Public Works Agency
www.santa-ana.gov/public-works
Item # 16
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
September 15, 2026
TOPIC: Award of an Agreement for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan
AGENDA TITLE
Agreement with KTU&A for Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan (Project No. 26-6100) (Specification No. 26-028A) (Non-General Fund)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Approve an appropriation adjustment to recognize $83,486 of prior-year fund balance in the Measure M-Street Construction, Prior Year Carryforward revenue account and appropriate the same amount to the Measure M2 Local Fairshare St, Improvements Other Than Buildings expenditure account. (Requires five affirmative votes)
2. Approve an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Capital Improvement Program to include an additional $83,486 in Measure M2 Local Fair Share funds for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan (No. 26-6100).
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with KTU&A to provide Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan in an amount of $813,854, for a term beginning September 15, 2026 and expiring March 14, 2028, with provisions for one (1) six-month extension for a total not to exceed $813,854 (Agreement No. A-2026-XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
DISCUSSION
The Public Works Agency (PWA) is responsible for planning and implementing infrastructure improvements to its roadway network to prioritize safety and accessibility for all users and abilities. These efforts are guided by the approved General Plan Mobility Element, which calls for a safe, balanced, and integrated network of travel ways for nonmotorized modes of transportation that connects people to activity centers and inspires healthy, active lifestyles. The City’s Safe Routes to Schools and Parks policy calls for developing and implementing safe routes to schools and parks by partnering with school districts, residents, property owners, and community stakeholders.
Award of an Agreement for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan September 15, 2026
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The City has advanced these goals through several transportation safety planning efforts, including the Safe Mobility Santa Ana (SMSA) Plan adopted in 2016 and Active Transportation Plan adopted in 2019. In 2020, the City adopted the Santa Ana Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Plan, developed through a multi-agency partnership to promote walking and bicycling as safe and healthy transportation options for students traveling to and from school. In 2024, the City adopted its Vision Zero Action Plan, which updated the SMSA Plan and identified strategies to address serious collisions and improve safety for the City’s most vulnerable roadway users.
The City owns, operates, and maintains 50 parks and recreational facilities, consisting of:
•City Parks (6)
•Community Parks (17)
•Neighborhood Parks (12)
•Pocket Parks (8)
•Urban Plazas (3)
•Special Use Facilities (4)
While roadways adjacent to certain parks and schools have been evaluated through the Vision Zero Action Plan and Safe Routes to School Plan, the majority of routes providing access to the City’s 50 parks and recreational facilities have not been comprehensively studied. This planning gap identified the need for a Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan to evaluate existing conditions, identify accessibility and safety deficiencies, and develop recommended improvements that build upon the City’s previous transportation planning efforts. The wheelchair assessment will further evaluate pedestrian accessibility along routes serving City parks, including sidewalks, curb ramps, crossings, and other potential barriers to mobility. The proposed Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan will complement, rather than duplicate, these existing planning efforts by focusing specifically on safe and accessible routes to City parks and identifying mobility barriers for persons with disabilities.
The project will evaluate pedestrian and bicycle access to the City's 50 parks and recreational facilities, with a focus on routes within one-quarter mile of each park. Based on the City's existing pedestrian network, the combined park study areas encompass an estimated 250 miles of sidewalk before accounting for overlapping study areas. The wheelchair assessment will build upon the City's existing citywide inventory of approximately 7,400 curb-ramp locations and will update curb-ramp conditions, with park-area ramps receiving focused field review and other locations evaluated through a combination of desktop review and targeted field verification.
The City applied for and was awarded a Planning and Demonstration grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Fiscal Year 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant program. The SS4A Award of an Agreement for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan September 15, 2026
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Program supports the planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries among all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit and micromobility users, and commercial vehicle operators.
Due to federal staffing constraints and a high volume of grant agreements, U.S. DOT experienced significant processing delays for Fiscal Year 2023 awards. During the processing period, U.S. DOT required revisions to its standard grant agreements and provided the City with an updated agreement template on November 3, 2025. To mitigate delays in processing, the grant provides a five-year period of performance from the award date, with eligible grant expenditures required to be completed by September 30, 2028.
On December 2, 2025, City Council recognized $651,200 in Federal SS4A grant funding. Pursuant to the executed agreement with U.S. DOT, the City will contribute $162,654 local matching funds, resulting in a project budget of $813,854.
The Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan will evaluate pedestrian and bicycle access to City parks, identify existing safety and accessibility barriers, engage community stakeholders, and develop prioritized recommendations for future infrastructure improvements. The Plan will provide the City with an implementation framework to guide future capital projects and support applications for competitive grant funding.
The Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan is intended to serve as an implementation and funding framework for future pedestrian, bicycle, and accessibility improvements throughout the City. The City will leverage the approach used for its Safe Routes to School Plan, which has provided a foundation for identifying, prioritizing, developing, and pursuing funding for improvements around schools. To date, the City has successfully secured over $100 million in grant funding for Safe Routes to School and related active transportation improvements, including funding through the Active Transportation Program (ATP) and other competitive funding sources.
