrated, a single set of comprehensive plans has been prepared, to allow the City to advertise a single construction contractor to perform the construction work for both projects at the same time. However, recent discussions with Caltrans as well as internal analysis between City departments responsible for advertising the projects for construction have concluded that the projects, although tightly related, should be constructed separately due to the separate funding sources and the significantly different funding requirements for each project.
While staff now plans to construct the Bikeway Project and Landscaping Project separately, they will be sequenced to run concurrently. Civil construction for the Bikeway Project will take place first, followed immediately by the Landscaping Project once the 3 Bikeway Project improvements are completed . This will ensure that only a minimal amount of time will pass between final bikeway construction and landscape installation.
Additionally, while managing a single contractor for both projects would be ideal from a construction management standpoint, the Landscaping Project work will occur at the end of the Bikeway Project. This timing would allow the work to be handled by a separate contractor and will ensure minimal to no disruption of the Landscape Project improvements.
In order to revise the two projects as recommended by Caltrans and City staff, staff requests that Council approve the A mendment to the Engineering Services Agreement with Kimley-Horn in the amount of $41,685 so that the plans, specifications, and cost estimates prepared to-date may be separated out into two distinct project plans that can be used to create two separate construction bid documents for advertisement. This requires separating and modifying plan sheets, updating the landscape plans to show that the Bikeway Project improvements are “not a part” of the Landscaping Project work, and updating the cost estimates for both projec ts. This Amendment also includes additional consultant support and coordination to perform this work prior to the B ikeway Project being advertised.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The work associated with the Landscaping Project and the Bikeway Project was previously found to be categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land) because the projects involved the creation of bicycle lanes within existing rights-of-way and installation of new landscaping with no removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees along public -rights of-way. Approval of the proposed Amendment does not change the description of these projects, and therefore, the proposed Amendment is similarly exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15304. No unusual circumstances exist that would preclude the use of this exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to approving the proposed Amendment described above.
Sufficient funding is available in project account 127.CD33A.70002.0000.19056 (Public Improvements, Transportation, Street Improvements, San Fernando Bikeway) . The additional design costs are paid for from the state grant funds received for the Landscaping Project.
CONCLUSION
The San Fernando Bikeway and Metro Railroad Landscaping Project s will provide an important aesthetic improvement to the railroad “scar” left by damage from the Interstate 5 North HOV / Empire Interchange construction and will complement the San Fernando 4 Bikeway. Approval of this Amendment will allow the City to finalize the design plans and move the projects to construction.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Amendment 1 to Engineering Services Agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (Including Original Agreement)
Attachment 2 – Proposed Project Alignment and Landscape Renderings