June 25, 2024
Community Development
DATE: June 25, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Kristi Ellerbroek, Assistant Planner
Subject:
Contract with Mithun to Prepare the City’s Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan
FINANCIAL IMPACT: This contract will be funded using the City’s fiscal year budgets. $200,000 will be funded by the Fiscal Year
2024-2025 budget and the remaining $200,000 will be
funded by the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year budget. The sole
term of the standard contract will be two years and the payment limit for the contract shall not exceed $400,000.
Staff will be seeking grant funding to off-set portions of the overall costs through a non-competitive grant
program.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 11, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Following Council direction to issue a Request for
Proposals seeking a consultant to support the
preparation of a Sea Level Rise Adaptation and
Resiliency Plan for the Richmond shoreline, the
Community Development Department is requesting City
Council approval of a professional services contract with Mithun, for an amount not to exceed $400,000, for a term set to begin August 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026, to
create a management framework for sea level rise
adaptation.
AGENDA
REPORT
June 25, 2024
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
AUTHORIZE the city manager to finalize the negotiation
and execute a professional services contract with
Mithun/Environmental Science Associates (ESA), not to
exceed $400,000, for the preparation of framework
components for a Sea Level Rise Adaptation and
Resiliency Plan for the Richmond shoreline - Community
Development Department (Lina Velasco/Kristi Ellerbroek
510-620-6888).
BACKGROUND:
In April 2012, the City Council adopted the General Plan 2030 to guide Richmond’s future growth and development through 15 strategic elements. General Plan Element 8 (Energy and Climate Change) provides policy direction for sustainable energy systems and building climate-resilient communities. The element’s first goal (Goal EC1) calls for Richmond to be a leader in managing climate change. Through the City’s Climate Action Plan adopted in 2016, the City has exhibited dedication to protecting residents and businesses from the risk of climate change impacts. In 2021, the City Council adopted Resolution 43-21 in support of addressing the potential impacts to Richmond from impending sea level rise.
Rising sea and groundwater levels put Richmond at risk. The California Ocean Protection Council estimates the Bay Area may be at risk of up to 1.4 feet of permanent sea level rise inundation by 2050. The City of Richmond has thirty-two miles of shoreline and has the most shoreline of all Bay Area cities. The Richmond Climate Action Plan found that hundreds of Richmond homes and essential infrastructure, such as roads and wastewater treatment facilities, are vulnerable to sea level rise and coasting flooding.
The City of Richmond’s participation in defining local sea level rise policy has a significant impact on local and regional climate objectives. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan calls for all Bay Area municipalities to act on sea level rise concerns and create a shoreline resiliency plan by 2032. Through proactive planning, the City of Richmond can continue to demonstrate leadership in fostering a resilient and sustainable community, while complying with regional legislation to address sea level rise.
On July 11, 2023, the Richmond City Council directed staff to circulate a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the preparation of a Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan for the Richmond shoreline. The intent of the Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan is to further evaluate Richmond’s vulnerability to sea level rise and create a management framework for sea level rise adaptation. The Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan will include an updated sea level rise vulnerability analysis, an adaptation vision document reflecting the community’s sea level rise goals, a citywide inventory of contaminated sites affected by future sea level rise, and identification of specific adaptation measures to promote shoreline restoration and protection.
June 25, 2024
DISCUSSION
Consultant Selection Process
On September 29, 2023, the City issued an RFP for Richmond's Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan. The RFP was posted on the City's BidsOnline System, and 1,459 vendors were notified (See Attachment 2). Of the firms notified, 59 firms downloaded the RFP. There were four (4) total respondents to the RFP.
Each proposal was rated based on technical qualifications and availability of key project team members, experience with sea level rise adaptation planning, and working with regional public agencies. In addition, project understanding, approach to deliverables, and cost-effectiveness to meet the requirements of the RFP were examined. The first rating was through a ranking system by individual interview panel members, followed by one round of interviews for the two highest-ranked firms. The evaluation committee included representatives from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), State Coastal Conservancy, two Community Members, and City Staff from the Community Development Department’s Planning Division and the Public Works Department’s Engineering Division. The Mithun/Environmental Science Associates (ESA) proposal was recommended by the interview panel based on the team’s holistic project understanding, specialty of wide-ranging project deliverables, and cost- effectiveness of their approach. The Mithun/ESA proposal also bridges a community- based approach to adaptation goals with comprehensive data analysis of the challenges facing Richmond’s shoreline.
Proposed Scope of Work
The scope of work proposed by the Mithun/ESA team for preparation of the Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan consists of seven key project tasks to be completed in an approximately 24-month timeline:
Task 1 (Project Initiation): In this task, the Mithun/ESA team will create the project schedule and a project organization chart.
Task 2 (Community Engagement and Outreach Support): In this task, the Mithun/ESA team proposes to facilitate up to seven public meetings, create outreach materials, and support a community-based organization consultant to develop a Community Vision Document crafted with the participation of the Richmond community.
Task 3 (Confirm Vulnerable Assets): This task will identify community exposures and assets vulnerable to sea level and shallow groundwater rise. This will culminate in a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment and a digital elevation model.
