City of Gonzales
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: October 3, 2022
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Acting City Manager
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution No. 2022-64 Awarding a Consulting Services Agreement with EMC Planning Group for Preparation of CEQA Documents for the Gloria Road Cooler Project
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended1that the City Council:
• Receive the staff report; and
• Adopt Resolution No. 2022-64, 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 Preparation of CEQA Documents for the Gloria Rd. Cooler Project.
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 (“Rianda”) 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 1 Administration of the solicitation and preparation of the proposed contract is being handled by Acting City Manager Patrick Dobbins and legal counsel. Community Development Director Taven M. Kinson Brown has a remote interest in this contract with EMC due to the fact that his spouse is an EMC employee. See Government Code Section 1090 et seq. Mr. Brown has disqualified himself from participation in the making of this specific contract
AGENDA
ITEM
9 discretionary permit application for the facility once the land areas are within the City limits upon a successful annexation.
On April 18, 2022, the City Council approved a Reimbursement Agreement between the City of Gonzales and Rianda and authorized the City Manager to sign the agreement.
Since this time, City staff and Rianda and their representatives have been working to enhance the project description, proposed facility configuration and have been considering on-site and off -site improvements that may be necessary to support the cooler facility.
In June of this year, Rianda requested the City explore traffic impacts first before committing additional financial resources to the full California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) environmental review.
The City accommodated this request and prepared a consulting services agreement and scope of work with EMC to only include a Phase 1 Scope of Work to evaluate traffic impacts. The Phase 1 Scope of Work to evaluate traffic impacts has now been completed and potential traffic impacts are understood by the Parties. Rianda has now requested that the City proceed with the balance of the full CEQA environmental review.
The City prepared a new Request for Proposals (“RFP") and sent the same to the following four consultants on September 14, 2022: Denise Duffy and Associates, EMC, Harris & Associates, and HE Associates. (See Rianda Cooler RFP, Attachment 1.) Each of these firms is on the City’s established oncall planning consultant list. Two of the consultants did not provide a response, one (Harris & Associates) responded that they were unable to take on the work due to “current workload and staffing levels,” and EMC provided a Proposal on September 27, 2022, at an estimated cost of $275,510.
A new Consulting Services Agreement between the City and EMC must be developed and signed by all parties prior to work commencing on the balance of the full CEQA environmental review. While the monetary amount of the contract will reflect the full costs and state-required tasks and processes associated with the construction of a defensible Environmental Impact Report (EIR), savings may be achieved if the City determines after an evaluation of environmental impacts that a Mitigated Negative Declaration as opposed to an EIR will suffice. All work will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of CEQA. It is Rianda’s and the City’s intention to complete the CEQA review and deliver the project through all City and LAFCo processes.
The proposed Gloria Road Cooler
As a refresher to the proposed project, 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, Rianda 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 Attachment 1 for further details.)
Processes ahead for the Cooler
Also part of the Gloria Road Cooler proposal and project description will be requests to change the General Plan Land Use Map and Zoning Map District designations to enable a single-use industrial development proposal on lands the City and General Plan had anticipated for future residential neighborhoods. The review processes ahead include completing all environmental documentation that will include an evaluation of the code changes / legislative actions necessary, Planning Commission review, City Council review, and LAFCo review to incorporate the project land area into the City of Gonzales. Following those activities will be the applicant’s efforts to meet conditions of approval and satisfy mitigation measures and present construction plans to the Building Division.
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 CEQA documentation is needed to fully disclose potential environmental effects of the project to the community and infrastructure, and should the project be approved, 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 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 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 Yes No X N/A
• Recreation Yes No X N/A
• Environment X Yes No N/A
• Education Yes No X N/A
Explain: The costs of reviewing and analyzing new development proposals is 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
Amend or modify staff recommendation.
BUDGET IMPACT
This anticipated $275,510 contract will be funded by the Rianda Family Limited Partnership and will have no impact to the general fund or other accounts.
CONCLUSION
It is recommended that the City Council:
• Receive the staff report; and
• Adopt Resolution No. 2022-64, 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 Preparation of CEQA Documents for the Gloria Rd. Cooler Project.
Attachments:
1. Rianda Cooler RFP
2. Resol No. 2022-64 with Exhibits