City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Community Services
Meeting Date: December 8, 2025
Report #:2510-5388
TITLE
Approval of Contract Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. C25192924 with Concordia, LLC in the amount of $65,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $696,966 for additional services associated with development of the Cubberley Master Plan; CEQA Status – CEQA will be completed as part of this project.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. C23187298C with Concordia, LLC (Attachment A) for additional services in an amount of $65,000 for additional services associated with the development of the Cubberley Master Plan for a revised total not-to-exceed amount of $696,966.
BACKGROUND
The City Council approved a contract with Concordia, LLC on December 2, 20241 to reinitiate master planning for the Cubberley site, building on work Concordia completed in 2019. The original contract is for an amount not to exceed $631,966 over a 24-month term.
Master planning work began in January 2025 and is expected to be completed in December 2025, with final adoption in March 2026. In a parallel process, staff are working with a ballot strategist and polling expert to prepare for a potential November 2026 ballot measure to fund the Cubberley project. To date, two of four polls have been completed, and results of those polls along with community, Commission, and Council feedback has informed iterations of the master plan.
1 City Council, December 2, 2024; Agenda Item #18; SR# 2410-3634, https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=112713&repo=r-704298fc&searchid=acd6156a-7941-45f5- bd61-d29eaae09e4d
Additional background on the Cubberley site and master planning effort is included in previous staff reports, most recently October 20, 20253. Master plan work completed to date can be found on the City’s website at www.paloalto.gov/improvecubberley.
ANALYSIS
As the master planning project progresses concurrently with community polling and financial modeling, the scope of the project in the near term has shifted to focus on the first phase of the master plan. Prioritization of phase one is based on polling results, which provide an indication of what may be achievable through a successful ballot measure to fund the project. Based on the results of the first poll, acquisition of land and completion of a first phase (a subset of what might be envisioned for the site in the long term) is likely achievable through a successful ballot measure. Results of a second poll are still being developed. Timing for future phases is unknown due to funding uncertainty for those phases.
As the master planning work shifted to focus on a first phase, Concordia was directed to provide a more detailed phase one plan that includes new construction, and a more robust renovation plan for the remaining buildings on the site. The contract amendment adds an additional task (Task 6 – Phase 1 Site Plan Development), which reflects multiple iterations of design concepts combining new construction with renovation of existing buildings, and additional work to evaluate a pause after construction of Phase 1. Additional work related to site circulation, parking, and cost estimates required additional effort to include the entire site in Phase one planning. While cost estimates by phase were included in the scope, the shift to renovate all remaining buildings on the site resulted in additional work. This includes site plan design for the remaining site to include renovation and programming of the following buildings and surrounding site:
oAuditorium
oBuildings S, T, U, V
oBuildings C, D, E, F, FH, H.
While the contract included a budget for Additional Services, that was mostly used to conduct a City Council Visioning session in February 2025, which was not included in the original scope.
Following negotiation with Concordia over the associated expenses for this additional work, staff recommends approval of this Amendment.
3City Council, October 20, 2025; Agenda Item #1; SR#2503-4353, https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/viewer/preview?id=0&type=8&uid=71b7244b-dd63-4983-814f-fc85664f01cd
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The recommendations in this report do not require additional resources. Funding for this amendment is available in the Fiscal Year 2026 Adjusted Capital Budget Cubberley Community Center Redevelopment CIP Project (Project CB-26000). Funding for any future years is subject to City Council review and appropriation through the annual budget process.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
There has been considerable engagement during the master planning process and remains a central component of the overall process. Results of the community meetings can be found on the Project website www.paloalto.gov/cubberleyproject.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review is underway for the Cubberley Master Plan Project and will be brought to the City Council at a future date.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Concordia, LLC Contract C25192924, Amendment 1 APPROVED BY:
Kristen O'Kane, Community Services Director