____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
Council Meeting: _______________________
Disposition: ___________________________
Agenda Item No: 2.f
Meeting Date: April 20, 2026
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: Community and Economic Development
Prepared by: Greg Minor
Assistant Director of Community
and Economic Development
City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: AGREEMENTS FOR ON-CALL PLANNING, ENVIRONMENTAL, PLAN CHECK, AND
BUILDING INSPECTION CONSULTING SERVICES
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENTS:
(1) 4 LEAF INC., COASTLAND, INTERWEST, TRB AND ASSOCIATES, AND WILLDAN FOR
ON-CALL PLAN CHECK AND BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $500,000 PER FIRM; AND,
(2) M GROUP IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $500,000 AND LAK ASSOCIATES, LLC IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $300,000 TO PROVIDE ON-CALL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into professional services agreements with (1) 4 Leaf Inc., Coastland, Interwest, TRB and Associates, and Willdan for on-call plan check and building inspection services in an amount not to exceed $500,000 per firm and (2) M Group in an amount not to exceed $500,000 and LAK Associates, LLC for an amount not to exceed $300,000 for on-call planning and environmental consulting services.
BACKGROUND:
The City of San Rafael’s Community and Economic Development (CED) Department has seen a surge in development applications over the last few years. To process these applications, during the entitlement process, CED must analyze each project for compliance with planning and environmental laws, and during the construction process, CED must review plans and inspect buildings for compliance with the building code. Having a list of authorized on-call consultants to provide these services will ensure the efficient processing of applications, which is pivotal for housing development, given recent state laws that established strict processing timelines for housing projects.
Accordingly, in the spring of 2025, CED staff released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify qualified consultants to provide on-call planning and environmental review services, as well as an RFQ for on-call plan check and building inspection services. The City received 25 responses to the planning SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
and environmental services RFQ and 14 responses to the plan check review and building inspection services RFQ. CED staff then reviewed the responses and scored them based on the firms’ experience, project approach, availability, familiarity with local issues, and references, as well as the quality and completeness of the proposal. Subsequently, CED staff identified several new firms with experience in planning and environmental review, plan review, and building inspection services.
In addition to these new firms, CED has had a successful experience working with the following seven firms for on-call planning, environmental planning, plan check, and building inspection services: 4 Leaf, Inc., Coastland, Interwest, M Group, TRB and Associates, Willdan, and LAK Associates, LLC. In order to efficiently process existing and forthcoming development applications, CED needs to initiate new professional service agreements with these existing seven firms.
ANALYSIS:
Establishing an authorized list of on-call qualified planning, environmental, plan check, and building inspection consultants will ensure the smooth processing of development applications from the initial preapplication through construction. Efficient application processing is essential for housing development applications, as state laws impose strict processing timelines that afford local governments only a narrow window to review applications for completeness and consistency with local requirements. Accordingly, through the RFQ process CED staff has identified several new qualified planning and environmental firms as well as firms to provide plan check and building inspection services. CED intends on initiating professional services agreements with these new firms in an amount not to exceed the City Manager’s contract authority. This will provide the City with multiple options for reviewing development applications and allow CED and these new firms an opportunity to work together before seeking City Council authorization to perform work under a larger professional services agreement.
In addition to initiating professional service agreements with new firms, CED recommends establishing new professional service agreements with the following seven firms that have already successfully provided on-call planning and building services to the City: 4 Leaf, Inc., Coastland, Interwest, M Group, TRB and Associates, Willdan, and LAK Associates, LLC. These new agreements will ensure development applications already under review will continue to move forward without delay and that the City has capacity to process new applications in the future. Altogether, streamlining the processing of development applications will boost the City’s economy and maximize the housing available to the San Rafael community.
