Public Works Transportation Committee January 27, 2026 AGENDA REPORT TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM:Liam Garland City Administrator Director, Oakland Public Works SUBJECT: Consultant Contract Amendment For The Fire Station 4 Project DATE:December 10, 2025 City Administrator Approval Date: RECOMMENDATION Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution: 1. Amending Resolution No. 88240 C.M.S. To Increase The Professional Services Agreement With Loving Campos Associates (LCA) Architects For Architectural And Engineering Design Services For The Fire Station 4 Project By An Amount Not-To-Exceed Two Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,700,000.00), Bringing The Total Contract Amount From One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) To Four Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($4,200,000.00);2. Waiving The Competitive Request For Proposal/Qualifications Requirements; And 3. Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Approval of the proposed resolution will authorize the City Administrator to increase the existing agreement between the City of Oakland (City) and LCA Architects (LCA) by an amount not-to-exceed $2,700,000.00, bringing the total contract amount from $1,500,000.00 to $4,200,000.00 to provide a complete design for a new Fire Station 4, site remediation plans, and design support during construction. BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY Fire Station 4 was built in 1909 and is located at 1235 International Boulevard within District 2. It currently does not meet modern fire station service standards, lacks adequate facilities for a mixed-gender workforce, and is a narrow building with a lack of distance between the street and firehouse doors, creating traffic and other safety-related hazards. Additionally, Fire Station 4 does not meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the National Fire Protection Association, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is unable to Jestin Johnson (Jan 15, 2026 16:02:58 PST)
01/15/2026
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Consultant Contract Amendment For The Fire Station 4 Project Date: December 10, 2025 Page 2 Public Works Transportation Committee January 27, 2026 serve as a hub for disaster recovery activities due to the facility’s limited training, storage, and meeting space, and it is unable to meet community response and resilience needs. A feasibility and right of way acquisition study was prioritized and adopted through the Capital Improvement Program Budget process during Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-2019 and in January 2020, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified consultants to provide a design and site feasibility assessment for Fire Station 4. On July 28, 2020, the City Council passed Resolution No. 88240 C.M.S., granting authorization for the City Administrator to enter into a professional services agreement in an amount of $1,500,000.00 via Measure KK Series I ($300,000.00) and Series II ($1,200,000.00) funds with LCA. LCA was selected through a competitive, qualification-based process to provide consulting and engineering services for the project. The professional services agreement was authorized for community engagement, site feasibility analysis at up to two locations, master planning, facility design from schematic to the construction documents phase, and design support during construction. Oakland Fire Department (OFD) requested a site with a minimum square footage of approximately 33,600 square feet for a drive-through, three-bay station that is centrally located in District 2 to meet the needs of the community and to conform with accessibility, life safety, and fire protection standards. San Antonio Park was deemed the most feasible site given that the site is centrally located and City-owned, which would eliminate real property acquisition costs and have the appropriate square footage. In December 2020, City staff authorized LCA to begin the process of creating a Master Plan for San Antonio Park, which included relocating Fire Station 4 from its existing site to San Antonio Park. From January 2021 to March 2022, a series of community engagement sessions were held at San Antonio Park gauging interest in placing Fire Station 4 within the park. The community was opposed to the idea of placing the station within the park as it would reduce park programming, and the Oakland Planning Department determined that any new construction in the park exceeding the square footage of existing permanent structures would not be allowable under the