September 27, 2021
Matthew Sundt
Community Development Director
City of Gonzales
147 Fourth Street
Gonzales, CA 93926
Re: Vista Lucia Specific Plan Project EIR – Contract Amendment #1 Dear Matthew:
This contract amendment #1 is being submitted to cover out‐of‐scope costs to prepare the EIR for the Vista Lucia Specific Plan Project and additional costs resulting from the environmental review process change. The additional EIR costs arise primarily from the need to incorporate information from the specific plan and tentative maps into the project description and to reflect both in the analysis of individual environmental topics.
Additional costs are related to administration, project management, preparing a new NOP, conducting additional fieldwork, and responding to comments from City staff.
To date, EMC Planning Group has completed all tasks up through a screencheck draft SEIR as identified in our original scope of work. Consequently, this contract amendment applies only to additional costs for all process tasks needed to prepare a revised screencheck draft EIR. Tasks and costs beginning with preparing a draft EIR and ending with attending public hearings as shown in our approved contract remain unchanged.
EMC Planning Group Amendment Task Summary
Administration
EMC Planning Group has and will incur additional costs resulting from contract management and invoicing. This task covers these additional costs.
Matthew Sundt
City of Gonzales
September 27, 2021, Page 2
Management
Prolonging the CEQA process, coordinating with City staff and the applicant, coordinating EMC Planning Group staff and subconsultants, etc., results in additional costs. These include costs incurred between the time EMC Planning Group “stopped work” on the substantive SEIR content in February 2021 and the time substantive work on the EIR was reinitiated in August 2021 (approximately $7,000). This task also includes management time through preparing the screencheck draft EIR, including time for regular status calls with City staff and the applicant through preparation of the public draft EIR.
Prepare Contract Amendment
This task covers time spent to review new applicant submittals, review the SEIR, communicate with City staff; EMC Planning Group staff, subconsultants, and the applicant; prepare the original contract amendment #1 dated March 30, 2021; and revise the original amendment based on specific plan content review, new project description information, expansion of the WSA and noise analyses scopes, etc.
Revise NOP and Recirculate
The NOP has been revised and recirculated. This task includes the time required to do so and to coordinate with the City to submit the NOP to OPR.
Biological Resources Fieldwork/Supplemental Letter
The proposed off‐site improvements to Associated Lane and to the U.S. Highway 101/Alta Street interchange cross over water features that may be jurisdictional and have potential to be considered protected. An EMC Planning Group biologist will conduct a site visit to evaluate resource conditions at these locations and prepare a supplemental letter memo that summarizes potential impacts and mitigation measures for significant impacts. The information will be incorporated into the EIR.
Prepare Vista Lucia Specific Plan Project Administrative Draft EIR As has been discussed with City staff, going forward, the EIR will be prepared as a project EIR (“Vista Lucia Specific Plan EIR”) rather than a supplemental EIR.
The current screencheck draft SEIR will be revised to prepare an administrative draft project EIR. Primary revisions would include:
Matthew Sundt
City of Gonzales
September 27, 2021, Page 3
Modifying all language in the document that makes reference to supplemental EIR, and the analysis methodology and analysis for each environmental topic that is based on the prior supplement EIR approach;
Integrating a description of key elements of the new specific plan and tentative maps, and precise off‐site circulation improvements required for the project, into the project description and adding/revising related graphics; Integrating relevant elements of the specific plan, tentative maps, and off‐site circulation improvements into the impact analysis for each environmental topic (including additional biological reconnaissance for off‐site improvements), revising relevant impact analyses for each topic and revising mitigation measures where necessary; and
Revising other EIR sections (e.g., cumulative and alternatives) to account for higher level of project description information and reference to the specific plan and tentative map.
Prepare Screencheck Draft EIR
The administrative draft EIR will be submitted to City staff for review and comment.
This task covers costs to modify the administrative draft EIR in response to City staff comments to produce a screencheck draft EIR. This task also includes several hours for communicating with City staff in response to its review of the screencheck draft EIR.
The cost is the budget is our best estimate of the level of effort needed to address City staff comments. The actual cost may be lower or greater. If greater, a contract amendment may be required. If lower, a cost savings would occur.
