DATE:
April 23, 2024
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
Community Development
TITLE: Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—
Professional Services Agreement and
Midyear CIP Project
RECOMMENDATION
1. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a contract with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Incorporated (California Bu siness Entity No. 1513382), to prepare a Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan and perform associated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) work in an amount not to exceed $1,381,000.
2. Approve a midyear Capital Improvement Program project for the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan, and transfer and appropriate $1,510,000 from the Land Use Documents Fee R eserve to the new project. (Five votes required)
BACKGROUND
2030 General Plan
On July 10, 2012, the City adopted the Mountain View 2030 General Plan , which incorporated
“change areas” in particular areas of the City that were recognized by the c ommunity to have potential for changes in future land uses, character, and development intensities. The Moffett Boulevard Area was identified as a “change area” with policies to promote transformation into a revitalized corridor with a mix of land uses an d as a gateway to the City’s Downtown Area. The Moffett Boulevard Change Area was also envisioned to transform the streetscape into a well - landscaped, well-lit street with visible plazas and gathering areas, and to facilitate pedestrians and bicyclists safely crossing Central Expressway and accessing the surrounding area.
The policies in the General Plan for the Moffett Boulevard Change Area support a pedestrian - friendly corridor that serves as a gateway into downtown ( see Attachment 1— Mountain View 2030 General Plan Moffett Boulevard Change Area, Page 76). Some specific policies include:
LUD 23.1: Enhanced public street. Support an enhanced public street, including a gateway feature that links the area to downtown.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
LUD 23.3: Diverse land use mix. Encourage a diverse mix of land uses.
LUD 23.4: Parcel assembly. Support the assembly of parcels to spur new development projects.
LUD 23.5: Building and site improvements. Encourage the rehabilitation and improvement of existing buildings and properties.
LUD 23.6: Residential transitions. Require well-designed transitions between Moffett Boulevard development and surrounding residential uses.
2023-2031 Housing Element
The City’s Six th-Cycle 2023-2031 Housing Element
(Housing Element) was adopted by the City
Council on April 11, 2023 and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development in May 2023. The Housing Element includes Program 1.1(g)(c), which requires the City to rezone the Moffett Boulevard Change Area up to at least a 1.85 f loor area ratio (FAR), or approximately 72 dwelling units per acre , and identify any sites where neighborhood commercial will be required. The rezoning has an adoption deadline of December 31, 2025.
Previous Council Direction
The 2023-2025 City Council Work Plan includes a project to develop a Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan. It is listed as a Priority A (highest-priority) project.
On November 14, 2023, the City Council held a S tudy Session (see Attachment 2, Study Session
memorandum) to provide direction on the potential scope of work for preparation of either a Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan or a Rezoning and Streetscape project for Moffett Boulevard.
During the Study Session, the City Council directed to move forward with the preparation of a Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan (Precise Plan). The Council also supported the overall elements, deliverables, and outreach strategy for the scope of work presented in the Study Session memorandum.
In addition, Council provided feedback to explore the feasibility and implications of extending the project boundaries to up to the intersection of Moffett Boulevard and State Route 85. This extended area also includes the existing Planned Community (P) Zoning Districts of 555 West Middlefield Road and 500 West Middlefield Road (the Willow Park residential neighborhood) north of West Middlefield Road on the east side of Moffett Boulevard, and the U.S. Army-owned Shenandoah Square property north of W est Middlefield Road on the west side of Moffett Boulevard. Council requested analysis of the expanded boundary, including access to the Stevens Creek Trail (east of the P-zoned properties), streetscape and building configuration policies, and, for Shenandoah Square, an analysis of how rezoning interacts with potential annexation and Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
changes to land value . Figure 1 provides a map illustrating the areas that will be studied in the Precise Plan project.
Figure 1: Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan Map Boundaries
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
Public Comment
A public comment was received on this item prior to posting. Please see Attachment 4.
