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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: City Owned Solar Program – Brand Park Solar Photovoltaic System Project Contract Award
1. Motion authorizing the City Manager, or his designee, to utilize the alternative project delivery method and execute an engineering procurement-construction (EPC) contract with Motive Energy Storage Systems, LLC, for the construction of the Brand Park Solar Photovoltaic Project for a not-to-exceed amount of $3,790,797, plus a 15% contingency of $568,620.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action
Approved for August 25, 2026 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Brand Park Solar Photovoltaic System Project (Project) is a proposed ground- mounted solar installation with an expected capacity of 1.8 MW. The Project is anticipated to generate approximately 3 million kWh of clean solar energy, equivalent to powering over 400 homes annually. The Project is proposed to be built on the decommissioned Brand Landfill site, that has been inactive for over 20 years. The site is above Brand Park and provides an exceptional three-acre flat area largely out of sight from the City below. This project directly supports the City of Glendale’s long-term goal of achieving 100% clean, renewable, or non-carbon emitting energy by 2035.
On March 7, 2023, the City Council authorized utilizing the engineer, procure, construct (EPC) alternative project delivery method for the construction of the Project, and in November 2023, awarded a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) to Motive Energy Storage Systems, LLC (Motive Energy) for the design, engineering, and environmental review. Since execution of the PSA in March 2024, design and engineering work has progressed in parallel with distribution interconnection planning and environmental review conducted by TRC Companies, Inc. (TRC). The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis and primary interconnection design were completed in January 2026, followed by submittal of permit applications in February 2026.
On June 3, 2026, the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) was presented to the Planning Commission who unanimously approved the Project, subject to two conditions to be presented to the City Council for consideration. Staff’s response to the CUP conditions is included in this staff report.
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RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute an EPC Contract with Motive Energy, in the not- to-exceed amount of $3,790,797 for the engineering, procurement, and construction of the Brand Landfill Solar Project. Staff also recommend establishing a construction reserve in the amount of $568,620, or 15 percent, based on previous experience with similar projects and is in conformance with the nature of this project. This reserve will allow the city to address additional, incidental, unforeseen, or necessary work identified during construction. It also provides flexibility to respond to unforeseen field conditions that could not be fully identified during the design phase.
ANALYSIS
On March 7, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 23-24 authorizing the General Manager of GWP to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Phase 1 of the City Owned Solar Program using the EPC project delivery method. Resolution No. 23-24 was amended on November 14, 2023, by Resolution No. 23-179 to revise the proposed sites, while maintaining the authorization to utilize the EPC project delivery method. The RFP allowed proposers to submit proposals for one, multiple, or all sites included in the RFP. This approach was intended to attract firms with varying expertise and to maximize proposal submissions. GWP received proposals from five firms and evaluated them based on multiple criteria, including pricing and fees, after which staff prepared recommendations for the City Council’s consideration.
On November 14, 2023, City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into an EPC Contract with Solar Optimum, Inc., for five of the six project sites. The City Council also accepted the proposal of Motive Energy for EPC and deferred execution of the construction contract until after CEQA review process is complete. The City Council further authorized the City Manager to enter into a PSA with Motive Energy, for project design, engineering, and environmental analysis for the Brand Landfill site, and directed staff to return for final authorization of EPC construction upon completion of the design and environmental review process.
In March 2024, the PSA with Motive Energy was executed, and project design, engineering, and environmental analysis began immediately. GWP’s Electrical Engineering Division also began the design and engineering of the distribution line extension required to interconnect the proposed Brand Landfill solar project to the grid.
Motive Energy is concurrently engaged with TRC to conduct environmental reviews.
During the environmental analysis of the proposed project site, GWP’s Clean Energy Section worked closely with the Community Development Department (CDD) to determine potential impacts on the public use of hiking trails surrounding the Brand Landfill project site. While the existing perimeter fencing around the project site already provides a semi-secure facility in which hiking trails do not exist, staff wanted to explore the sightline impacts of the proposed solar array from the hiking trails above the project site.
Motive Energy and staff from GWP’s Clean Energy Section, CDD, and City Attorney’s Office visited the site on several occasions to evaluate project sightlines from the 10a3
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hiking trails and Brand Motorway above the project site. During these site visits it was discovered that the proposed solar project is minimally visible from Brand Motorway due to the steep grade of the mountainside in which Brand Motorway traverses up the mountain. In most areas along Brand Motorway, the proposed solar project is only visible when approaching the very edge of the roadway.
The hiking trails adjacent to the project site provided more visibility of the proposed project site. However, the steepness of the mountains surrounding the project site would require hikers to deviate from the trail to have a clear sightline of the proposed solar project.