City’s Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element. In March 2022, Fire Station 4 was eliminated from the San Antonio Park Master Plan. From 2019 to 2023, the Economic & Workforce Development Department’s Real Estate Division, with assistance from the community, also collaborated with the project team by looking for acquirable, real property that fit OFD’s site requirements and examined several properties around a 2-mile radius of the existing location of Fire Station 4. Their analysis indicated that the site at 1745 14thAvenue (See Attachment A), currently occupied by the East Bay Blueprint & Supply Company, was the most feasible site given its central location and lot size of approximately 70,000 square feet. The business owners were open to negotiating a sale of the property to the City at a fair price for use as the new Fire Station 4 site. In August 2024, the City obtained a fair market value appraisal of the property to establish “just compensation” pursuant to State law, and in November 2024, the City extended a written offer to the owner to purchase the property, explore potential relocation sites, and offer relocation advisory assistance. While working to negotiate a fair sale price with the owner of the East Bay Blueprint & Supply Company, the State of California disbursed $5,000,000.00 in January 2024 to the City pursuant to Senate Bill 101, Chapter 12, Statutes of 2023, to purchase property for a new Fire Station 4, Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Consultant Contract Amendment For The Fire Station 4 Project Date: December 10, 2025 Page 3 Public Works Transportation Committee January 27, 2026 where the funds would be available until June 30, 2025. The City’s Real Estate team have been working to negotiate a final sale price with the owner since November 2024, but never received a counteroffer or independent appraisal. To ensure the City does not lose State funding, Council approved Resolution 90738 C.M.S. on May 20, 2025, providing a resolution of necessity to utilize eminent domain to acquire the property at 1745 14th Avenue for Fire Station 4. ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES This project will advance the Citywide priorities of holistic community safety and vibrant, sustainable infrastructure by replacing a code deficient fire station with a new code-compliant, sustainable, essential services facility. Although the site at 1745 14thAvenue fits OFD’s criteria for the new location of Fire Station 4, the site has challenging conditions to resolve as determined by a geotechnical and environmentalreport prepared in March 2024, indicating a very shallow groundwater table resulting in high probably of liquefaction, required mitigation of a hydraulic lift and leaking underground storage tank. Since 2019, the City has prioritized replacing Fire Station 4 and invested significant time and resources in attempting to relocate it to San Antonio Park. These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, leaving approximately $700,000 remaining in the LCA contract. The proposed amendment to increase LCA’s contract by $2,700,000.00 is needed to provide the City with a hazardous materials remediation plan to allow for the parcel to accommodate this essential services facility, a comprehensive fire station design tailored for the site, and design support during construction. The amendment will also include community engagement, permitting, bidding, and award support. Waiver Of Competitive Request For Proposal/Qualifications Requirement Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) Section 2.04.051(A) requires a competitive request for proposals/qualifications (RFP/Q) proposal solicitation process. However, OMC Section 2.04.051(B) permits the Council to waive this RFP/Q requirement upon a finding and determination that it is in the best interests of the City to do so. As the consultant selection process in 2020 adhered to the City's OMC for a competitive process and the solicitation notice stated that the selected consultant team will provide planning, design, and construction administration support services, the proposed amendment adheres to the original intent. To continue the services as originally specified and avoid any project disruption or delay to complete the scope outlined in the analysis above, staff recommend that it is in the City's best interest to waive the competitive RFP/Q requirement and amend the City's agreement with LCA. FISCAL IMPACT Funding for this consultant agreement amendment, pending successful carry-forward of funds from FY 24-25 to FY25-26, for the project will be available in the funding sources shown below.
