March 19, 2024
Community Development
DATE: March 19, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Beatriz Guerrero, Transformative Climate Communities
(TCC) Project Coordinator
Subject:
TCC Implementation Technical Assistance Grant
Agreement with the State of California and Sole Source
Contract with Placeworks, Inc.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The City and its Co-Applicants were awarded a $35 million Transformative Climate Communities (TCC)
Round 4 Implementation Grant. This Technical
Assistance Grant Agreement will provide $150,000 of
additional funding to retain technical assistance providers to advance the implementation of the City’s TCC
implementation grant.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
June 21, 2022, October 3, 2023, December 20, 2022, June 21, 2022, September 19, 2023, December 5, 2023.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
On October 27, 2022, Richmond and its Co-Applicants
were awarded a $35M Transformative Climate
Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation Grant from
the Strategic Growth Council (SGC). Richmond’s project, Richmond Rising: Healthy, Connected, and Climate
Strong, focuses on projects serving the Iron Triangle,
Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods. As an added
opportunity, the SGC is offering additional technical
assistance funds to grantees; therefore, staff is
requesting authorization to execute a Technical
Assistance Grant Agreement between the City and the
State of California - Office of Planning and Research
AGENDA
REPORT
March 19, 2024
(OPR) and SGC to assist the City of Richmond and its
partners in successfully carrying out the TCC Project
implementation by providing additional funding to retain technical assistance providers and advance in the
implementation of TCC grant. Given Placeworks’ recent
support in preparing the City’s grant application and work in the Post Award Consultation process, City staff is
seeking City Council approval of a sole-source contract with Placeworks, Inc. for $150,000 to provide technical assistance work for the City’s TCC grant.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the Implementation
Technical Assistance Grant Agreement with the State of
California - Office of Planning and Research (OPR) and
the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) to provide the City of Richmond with funding to retain technical
assistance providers; APPROPRIATE $150,000 in
Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant funds;
and APPROVE a sole-source contract with Placeworks,
Inc., for a total amount of $150,000, to provide technical assistance support to advance the implementation of
TCC Richmond Rising Project, with a term beginning
April 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025 – Community
Development Department (Lina Velasco/Beatriz Guerrero
510-620-5450).
DISCUSSION:
On June 21, 2022, the City Council authorized an application for a Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation Grant for the Richmond Rising project. The City’s proposal included five Co-Applicants: Groundwork Richmond, GRID Alternatives, Rich City Rides, Trust for Public Land (TPL), and Urban Tilth. On October 27, 2022, Richmond’s application was awarded a $35 million TCC Round 4 Implementation Grant by the California Strategic Growth Council (see Attachment 1).
Richmond’s project titled Richmond Rising: Healthy, Connected, and Climate Strong focuses on projects serving the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods.
The ten key projects included in the Richmond Rising project are:
1. Neighborhood Complete Streets: walking and biking improvements on Harbour Way, Ohio Avenue, and some AC Transit bus stops. – City CIP will be the subproject lead.
2. Richmond Wellness Trail, Phase 2: walking and biking improvements to connect with Phase 1 connecting the Richmond BART and central neighborhoods with the waterfront and ferry terminal. – TPL will be the subproject lead.
March 19, 2024
3. E-Bike Lending Library: long- and short-term e-bikes access for free to target neighborhood residents to improve carbon-free mobility options.- Rich City Rides will be the subproject lead.
4. Resilient Homes for Healthy Communities: residential solar panel installations and home energy efficiency and health and safety upgrades at no cost to income-qualifying residents.- GRID Alternatives will be the subproject lead.
5. Basins of Relations: residential greywater systems and rainwater capture systems at no cost to income-qualifying residents, installed by local youth who receive training in watershed stewardship and installation. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
6. Bosque del Barrio: tree planting throughout the project area to create a healthy urban forest. – Groundwork Richmond will be the subproject lead.