June 25, 2024
Task 4 (Adaptation Responses): For this task, the team will identify adaptation responses for approximately seven priority locations that have the greatest near- term exposure and risk to sea level rise, including critical infrastructure. Sites demonstrating more long-term sea level rise risk would also be identified during this task. This task will culminate in the selection of possible near and long-term adaptation frameworks, with the intent to prioritize nature-based solutions where feasible.
Task 5 (Implementation Approach): This task will provide recommendations and project milestones to implement adaptation strategies for the near-term priority locations identified in Task 4. Phasing strategies, integration of adjacent projects, and a governance approach will also be identified in this task.
Task 6 (Sea Level Rise Adaptation Framework): The Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan framework components will be drafted and finalized in this task.
Task 7 (Project Management Support): This task will include the maintenance of the project schedule, reporting, and budget management throughout the project.
Scope Refinements Anticipated
Community Development Department staff request City Council authorization to enter into a professional services contract with Mithun/ESA for the key project tasks identified in the original scope of work, while allowing the City Manager to negotiate the final contract cost and details, for an amount not to exceed $400,000. Due to the extended Council recess, staff were unable to refine the project scope and finalize project fees prior to the request for contract authorization. Through various internal and external conversations, staff finds it necessary to include additional deliverables to the Mithun/ESA proposal to create a more comprehensive Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan.
It is essential to center community engagement at the forefront of all planning efforts to establish transparency and prioritize intersectional equity and racial justice along our entire shorefront community. The Mithun/ESA team recommends including a community-based organization to lead community engagement to supplement engagement efforts and reach more of the Richmond community. Task 2: Community Engagement will need to be revised to include a subcontract with the Watershed Project to provide additional public outreach. The Watershed Project’s involvement could consist of additional public and stakeholder meetings, community consultation in developing a workforce development plan, multilingual outreach materials, and supplemental outreach efforts to ensure proactive and equitable community involvement is a priority in developing the Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan.
Given the history of contaminated sites in Richmond, it is crucial to include an inventory of contaminated shoreline sites with additional surveys and technical data collection in
June 25, 2024
the project’s scope. Staff proposes to supplement the Mithun-ESA team’s Task 3:
Confirm Vulnerable Assets to create a contaminated site inventory for known and historical unknown contaminated sites on the shoreline. Pending further scope of work discussions, the contaminated site inventory could include the name of toxins and level of contamination at each site, the site’s regulatory context, past and future remediation efforts, and the responsible parties for future remediation of shoreline sites, excluding the present Chevron Refinery and the Port of Richmond. Some other sites with legal restrictions may be exempted from the inventory following subsequent research. Sea level rise adds urgency to contaminated site remediation and restoration along the Richmond shoreline, and the inclusion of the contaminated site inventory is necessary to understand how climate change will impact the legacy of industrial sites on our community and natural resources.
In the original RFP, the Port of Richmond area was excluded from the project scope, as the Port will be assessed in a separate Strategic Plan. However, staff finds that the entire shoreline should be involved in all topographic and general surveys. As such, the revised project scope will include provisions for the Port area to be included in all general City-wide surveys to be specified in the contracting process.
It will be essential for the City to apply for grants to supplement the funding and technical work for the Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan. Staff is researching various regional grants that complement the proposed additional deliverables to ensure necessary surveys, community outreach, and data collection are accomplished. As such, staff proposes to include Mithun/ESA’s optional task of grant application support and grant writing in the final scope of work and budget.
Key tasks in the scope of work will be further refined to include additional survey data to inform short-term adaptation projects and the inventory of contaminated sites.
Community Development staff will provide the City Council with all details pertaining to the final scope of work once the Mithun/ESA contract is finalized. Elements of key tasks are shown in the fee schedule below. While exact fees have not been determined, the payment limit for the contract shall not exceed $400,000.
Mithun-ESA Team
Task 1: Project Initiation $14,625
Task 2: Community Engagement and Outreach
Support
$24,875
Task 3: Confirm Vulnerable Assets $33,750
Task 4: Adaptation Responses $85,500
Task 5: Implementation Approach $32,250
Task 6: Sea Level Rise Adaptation Framework $20,000
Task 7: Project Management $24,000
Mithun-ESA Consultant Subtotals $235,00
Allowance for additional input on governance,
funding, and specialty engineering
$15,000
June 25, 2024
Additional Services & Estimated Costs
Task 2: Watershed Project subcontract and design
team coordination for community engagement
$80,000
Task 3: Additional studies to be determined for
detailed assessments of priority locations, such as
contaminated sites
For example:
Topographic/bathymetric surveys
Groundwater flow mapping
Utility and infrastructure mapping
$30,000
Task 4: Development of adaptation options $40,000
TOTAL ≤ $400,000.00
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services contract with Mithun/ESA, not to exceed $400,000, for the preparation of Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan framework components for the Richmond shoreline.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Mithun Proposal
Attachment 2 – BidsOnLine Report
Attachment 3 – Matrix