Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: July 9, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: David Sanchez, Director of Community Development Subject: Award of Professional Services Agreement to Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners for the Completion of a Comprehensive Update to the General Plan
BACKGROUND
The General Plan contains nine separate elements that include the Camarillo Urban Restriction Boundary (“CURB”), Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Recreation, Open Space and Conservation, Community Design, Safety, and Noise Elements. These elements have been updated on an as needed basis over time, and the General Plan has not been comprehensively updated for consistency across all elements. The chart below contains each element and the year that it was last updated.
Element Last Update
CURB 2016
Land Use 2003
Circulation 2014
Housing 2022
Recreation 2002
Open Space & Conservation 2006
Community Design 2012
Safety 2025
Noise 2015
Staff are recommending a comprehensive update of the General Plan to create a unified document with a clear, long-term vision for the future that will guide development over the next two decades. The General Plan update will include robust community outreach and engagement and be strategic and forward-thinking to address both current and future needs, build a resilient community, comply with updated State regulations, and reflect the values and growth projections of the community.
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DISCUSSION
On February 18, 2025, the City of Camarillo released a Request for Proposals (“RFP” – Attachment 2) soliciting bids to assist with the preparation of a comprehensive General Plan update. The RFP was open for forty-five days, and four proposals were received.
The firms that submitted a proposal and the associated costs for the proposals are listed in the following table.
Consultant Cost
De Novo Planning Group $1,339,661
Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners $1,413,936
Moor Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. $987,265
Rincon Consultants, Inc. $1,693,997
After reviewing the four proposals based upon the firm’s qualifications, related experience, completeness of their response, and the reasonableness of the proposed cost, staff scheduled interviews with all four consultant firms to further evaluate their project approach, methodology, proposed timeline, community outreach experience, innovative thinking, and ability to use technology to communicate a vision for the update.
Although all four firms demonstrated considerable related experience and professional responses to both the RFP and interview questions, staff identified Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners (“Dyett & Bhatia”) as the strongest proposal. Dyett & Bhatia demonstrated extensive technical expertise in preparing comprehensive General Plan updates and proposed innovative community outreach strategies that include engagement with youths in the community to establish the vision for the General Plan update.
A follow-up interview was conducted with Dyett & Bhatia to review their proposal in greater detail. Following the discussion, it was determined that the scope of work should be expanded to include the preparation of a vehicle miles travelled (VMT) Study, including VMT thresholds aimed at reducing traffic and circulation-related development impacts, as well as including additional community outreach. The additional scope increased the initial proposal by $143,090, for a total proposed cost of $1,557,026.
Scope of Work
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Based upon staff analysis of the current General Plan, the most significant updates are needed for the Land Use, Circulation, and Community Design Elements, as well as a consolidation of the Open Space and Conservation Element with the Recreation Element into a single element. The Housing and Noise Elements will be updated to the extent necessary for consistency, and only formatting updates are anticipated for the Safety Element that has already been updated this year and the CURB Element. Dyett & Bhatia are proposing a twenty-six month timeline to prepare, finalize, and bring forward for adoption a comprehensive General Plan update. The first year of this effort is proposed to include community engagement and outreach, the formulation of the vision and guiding principles for the update, and the identification of preferred land use, circulation, economic development, and quality of life alternatives that will be used to build consensus around a preferred land use plan and inform key strategies to guide the preparation of the updated General Plan. The environmental review required for the preparation of the General Plan update will also begin during the first year.
The timeline for the second year of the update is proposed to include completion of the alternatives exploration, preparation of the draft General Plan, and continued work on the required environmental review. The last two months of the proposed schedule include completion of the draft and final environmental impact report for the update and bringing the updated General Plan forward for adoption.
Community Outreach and Engagement
Dyett & Bhatia’s proposed robust community outreach and engagement strategies include hosting community workshops, with a “go to them” approach conducting pop-up outreach at local venues and events where community members gather (e.g., trivia nights at local breweries, open studio events at museums and art centers, City events, the Camarillo Farmers Market, etc.). Additional engagement methods will include online surveys, messaging via text, canvassing, newsletters, media, and digital and social media outreach specifically tailored to engage all demographics. Outreach events are proposed to include interactive elements such as visual display boards and technology stations to encourage participation in digital engagement activities. The proposed digital engagement strategy will utilize online platforms that offer interactive mapping, surveys, discussion forums, and vision boards. These strategies will allow community members to identify their favorite locations, suggest areas for improvements or new amenities, and highlight safety concerns.
