Agenda Item
DATE: 8/12/2025
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITYCOUNCIL
FROM: JOAN MALLOY, CITYMANAGER
SUBJECT: ADOPT A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH GROUP 4 ARCHITECTURE, RESEARCH + PLANNING, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $954,000, FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $1,973,950, FOR
THE CORPORATION YARD PRELIMINARY AND FINAL DESIGN OF THE UNION CITY TRANSIT FLEET ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT, CITY PROJECT NO. 22-11, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE CORPORATION
YARD MASTER PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute the Third Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc. (Group 4), in the amount of $954,000, for a total contract amount of $1,973,950, for the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project No. 22-11, which is included in the Corporation Yard Master Plan.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This agenda item is aligned with the following:
Goal D, Strategy 9: Transition the UC Transit fleet to zero emissions.
Goal D, Strategy 10: Create and Implement a plan to maintain and upgrade the City’s buildings.
BACKGROUND
On December 14, 2018, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) implemented the Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation requiring all transit agencies to gradually transition bus fleets to zero-emission technologies. In accordance with this regulation, Union City Transit is required to have twenty-five percent (25%) of its fixed-route bus procurements to be zero-emission by 2026.
On February 25, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 5568-20 to support the effort in securing additional funding opportunities by making the commitment to convert the Union City Transit fixed-route fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
Following this commitment, the City of Union City and Union City Transit have been coordinating with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), CARB, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on the funding opportunities to convert the City’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fixed-route buses to battery electric buses (BEB). Union City Transit staff were able to secure both an FTA Section 5307 formula funding grant and an FTA Section 5339(c) Low or No Emission Vehicle (Low-No) discretionary grant for fixed-route BEB.
On March 22, 2022, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 5906-22, accepting the Low-Carbon Transit Operations Project (LCTOP), Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for Union City Transit Fleet, in the amount of $215,572.
On January 10, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 6067-23, authorizing the purchase of fourteen (14) fixed-route BEBs to replace the fourteen (14) CNG fixed-route buses that have reached the end of their twelve (12) year useful lives. The Union City Transit BEBs on order are scheduled to enter production in early October 2025 with all vehicles delivered by the end of December 2025.
To support charging the new BEB fleet, the City needs to modify the Corporation Yard (Corp Yard) by constructing new dedicated transit electric chargers which include dispensers at each of the bus stalls and associated electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to maintain a reliable connection between the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) source and the BEBs.
On September 8, 2023, the City entered into a Consulting Services Agreement with Group 4 Architecture in the amount of $74,950 to assist Public Works in the development of the Corporation Yard Master Plan, City Project No. 23-26, to better understand the construction impacts of Quarry Lakes Parkway, Phase 1, along with impacts to Corp Yard operations. The existing Corporation Yard, located on 7 th
Street, supports the maintenance and operations of the Public Works Department consisting of the Grounds/Parks, Streets, Fleet/Garage and Facilities Divisions along with Union City Transit and the Dumbarton Express service.
On August 13, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 6353-24, approving the First Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc. (Group 4), to update the Corporation Yard Master Plan, Phase 1: NearTerm Improvements, to include the reconfiguration of the bus parking and the design of the BEB infrastructure.
On October 22, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 6378-24, authorizing the filing of an application requesting $4,138,500 for the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project No. 22-11, in the Alameda CTC’s 2026 CIP grant application process.
On January 1, 2025, the City entered into the Second Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Group 4 to incorporate the Corp Yard preliminary and final design of the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project No. 22-11.
On May 22, 2025, Alameda CTC notified the City that the Commission approved an award of $1,500,000 to the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project
No. 22-11.
DISCUSSION
Currently, all Union City Transit buses, Demand Response Vehicles, and Dumbarton Express buses are parked and operated from the Corp Yard. With the anticipated arrival of 14 additional electrical buses by the end of 2025 and the construction of the fleet electrification project underway simultaneously, continuing both Public Works operations and Transit operations presents a significant logistical challenge.
Group 4 has been working with Union City Transit and Public Works staff on the design of the BEB charging infrastructure as part of the reconfiguration and improvements of the Corp Yard. The City has also entered into agreement with PG&E as part of their Electrical Vehicle Fleet (EV Fleet) Program to design and construct the supply system, referred to as “To The Meter” (TTM) infrastructure, which includes the transformer, associated substructures, cables, and conduits necessary to deliver the necessary power to the meter. The City is responsible for designing and constructing the distribution system, referred to as “Behind The Meter” (BTM) infrastructure, which includes cables, conductors, transformers, switchboard, and associated substructures from the meter to the equipment used for charging BEBs.
Staff has identified the underutilized BART parking lot at Block 6 in the Station District as a suitable site for temporary bus parking during the construction of the fleet electrification project.
The Third Amendment to the Consulting Agreement with Group 4, in the amount of $954,000, if approved, will provide the preliminary and final design of the Transit fleet electrification infrastructure and optional construction support, including all Battery Electric Bus (BEB) infrastructure and related site improvements in support of the new infrastructure, for the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project No. 22-11, which is included in the Corp Yard Master Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Third Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., for the Corporation Yard Preliminary and Final Design of the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project No. 22-11, in the amount of $954,000, will be funded with Public Improvements Fund monies (Account Number 41692211-57115), bringing the total contract amount to $1,973,950.
There is no impact to the General Fund.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute the Third Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., in the amount of $954,000, for a total contract amount of $1,973,950, for the Corporation Yard Preliminary and Final Design of the Union City Transit Fleet Electrification Project, City Project No. 22-11, which is included in the Corporation Yard Master Plan.
Prepared by:
MarilouAyupan, Public Works Director
Submitted by:
MarilouAyupan, Public Works Director
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Attachment 1 - ThirdAmendment Attachment
Draft Resolution Resolution
REVIEWERS:
Department Reviewer Action Date
Public Works Ayupan, Marilou Approved 8/8/2025 - 2:03 PM City Manager’s Department Malloy , Joan Approved 8/8/2025 - 4:06 PM