Report to City Council
26-0120 Page 1
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Melissa Walker, Public Works Director/City Engineer
AGENDA DATE: April 7, 2026
TITLE: AWARD AN AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL
CONSULTANT ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING
DESIGN SERVICES FOR THE MORENO VALLEY
PUBLIC SAFETY CAMPUS PROJECT NUMBER 803
0072 (REPORT OF: PUBLIC WORKS) (DISTRICT 3)
TITLE SUMMARY: Authorization To Award An Agreement For Professional Consultant Architectural And Engineering Design Services To Steinberg Hart For The Moreno Valley Public Safety
Campus Project Number 803 0072
DISTRICT: District 3
Recommendation(s)
That the City Council:
1. Authorize to award an Agreement for Professional Consultant Services to Steinberg Hart to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Moreno Valley Public Safety Campus; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the Agreement with Steinberg Hart, subject to the approval by the City Attorney; and
3. Authorize the issuance of a Purchase Order to Steinberg Hart in the amount of $4,319,611.00, funded by the Public Works Capital Projects funds, once the agreement has been signed by all parties; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute any subsequent amendments to the Agreement with Steinberg Hart, up to the annual budget as approved by the City Council, in cluding the authority to authorize the associated purchase orders in accordance with the terms of the Agreement, subject to the approval of the City Attorney; and
5. Authorize budget adjustments as set forth in the Fiscal Impact section of this report.
SUMMARY
This report recommends approval of an Agreement for Professional Consultant Services with Steinberg Hart to provide architectural and engineering design services for the new Moreno Valley Public Safety Campus . The design phase of this project is supported by revenue collected from Measure U Transaction and Use Taxes, approved by voters on November 5, 2024. The construction phase of the Project will also be implemented via funding supported by Measure U Transaction and Use Taxes.
DISCUSSION
The City Council’s May 6, 2025, adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025/26–2026/27 operating budget includes expanded staffing and equipment for the Fire and Police Departments, along with a new public safety facility on the City’s east end, reflecting the direct link between Moreno Valley’s population growth and rising calls for service. This investment aligns with voter direction from November 5, 2024, when residents approved Measure U, which explicitly prioritizes maintaining public safety service levels , ensuring the City can continue meeting increasing community needs.
The proposed Moreno Valley Public Safety Campus will be located at the east end of the City. This new campus will address the needs of the City’s growing residential and business community. The facili ty is designed to meet current service demands while accommodating future development and projected population growth, with particular emphasis on the expanding east end of the City.
The project includes the construction of a new fire station and police station as a joint-use public safety facility supporting both fire protection and law enforcement operations. The project also includes improvements to site access, onsite circulation, utility infrastructure, emergency vehicle accommodations, and associated street and frontage enhancements to support safe and efficient operations.
In addition, the City Council adopted the two-year operating budget for FY 2025/26 – 2026/27, which includes equipment and personnel increases for both the Fire and Police Departments. As a result, expansion of public safety facilities is necessary to support these operational enhancements.
On January 16, 2026, staff advertised a Request for Proposals (RFP) to retain a consultant to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Moreno Valley Public Safety Campus. In response to the advertisement, eleven (11) proposals were received on February 16, 2026. Staff carefully reviewed the proposals and ranked them based on various criteria, including firm experience, qualificat ions of the proposed key personnel, and demonstrated understanding of the project’s needs.
Following the evaluation process, staff recommends awarding the design services agreement to Steinberg Hart, as they were determined to be the most qualified firm to complete the requested services. The consultant’s scope of work includes preparing the full design, construction plans, and bid package; completing environmental clearance and permitting; providing technical support during the bidding phase and throughout construction; and performing other design -related tasks necessary to complete the project.
PUBLIC SAFETY PROPERTY COVENANT
Dedication of Land
The former City Manager negotiated a Public Safety Property Covenant (Covenant) with Highland Fairview Properties (Highland Fairview) and Merwin Properties, LLC (Merwin), a subsidiary of Highland Fairview. The Covenant requires that a 10-acre buildable parcel (Site) be deeded to the City by Merwin , who is the owner of the Site . The Site actually consists of approximately 14.66 “gross” acres, but with all the required dedications for public rights-of-way, setbacks, etc., only 10 acres are deemed “buildable.” The Site is located at the northeast corner of Merwin Street and Cactus Avenue. The Site is vacant and in an unimproved state, meaning there are no buildings, foundations, structures, roads, or other physical improvements in, on, or at the Site. The Covenant also requires Highland Fairview and Merwin to construct a Public Safety Campus, consisting of a 10,500 sq. foot turn-key Fire Station (i.e., a designed, constructed, and delivered building) and a 4,000 sq. foot turn-key Police Station (i.e., a designed, constructed, and delivered building). After the Public Safety Campus is completed, title (ownership) of the Site and the Public Safety Campus and all of its related improvements must be deeded to the City.
