HomeMy WebLinkAboutID-2719City of Palo Alto (ID # 2719)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Informational Report Meeting Date: 4/9/2012
April 09, 2012 Page 1 of 3
(ID # 2719)
Summary Title: Update on 27 University
Title: Update on 27 University Avenue
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
This is an informational item that does not require Council action.
Executive Summary
Staff has selected consultants to assist the City of Palo Alto with the urban design
and site planning, architecture, traffic, civil engineering and management in
connection with a potential application for a new office and theater at 27
University Avenue.
Background
On March 5, 2012, the City Council authorized $250,000 from the Intermodal
Transit Funds, set aside from the Stanford Medical Center Development
Agreement, for the preliminary design review and initial environmental review of
a potential application for a new office and theater project at 27 University
Avenue.
Discussion
The City has followed the purchasing rules for informal solicitation and has
selected the consultants for this phase of the project and is working on preparing
contracts. All of the following consultants will be working directly for the City to
help provide input to enhance the proposed application.
The City has sole sourced the urban design work to Fukuji Planning and Design to
provide expertise in urban design, intermodal transit center design, transit-
oriented development and facilitation of a multi-stakeholder collaborative urban
design process for the project in an amount not to exceed $76,120. Additionally,
the City has sole sourced help with the planning and contract administration to
April 09, 2012 Page 2 of 3
(ID # 2719)
Metropolitan Planning Group (M-Group) for a total of $23,700. Bruce Fukuji,
Principal of Fukuji Planning and Design, and Whitney McNair, Principal of M-
Group have extensive knowledge of the challenges associated with connections
through this area having worked with the City in the past and on the Stanford
Hospital redevelopment project.
After an informal solicitation process, the City has selected FGY Architects to
provide expertise in architectural design for the office buildings and the theater.
These architectural services will supplement the applicant team and will focus on
design ideas for enhancing the public spaces and cohesively integrating the public
and business oriented uses at the site. Dan Garber, Principal of FGY has unique
experience on this project as a former Planning and Transportation Commissioner
and as a boardmember of TheatreWorks. The proposed contract for FGY is
$64,330.
The City has also selected Sandis Civil Engineers, Surveyors and Planners to
prepare traffic engineering services including a traffic impact analysis, AM and PM
peak hour trip distribution, and intersection evaluations. The proposed contract is
for $54,380. Additionally, Sandis has been selected to do preliminary civil
engineering including preparation of a storm water management plan, a sanitary
sewer study and site storm drain analysis as well as a preliminary arborist report.
The total for these services is $37,500. Sandis has worked with the applicant on
numerous projects and is very familiar with Palo Alto.
All contracts are under the City Manager’s signature authority and, with the
exception of the two sole source contracts; all have been selected following the
purchasing rules for informal solicitation. The total amount for these contracts is
$256,030. Since the proposals have been prepared with a not to exceed amount,
the funds authorized by the City Council should be sufficient.
Timeline
The proposed architecture and urban design work is anticipated to continue
through the end of May 2012. This work will culminate in circulation concepts,
building footprints, heights and massing design studies, district character studies
and site plan concepts for the site. The City anticipates a formal application for
the project at that time.
April 09, 2012 Page 3 of 3
(ID # 2719)
Prepared By:Steve Emslie, Deputy City Manager
Department Head:James Keene, City Manager
City Manager Approval: ____________________________________
James Keene, City Manager