City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Community Services
Meeting Date: December 16, 2024
Report #:2411-3813
TITLE
Approval of Professional Services Contract Number C25193087 with Rincon Consultants in an Amount Not to Exceed $202,322 for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review of a Revised Master Plan for the Cubberley Site for a Period of One Year, and Approval of Budget Amendments in the General Fund and Cubberley Infrastructure Fund; CEQA Status – this action will initiate CEQA review of the master plan.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute Contract Number C25193087 (Attachment A), with Rincon Consultants, for environmental review of a revised master plan for the Cubberley site pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for a term of one year and 15 days, and a total compensation not-to-exceed $202,322, including $168,602 for basic services and $33,720 for additional services; and
2. Amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Appropriation for:
a. General Fund by:
i. Increasing the transfer to the Cubberley Property Infrastructure Fund by $202,322; and
ii. Decreasing the Real Property Investment Reserve by $202,322; b. Cubberley Property Infrastructure Fund (requires 2/3 approval) by:
i. Increasing the transfer from the General Fund to the Cubberley Community Center Redevelopment Capital Improvement Project (CB-26000) by $202,322; and
ii. Increasing the Cubberley Community Center Redevelopment Capital Improvement Project (CB-26000) appropriation by $202,322.
BACKGROUND
The 35-acre Cubberley site, located at 4000 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, operated as Cubberley High School from 1956 - 1979. Beginning in the late 1980’s, the City began leasing
portions of the facilities from the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD or District) at the site.
Today, the City owns eight (8) acres of the 35-acre site and PAUSD owns the remaining 27 acres, most of which are leased to the City. The City operates the areas of Cubberley it controls as a community center, using some of the space for classes and activities in arts, culture and athletics, and sub-leasing additional space at City-subsidized rates to various non-profit and community serving groups. The City Council approved a lease amendment on December 2, 20241 to continue the lease for an additional five years.
There are currently 23 tenants and 24 artists leasing space at Cubberley from the City, and dozens of groups renting the theater, pavilion, classrooms, and athletic fields from the City. Combined, these groups provide the community with programs that support health and wellness, childcare, education, and visual and performing arts. The District uses space for educational purposes and staff offices and has leases with some third-party tenants. The parking lot in the southeast corner of the property houses portable trailers as a temporary site for Hoover Elementary School during construction at Hoover.
In October 2024, the City Council and Board of Education each independently approved a Memorandum of Understanding with key terms and conditions for the City to purchase and lease property at the Cubberley site from PAUSD. The MOU describes a series of steps the City and District will undertake in a collaborative approach to pursue the sale and redevelopment of the Cubberley site and its positive funding impacts on District schools. Contingent on voter approval of a November 2026 ballot measure, the City will purchase seven acres of land at the Cubberley site from PAUSD in 2027 and redevelop the City’s combined 15-acre site for community use. The District intends to use the proceeds from the sale to develop and improve Palo Alto schools. According to the MOU, a master redevelopment plan for the site must be completed by March 2026, which requires environmental review according to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Attachment B shows the project area for the master plan.
There have been several master planning efforts over the years to reimagine and update the Cubberley site, with the most recent one being completed in 2019 with the assistance of the consulting group Concordia. In anticipation of Council adoption of the 2019 master plan titled Cubberley Concept Plan, the City engaged Rincon Consultants to conduct the required CEQA analysis.
Rincon was awarded a contract in 2019 2 after a competitive process to complete CEQA analysis and documentation for the Cubberley Concept Plan. Two consultants submitted proposals for 1 City Council, December 2, 2026; Agenda Item #18; SR #2410-3634, https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=8381839f-29fc-4cf1-8617-3bf0af2477d6 2 City Council, June 10, 2019; Agenda Item #6; SR #10378, https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=58703&repo=r-704298fc&searchid=cbd3693f-6fba-467c- b9bb-af66d534b41e
the project with Rincon being selected. The contract was amended in 2021 3. At that time, the concept was to build a community center on the City’s land and shared use buildings on the school district’s land. The Cubberley Concept Plan and draft CEQA analysis were completed but due to a change in priorities for PAUSD the master plan and associated CEQA documentation were never adopted by the City Council.
ANALYSIS
On December 2, 2024, the Council approved a professional service contract with Concordia, LLC to re-initiate the master planning work completed in 20194. The master plan must be completed by March 2026 in preparation for the November 2026 election at which time a bond measure will be placed on the ballot for funding of the land purchase and project construction.
For the Council to adopt the new master plan, CEQA analysis must be completed and adopted at the same time requiring a condensed timeline to complete the work.
The contract with Rincon reinitiates work associated with the CEQA requirement for master planning of the Cubberley site, revising and completing the work completed by Rincon in October 2021. Rincon completed a draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND), which assessed impacts to resources as required by CEQA. Much of the work is still relevant and valid and can be applied to the reinitiated project. Staff recommends that Rincon be reengaged for this work to provide economic and timeline efficiencies, demonstrating financial responsibility and recognizing the compressed schedule.
An exemption to competitive solicitation pursuant to Palo Alto Municipal Code section 2.30.360 (b2) was approved by the City Manager.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding to support the master planning process, related reviews, and preparation for the November 2026 ballot measure has been reserved in the FY 2025 Adopted Budget for real property acquisition. Staff recommends a budget amendment to transfer $202,322 from the General Fund Real Property Investment Reserve to the Cubberley Property Infrastructure Fund – Cubberley Community Center Redevelopment Capital Improvement Project (CIP-26000). This action combined with other recommended actions in December 2024 would bring the Real Property Investment Reserve from $1 million to $ 165,712 in FY 2025. Funding for future years is subject to City Council approval through the annual budget process.
3 City Council, June 21, 2021; Agenda Item #9; SR #12253, https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=55725&repo=r-704298fc&searchid=cbd3693f-6fba-467c- b9bb-af66d534b41e
4 City Council, December 2, 2024; Agenda Item #18 Attachment C; SR #2410-3634, https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=43a53c99-5f6b-452e-bf65-b787288d47d9
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
A robust community and stakeholder engagement effort will be conducted by Concordia during development of the master plan to inform design and future programming of a new community center at the site. There will be public hearings to present the findings of the environmental analysis and CEQA process. Additional details on the project plan can be found in the December 2, 2024 Council approved workplan5. Stakeholders can also follow the community conversation at the dedicated webpage6.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Master Plan is considered a Project under CEQA and therefore requires that the project be evaluated to determine if it may cause either a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. This contract will ensure that CEQA analysis and documentation is completed in accordance with state law.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Rincon Consultants Contract C25193087
Attachment B: Project Area
APPROVED BY:
Kristen O'Kane, Community Services Director
5 City Council, December 2, 2024; Agenda Item #18; SR #2410-3634; https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=a135fecf-1273-4204-8c74-cc22d03a6366 6 www.cityofpaloalto.org/CommunityServices/Cubberley-Community-Center-Project