Agenda Item: 9
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: December 13, 2022
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT CONTRACT FOR MASTER CASE 20-091 (SANTA CLARITA COMMERCE CENTER AT
SPRINGBROOK AVENUE)
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Andy Olson
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Award a contract for the preparation of the Santa Clarita Commerce Center Project Environmental Impact Report (Master Case 20-091) to Michael Baker International, Inc. in the amount of $230,752, and authorize a contingency in the amount of $34,613, for a total contract amount not to exceed $265,365.
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all documents, subject to City Attorney approval.
BACKGROUND
The Santa Clarita Commerce Center Project (Master Case 20-091) is a request by Covington Group, Inc. (Applicant) to develop an approximately 24-acre site located on previously graded industrial land south of the existing Springbrook industrial area (project site). The project site is east of Railroad Avenue and the railroad right-of-way, north of Oakridge Drive, west of the Metropolitan Water District property and Circle J Ranch residential development, and south of existing industrial development and the southern terminus of Springbrook Avenue. The subject property is in the community of Saugus and is within the Industrial zone.
In October 2009, the Planning Commission approved Master Case 06-286, including Tentative Parcel Map (TPM) 062646. The approved TPM included subdividing the project site into 12 industrial lots as well as construction of necessary infrastructure improvements for the subdivision. The original approval required separate entitlement applications for the future buildings.
The Applicant is requesting entitlements for the development of four industrial buildings (Project) on the project site. A prior Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration were prepared as part of the previously approved subdivision and evaluated grading and infrastructure on site, but did not evaluate the construction and operations of industrial buildings. The Project would be four new industrial buildings of varying heights and size, totaling 432,509 square feet and would include 26,000 square feet of office space and 406,509 square feet of warehouse space.
The Project includes parking spaces, truck loading docks, and associated improvements for the development, including landscaping and a new private street that would extend Springbrook Avenue north from Oak Ridge Drive. However, the new Springbrook Avenue would end in a cul-de-sac and would not connect through to the existing Springbrook Avenue except for emergency access. An aerial-view site map and a detailed Project description is attached.
The Project requires approval of the following entitlements:
• Administrative Permit 22-041: An Administrative Permit is required for gating of commercial properties;
• Architectural Design Review 20-014: An Architectural Design Review is required for all new development projects;
• Conditional Use Permit 22-007: A Conditional Use Permit is required for buildings exceeding 35 feet in height in the Industrial zone; and • Development Review 20-009: A Development Review is required for all new development projects.
The next steps in the entitlement process are to circulate the Project for the next iteration of Development Review Committee comments and conduct an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Based on anticipated impacts associated with the Project, the appropriate CEQA document required for the Project is an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Because the City of Santa Clarita (City) does not have the in-house expertise or resources available to complete an EIR, an outside environmental consulting firm is required to complete this task.
The City conducted a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified consulting firms to prepare an EIR for the Project. The RFP was published via BidNet on September 27, 2022, resulting in proposals submitted by four firms. Each company’s ability to meet the specific needs of the City was evaluated by a panel of three City staff members, and the proposals were scored based on the following selection criteria:
• Contractor qualifications, Plan of Study/Scope of Work, Program Management; • Experience on similar projects; and
• Thoroughness of proposal, approach to providing sound services, and ability to provide services to meet objectives and standards.
The scoring results are shown below:
RANK FIRM LOCATION SCORE
1 Michael Baker International, Inc. Long Beach, CA 95.2 2 Kimley-Horn Los Angeles, CA 81.4
3 Psomas Pasadena, CA 78.8
4 Chamber Group, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 67.6
Based on the quality of Michael Baker International, Inc.’s (MBI) comprehensive proposal and related project experiences, staff recommends MBI as the firm most qualified to complete the preparation of the EIR for the Santa Clarita Commerce Center Project.
The total cost of the MBI proposal is $230,752. The Scope of Work includes preparation of the project description, Assembly Bill 52 tribal consultation, peer review of technical studies, preparation of an Initial Study, coordination of the CEQA Scoping Meeting, preparation of the Draft EIR, responses to comments, preparation of the Final EIR and Mitigation Monitoring Reporting Plan, and attendance at public hearings. MBI anticipates a 12-month schedule to prepare the EIR. Given the complexities of the Project and adjacency to existing neighborhoods, staff has included a 15 percent contingency in the amount of $34,613, for a total contract amount not to exceed $265,365. The contingency will allow for additional analysis for unexpected issues that may be identified during the EIR process. The Applicant is responsible for the cost of the preparation of the EIR and its associated contract. Upon award of the contract, the Applicant will deposit funds into a trust account to be maintained by the City.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
All costs associated with the preparation of the EIR will be the responsibility of the Applicant for the Santa Clarita Commerce Center Project. There will be no fiscal impact to the City.
ATTACHMENTS
MC20-091 Site Aerial
MC20-091 Project Description
MBI Proposal (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)