ANALYSIS
Consultant Selection
In late November 2023, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for both the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan project and the Downtown Precise Plan Comprehensive Update project . Four proposals were received for each project from the same consultants, including proposals from Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Incorporated ( MIG, Inc. or MIG ), Raimi + Associates, Ascent , and Opticos Design, Inc.
In January, staff interviewed the four firms. Following the evaluation of each firm’s interview, work products, and reference checks, the interview panel recommended MIG, Inc., to lead the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan and associated CEQA work. 1 MIG brings solid experience and expertise to prepare the Precise Plan, meet the Housing Element Program 1.1(g)(c) requirement and deadline, conduct extensive stakeholder and community outreach efforts, and prepare the associated CEQA work with an experienced team of subconsultants. Additionally, MIG demonstrated previous success with their outreach and development visualizing capabilities and tools. Further, the City received positive feedback from reference checks on MIG’s ability to prepare precise and specific plans and conduct community outreach from other Bay Area communities.
MIG, Inc., will be responsible for project management, public outreach, urban design, planning and policy development, and EIR preparation. Supporting MIG, Inc., on the project team are:
• Community Strong Strategies (multilingual engagement, business/economic development guidance);
• Seifel Consultants and Greensfelder Real Estate Strategy (economic development feasibility analysis, market demand analysis, financing strategies);
• Hexagon Transportation Consultants (transportation planning/traffic);
• Schaaf & Wheeler (utility systems); and
• Page & Turnbull (historic/cultural resources).
1 The recommended consultant agreement for the Downtown Precise Plan Comprehensive Update will be brought to the City Council for consideration at a future meeting.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
Scope of Work—Key Components
The Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan-recommended scope of work will include the following broad work components, which are further detailed in Attachment 3:
1. A Public Outreach Plan. The public outreach plan will include a robust process to ensure comprehensive input from the community within and around the Precise Plan A rea. The outreach process will include stakeholder/community engagement, regular updates and dialogue with key bodies and groups, meetings with targeted groups (e.g., existing businesses, Spanish-speaking property owner/neighborhood groups, etc.), Citywide public noticing, community workshops, a project website and other outreach opportunities, such as pop-up events and meeting translation and materials provided in multiple languages. As part of this task , the project team will also solicit input from stakeholders on the possible project boundary refinements identified above.
2. Existing Conditions Report . The exi sting conditions report will include site visits and physical assessments of property conditions; review of City policy documents, including the Mountain View 2030 General Plan, Sixth Cycle 2023-2031 Housing Element, and Zoning Ordinance; traffic and circu lation studies, transportation demand management (TDM) regulations and parking regulations; and related projects, including the Castro Street Grade Separation and Access Project and Moffett Complete Streets Project North of Middlefield Road. As part of this task, the consultant team will analyze opportunities and constraints associated with incorporating possible project boundary refinements, including Shenandoah Square.
3. Plan Alternatives. Prior to developing plan alternatives, the City Council will h old a Study Session to confirm key visioning principles for the Plan and finalize the P lan’s project boundary. Alternatives for the Precise Plan will be developed for land use, economic/retail feasibility, urban design, and transportation options . The En vironmental Planning Commission (EPC) and City Council will provide direction on the alternatives to select a preferred alternative.
4. Strategy Reports and Memos. The consultant team will prepare analyses on a number of topics, including, but not limited to , economic feasibility, retail/restaurant commercial services demand studies, small business retention, density prototypes focused on small parcels, land use and development feasibility analysis, character massing and studies, architectural style s and theme studies, circulation and streetscape concepts (including connections to nearby routes like the Stevens Creek Trail), parking demand analysis, multi- modal transportation analysis, TDM, utility system analysis, cultural/historic resources analysis, and public art and placemaking.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
5. Environmental Impact Report (EIR). A focused EIR will be prepared for the Precise Plan with technical analyses focusing on air quality, biological resources, cultural and historical resources, greenhouse gas/energy, noise and vibration, transportation, utilities and infrastructure, and hazards and hazardous materials. If it is determined that a full-focused EIR is not necessary and that a lower -level environmental review is needed, the scope of work and budget will be reduced accordingly.
6. Draft Precise Plan. The Precise Plan will include, among other elements:
• The required density per the Sixth Cycle 2023-2031 Housing Element, along with other development standards, including those for residential, commercial, and mixed-use land uses;
• New streetscape design for the Moffett Boulevard right-of-way;
• Policies and incentives for small business support and preservation;
• Objective standards, including for small parcels;
• Architectural styles and building character and massing;
• Sign standards; and
• Public art and placemaking policies and incentives.
Project deliverables, including the Precise Plan and associated EIR (or alternative environmental review if applicable ), will be developed based on the General Plan Moffett Boulevard Change Area policy direction, community engagement through a variety of public outreach approaches, technical studies and analyses of topics conducted for CEQA requirements and for development standards of the Precise Plan, and input from the EPC and City Council.
The EPC and City Council will review and provide direction on the Precise Plan deliverables at key milestones in the process.
Consultant Costs
The total cost of the recommended agreement is $1, 381,000, which includes basic services of $1,200,220 and a contingency of approximately 15% for potential unforeseen services of $180,780. Staff considers the cost to be reasonable and comparable to similar projects for the scope of work involved.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
Timeline
The work is anticipated to take approximately 20 months and is required to be completed prior to December 31, 2025, in compliance with the City’s Housing Element requirements.
Engagement with City Boards and Commissions
The EPC will be the recommending body for the Precise Plan. Other City boards and commissions and Council committees , such as the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) and the Council Transportation Committee (CTC) , may also review the draft deliverables. These details will be further refined during the process.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total estimated cost for developing the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan is $ 1,510,000 (Table 1). This includes the recommended consultant agreement for a total not- to-exceed amount of $1,381,000, additional project expenses of $36,000, and City CIP administrative cost of $93,000.
Table 1: Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan and EIR Preparation Total Cost
Consultant Services Cost
Consultant Basic Services $1,200,220
Approximately 15% Contingency 180,780
Total Consultant $1,381,000
Additional Project-related Costs 36,000
Administrative Overhead 93,000
Total Overall Costs $1,510,000
Staff recommends approving a midyear CIP project for the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan in the amount of $1,510,000, appropriating the funds from the Land Use Document Fee Reserve. These funds are intended for new and updated land use documents, such as the Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan. The current Land Use Document Fee reserve balance is approximately $11.2 million; therefore, there are sufficient funds in this reserve for the project.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a professional services agreement with MIG, Inc. , in a total not -to-exceed amount of $1, 381,000 based on the scope of work. This firm is recommended because they have demonstrated their solid experience and expertise in preparation of p recise plans in other surrounding Bay Area communities, have extensive community outreach capabilities , and have e xperience in the environmental review required in conjunction with the Precise Plan.
Moffett Boulevard Precise Plan—Professional Services Agreement and Midyear CIP Project April 23, 2024
ALTERNATIVES
1. Do not approve the professional services agreement with MIG, Inc, and direct staff to issue a new RFP.
2. Modify the proposed scope of work and direct staff to renegotiate the contract value if needed to reflect the modified scope of work.
3. Provide other direction.
PUBLIC NOTICING
The City Council agenda is advertised on Channel 26, and the agenda and this Council report appear on the City’s website. Staff notified key stakeholders, including nearby neighborhood associations and the Chamber of Commerce.
Prepared by:
Aki Snelling
Project Planner
Eric Anderson
Advanced Planning Manager
Reviewed by:
Amber Blizinski
Assistant Community Development Director
Approved by:
Dawn S. Cameron
Acting Assistant City Manager/
Community Development Director
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager
AS-EA/DP/1/CAM
809-04-23-24CR
203854
Attachments: 1. Mountain View 2030 General Plan Moffett Boulevard Change Area
2. City Council Study Session Memo Dated November 14, 2023
3. MIG, Inc., Scope of Work and Timeline
4. Public Comment