Similarly, the Safe Routes to Parks Plan will identify specific infrastructure needs and recommended improvements; establish priorities based on safety accessibility, equity, community needs, and feasibility; and develop planning-level cost estimates and GIS mapping necessary to advance projects for future funding applications. The Plan will also identify appropriate federal, state, regional, and local funding opportunities and establish a prioritized list of projects that can be pursued as funding opportunities become available. This approach will allow the City to move from planning to implementation by using the completed Plan as a foundation for developing grant applications, capital improvement projects, and future design and construction efforts.
Award of an Agreement for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan September 15, 2026
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By establishing a citywide, data-driven, community-supported list of prioritized Safe Routes to Parks projects, the City will be better positioned to compete for discretionary funding programs such as the Active Transportation Program, Highway Safety Improvement Program, Safe Streets and Roads for All, and other Federal, State, and regional funding sources. The Plan will also identify opportunities to coordinate park access improvements with roadway, sidewalk, bicycle, transit, and accessibility projects already planned or programmed by the City and partner agencies.
This approach is consistent with the City's existing Safe Routes to School implementation model and is intended to create a repeatable pipeline of grant-ready projects that can be pursued over multiple funding cycles.
Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 26-028A was issued February 26, 2026 on the City’s online bid management and publication system. A summary of vendor participation and results is as follows:
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Vendors notified
Santa Ana vendors notified
Vendors downloaded the RFP packet
Responsive proposals received
Responsive proposals received from Santa Ana vendors
Proposals were solicited, opened on March 30, 2026, and evaluated. Five proposals were submitted by the RFP deadline and were determined to be responsive to the specifications and met the City’s requirements. An evaluation committee reviewed and rated the proposals according to the criteria listed in the RFP. The following summarizes the rankings of all responding firms:
Firm City Ranking
KTU&A San Diego, CA 1
Toole Design Group Los Angeles, CA 2
Alta Planning & Design Los Angeles, CA 3
Mark Thomas Irvine, CA 4
HDR Engineering, Inc. Irvine, CA 5
Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the proposals, the evaluation committee determined that KTU&A demonstrated the best overall understanding of the City's vision for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan and is uniquely qualified to deliver a community-centered planning process tailored to Santa Ana. KTU&A's proposal reflects extensive experience preparing multimodal transportation, active transportation, and community planning projects for California public agencies, with particular emphasis on integrating transportation planning, urban design, accessibility, and placemaking. The proposed project team demonstrated a strong understanding of Santa Ana's existing planning efforts, including the Vision Zero Action Plan, Safe Award of an Agreement for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan September 15, 2026
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Routes to School Plan, and Sidewalk Connectivity Plan, and presented an approach that builds upon these efforts while focusing on implementation-ready recommendations that improve access to parks for residents of all ages and abilities.
The evaluation committee highly ranked KTU&A's collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, which emphasizes meaningful community engagement, coordination with local stakeholders, and context-sensitive solutions that reflect the unique character and needs of Santa Ana's neighborhoods. KTU&A's experience working within Southern California communities, combined with its understanding of equitable transportation planning and public realm design, positions the firm to successfully develop a plan that not only identifies infrastructure improvements, but also creates a practical roadmap for future capital investment and competitive grant funding opportunities. Based on the proposal, interview, and overall evaluation, the committee determined that KTU&A offers the best overall value and project approach to successfully complete the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan in accordance with the City's objectives.
Staff recommends awarding an agreement to the highest-ranked firm, KTU&A (Exhibit 1), based on evaluations of both the proposal (Exhibit 2) and interview performance.
KTU&A demonstrated the ability to allocate the necessary staffing and resources to complete the project within the timeline allotted by the grant funding source.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with this action.
FISCAL IMPACT
With the approval of the requested appropriation adjustment, a portion of the accumulated fund balance will be appropriated for spending in the Measure M2 Local Fairshare St., Improvements Other Than Buildings expenditure account (No. 03217662- 66220). The spendable portion of the fund balance is estimated at $1,862,161.31 as of June 30, 2027, which is sufficient to allow for the recommended appropriation of $83,486. Any remaining balances not expended at the end of the fiscal year will be presented to City Council for approval of carryovers into Fiscal Year 2027-2028. (Exhibit 3).
Funding will be budgeted and made available in the following account for the specified year, subject to City Council approval:
Award of an Agreement for the Safe Routes to Parks and Wheelchair Assessment Plan September 15, 2026
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Fiscal
Year
Accounting
Unit – Account
No.
(Project No.)
Fund
Description
Accounting Unit,
Account Description Amount
APPROPRIATION ADJUSTMENT
2026-27 03217662-
66220 (26-6100)
Measure M-
Street
Construction
Measure M2 Local
Fairshare St,
Improvements Other
Than Buildings
$83,486
CURRENT BUDGET
2026-27
14717611-
66220
(26-6100)
Street Safety
Programs
Pub SVS-Street Safety
Projects, Improvements
Other Than Buildings
$651,200
2026-27
03217662-
66220
(26-6100)
Measure M-
Street
Construction
Measure M2 Local
Fairshare St,
Improvements Other
Than Buildings
$79,168
TOTAL $813,854
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Agreement with KTU&A
2. KTU&A Proposal
3. Capital Improvement Project Worksheet
Submitted By: Rodolfo Rosas, P.E., Acting Executive Director of Public Works Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager