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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 6702 City of Palo Alto (ID # 6702) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 3/28/2016 Summary Title: Contract Amendment for Alta Planning + Design, Inc. for Midtown Connector Title: Approval of Amendment Number One to Contract Number C14150007 With Alta Planning + Design, Inc. to Extend the Term of the Contract for the Feasibility Study and Preliminary Environmental Analysis for the Midtown Connector Project to September 9, 2016 From: City Manager Lead Department: Planning and Community Environment Recommendation Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize City Manager to execute Amendment One to Contract No. C14150007 with Alta Planning + Design, Inc. (Attachment A) to extend the term of the Contract for the Midtown Connector feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment through September 9, 2016, at no additional cost to the City. Executive Summary In March 2014, the City Council approved an 18-month contract with Alta Planning + Design, Inc. to complete a feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment for the Matadero Creek Trail – Phase 1 Midtown Project, now known as the Midtown Connector, with a not-to-exceed amount of $369,446. The feasibility study phase for the Midtown Connector is funded at $383,645 in the City’s FY15 Capital Improvement Plan budget through CIP PL- 14001 Midtown Connector. In November 2015, after several rounds of community engagement and preliminary feasibility analysis, staff presented three options for Council’s consideration. These options included: continue the study of the creek alignment with the understanding that design, permitting, construction, and maintenance City of Palo Alto Page 1 costs will be significantly greater than originally anticipated, end the feasibility study, or continue the study of alternative east-west alignments in lieu of the Matadero Creek channel. Council directed staff to continue with the feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment for the Midtown Connector project, while also looking at two parallel corridors as options for east-west connectivity. Since November, staff and the consultant have been working to finish the feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment and to begin the analysis of the parallel alignments. Staff anticipates returning to Council in June 2016 with a draft feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment. The current contract expired on September 9, 2015 and will need to be extended to September 9, 2016 in order to continue to finalize the feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment. Background and Discussion The adopted City of Palo Alto Bicycle + Pedestrian Transportation Plan (BPTP) identifies the Matadero Creek channel levees and a number of other on-street bicycle routes through the Midtown neighborhood of Palo Alto. The BPTP identifies bicycle and pedestrian connections across the barriers of Alma Street and the Caltrain tracks and US 101 freeway as key objectives. Residents of Midtown and of the Stanford University campus who may travel through Midtown for recreational access to parks and the Baylands are well aware of the challenges of crossing the many busy streets along the way, as well as the constraints of traffic and parking along the connecting streets. Providing safer and more comfortable connections for bicyclists and pedestrians is a key objective of the BPTP. In November 2012, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $10.0 million in grants to fund pedestrian and bike path improvements proposed by Stanford University and the City of Palo Alto. The $10.0 million included $1.5 million for a proposed trail along the levees of the Matadero Creek. The grant application (http://bit.ly/1BroN5e) proposed the trail alignment along the Matadero Creek channel levees and estimated a total project cost of $2.0 million. This project is also identified in the Santa Clara County Trails Master Plan (http://bit.ly/11oO6oA), which was last updated in 1995. City of Palo Alto Page 2 In March 2014, the City Council approved an 18-month contract with Alta Planning + Design, Inc. to complete a feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment for the Matadero Creek Trail – Phase 1 Midtown Project, with a not-to-exceed amount of $369,446. In early 2013, staff began community engagement for the proposed Matadero Creek Trail Project and met with resident stakeholders through the Midtown Residents Association. In response to community input, staff expanded the feasibility study to include alternative alignments, and later renamed the project the Midtown Connector to reflect a commitment to assess alternatives to the creek trail alignment. Staff began a feasibility study of the Matadero Creek alignment and alternative alignments in 2014, and held a study kick-off meeting in June 2014. In early 2015, staff convened a Citizens Advisory Committee to help define alternatives for further study, along with a suite of evaluation criteria that could be used to review the alternatives. A second public meeting was held to focus on these same issues. In mid-2015, a preliminary constructability review indicated that constraints along the Matadero Creek channel may limit the feasibility of a public access trail on large segments of the corridor. Constraints include seasonal access closure structures, steep grades and required maintenance access to the creek channel. Staff presented these preliminary findings to the Citizen Advisory Committee in September 2015 for discussion. In November 2015, staff presented three options for Council’s consideration. These options include: (1 )continue the study of the creek alignment with the understanding that design, permitting, construction, and maintenance costs will be significantly greater than originally anticipated, (2) end the feasibility study, or (3) continue the study of alternative east-west alignments in lieu of the Matadero Creek channel. Council directed staff to continue with the feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment for the Midtown Connector project. Staff anticipates returning to Council in June 2016 with a draft feasibility study and preliminary environmental assessment. City of Palo Alto Page 3 Resource Impact This is an extension of time only. No tasks are added to this contract. There are sufficient resources in CIP PL-14001 to fund this contract. There is no additional resource impact by extending the term of the contract through Amendment One at no additional cost to the City. Some of the additional work requested by Council in November 2015 will be funded under a separate contract, and some will be performed in house by City staff as time permits. Policy Implications The approval, and delegation of authority to the City Manager or his designee to execute Amendment One extending the term of the contract through December 2016 and to execute any documents related thereto is consistent with existing City policies, including the Council approved Bicycle + Pedestrian Transportation Plan goals and objectives. Environmental Review Approval of Amendment One and delegation of authority to the City Manager to execute this amendment does not require review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because they do not meet the definition of a “project” pursuant to California Public Resources Code Section 21065. Attachments:  Attachment A: Alta Planning Contract #C14150007 Amendment 1 (PDF) City of Palo Alto Page 4 1 Revision April 28, 2014 AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO CONTRACT NO. C14150007 BETWEEN THE CITY OF PALO ALTO AND ALTA PLANNING + DESIGN This Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. C14150007 (“Contract”) is entered into March 28, 2016, by and between the CITY OF PALO ALTO, a California chartered municipal corporation (“CITY”), and ALTA PLANNING + DESIGN, a California corporation, located at 100 Webster Street, Suite 300, Oakland, California, 94607, Telephone Number (510)540-5008 ("CONSULTANT"). R E C I T A L S A. The Contract was entered into between the parties for the provision of the development of the Matadero Creek Trail Phase 1 Midtown project to develop a Feasibility Study and Preliminary Environmental Assessment. B. CITY intends to extend the TERM to September 9, 2016 C. The parties wish to amend the Contract. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants, terms, conditions, and provisions of this Amendment, the parties agree: SECTION 1. Section 2 TERM is hereby amended to read as follows: SECTION 2. TERM. The term of this Agreement shall be from March 10, 2014 through September 9, 2016 unless terminated earlier pursuant to Section 19 of this Agreement.” SECTION 2. Except as herein modified, all other provisions of the Contract, including any exhibits and subsequent amendments thereto, shall remain in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have by their duly authorized representatives executed this Amendment on the date first above written. 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