CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: February 24, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
TITLE: Adopt Resolution No. __-25 Authorizing the City Manager to Execute an Amendment to a Professional Services Agreement with Mintier Harnish for Planning and Environmental Consulting Services for the Update of City of Pleasant Hill General Plan, Housing Element, Zoning Ordinance Update
SYNOPSIS
The City currently has a Professional Services Agreement with Mintier Harnish to perform planning and environmental consulting services for the update to the City of Pleasant Hill General Plan, the preparation of the 2023-2031 Housing Element, and a comprehensive update of the zoning ordinance and associated environmental clearance (Project). Staff is requesting that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute an amendment agreement to complete necessary work for the comprehensive zoning ordinance updated, including an updated Zoning Map.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
In February 2019, the City approved a Professional Services Agreement with Mintier Harnish to provide planning and environmental consulting services for the preparation of an update of the City of Pleasant Hill General Plan. Subsequently in January 2021, the City approved an amendment to the original agreement. This amendment included the addition of the 2023-2031 Housing Element and necessary comprehensive zoning ordinance update. Since the amendment was approved, the consultant, in coordination with staff, has successfully completed the update of the General Plan and received certification from HCD for the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Other completed components of the agreement included the creation of Objective Design Standards and the necessary zoning ordinance amendments for the rezoning of Housing Opportunity sites, as required by State Law for the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Most recently, the consultant and staff have completed a draft version of the comprehensive zoning ordinance update. Throughout 2024, staff completed multiple study sessions with the Planning Commission and City Council to review proposed changes to the existing zoning ordinance.
To complete the project, staff is requesting the City Council consider a budget amendment to the existing contract for the following reasons:
1. Expediting the review and completion of the comprehensive zoning ordinance update within the year 2024. This expedited review required the use of higher-level consultant staff with the ability to compress the schedule as required by the City.
2. Issues and complications that arose as part of the comprehensive mapping update. This included inconsistent zoning parcel data, finding additional zoning data that were inconsistent with the General Plan despite no land use changes, and using parcel data that was outdated from when initially used by the consultant when the project initially started.
Lastly due to existing map inconsistencies, additional analysis was needed to determine density compared to existing land use designations and zoning districts.
3. The addition of public meetings. As part of the review process, more public study sessions were added to allow additional time for review and input from the City Council. As a new City Council was elected in 2024, staff believes that an additional study session with the Council, along with necessary prep work, would be necessary to complete the comprehensive zoning ordinance update.
Based on the work completed, the proposed agreement amendment amount of $34,000 is attached for City Council’s review. The project is currently in the last stages of the agreement, which is to complete the comprehensive zoning ordinance amendment, including completing an update of the zoning map, all necessary to ensure consistency and compliance with the recently adopted General Plan 2040. This work is expected to be completed by Summer 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Mintier Harnish proposal is in the amount of $34,000 to pay for acceleration of the ordinance update, and to address mapping and GIS issues that arose through the mapping process. The proposal is complete and acceptable, considering the scope of the project. The total not-to-exceed amount of the Professional Services Agreement, including this minor amendment, is $1,313,885.
Staff has reviewed the additional funds requests and through discussion with the City Finance Division, determined the funds can be covered within the existing City budget. Thus, there is no additional impact on the City General Fund.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public Contact was made through posting of the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, and at the Pleasant Hill Police Department. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Adopt the attached resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an amendment to the existing Professional Services Agreement with Mintier Harnish.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
Do not adopt the resolution.
ATTACHMENT(S)
A – Proposed Resolution - Contract Amendment
Exhibit 1 – Professional Services Agreement – Amendment Exhibit A – Amended Work Scope and Budget
Prepared by: Troy Fujimoto, City Planner
Approved by: Ethan Bindernagel, City Manager