Agenda Item: 5
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: September 22, 2026
SUBJECT: GENERAL PLAN UPDATE CONTRACT
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Erika Iverson
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Award a two-year contract to Michael Baker International to update elements of the City’s General Plan in the amount of $348,000 and authorize a contingency in the amount of $15,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $363,000.
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all contract and associated documents, subject to City Attorney review.
BACKGROUND
In June 2011, the City Council adopted the City of Santa Clarita’s (City) General Plan, known as One Valley One Vision. The General Plan serves as the City’s comprehensive, long-range plan for physical development and establishes goals and policies related to land use, transportation, development, open space, resource preservation, public safety, infrastructure, and other factors that guide future growth and development. The General Plan consists of multiple elements that are required to remain internally consistent and comply with applicable state law.
Since adoption of the General Plan, the state has enacted additional legislation requiring local jurisdictions to address new planning requirements within their General Plans, including:
• Assembly Bill (AB) 98: Requires updates to the Circulation Element related to designated truck routes.
• Assembly Bill (AB) 2684: Requires the Safety Element to evaluate and address extreme heat.
• Assembly Bill (AB) 1889: Requires local governments to incorporate wildlife and habitat connectivity considerations into long-range land use planning.
The City’s Circulation Element and Conservation/Open Space Element were last comprehensively updated as part of the 2011 General Plan. In 2022, the City Council approved targeted updates to the Safety Element in conjunction with the Housing Element Update to incorporate the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and address hazards including earthquakes, flooding, and wildfire.
To address these requirements and maintain consistency with state law, the City must update its Circulation, Safety, and Conservation/Open Space Elements. The updates will require technical analysis, coordination among multiple City divisions, public outreach, environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and consideration by the Planning Commission and City Council. The applicable state legislation establishes January 1, 2028, as a key compliance date for the required General Plan updates.
The City conducted a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified consulting firms to update elements of the City’s General Plan. The RFP was published and circulated via the City’s e-procurement system, BidNet, on July 23, 2026. The City transmitted the solicitation to 3,132 vendors on BidNet, of which 66 vendors downloaded the RFP. One company provided a proposal for consideration.
The proposal was reviewed and evaluated based on the company’s ability to meet the specific needs of the City. An evaluation panel comprised of City staff scored the responsive proposal using the following categories of weighted criteria:
• Consultant qualifications, organizational capacity, plan of study/scope of work (25 points)
• Experience on similar projects (30 points)
• Thoroughness of the proposal, approach to providing sound services, and ability to meet the objectives and standards of the project (30 points) • Cost (15 points)
Rank Company Location Score 1 Michael Baker International San Diego, CA 88
In reviewing the proposal, the evaluation panel awarded Michael Baker International (MBI) a high overall score and determined that its proposal offered the best overall value to meet the General Plan Update project needs. Michael Baker International was the only firm to submit a proposal, and the evaluation team’s determination was based on the firm’s qualifications, proposed approach, and demonstrated ability to successfully complete similar projects.
Staff has completed a due-diligence review of MBI’s professional references and determined its work history meets the City’s standards and performance expectations. Based on the above, staff recommends awarding a two-year contract to MBI for a total amount not to exceed $363,000.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adequate funds from General Fund (100) have previously been appropriated as part of the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget in Planning Expenditure Account 1003100-516101 to support the recommended contract. Funding for future fiscal years are contingent upon the appropriations of funds by the City Council in the annual budget for such fiscal year.
ATTACHMENTS
MBI Cost File
MBI Response File (available in the City Clerk’s Reading File)