Fire Truck and Paramedic/Fire Squad
The Covenant also provides that at the time ownership of the Site and Public Safety Campus and i ts related improvements is transferred to the City, Highland Farview and Merwin must provide and convey title/ownership of a 100' Tiller Drawn Ariel Apparatus (TDA ladder truck), a Type-I Fire Engine, and a Paramedic/Fire Squad to the City. Failure to conv ey title/ownership of the Fire Truck and provide for the Paramedic/Fire Squad on time will result in the immediate suspension of the City's issuance of any additional occupancy permits (final inspections) for any additional/further residential units in any development project in the City consisting of residential units planned or constructed by or through Highland Fairview and its subsidiaries, which include the 15,000 Aquabella residential units. The only way that this deadline may be extended is if Highla nd Farview and Merwin provide a performance bond guaranteeing the completion of the Public Safety Campus and the provision of the Fire Truck and Paramedic/Fire Squad. The performance bond will allow the City to foreclose on the bond (extract the proceeds f rom the bond) to pay for completion of the Public Safety Campus at a precise “time certain.” Commencement of Construction of Public Safety Campus
The Covenant provides that Highland Fairview and Merwin shall commence construction of the Public Safety Campus at the time of issuance of the occupancy permit (final inspection) for the 7,000th residential unit in any development project in the City consisting of residential units planned or constructed by or through Highland Fairview and any of its subsidiaries. This includes the 15,000 residential units approved in connection with the Aquabella Specific Plan Amendment approved by the City on December 3, 202 4. The Covenant expressly provides that if Highland Farview and Merwin fail to commence construction on time, it will result in the immediate suspension of the City's issuance of any additional/further occupancy permits (final inspections) beyond the 7,000 th residential unit in any development project in the City consisting of residential units planned or constructed by or through Highland Fairview and any of its subsidiaries. This means that if construction of the Public Safety Campus does not commence on time, Highland Fairview and its subsidiaries will not be able to construct any remaining residential units in any of their projects, including the 15,000 Aquabella residential units.
Completion of Construction of Public Safety Campus
The Covenant provides that Highland Fairview and Merwin s hall complete construction of the Public Safety Campus and transfer ownership (title) to the Site and the Public Safety Campus and its related improvement to the City no later than 36 months after the City's issuance of the occupancy permit (final inspection) for the 7,000th residential unit in any development project consisting of residential units planned or constructed by or through Highland Fairview and of any of its subsidiaries, which again includes the 15,000 Aquabella residential units. Failure to complete construction and transfer ownership of the Site and the Public Safety Campus and is related improvements on time shall result in the immediate suspension of the City's issuance of any additional occupancy permits (final inspections) for any additional/further residential units in any development project in the City consisting of residential units planned or constructed by or through Highland Fairview , which in cludes the 15,000 Aquabella residential units, until such time the Public Safety Campus is completed or Highland Fairview or Merwin provide a performance bond guaranteeing its completion. Again, the performance bond will allow the City to foreclose on the bond (extract the proceeds from the bond) to pay for completion of the Public Saf ety Campus at a precise “time certain.”
Police and Fire Development Impacts Fees
If Highland Fairview and Merwin transfers ownership of the Site and constructs the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements, and provides the Fire Truck and Paramedic/Fire Squad, Highland Farview will be entitled to a reimbursement of any Police and Fire Development Impact Fees it has paid to the City or a credit for any Police and Fire Development Impact Fees it must pay in the future to the City in an amount equivalent to the costs associated with the fair market value of the Site, the cost of construction of the Public Safety Campus and
its related improvements, and the cost of providing the Fire Truck and the Paramedic/Fire Squad. This arrangement simply earmarks the P olice and F ire Development Impact Fees that Highland Farview and its subsidiaries are legally required to pay to the City for resi dential development projects for purposes of paying for the costs of transferring ownership to the Site, constructing the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements, and providing the Fire Truck and Paramedic/Fire Squad. Bottom line, this arrangement does not impose any “out- of-pocket” costs for Highland Farview or its subsidiaries since they are required to pay the requisite Police and Fire Development Impacts fees in any event.
However, the initial purpose of having Highland Fairview and Merwin construct the Public Safety Campus was to reduce the cost of labor since a private en tity (presumably at the time) was not required to pay prevailing wages if the private entity constructed the public improvement and deeded it later to the City. If the City were to wait to collect the necessary Police and Fire Development Impact Fees to construct the Public Safety Campus and related improvements, the City would be required to pay prevailing wages. However, since the time the Covenant was initially negotiated, it is clear now that under the circumstances, prevailing wages will have to be p aid by Highland Fairview and Merwin for the labor to construct the Public Safety Campus, since the arrangement involves reimbursement and credits to a private entity for the construction of a public improvement, which constitutes a “public works project” that is subject to the payment of prevailing wages.
In light of the foregoing, this is why staff is recommending proceeding with the City financing the construction of the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements. In other words, since the cost of construction of the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements will require the payment of prevailing wages regardless of whether the City or H ighland Farview or Mer win pay for its construction, the staff’s recommendation will expedite its construction and any Police and Fire Development Impact Fees paid by Highland Fairview or any of its subsidiaries for any residential development project they construct within the City can be reserved for other important Police and Fire Facilities and services or to reimburse the City for any costs it incurs for constructing the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements. Plus, staff recommendation avoids the possibility that the Public Safety Campus will never be constructed if Highland Fairview and its subsidiaries abandon building any residential units beyond the 6,999 residential units. However, even if the City chooses to finance the construction of the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements, Highland Fairview, Merwin, and Highland Farview’s subsidiaries are still obligated to transfer ownership of the Site to the City and provide the Fire Truck and Paramedic/Fire Squad pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Covenant.