The community outreach and engagement proposal also includes conducting interviews with community members and stakeholders to elicit candid input that will inform the development of the General Plan update. These interviews will focus on what community members and stakeholders value about the City, their favorite places, and what they believe makes the community special. Dyett and Bhatia propose to select clips from these interviews to create short videos for use on social media, helping to spark city- wide conversations and encourage participation in the General Plan visioning process.
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Dyett & Bhatia are also proposing an online speaker series on key issues for the General Plan, such as real estate market trends, open space planning, and placemaking strategies, and teen-led outreach activities to provide a forum for youth input on General Plan development. All community outreach and engagement will be documented and made available on a website for the update throughout the process and will feature a tailored project brand to serve as a visual representation of the update for immediate recognition that can be used across all outreach materials.
The proposal also includes the formation of a General Plan Advisory Committee (“GPAC”) to serve as ambassadors for the project in the community and provide a forum for public discussion throughout the process. The GPAC will be able to work closely with staff and Dyett & Bhatia to promote community participation in the process, review draft documents, and provide input on policy direction.
The proposed numerous community outreach and engagement strategies will be effective in building consensus around a preferred land use plan and key strategies.
Staff would also note that all community outreach and engagement will be coordinated with the Public Information Officer to ensure consistency with the City’s Community Engagement Guidelines.
Conformance with Adopted City Council Policies
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Strategic Plan Council Goals and Objectives include the following, in relevant part:
Community Enrichment Goal – It is the goal of the City Council to provide a safe and enriched environment where people can live, work and play.
Land Use, Transportation, Transit and Community Development Goal – It is the goal of the City Council to: (1) Plan appropriate land uses, transportation network and transit systems; [and] (2) provide opportunities to redevelop and develop commercial, industrial, and residential areas to improve services, businesses and housing, and to deter and alleviate blight.
Objective 5. Maintain the City’s land use planning documents to assure that new development, transportation, and land use are consistent with the community’s vision.
Natural Resource Infrastructure Management Goal – It is the goal of the City Council to provide cost-effective, efficient services to the public while minimizing impacts on the environment.
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Economic Development Goal – Iti s the goal of the City Council to maintain a positive environment for new business, expansion and retention of existing businesses through staff assistance and provision of efficient processing of proposals.
Community Relations Goal – It is the goal of the City Council to strengthen community engagement through open communication, effective outreach, and enhanced opportunities for connection between the City and community members.
Objective 1. Engage youth regarding issues that concern them and develop future leaders.
Objective 2. Seek opportunities for community engagement as outlined in the Community Engagement Guidelines and through improved technology.
A comprehensive update of the General Plan will further all of the above listed City Council goals and objectives. Specifically, the General Plan update will provide a roadmap for the next twenty years that addresses the safety of the community, reimagines and redefines land uses and transportation and circulation, facilitates redevelopment and new development with a priority on areas of the City where reinvestment is needed, supports new and existing businesses, and engages with the community, with a particular emphasis on youths, to formulate the vision for the City and build consensus around that vision. The scope of work for the subject professional services agreement was amended to build in more community workshops and meetings with decision-makers and include additional analysis and strategies for reducing development related traffic impacts and improving mobility and connectivity City-wide for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and motorists. Dyett & Bhatia has demonstrated extensive experience in utilizing successful community outreach and engagement strategies that target all age groups to ensure that the General Plan update represents the needs of the entire community.
Staff recommend approving a standard professional services agreement with Dyett & Bhatia for $1,557,026, with a contingency in the amount of $311,405, for a total not to exceed amount of $1,868,431.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for the professional services agreement to prepare a comprehensive update to the General Plan are included in Account No. 101-1701-417.32-01 as part of the Community Development Department’s 2025/2026 budget. Any additional funds will be budgeted in future years, as needed.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
Staff has determined, in accordance with Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines, that the City Council’s review of whether PSA Award for Comprehensive Update to the General Plan
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to award a professional services agreement for the preparation of an update to the General Plan is not subject to CEQA review because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the City Council’s review of this matter, or the recommended award of contract, will have a significant effect on the environment.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Find the award of a Professional Services Agreement to prepare a comprehensive update to the General Plan exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15061(b)(3);
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute CC Agreement No. 2025-150 with Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners in the amount of $1,557,026;
3. Authorize a contingency in the amount of $311,405, for a total not to exceed amount of $1,868,431; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute future amendments to the agreement up to the approved contingency amount.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Agreement 2025-150
2. RFP to Prepare Comprehensive General Plan Update
3. Proposal from Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None