Agenda Item No: N.12
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: May 26, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: David Gassaway, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution 2026-85 CD Professional Services Agreement with Ascent for General Plan Implementation
Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with Ascent to Provide Planning and Consulting Services for Phase II of the Fairfield Forward 2050 General Plan Implementation
Funding Source: $399,045; General Fund
Contact: Jonathan Atkinson, (707) 428-7387
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt resolution.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
On December 3, 2024, the City Council adopted a new General Plan as part of the Fairfield Forward 2050 initiative after a robust community engagement process. The General Plan is a long-term comprehensive vision for the City of Fairfield. It guides future decisions on development, resource management, and public safety through goal and policy objectives.
Following the adoption of the General Plan, the city retained Dyett & Bhatia to assist with Phase I of the implementation efforts. Phase I primarily focused on the implementation of the 2023 - 2031 Housing Element with amendments to the General Plan Land Use Diagram, Zoning Map, and Zoning Ordinance to align with State housing laws. With the successful completion of Phase I, the city is transitioning to Ascent for assistance with Phase II of the implementation efforts.
Staff recommend the execution of the proposed Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Ascent.
DISCUSSION
The council adopted a new General Plan as part of the Fairfield Forward 2050 initiative on December 3, 2024. The General Plan is a long -term comprehensive vision for the City. It guides
future decisions on development, resource management, and public safety through goal and policy objectives. In July 2025 the city retained Dyett and Bhatia to assist with the implementation of the 2023-2031 Housing Element as part of Phase I. The city elected to transition to Ascent to ensure that the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map align with the General Plan vision.
Ascent will assist with Phase II of the General Plan implementation efforts as follows:
Community Engagement: Ascent will conduct targeted outreach to stakeholders, including interviews with developers, architects, and property owners to understand challenges with the existing Zoning Ordinance, and solicit feedback on proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance. Ascent may also interview part ner agencies who support the implementation of the General Plan. Community engagement will also include study sessions and/or public hearings with the Planning Commission and council.
General Plan Implementation Program : Ascent will assist the city in ado pting a formal Implementation Program to ensure that the General Plan serves as an effective tool in guiding both public improvements and private development in the City. The Implementation Program will include all the elements of the General Plan with sho rt-term, mid-term, and long -term actions.
General Plan Cost Recovery and Maintenance Fee: Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS), who will serve as a subconsultant under Ascent, will identify all General Plan -related costs, including the update under Fairfield Forward 2050 and ongoing revisions. EPS will review and confirm development projections under the General Plan through 2050 and will prepare a cost allocation model. EPS will ultimately draft a General Plan cost recovery and maintenance fee for council adoption that will apply to development projects on a proportional basis. This type of fee is common for many California jurisdictions and would not be new to the city.
Zoning Amendments : Ascent will assist with comprehensive amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to ensure that it aligns with the General Plan. This will include new zoning districts for the following General Plan land use designations: Solano Town Center Mixed -Use, North Texas Street Corridor Mixed-Use, Cordelia-Suisun Valley Gateway Mixed-Use, Business Flex, and Hale Ranch . The amendments will also include revisions to land use regulations, development standards, and definitions to align with General Plan policy direction and best practices. Ascent will also develop Objective Design Standa rds (ODS) that would apply to multifamily and mixed -use developments under ministerial review in which case the city would be precluded from using discretion. Lastly, Ascent will assist with the adoption of a new Zoning Map that aligns with the General Plan Land Use Diagram. The General Plan Land Use Diagram will require amendments to correct mapping errors that occurred during the General Plan update.
Climate Action Plan Checklist: Ascent will prepare a checklist that allows the city to determine whether discretionary development projects are consistent with the Climate Action Plan (CAP), which was also adopted under Fairfield Forward 2050 . This would allow the city to
determine that development projects consistent with the General Pl an and CAP are not subject to subsequent environmental; thus, streamlining development review timelines.
California Environmental Quality Act : Ascent will prepare documentation to detail how the Implementation Plan and zoning amendments are within the sco pe of the certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the General Plan. Specifically, the documentation will confirm whether the impacts associated with the General Plan were addressed and that no new additional environmental review is necessary . Should there be project specific impacts associated with the General Plan implementation, Ascent will assess whether they can be addressed through uniformly applied development standards or policies . Ultimately, this documentation will allow the city to use the EIR in review of subsequent development projects that are consistent with the General Plan.
Additional details on the Phase II scope of work can be found under Attachment 3 of the agenda report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
$399,045 from the General Fund . This amount is left over from the total funds originally designated for the General Plan update.
PUBLIC CONTACT/ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDATION
Phase II of the General Plan involves multiple legislative actions that are subject to council approval, including amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, Zoning Map, and the General Plan Land Use Diagram . The commission will serve as an advisory body to the council for these legislative actions and make a formal recommendation for consideration . The commission and council study sessions and public hearings will provide opportunities for public feedback in addition to the planned community engagement.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
The council may choose not to authorize the execution of the PSA with Ascent and consider the following alternatives: (1) Direct staff to modify the scope of work with Ascent; (2) Reconsider Ascent as the consultant; or (3) Forgo consultant support for the General Plan implementation altogether. Should the council direc t staff to forgo retaining a consultant, General Plan implementation efforts will be led by city staff in which case there will be delays based on staffing resources and current workload.
COORDINATED WITH
N/A
STAFF CONTACT
Jonathan Atkinson, Interim Planning Division Manager
(707) 428-7387
[email protected]
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 2: Proposed Resolution
Attachment 3: Proposed Professional Services Agreement with Scope of Work Attachment 4: General Plan: Chapter 1 - Introduction