Binding Effect of Covenant
The Covenant has been recorded against the Site, which “runs with the land.” This means that the Si te may not be used for any other purpose other than for the
construction of the Public Safety Campus and its related improvements – regardless of who owns the Site. Also the Covenant is binding not only on Highland Fairview and Merwin, but is it is also binding on all subsidiaries of Highland Fairview, which means that Highland Fairview cannot escape its obligations under the Covenant by creating another limited liability company or other type o f corporation. Finally the Covenant may not be altered, revised or modified without the prior written consent of the City, which will have to be recorded with the County of Riverside’s Assessor- City Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve and authorize the recommended actions as presented in this staff report.
This alternative will allow the timely completion of the design and bid package for the Moreno Valley Public Safety Campus project. Staff recommends this alternative.
2. Do not approve and authorize the recommended actions as presented in this staff report. This alternative may delay the design of the much -needed Moreno Valley Public Safety Campus project. Staff does not recommend this alternative.
FISCAL IMPACT
The design phase o f this project will be supported by Measure U Transaction and Use Taxes funded through the Public Works Capital Projects, Fund 3002. Staff recommends approval of the following budget adjustments to ensure sufficient funding is available to complete the design work. Staff anticipates returning to the City Council in early Fall 2026 with a comprehensive budgeting plan for the construction phase, once the consultant has completed the conceptual design and developed an estimated construction cost.
Category Fund GL Account
Project Number
Type
(Rev/Exp)
FY 25/26
Budget
Proposed
Adjustments
FY 25/26
Amended
Budget
Transfer Out 1011 1011-99-99-91011-903002 Exp $0 $5,200,000 $5,200,000 Transfer In 3002 3002-99-99-93002-801011 Rev $0 $5,200,000 $5,200,000 CIP 3002 3002-70-77-80003-720199
Project No. 803 0072-3002-99 Exp $0 $5,200,000 $5,200,000 ESTIMATED PROJECT DESIGN COSTS:
Agreement with Steinberg Hart ....................................................................... $4,319,611 Additional Design Efforts If Required by Fire and Police Departments .............. $600,000 Design Review/Plan Check and Permitting Fees ............................................... $200,000 City Project Administration ................................................................................... $80,000 Total ................................................................................................................ $5,199,611 ANTICIPATED PROJECT SCHEDULE:
Preliminary Design ...................................................................... Spring 2026 – Fall 2026 Final Design ................................................................................ Fall 2026 – Winter 2027
NOTIFICATION
The Request for Proposals was advertised on the public electronic procurement portal PlanetBids. Public notification is also achieved through the publication of the meeting Agenda.
PREPARATION OF STAFF REPORT
Prepared By: Department Head Approval:
Johncito “John” Peraza Melissa Walker, P.E.
Assistant to the City Manager Public Works Director/City Engineer Concurred By:
Harold Zamora, P.E
Engineering Division Manager/Assistant City Engineer
CITY COUNCIL GOALS
Public Facilities and Capital Projects: Ensure that needed public facilities, roadway improvements, and other infrastructure improvements are constructed and maintained.
Public Safety: Provide a safe and secure environment for people and property in the community, control the number and severity of fire and hazardous material incidents, and provide protection for citizens who live, work, and visit the City of Moreno Valley.
CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
1. Economic Development
2. Public Safety
3. Library
4. Infrastructure
5. Beautification, Community Engagement, and Quality of Life
6. Youth Programs
Report Approval Details
Document Title: STAFFREPORT_PW_PUBLIC_SAFETY_CAMPUS.docx Attachments: - Agreement with Steinberg Hart.pdf
Final Approval
Date:
Apr 1, 2026
This report and all of its attachments were approved and signed as outlined below:
Melissa Walker
Sean Kelleher
Natalia Medina
Felicia London, MPA
Launa Jimenez
Brian Mohan
Patty Rodriguez
Report Approval Details
Document
Title:
STAFFREPORT_PW_CP_MV_PUBLIC_SAFETY_CAMPUS_.docx
Attachments: - Agreement with Steinberg Hart.pdf
Final
Approval
Date:
Apr 2, 2026
This report and all of its attachments were approved and signed as outlined below:
No Signature - Task assigned to Melissa Walker was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Melissa Walker
No Signature - Task assigned to Sean Kelleher was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Sean Kelleher
No Signature - Task assigned to Natalia Medina was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Natalia Medina
No Signature - Task assigned to Felicia London, MPA was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Felicia London, MPA
No Signature - Task assigned to Launa Jimenez was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Launa Jimenez
No Signature - Task assigned to Brian Mohan was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Brian Mohan
Patty Rodriguez