Incorporate City Staff Comments per Applicant Review into a Revised Screencheck Draft EIR
After City staff review of the screencheck draft EIR, it is assumed that City staff will request comments from the applicant. This task includes time to respond to City staff direction to EMC Planning Group regarding changes to the screencheck draft EIR that arise from applicant comments. It is assumed that City staff will provide a specific, written set of specific changes to the screencheck draft EIR that arise from applicant comments such that the changes do not require new detailed analysis. The revised “applicant” screencheck EIR would be submitted to City staff for review and comment.
Matthew Sundt
City of Gonzales
September 27, 2021, Page 4
The cost is the budget is our best estimate of the level of effort needed to address applicant comments as screened and submitted by City staff to EMC Planning Group.
The actual cost may be lower or greater. If greater, a contract amendment may be required. If lower, a cost savings would occur.
Subconsultant Contract Amendment Summary
Akel Engineering
Akel will revise the WSA prepared for the prior SEIR. The content of the WSA will be substantially expanded to include data that typically would be included in an urban water management plan – an urban water management plan is not available from the City as the water purveyor.
WJV Acoustics
WJV will prepare a supplemental analysis of traffic noise impacts on future sensitive receptors within the project site. The analysis will evaluate the potential change in impact significance based on the applicant’s specific plan and phase 1 and 2 tentative maps, which show that receptors would be separated from the subject arterials/collectors by internal subdivision streets.
Contingencies Regarding Specific Plan Content
Development Capacity/Land Use Summary and Land Use Plan All costs are contingent on the specific plan retaining the same development capacity/land use summary and land use plan that were included in the applicant’s original project description – this appears to be the case. If either of these two variables changes, modifications to tasks and costs and additional subconsultant costs could be incurred.
Traffic Analysis
City staff has indicated that the applicant will not submit a traffic impact analysis as part of the specific plan submittal and that the City’s 2019 SOI traffic analysis will suffice to meet CEQA analysis needs. It is assumed that the applicant will prepare and submit supplemental information as part of the specific plan submittal that addresses circulation hazards and emergency access issues as described in the SEIR.
Matthew Sundt
City of Gonzales
September 27, 2021, Page 5
Additional Supplemental Information
City staff has indicated that it will communicate with the applicant about potential additional supplemental information that should be prepared as part of the specific plan submittal as indicated in the mitigation measures in the proof draft SEIR. Contract amendment #1 does not include scope or budget for preparing such supplemental information, nor does it include time to review and provide comments on the supplemental information. If either of these two tasks are required, modifications to tasks and costs in this amendment would be necessary.
Budget
The amendment #1 budget is attached. It summarizes the tasks listed above. Note that the biological field survey work is not listed as a separate line item in the budget.
If you have any questions about this amendment, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Ron Sissem
Principal
Task
Staff Senior Principal Principal Principal Planner Associate Planner Principal Biologist Associate Biologist Desktop Publisher Graphics Production Manager Admin./ Production Billing Rate (Per Hour) $250.00 $225.00 $200.00 $150.00 $190.00 $130.00 $150.00 $95.00 $125.00 $115.00Administration 5 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 $2,900.00Management 6 52 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 62 $13,800.00Prepare Contract Amendment #1 2 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 22 $4,780.00Revise and Recirculate NOP 1 4 0 10 0 0 0 6 2 2 25 $3,700.00Admin Draft EIR 6 140 8 16 8 16 4 32 4 0 262 $49,080.00Prepare City Staff Screencheck Draft EIR 4 32 0 6 2 2 0 8 4 0 58 $11,000.00Prepare Applicant Screencheck Draft EIR 1 28 0 4 0 0 0 6 0 0 39 $7,720.00Subtotal (Hours) 25 280 8 42 10 18 4 52 10 4 Total Hours Total Cost Subtotal (Cost) $6,250.00 $63,000.00 $1,600.00 $6,300.00 $1,900.00 $2,340.00 $600.00 $4,940.00 $1,250.00 $460.00 481 $92,980.00 Additional Costs
Production CostsTravel CostsPostal/DeliverablesMiscellaneousAdministrative Overhead 10%TotalAkel Engineering (Update WSA)WJV AcousticsSubconsultant Overhead 10%Total Total Costs
NOTE: This proposed budget is valid for 90 days
$100.00$770.00
$70.00
$500.00
$50.00$50.00
$14,250.00
$111,075.00
$1,575.00
$17,325.00
Vista Lucia Contract Amendment No 1 Budget
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Subconsultant Fees
Total
Hours Total Cost
$1,500.00