In October 2024, the TRC biologist completed the Biological Resources Assessment for the site. This Assessment evaluated the project’s potential impacts to special status or protected habitats in accordance with applicable Federal and State Regulations, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Endangered Species Act (CESA), Fully Protected Species, Native Plan Protection Act (NPPA), Streambed Alteration Agreement, Migratory Birds, City of Glendale General Plan – Open Space and Conservation Element, and Significant Ecological Area (SEA). TRC conducted an initial desktop review to identify a list of special status plant and wildlife species with potential to occur in the project area including species designated as special concern, threatened, endangered, or fully protected by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or the State of California, candidate species being considered or proposed for listing under the ESA or CESA, and species designated as sensitive by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS).
Following the desktop review, TRC conducted several field surveys in 2024 and 2025, to confirm the project area characteristics, vegetation communities, plants, wildlife, special status species, and sensitive natural communities. These field surveys resulted in the following recommended measures to support environmental permitting and conservation and to determine if any buffers or avoidance areas will be required.
Required Pre-Construction Surveys:
1. Nesting Birds & Raptors: Required if construction starts or restarts during the breeding season (February 1- September 1).
2. Least Bell’s Vireo: Protocol surveys conducted by qualified biologists using USFWS Least Bell’s survey guidelines.
3. Crotch’s Bumble Bee: Pre-construction survey during flight season (April – August).
4. Western Spadefoot Toad: Pre-construction survey before construction to determine suitable habitat and set up avoidance buffers if needed.
5. Rare Plants: Pre-construction surveys during appropriate blooming season.
In addition to the measures above, Worker Environmental Awareness Program training is required for all construction workers based on the multiple species-specific mitigation measures identified in the biological assessment. This training will be included in the 10a4
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EPC contract and will be provided by Motive Energy Storage Systems, LLC, to all required contractors and City staff.
In February 2025, GWP’s Electrical Engineering Division completed the first draft of the distribution line extension plan. This draft plan includes the installation of one 60-foot power pole to intercept the existing overhead distribution line, followed by underground construction along the existing road to the project site. The underground portion of the distribution line extension includes 17 electrical primary pull boxes and 15 slough walls in locations adjacent to steep granite walls and hillsides. The underground distribution line extension extends approximately 3,700 feet from the 60-foot power pole to the project site. The engineering estimate for construction of the underground distribution line extension is approximately $1.5 million. The estimated construction timeline for the underground infrastructure is 12 to 16 weeks.
In May 2025, GWP’s project manager conducted a site walk with Motive Energy and the TRC Biologist to identify areas in which the distribution line extension construction activities would disturb any areas that had not been previously disturbed. During the site walk, it was confirmed that several portions of the underground distribution line extension plan would have an impact on special status or protected habitats which would require mitigation measures. These areas include a majority of the 15 slough walls and the blueline stream crossing.
In June 2025, staff from GWP’s Electrical Engineering Division including Overhead/Underground Electrical Line teams conducted a site walk to review and discuss alternatives to the underground distribution line extension plan to minimize or eliminate potential impacts on special status or protected habitats. During this site walk it was determined that nine of the 15 slough wall locations, which are included in the design to protect the electrical primary pull boxes, are located within protected habitats and previously undisturbed areas. It was determined onsite by the Overhead/Underground Electrical Line teams that overhead construction would remedy the environmental impact as the locations of power poles could be designed so that they are located outside of the special status and protected habitats. Overhead construction would also remedy the potential environmental impacts on the blueline stream crossing as the entire blueline stream is a protected habitat and underground construction through this protected habitat is not an option.
In August 2025, GWP’s Electrical Engineering Division completed the overhead distribution line extension plan to extend the existing distribution line from just above the Brand Doctor’s House to the point of interconnection at the Brand Landfill location.
The length of this overhead distribution line extension is approximately 2,100 feet to the project site. The final 400 feet from the last power pole across the project site to the point of interconnection will be underground. The engineering estimate for construction of the underground distribution line extension is approximately $1 million.
The estimated timeline for construction of the underground infrastructure is six to eight weeks. This distribution line extension will be installed by GWP’s Overhead Electrical Line team and funded by GWP’s City Owned Solar Program Capital Improvement Program.
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In September 2025, GWP’s project manager conducted a follow-up site walk with the TRC Biologist to review the recently completed overhead distribution line extension plan. The Biologist provided feedback regarding the location of one power pole, which was within a protected area that would require significant mitigation measures. In October 2025, GWP’s Electrical Engineering team revised the overhead plan to address the feedback received from the Biologist. After reviewing the final overhead plan, the Biologist accepted the plan and provided additional guidance on next steps including the Worker Environmental Awareness Program and the required pre-construction surveys.