As project applicants are responsible for any costs the City incurs in processing their development applications, the CED Department can pass the costs of the proposed professional services agreements on to project applicants. Staff proposes a not-to-exceed cap of $500,000 per agreement to provide sufficient funding for the processing of multiple projects over the next two years. While the cost of environmental review and oversight of the entitlement process varies by project complexity, a typical infill housing development, which is becoming the most common type, costs approximately $50,000 in environmental and planning review services. Thus, $500,000 in contract authority for multiple consultants will allow CED staff to streamline the processing of development applications for the foreseeable future.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The recommended professional services agreements will be funded by project applicants as reimbursable services provided for the processing of development applications, or to the extent that the CED Department requires any services from these professional services agreements that are not directly related to a specific development project, these services will be funded by the CED Department’s existing budget.
OPTIONS:
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3
The City Council has the following options to consider in this matter:
1. Authorize the City Manager to enter into the proposed professional services agreements;
2. Authorize the City Manager to enter into the agreements with modifications;
3. Direct staff to return with more information; or
4. Take no action.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into professional services agreements with (1) 4 Leaf Inc., Coastland, Interwest, TRB and Associates, and Willdan for on-call plan check and building inspection services in an amount not to exceed $500,000 per firm and (2) M Group in an amount not to exceed $500,000 and LAK Associates, LLC for an amount not to exceed $300,000 for on-call planning and environmental consulting services.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution
RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENTS:
(1) 4 LEAF INC., COASTLAND, INTERWEST, TRB AND ASSOCIATES, AND WILLDAN FOR
ON-CALL PLAN CHECK AND BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $500,000 PER FIRM; AND
(2) M GROUP IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $500,000 AND LAK ASSOCIATES, LLC IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $300,000 TO PROVIDE ON-CALL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES.
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael’s Community and Economic Development (CED) Department is processing a significant level of development related applications, which require analyzing projects for compliance with planning, environmental, and building codes; and WHEREAS, in order to process development applications in a timely manner, particularly in light of new state housing laws designed to streamline application processing, it is essential that the City has available planning, environmental, and building consultants available as soon as the City receives development applications; and
WHEREAS, to identify a broad base of consultants, in May 2025 the CED Department issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify qualified consultants to provide on-call services for land use entitlement processing and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review as well as an RFQ for on-call plan check review and building inspection services; and WHEREAS, the CED Department received 25 responses to the planning and environmental services RFQ and 14 responses to the plan check review and building inspection services RFQ; and WHEREAS, CED staff reviewed the responses received and scored the responses based on the firms’ quality and completeness of the proposal, experience, project approach, availability, familiarity with local issues, and references; and
WHEREAS, through the RFQ process CED identified several new firms offering planning, environmental consulting, plan review and building inspection services; and WHEREAS, CED intends on commencing professional services agreements with these new firms at an amount not to exceed the City Manager’s contract authority, which will provide CED and these new firms an opportunity to work together before seeking City Council authorization to perform work under a larger professional services agreement; and WHEREAS, CED has already had a successful experience working with the following seven firms for on-call planning, environmental planning, plan check or building inspection services: 4 Leaf, Inc., Coastland, Interwest, M Group, TRB and Associates, Willdan, and LAK Associates, LLC; and WHEREAS, CED needs to initiate new professional service agreements with these existing seven firms to ensure the efficient processing of existing and forthcoming development applications; and
WHEREAS, project applicants are responsible for reimbursing the City for the costs incurred by the City processing their development applications; and WHEREAS, the CED Department will fund the costs of these new professional services agreements through reimbursement agreements with project applicants; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of San Rafael authorizes the City Manager or their designee to execute professional services agreements with the following plan check and building inspection firms for an amount not to exceed $500,000 per firm: 4 Leaf Inc., Coastland, Interwest, TRB and Associates, and Willdan; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of San Rafael authorizes the City Manager or their designee to execute a professional services agreement in an amount not to exceed $500,000 with M Group and $300,000 with LAK Associates, LLC to provide oncall planning and environmental consulting services.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council further authorizes the City Manager or their designee to utilize funding already appropriated to the Community and Economic Development Department to fund any work performed under the above-referenced professional services agreements that is not directly related to a specific development; and I, LINDSAY LARA, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of said City held on Monday the 20th day of April, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers:
NOES: Councilmembers:
ABSENT: Councilmembers:
_______________________
LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk