CITY OF FORT BRAGG
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR A PROPOSED GROCERY OUTLET The City of Fort Bragg is seeking proposals from qualified professional consulting services interested in contracting with the City of Fort Bragg to prepare an Environmental Impact Report for a Grocery Outlet.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
The work of the environmental review team will be managed by, and under contract with, the City of Fort Bragg. This contract will include the following major tasks, some of which are detailed in the following sections:
Project Management
Kick off Meeting
Review Project Description, Prepare Initial Study, Issue Notice of Preparation (NOP) Evaluation of existing technical information
Evaluation of environmental issues and identification of additional required technical information Incorporation of technical information into the required environmental documentation Consultation with State agencies in cooperation with City Scoping session with the public
Prepare Administrative Draft EIR pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act Respond to internal review of Administrative Draft EIR
Prepare and circulate Draft EIR
Notice and hold public hearing on Draft EIR (Planning Commission meeting) Prepare administrative draft of response to comments and draft responses sent to public agencies ten days before hearing Internal Review of administrative draft of Final EIR
Prepare Final EIR and Response to Comments
Prepare CEQA resolution and required findings
Prepare Statement of Overriding Considerations
Participation and presentation of findings in meeting with Fort Planning Commission Project Management. The Consultant will assign a Project Manager to be responsible for and oversee all aspects of the Consultant’s work, provide quality control of work products, supervise sub-consultants (if any), assure work is accomplished within budget and on an agreed upon schedule. The Project Manager will prepare a schedule for the consultant team’s activities, attend a kick-off meeting with City staff and key EIR staff members, and conduct weekly and/or biweekly phone check-ins with City staff during preparation of EIR sections in order to review EIR preparation activities, coordinate on EIR needs, review any schedule or budget issues that may arise.
Kick-Off Meeting. Consultant will meet with City staff to review the scope of work and timeline. City staff will provide a complete set of all technical information.
Prepare the Notice of Preparation (NOP). The selected consultant will be asked to review the project description, identify any additional needs, and prepare the draft NOP, including an environmental scoping study that describes the topics to be analyzed in the EIR. (The City of Fort Bragg will be responsible for circulation of the Notice of Preparation to the appropriate local, State, and Federal agencies). All comment letters received during the NOP/scoping process, shall be included in an appendix to the EIR. In addition, a matrix indicating where comments are incorporated and responded to in the Draft EIR (DEIR) shall be provided.
Evaluate Existing Technical Studies. The consultant will review all pertinent documents and existing studies in order to analyze potential project impacts. A number of environmental studies have been prepared for the prior project. Data contained therein may be used to identify outstanding issues that require further analysis, and the technical information shall be utilized during preparation of the EIR. The City is prepared to provide all documentation related to the Proposed Project to the selected Consultant at kick-off meeting. Based on an evaluation of the existing technical documents and the consultant team’s recommendations, additional technical studies may be required.
Technical Evaluation of Issues. The consultant shall evaluate all factual information necessary to complete the analyses of issues of concern and incorporate this technical information into the environmental review. The process may include fieldwork, interviews and meetings, map and exhibit preparation. There may be the need for additional technical information, to prepare environmental document, including additional botanical, avian, and marine mammal surveys.
Public Scoping Session. Participate in a public scoping meeting. Due to the extensive public interest in the project, the City will hold at least one public meeting to receive comments from the public on the proposed scope of the EIR. The consultant will be responsible for developing and presenting materials and information. The consultant will prepare a written summary of environmental issues raised at the scoping meetings. Additional scoping meetings with staff, public agencies, and the project proponents may be conducted at the discretion of the consultant.
Prepare Administrative Draft EIR. Prepare and submit an electronic version that can be easily circulated and edited of an Administrative Draft EIR (ADEIR) to the City of Fort Bragg for review. The ADEIR will include an executive summary and a summary table of impacts and mitigation measures to facilitate comparison of impacts among the alternatives. The EIR shall be prepared pursuant to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et sequitur, and CEQA Guidelines, Title 14, California Code of Regulations 15000 et seq.
Respond to Internal Review of Administrative DEIR. An electronic copy (in Microsoft Word) shall be submitted to the City for review. City Staff will consolidate comments and prepare one set of City Staff comments for incorporation into the DEIR. The consultant will meet with City staff to discuss each section as necessary. City staff modifications must be incorporated into the DEIR. The consultant shall inform the City of any circumstances arising that may delay or change the contracted work program.
Prepare and Circulate Administrative Draft EIR. Following City review, the consultant will revise the Administrative Draft EIR based upon City direction. The consultant will be responsible for digitally submitting all word and graphic files of the Draft EIR including a Microsoft Word version of the text and a print-ready PDF of the final document, including all technical appendices shall also be provided. The Draft EIR will be distributed by the City. Public Noticing and hearing responsibilities will be undertaken by City staff.
Prepare Administrative Draft of Response. Based on the past level of interest in this project, the City anticipates receiving comment letters on the Draft EIR. Many of the comment letters are likely to cover similar concerns. Consultant shall prepare response to comments.
Provide an Administrative Draft of Final EIR for City Review. Following the close of the DEIR comment period, the consultant will prepare an administrative draft Final EIR in the form of response to comments/errata document. This document will be circulated to City Staff for internal review.
Prepare Final EIR. The final EIR will be prepared including responding to City comments. A thumb drive containing: 1) a Microsoft Word version of the Final EIR; and 2) photo-ready copy of final document, including all technical appendices, shall also be provided. The Final EIR will be distributed by the City. Public noticing and hearing responsibilities will be undertaken by City staff. The Final EIR will include as a minimum, the following:
A list of all persons, organizations, and public agencies commenting; The Draft EIR;
Copies of all written comments received on the Draft EIR; Responses to all environmental issues raised in the review process; and Revisions to the Draft EIR based on the responses.
Prepare required findings. The consultant will prepare the findings required by CEQA for certification of the Final EIR to be incorporated into resolution drafted by staff.
Public Hearing Before Planning Commission. The consultant shall be present at the public hearing to present and respond to questions related to EIR. Staff will prepare and present staff report and findings pertaining to planning entitlements.