In January 2026, City staff and Motive Energy completed the CEQA analysis for the project as well as the design of the primary distribution line extension from the nearby Brand Park to the project site. On June 3, 2026, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the CEQA exemption and authorized the project to move forward with the following conditions to be presented to City Council upon seeking approval for the award of contract to Motive Energy.
Condition No. 1
The document titled “excerpt from L.C. Brand’s Grand Deed” presented during public comment shall be reviewed by the City Attorney’s office to verify whether it presents any legal issues that would affect the grant of the CUP. Review of the document must present no legal issues for the CUP to be valid.
Condition No. 1 Resolution
Staff first obtained a certified letter from a licensed surveyor confirming that the Project area is located within the property as described in the deed.
The City Attorney’s Office then reviewed the restriction outlined in the deed and the historical uses of the property. The restriction in the Brand Park Grant Deed reads as follows:
“That said property and its appurtenances shall be used exclusively as and for a park and shall always be known as Brand Park, and shall be maintained for the benefit, recreation and pleasure of its inhabitants, and shall be developed and kept in good condition as the best public parks of a similar nature in Southern California.”
The proposed Brand Park Solar Project raises the question of whether a publicly owned solar installation on a small portion of deed-restricted parkland is consistent with the requirements of the L.C. Brand Grant Deed, which provides that the property be maintained "as and for a public park…for the benefit, recreation and pleasure of its inhabitants." California law generally holds that land conveyed for a specified public purpose may not be diverted to an unrelated use. However, courts have also recognized that certain ancillary or accessory uses that support or are compatible with park purposes may be permissible, depending on the language of the deed and the nature of the proposed use.
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Relevant case law provides guidance on this issue. In Roberts v. City of Palos Verdes Estates (1949), the court found that park maintenance buildings and vehicle storage serving multiple city properties violated a deed restriction because the deed expressly limited structures to those incidental to the use of the specific park. By contrast, in Abbot Kinney Co. v. City of Los Angeles (1963), a parking lot serving beach visitors was upheld because it directly facilitated public access and enjoyment of the dedicated parkland. These cases demonstrate that the permissibility of non-recreational use depends on whether it is consistent with the park's dedicated purpose and the specific language of the governing deed.
The principles summarized in McQuillin's Municipal Corporations treatise similarly recognize that municipalities generally may not convert dedicated parkland to unrelated public uses, such as public buildings, highways, or parking lots unrelated to park functions. At the same time, the treatise acknowledges that portions of parkland may be devoted to uses that are consistent with, or not destructive of, the park's recreational purpose under particular circumstances.
Applying these principles to the proposed Project, the solar facility would occupy approximately 2.1 acres within the approximately 37-acre closed Brand Park landfill, representing less than one percent of the 219-acre deed-restricted parkland. The Project would be publicly owned and is intended to generate renewable energy that would be delivered to GWP’s electric grid to provide electricity to GWP customers, rather than serve as a commercial or utility-scale development. Importantly, the proposed location is situated on a capped landfill area that has not been available for active or passive recreation for decades. Accordingly, the Project would not displace existing recreational facilities or reduce the public's access to usable parkland.
The history of the Project site further supports this conclusion. Beginning in 1978, the area operated as a permitted Class II-2 sanitary landfill that accepted inert construction materials, street sweepings, and green waste generated by the City. Landfill operations ceased around 2009, and subsequent regulatory approvals authorized post-closure recycling activities. Following closure, the landfill was capped with gravel and has since remained unavailable for recreational use. The proposed solar facility would utilize this previously disturbed and non-recreational portion of the park without altering the park's existing recreational amenities.
The proposed installation is also consistent with common public-sector practices.
Solar facilities have been successfully incorporated into park infrastructure throughout Southern California, including installations on maintenance buildings, visitor facilities, parking canopies, and closed landfill sites. Within Glendale, solar facilities currently operate at Fremont Park and the Glendale Sports Complex, the latter generating approximately 1.3 megawatts while also providing shaded parking. The proposed Brand Park Solar Project, with an anticipated capacity of approximately 1.8 megawatts, is comparable in scale and is not considered a utility-scale energy facility.
The L.C. Brand Grant Deed does not contain language limiting improvements solely to facilities directly serving the Brand park. Rather, the deed broadly requires that 10a7
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the property be maintained for the "benefit, recreation, and pleasure" of the City's inhabitants and developed as one of the best public parks of a similar nature in Southern California. These broader provisions provide greater flexibility in accommodating improvements that produce a public benefit without materially interfering with recreational use.
