Agenda Item: 5
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: March 11, 2025
SUBJECT: BELCARO AT SAND CANYON PROJECT (MASTER CASE 24-093)
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT CONTRACT
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Andy Olson
RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Award a contract to SWCA Environmental Consultants for the preparation of the Belcaro at Sand Canyon project Environmental Impact Report (Master Case 24-093) in the amount of $321,360, and authorize a contingency in the amount of $48,204, for a total contract amount not to exceed $369,564.
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all documents, subject to City Attorney approval.
BACKGROUND
The Belcaro at Sand Canyon Project (Project) (Master Case 24-093) is a request by New Urban West, Inc. (Applicant) to develop an approximately 194-acre site located on vacant land (Project site). The Project site is located east of Sand Canyon Road and the existing terminus of Lost Canyon Road. To the north of the Project site is the Santa Clara River and State Route 14 freeway; to the east is vacant, residentially-zoned land; to the south is the Sand Canyon Country Club; and to the west is existing residential development. The subject property is in the Sand Canyon community of Canyon Country and is within the Urban Residential 1 and Non-Urban 5 zones.
The Applicant has submitted entitlements for an age-restricted, 55+ community that would include 341 single-family homes, an approximately three-acre private recreation center, 2.6 miles of publicly accessible trails, and approximately 107 acres of open space, including undeveloped open space and Homeowner Association-maintained amenities and slopes. The Applicant has indicated that they are interested in exploring the creation of a community facilities district (CFD) for improvements associated with the development of the project.
The development would be accessed from the west via the extension of Lost Canyon Road and a new railroad undercrossing. Secondary access would be provided from the south via “J” Street from the existing Robinson Ranch Road. The Project includes two crossings of Oak Springs Canyon Creek, east of the existing terminus of Lost Canyon Road and south of the Project site, as part of “J” Street. The Applicant has requested a 20 percent density bonus for providing age- restricted housing, per Government Code Section 65915. The properties are located within the Sand Canyon Special Standards District. The entire site is within a Significant Ecological Area overlay zone and Fire Zone, and portions of the property are located within a Flood Zone and Liquefaction Hazard Zone. An aerial-view site map and a detailed Project description are attached.
The Project requires approval of the following entitlements:
• Tentative Tract Map (TTM) 24-001: A TTM is required to subdivide the existing parcels into the 400 proposed lots.
• Oak Tree Permit (OTP) (Class IV) 24-001: A Class IV OTP is required for the removal of four or more oak trees.
• Hillside Development Review (HDR) (Class IV) 24-002: A Class IV HDR is required for development on a property with an average cross slope above 15 percent. • Minor Use Permit (MUP) 24-012: An MUP is required for dirt hauling between 10,000 and 100,000 cubic yards.
• Architectural Design Review (ADR) 24-011: An ADR is required for all new development projects.
• Conditional Use Permit (CUP) 24-008: A CUP is required for gating more than five single-family residences.
• Development Review (DR) 24-006: A DR is required for all new development projects. • Environmental Impact Report (EIR) 24-001: An EIR is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to analyze project impacts that have the potential for significant environmental impacts.
The application is currently under review with the Development Review Committee and requires environmental review under CEQA. Based on anticipated impacts associated with the Project, the appropriate CEQA document required for the Project is an 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 January 2, 2025, resulting in proposals submitted by twelve 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 SWCA Environmental Consultants Pasadena, CA 98
2 Michael Baker International, Inc. Long Beach, CA 91.67 3 HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc. La Mesa, CA 86
4 Psomas Pasadena, CA 78
5 Impact Sciences Los Angeles, CA 74
6 Kimley-Horn Santa Clarita, CA 65.33
7 De Novo Planning Group Tustin, CA 64
8 CAJA Environmental Services, LLC Chatsworth, CA 56
9 Meridian Consultants Westlake Village, CA 54
10 Interwest Consulting Group Irvine, CA 48
11 Precision Civil Engineering, Inc. Fresno, CA 42
12 Kaleidoscope Consulting, IMPACT LLC Albuquerque, NM 22.67
Based on the quality of SWCA Environmental Consultants’ (SWCA) comprehensive proposal and related project experiences, City staff recommends SWCA as the firm most qualified to complete the preparation of the EIR for the Belcaro at Sand Canyon project.
The total cost of the SWCA proposal is $321,360. The Scope of Work includes preparation of the Project description, peer review of technical studies, coordination of the Notice of Preparation and 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. SWCA Environmental Consultants anticipates a 12-month schedule to prepare the EIR.
Given the complexities of the Project and its surroundings, City staff has included a 15 percent contingency in the amount of $48,204, for a total contract amount not to exceed $369,564. 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.
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FISCAL IMPACT
All costs associated with the preparation of the Environmental Impact Report will be the responsibility of the Applicant for the Belcaro at Sand Canyon Project. There will be no fiscal impact to the General Fund associated with this item.
ATTACHMENTS
Site Aerial and Zoning Map
Project Description
SWCA Proposal (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)