Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: AUGUST 18, 2026
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: SUNAYANA THOMAS, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PREPARED BY: David Lopez, senior PLANNER
SUBJECT: $97,147 CONTRACT WITH DE NOVO PLANNING GROUP FOR REIMBURSABLE CEQA SERVICES FOR A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PROJECT LOCATED AT 1712-1730 WEST ORANGETHORPE AVENUE
SUMMARY
Staff requests a $97,147.00 contract with De Novo Planning Group to perform CEQA analysis for a mixed-use development project located at 1712-1730 West Orangethorpe Avenue, plus an additional ten percent to cover City staff time. The project applicant would reimburse 100% of contract costs.
PROPOSED MOTION
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute a $97,147.00 contract with De Novo Planning Group for professional CEQA services for a proposed development project located at 1712-1730 West Orangethorpe Avenue. in a form approved by the City Attorney.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve the Proposed Motion
Provide alternative direction
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
This item does not generate General Fund impact. The City administers CEQA review as a 100 percent reimbursable service. Planning staff collect consultant costs from applicants in advance and add a ten percent surcharge to cover administrative costs. The cost for De Novo Group’s CEQA services with optional tasks on this development project total $97,147.00, with an additional $9,714.70 charged for City administrative costs. The City would receive $106,861.70 total reimbursement for all CEQA services and administrative costs.
DISCUSSION
City Council established a pre-qualified on-call list of environmental consultants on August 18, 2020 to prepare and support timely CEQA environmental document preparation including Negative Declarations, Mitigated Negative Declarations and Environmental Impact Reports. The on-call list contained 12 firms, including De Novo Planning Group, chosen to deliver high-quality, legally defensible CEQA analyses and streamlines the City review process. The City administers CEQA review as a fully reimbursable service and collects consultant costs from applicants in advance with a ten percent surcharge to cover administrative costs.
The Community and Economic Development Department received an application for a mixed-use development project located at 1712-1730 West Orangethorpe Avenue that requires CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) analysis. The on-call CEQA contracts have a five-year agreement limit and have expired. Staff released a Request for Proposal (RFP) in March 2026 to perform the CEQA analysis for the development project. Staff reviewed four proposals from the original on-call firms and the applicant selected De Novo Planning Group to perform the CEQA analysis. Staff reviewed De Novo Planning Group proposal and found it acceptable.
The size and scale of the project requires City Council approval. The City would collect $106,861.70 which includes $97,147.00 for the project with optional tasks plus $9,714.70 for administrative oversight. The project would continue through the land-use entitlement process and ultimately require a Public Hearing before the Planning Commission and City Council. Planning staff will publish a new Request for Qualifications to establish a new pre-qualified on-call list of environmental consultants to assist in timely processing of future RFPs for CEQA services.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – De Novo Planning Group Proposal
cc: City Manager Eddie Manfro
CEQA Services for 1712-1730 West Orangethorpe Avenue
August 18, 2026 - Page 2