City of Gonzales
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: June 6, 2022
FROM: Taven Kinison Brown, Community Development Director THROUGH: René L. Mendez, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution No. 2022-33 Award a Consulting Services Agreement with EMC Planning Group for CEQA Services for the Gloria Road Cooler Project - Phase 1 Scope of Work.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:
• Receive the staff report; and
• Adopt Resolution No. 2022-33, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales authorizing execution of a consulting services agreement between the City of Gonzales and EMC Planning Group for CEQA Services for the Gloria Road Cooler Project – Phase 1 Scope of Work.
BACKGROUND
On January 18, 2022, the City Council Approved a three year On-Call Consultant list for Professional Planning Services that included EMC Planning Group as a selected firm, among others.
About February and March, the Rianda Family Limited Partnership approached the City about the possibility of annexing a portion of their Gloria Road property that is within the City Sphere of Influence (SOI) for the development of an agricultural cooler facility and asked that the City process a discretionary permit application for the facility once the land areas are within the City limits upon a successful annexation.
AGENDA
ITEM
12 On April 18, 2022, the City Council approved a Reimbursement Agreement between the City of Gonzales and Rianda Family Limited Partnership and authorized the City Manager to sign the agreement.
Since this time, City staff and the Rianda Family Limited Partnership and their representatives have been working to enhance the project description, proposed facility configuration and have been considering onsite and off -site improvements that may be necessary to support the cooler facility.
REVIEW & ANALYSIS
Briefly, the project area lies across the southeastern city limit line along Gloria Road on a 107-acre property owned by the Rianda Family Limited Partnership. Twenty-three (23) acres within the city limits are zoned Highway Commercial and are not proposed for development at this time, but on the balance of the 84 acres owned, the partnership is exploring construction of a 240,888 – 310,863 square foot cooler facility with 907,744 – 1,047,744 square feet of impervious surfaces to accommodate parking and pavement areas for employees and agricultural vehicles and outdoor storage. The facility will consist of approximately 188,750 square feet of raw product cold storage, processing lines where the produce will be cleaned, sized, packaged, and shipped, as well as approximately 47,700 square feet of office administration space and miscellaneous mechanical and storage rooms and shop areas. (See the Site Plan in Attachment 2)
City staff is prepared to immediately proceed with the CEQA/EIR process, however, the client has expressed a willingness to pay for a measured process to explore potential traffic impacts first, before committing greater financial resources to the full CEQA environmental review. Staff believes this to be a prudent approach. To get started, a Consulting Services Agreement between the City of Gonzales and EMC Planning Group must be signed by all parties prior to work commencing. The monetary amount of the contract will reflect the costs associated with the primary traffic analysis tasks to be conducted. EMC and Hexagon Traffic Consultants, Inc., (their sub-consultant) have estimated approximately $45,000 will be needed to complete the traffic review.
Later, after reviewing the completed traffic study and its recommendations, should the Rianda Family Limited Partnership wish to continue their quest to build this significant agricultural cooler facility, a new scope of work will be developed to complete the CEQA review and deliver the project through City and LAFCo processes, requiring additional Council action at that time.
How Recommendation Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small-town charm.
Explain: Preparation of a project specific traffic analysis (as a first step in the CEQA documentation needed to entitle an agricultural cooler and processing facility), supports our vision to provide new job opportunities.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment, and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community. X Yes ____ No____ N/A
Explain: Preparation of the project specific traffic analysis (as a first step in the CEQA documentation needed to entitle an agricultural cooler and processing facility) will lead to the enhancement of the community’s quality of life by ultimately providing new job opportunities.
City services will be delivered in a cost-effective, respectful, and friendly manner to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents and the promotion of business, recreational, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner. X Yes ____ No____ N/A Explain: Planning review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) allows full disclosure of potential environmental impacts and informs the public and decision makers prior to taking action on new developments.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety X Yes ____ No ___ N/A
• Housing X Yes ____ No ___ N/A
• Recreation X Yes ____ No ___ N/A
• Environment X Yes ____ No ___ N/A
• Education X Yes ____ No ___ N/A
Explain: The costs of reviewing and analyzing most new development proposals should be born by the private parties in interest. Contractual Planning services, paid through reimbursement agreements with project proponents, protects the general fund and strives to be fiscally neutral.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Direct staff to seek additional proposals for this contract.
2. Amend or modify staff recommendation.
BUDGET IMPACT
This anticipated $45,000 contract will be funded by the Rianda Family Limited Partnership and have no impact to the general fund or other accounts.
CONCLUSIONS
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2022-33, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Gonzales authorizing execution of a consulting services agreement between the City of Gonzales and EMC Planning Group for CEQA Services for the Gloria Road Cooler Project – Phase 1 Scope of Work.
Attachments:
1. Resolution No. 2022-33 with Consulting Services Agreement
2. Proposed Site Plan