Because the proposed solar facility would be located on a previously disturbed, non-recreational portion of the park, would occupy only a minimal percentage of the deed-restricted property, would provide renewable energy benefiting all the City’s electric customers, and would preserving existing recreational opportunities, the Project can reasonably be characterized as an incidental and compatible public use rather than a substantial diversion of parkland. Based on the applicable deed language, relevant case law, and the unique circumstances of the project site, the proposed Brand Park Solar Project is consistent with the purposes of the L.C. Brand Grant Deed and does not constitute a violation of its restrictions.
Condition No. 2
Include a description of reasonable efforts to underground the distribution extension line or produce verifiable studies indicating that underground is not feasible due to the geological foundations of the area.
Condition No. 2 Resolution
In addition to the efforts described in this staff report to determine the most environ- mentally compliant and financially feasible construction approach for the electric distribution line extension, GWP also considered a ground level distribution system (GLDS). A GLDS is essentially electrical conduits encased in concrete at grade or just beneath the surface. A GLDS would present the same environmental impacts to special status or protected habitats as the underground construction approach. In addition, while a GLDS eliminates the aesthetic of additional overhead power lines (overhead high-power transmission lines already exist in this area), the trade-off would be a grade level concrete encasement approximately 3,700 feet in length along the roadway leading up to the project site that would impact protected habitat and cross blue line stream areas.
Next Steps
Upon approval and execution of the EPC contract, Motive Energy will proceed with the Building & Safety plan review and permitting process, which may include additional design and engineering revisions. Construction is expected to commence immediately following permit issuance with an estimated duration of approximately eight to nine months. Substantial completion is anticipated in mid-2027, followed by final completion and commissioning of the project in late-2027. Post construction maintenance and operations of the solar array will be provided through a separate service agreement for professional annual inspections to ensure peak performance.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
Not applicable.
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FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost for construction of the Brand Park Solar Photovoltaic Project is $3,790,797, plus a 15% contingency of $568,620, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $4,359,417. Funds for Phase 1 of the City-Owned Solar Development Program were secured through previous budgetary processes, and sufficient Capital Improvement Program funds, including the 15% contingency, remain available. No additional appropriations are requested at this time.
Existing Appropriation
Amount Account String Funding Source
$4,359,417 GL: 43110-5830-GWP-0020-P0000-
PL: GWP00660BN
Electric Depreciation Fund
Department Cost Center Program
Glendale Water
and Power
Projects
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The proposed Project is categorically exempt from the CEQA pursuant to Guidelines Sections 15303 (Class 3 – New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) and 15304 (Class 4 – Minor Alterations to Land). A Notice of Exemption was filed after the June 3, 2026, Planning Commission meeting.
The project consists of the installation and operation of a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system, including associated transformers, inverters, combiner panels, and related utility infrastructure, on an approximately 2.1-acre portion of an existing disturbed and previously graded inactive landfill pad within a larger 219-acre City-owned property. The project would not result in substantial modification to existing topography, removal of mature or indigenous trees, or significant grading. The project site consists of a manufactured flat pad on an inactive landfill and does not require substantial alteration of natural landforms, with only minor site preparation and leveling of an existing graded pad anticipated.
The Project site is partially urbanized consisting of paved and unpaved roadways frequented by the general public for hiking and which is surrounded by hillside open space natural habitat. The Project was designed to avoid any impact on natural habitat. In October 2025, TRC prepared a Biological Resources Assessment to analyze for potential impacts resulting from the Project that may disturb existing native species/natural habitats/features within the Project’s approximately 2.1-acre scope of work area, as well as within a 100-foot buffer around the Project. Based upon TRC’s findings, the Project was designed to avoid disturbance to all native vegetation on the Project site so as to avoid potential impacts to biological resources which includes avoidance of storage of vehicles, equipment, and materials stockpiling at locations adjacent to or bordering the Project site. Additionally, a focused pre-construction surveys of nesting birds and raptors, a Least Bell’s vireo survey, and pre-construction surveys for special status wildlife including the Crotch’s Bumble Bee and Western Spadefoot Toad, will occur prior to issuance of building permits and commencement of construction. Project implementation also includes biological resource observation of 10a9
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the Project site during the respective breeding season.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
In accordance with the City Campaign Finance Ordinance No. 5744, the Campaign Disclosures including the names and business addresses of the members of the board of directors, the chairperson, CEO, COO, CFO, subcontractors, and any person or entity with more than ten percent (10%) interest in the company are attached as Exhibit 1.
ALTERNATIVE TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Do not authorize the City Manager to execute an EPC Contract with Motive Energy, in which case the Brand Landfill Solar Project will not proceed.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Scott K. Mellon, P.E., General Manager - Glendale Water and Power Prepared by:
Ruzan Soloyan, Clean Energy Officer
Bryan Salazar, Business Transformation Manager
Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Campaign Finance Disclosure Form for Motive Energy Storage Systems, LLC