Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2025
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: SUNAYANA THOMAS, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PREPARED BY: CHRIS SCHAEFER, PLANNING MANAGER
Taylor samuelson, senior administrative analyst
SUBJECT: $102,466 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH RRM DESIGN GROUP FOR PRE-APPROVED ADU PLANS
SUMMARY
Staff requests City Council approve a $102,466 Professional Services Agreement with RRM Design Group to prepare a suite of City-owned, standardized pre-approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plan sets to comply with Government Code Section 65852.27.
PROPOSED MOTION
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to administer and execute a $102,466 Professional Services Agreement with RRM Design Group to generate pre-approved ADU plans in conformance with AB 1332 (2023).
Authorize $102,466 set aside General Plan Update funds budget transfer and appropriation the Community and Economic Development - Planning Division budget within General Fund (Fund 10) to cover projects costs in conformance with AB 1332 (2023).
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to approve change orders and project-related expenditures within the $102,466 pre-approved ADU plan project as needed.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve the Proposed Motion
Provide alternative options or direction to staff
Other options brought by City Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Proposed Motion.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
None.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Community and Economic Development Department recovers a portion of operating costs through development fees. The General Plan Update set-aside fund are restricted for General Plan-related updates and state compliance requirements impacting the built environment and General Plan categories. This set-aside fund has sufficient funds to cover this one-time $102,466 appropriation without impacting the General Fund balance. The action creates no ongoing General Fund commitment.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
AB 1332 (2023) codified Government Code Section 65852.27 requiring each local agency to establish a program for ADU plan preapproval. Cities must accept plan submissions from any qualified party, review for conformance with state and local codes and post preapproved plans. The statute requires the City to issue a ministerial decision within 30 days of a complete application if an applicant uses a preapproved plan (or one identical to an ADU approved in the same building code cycle). These provisions reduce barriers to ADU construction, streamline permitting and lower costs while encouraging regional resource sharing.
The City of Fullerton issued RFP #2425-04 in January 2025 to comply with these requirements, seeking proposals from qualified architectural and design firms to prepare complete pre-approved building plan sets for ADUs.
The solicitation required plan sets for multiple ADU sizes and layouts by a licensed architect or engineer, including attached and detached units between 450 and 800 square feet, each offered in several architectural styles reflective of the community character. The City would own the plans and make available to residents free of charge, enabling applicants using them to bypass traditional plan check and proceed directly to site-specific review. Staff anticipates this approach would save homeowners time and money while reducing staff workload and expediting housing production.
Staff received and evaluated seven proposals from qualified design firms through a cross departmental review process and determined that RRM Design Group has the most qualifications to create pre-approved ADU plans for the City. RRM demonstrated extensive experience preparing ADU plan sets for Southern California jurisdictions, offered a comprehensive and customizable range of designs and presented a clear approach to ensure compliance with both state code and local standards.
RRM would prepare a suite of code compliant detached ADU plan sets, including studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom options, with alternative elevations and mirrored layouts to accommodate a variety of site conditions. Deliverables would include complete building plan sheets, web ready files for public posting and marketing materials to help residents understand and access the program.
This effort would allow the City to deliver a high quality ADU program that complies with AB 1332 and supports Fullerton housing and affordability goals. Staff would work with local stakeholders and incorporate community input before bringing the final plan set for City Council consideration and adoption.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Draft Professional Services Agreement with RRM Design Group Attachment 2 – Request for Proposal #2425-04
cc: Interim City Manager Eddie Manfro
Professional Services Agreement RRM Design Group
September 16, 2025 - Page 2