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Consultant Contract Amendment For The Fire Station 4 Project Date: December 10, 2025 Page 4 Public Works Transportation Committee January 27, 2026 FUNDING SOURCE AMOUNT Measure KK – Series 2023 GOB Fund (5337), Engineer Design: Project Management Organization (92270), Feasibility Study Row New Fire Station 4 Project (1003435), and Project Delivery Program (IN06) $2,700,000.00 There is no minimum commitment to this contract, and funds will not be committed unless funding is identified beforehand. PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST Staff from Oakland Public Works, Capital Contracts Division, and the Office of the City Administrator collaborated on the issuance of the original RFP in January 2020. Outreach included a joint forum on February 4 with 22 participants, notices through the City’s iSupplier system and local business organizations, posting on CIPlist.com, legal notices in local newspapers, and direct outreach to architectural firms in Northern California with experience designing fire stations and training centers. During the Master Planning phase, the City conducted significant outreach on the future of Fire Station 4. The neighborhoods within a one-mile radius of San Antonio Park are highly diverse, prompting the Department of Race & Equity to recommend engagement in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and American Sign Language. Outreach included compiling contacts for community-based organizations, mailing to 8,000 households, and maintaining an email list of 200 organizations and residents. The City hosted ten community meetings (nine virtual and one in person), conducted two anonymous surveys with about 400 participants, and provided project information through a dedicated webpage, City social media, and printed notices. These efforts, adapted for COVID-19 restrictions, ensured broad participation and directly contributed to the San Antonio Park Master Plan recommendations. OFD, Oakland Public Works, and the Economic & Workforce Development Department’s Real Estate Division also held a community meeting in English, Spanish and Chinese on potential relocation sites for Fire Station 4 in January 2022 where the community around San Antonio Park voice support for the City to acquire and utilize the property at 1745 14thAvenue as the future site of the fire station. COORDINATION The work to be done under this contract has been coordinated with OFD, along with the appropriate divisions within Oakland Public Works and the Economic & Workforce Development Department’s Real Estate Division. The proposed agreement also has been analyzed by the City’s Contract and Compliance Departments. The Finance Department has reviewed this report, and the resolution has been reviewed for form and legality by the Office of the City Attorney.
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Consultant Contract Amendment For The Fire Station 4 Project Date: December 10, 2025 Page 5 Public Works Transportation Committee January 27, 2026 SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES Economic: This project replaces the aging, deficient City infrastructure, which will reduce maintenance burden and enhance response times. The consultant is verified for LBE/SLBE participation by the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards. The primary consultant is a local Oakland firm and utilizes local sub-consultant firms. The project will generate business tax, sales tax, and other revenues for the City by those firms who work on the project. Local businesses will be utilized and benefit from this project during the design and construction phases. Environmental: The consultant will be required to incorporate the City’s environmental and sustainable design requirements and guidelines into the project, which will continue to support the City’s objective for a sustainable Oakland. The new building targets LEED Silver as a minimum and LEED Gold as the target sustainability certification level. As the design proceeds, consideration to address City resiliency will also be reviewed and implemented where applicable. The site will also undergo extensive site remediation that will consist of the removal of a hydraulic lift, mitigation of a leaking underground storage tank, installation of a passive vapor intrusion mitigation system, and monitoring wells. Race & Equity: The proposed architecture design services contract will enhance the fire station’s ability to meet current design requirements to service the City’s residents, who are in a high disadvantaged index area. The new facility will be designed to provide code compliant living quarters and bathrooms for all fire staff and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) This proposed amendment is exempt under CEQA, Public Resources Code Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4) and (5), as they involve government fiscal activities, which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment, and it is also an organizational or administrative activity of government that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. In addition, the amendment to the professional services agreement is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15268 (Ministerial Projects), 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan or Zoning), 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction), 15303 (Small Structures), 15304(h) (Minor Alterations to Land), and/or 15061(b)(3) (No Significant Effect on the Environment). Each of the above exemptions provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Consultant Contract Amendment For The Fire Station 4 Project Date: December 10, 2025 Page 6
Public Works Transportation Committee
January 27, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
1. Amending Resolution No. 88240 To Increase The Professional Services Agreement With Loving Campos Associates (LCA) Architects For Architectural And Engineering Design Services For The Fire Station 4 Project By An Amount Not-To-Exceed Two Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,700,000.00), Bringing The Total Contract Amount From One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) To Four Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($4,200,000.00);
2. Waiving The Competitive Request For Proposal/Qualifications Requirements; And
3. Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Alan Chan, Project Manager, at [email protected] or (510) 238-6604.
Respectfully submitted,
Liam Garland
Director, Oakland Public Works
Reviewed by:
Liam Garland,
Director, Oakland Public Works
Prepared by:
Alan Chan, P.E., PMP, CCM, QSD
Acting Division Manager
Project & Grant Management Division
Attachments (1):
A. Location Map