EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: September 6, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Azalea Renfield, Assistant to the City Manager
SUBJECT: Proposed Amendment to the Agreement with WRT for Services Related to the East Palo Alto Parks Master Plan
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution:
1. Authorizing the Interim City Manager to amend the existing Agreement, in a form approved by the City Attorney, with Wallace, Robert, and Todd by the amount of $54,115; and
2. Appropriating $54,115 from the General Fund and Parks and Trails Impact Fee Fund, a sub fund of CIP Impact Fees Capital Project Fund, for the additional services associated with the East Palo Alto Parks Master Plan.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
As part of the 2020-2021 Priority Setting process, the City Council reinforced the importance of completing the Parks Master Plan (“Master Plan”).
On November 6, 2020, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a consultant to complete the Master Plan.
On March 2, 2021, the City Council awarded the Master Plan contract to the team led by Wallace, Roberts, & Todd (WRT) in the amount of $298,506.
Since Summer 2021, the City, WRT, and other consultants have hosted several community meetings, listening sessions, and other efforts to better understand the community’s needs and desires with regard to future parks and recreation planning.
On March 22, 2022, the City Council and Planning Commission hosted a Joint Study Session on the Master Plan. Members from the City Council, Planning Commission, and community expressed their excitement about the progress of the Master Plan to date and provided feedback regarding additional recommended efforts to further involve the community.
On July 26, 2022, the City Council hosted a Study Session on the Ravenswood Business District (RBD) Plan Update and the community benefits that may be included into the RBD planning process. During that discussion, the City Council emphasized the importance of providing substantial park and recreation space for residents as part of future development in the RBD. To date, most of the focus of the RBD planning process has focused on critical items such as traffic, development capacity, and infrastructure. Staff recommends engagement with a firm like WRT to assist with park planning within the RBD.
Analysis
Proposed Contract Amendment with WRT
Staff recommends an amendment to the current contract with WRT to focus on the following tasks:
1. Additional community outreach: WRT and the City would conduct up to four (4) additional stakeholder conversations or focus group meetings during the final phase of the project.
2. RBD Park Integration: WRT will participate in three (3) coordination meetings with developers and other consultants to develop the specific recommendations for the RBDrelated park and recreation assets that may be developed.
3. Park Design Guidelines: WRT will provide written guidelines to serve as a resource for use in the planning and design of future parks and open space.
Please see Attachment 2 for more information on updated WRT proposal.
The estimated cost to complete the tasks outlined above is $54,115. If the City Council approves the proposed amendment with WRT, the total not-to-exceed amount of the contract would be $352,621. Staff recommends the additional cost be funded evenly from the General Fund and Parks and Trails Impact Fee Fund.
Fiscal Impact
An additional appropriation of $54,115 is being requested evenly from the General Fund and Parks and Trails Impact Fee Fund, a sub fund of CIP Impact Fees Capital Project Fund.
Public Notice
The City was provided notice of this agenda item by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin board outside City Hall and making the agenda and report available at the City’s website and at the San Mateo County Library located at 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The action being considered by the City Council is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a “project” pursuant to 15378(b)(4) because it is a fiscal activity which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment.
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Awarding this contract is not a project under The California Environmental Quality Act (Section 21000, et. seq. of the California Public Resources Code, hereafter CEQA) because the action has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
Attachments
A. Attachment 1 - RESOLUTION for Amended Park Master Plan Contract Increase B. Attachment 2 - WRT's Added Services