7. ADA Accessible Garden: edible and pollinator garden at Unity Park with specially designed planting beds so seniors and wheelchair users can comfortably participate in gardening and community activities. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
8. Orchard for ALL!: creating a distributed orchard through fruit tree giveaways, with tree care and harvest support offered in exchange for a share of the harvest, which will be distributed at free farm stands and in veggie boxes. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
9. Veggie RX: prescription veggie boxes in partnership with the local health clinic, to provide free fruits and vegetables as preventative care along with community health workers and programming to support change to a more sustainable diet. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
10. E-Bike Share: the project will bring 5 new bike share access points, 70 new E- bikes, and targeted outreach and engagement to the Project Area. – City Transportation Division will be the subproject lead.
In addition, the Richmond Rising project includes three Transformative Plans outlining Community Engagement, Workforce Development, and Displacement Avoidance policies and programs. For more information on the Transformative Climate Communities Grant Awardees visit: California Awards $96 Million for Climate Projects in 10 Frontline Communities | California Governor.
Round 4 TCC Technical Assistance Support
California Public Resources Code section 75242(b) and the Round 4 Transformative Climate Communities Program Guidelines, require SGC to provide the Grantee with technical assistance to support in the implementation of the TCC Project. These funds must be used to assist the City of Richmond and partners with funding to retain technical assistance providers to support successfully carrying out the TCC Project implementation. The SGC has provided the City their standard TCC Round 4 Implementation TA Grant Agreement (see Attachment 2). Eligible Technical Assistance activities for hired staff or contractors include, but are not limited to:
March 19, 2024
Technical support for implementation of the TCC Project, such as providing subject area expertise;
Project management support to oversee progress of projects and plans implementation, and/or developing processes to collect indicator tracking data and reimbursement documents;
Liaison communications between Grantee and the SGC, the Department of Conservation (“DOC”), and the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”); and Identifying other resources for projects that could complement the TCC program objectives, such as attracting investors to the TCC Project area or applying for other grant opportunities in the TCC Project area.
Per the proposed Agreement, the City of Richmond must select a qualified Technical Assistance Provider and must adhere to its own internal hiring processes when posting for Technical Assistance staff positions or comply with its own competitive bidding and sole sourcing requirements for hiring a contractor. City staff consulted its Co-Applicants and the SGC in development of the scope of work to hire the Technical Assistance provider. The SGC has confirmed the proposed scope activities are eligible expenditures for this grant.
Due to their background knowledge and previous work on the City’s TCC Grant application, Post Award Consultation process, and TCC implementation support provided via the Planning Division’s on-call planning contract, City staff is recommending a sole-source contract with Placeworks, Inc. to provide Technical Assistance to City of Richmond under this grant (see Attachment 3).
As the Technical Assistance provider for this TCC implementation grant, Placeworks, Inc. will provide the City of Richmond with technical assistance to support in the implementation of the TCC Project. The funds will be used to assist the City of Richmond and Co-Applicants to successfully carry out the TCC Project implementation, including, but not limited to, 1) Grantee support with invoicing and reporting and project meetings; 2) Community Engagement Plan Support with the Collaborative Stakeholder Committee meetings; 3) Project Website Development; 4) Support in the planning of the Public Kick-off event; and 5) Technical Assistance support for Project 3: E-Bike Lending Library project, including support during design, permitting, and bidding processes.
CONCLUSION:
City staff is recommending the City Council authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the TCC Implementation Technical Assistance Grant Agreement to retain technical assistance providers, with a term ending June 30, 2025, appropriate the $150,000 in grant funds, and approve a sole-source service contract with Placeworks, Inc. for a total amount not to exceed $150,000 to provide technical assistance in advancement of the City’s TCC grant.
March 19, 2024
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – TCC Grant Award Letter Richmond
Attachment 2 – TCC Round 4 Implementation TA Grant Agreement Attachment 3 – Placeworks, Inc. Contract with Sole Source Form