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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-08-07 City Council (12)TO: City of Palo Alto C ty Manager’s Re HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT DATE: SUBJECT: AUGUST 7, 2000 CMR:354:00 REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF COUNCIL COMMITTEE REVIEW OF CONSULTANT SCOPE OF SERVICES FOR TRANSPORTATION STRATEGIC PLAN RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council waive the requirement for Council committee review of consultant contract scope of services for a transportation strategic plan and authorize staff to issue the request for proposals for this project. BACKGROUND Policy and Procedure 1-10 stipulates that scopes of service for consultant contracts larger than $25,000 be reviewed by the appropriate Council committee. On May 11, 1999 (CMR:241:99) Council directed staff to proceed with the development of a transportation strategic plan. The FY 2000-2001 Planning and Community Environment Department budget includes $50,000 in funding for consultant assistance in this effort. DISCUSSION The Planning and Transportation Commission reviewed and discussed the draft scope of services for this project at the Commission’s annual retreat on April 26, 2000. The Commissioners, by consensus, advised staff that the scope was satisfactory as drafted. The transportation strategic plan effort will need to get underway as soon as possible to be completed by next Jurie. Council committee review, which would take place no sooner than mid-September, would delay project start-up for six weeks. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Approval of the recommendation in this staff report implements Council directive to create a transportation strategic plan and waives, for this project, the requirement for Council committee review of consultant contract scopes of service. TIMELINE The transportation strategic plan is will be completed and presented to the Council and Planning and Transportation Commission by June 30, 2001. CMR:354:00 Page 1 of 2 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The transportation strategic plan prioritizes Comprehensive Plan transportation projects and programs. The Comprehensive Plan has already undergone environmental review. Individual projects and programs may be subject to environmental review before implementation. ATTACHMENTS A. Draft Transportation Strategic Plan Scope of Service PREPARED BY: Joseph Kott, Chief Transportation Official DEPARTMENT HEAD: ~-’~J DO~.r~D~ector o,l,.ffle nGn~n gWFand Community Environment CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: EMILY HARRISON Assistant City Manager CMR:354:00 Page 2 of 2 ATTACHMENT A Transportation Strategic Plan DRAFT SCOPE OF SERVICES INTRODUCTION The City of Palo Alto Transportation Division is seeking consultant services for assistance in preparing a Transportation Strategic Plan. This project has two parts, one external and one internal, as follows: 1.) Development of a Strategic Plan for implementation of the Transportation Element of Palo Alto’s Comprehensive Plan; and 2.) Preparation of a Strategic Plan to guide the activities of the Transportation Division itself. The purpose of the project is to create an effective framework for carrying out Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan policies and the directives of City Council with respect to transportation facilities and services in Palo Alto. Expected outcomes of the Palo Alto Transportation Strategic Plan Strategic Plan are as follows: 1.) A comprehensive report on existing conditions and trends in Palo Alto’s transportation system; 2.) A set of goals and objectives for Palo Alto’s transportation system, based on the Comprehensive Plan, with associated evaluative measures by which progress toward achievement of objectives may be charted over time; 3.) A prioritized list with associated timeline for transportation projects, programs, plans, and studies called for in the Comprehensive Plan or by separate Council directive; 4.) Generalized cost estimates or ranges for all for transportation projects, programs, plans, and studies on the prioritized list; and 5.) recommendations on potential funding sources. Expected outcomes of the Strategic Plan for the Transportation Division are as follows: 1.) A set of Divisional goals and objectives based on the Palo Alto Transportation Strategic Plan Comprehensive Plan; 2.) An assessment of Division strengths, weaknesses, assets, and threats (SWAT) with respect to achievement of divisional goals and objectives; 3.) A prioritized work program for the Division, including staffing requirements and responsibilities for achievement of the Division’s work program. It is anticipated that this project will require a consultant with experience in both transportation planning and in strategic plamaing, ideally, the consultant will have experience in strategic planning for a transportationprogram. Illustrative examples of similar work may be found as follows: Existing conditions and trends in transportation - as reported by a municipal transportation agency: Ci_ty of San Jose Annual Transportation Report; as reported by a regional transportation agency: Annual Performance Report, Valley Transportation Authority. Strategic transportation plan - for a municipality: City of Seattle Transportation Strategic Plan; for a region: Livable Region Strategic Plan, Greater Vancouver (B.C.) Regional District. Evaluation in a strategic plan - for effectiveness measures, see "Maine’s Strategic Planning Initiative", Maine State Planning Office, http : //j anus.state, me. us/spo/str atpla/initiative/initiat, htm. BACKGROUND Transportation policy in the City of Palo Alto is based on eight broad goals set forth in the Transportation Element of the 1998-2010 Comprehensive Plan: 1. Less Reliance on Single-Occupant Vehicles 2. A Convenient, Efficient Public Transit System that Provides a Viable Alternative to Driving 3. Facilities, Services, and Programs that Encourage and Promote Walking and Bicycling 4. An Efficient Roadway Network for All Users 5. A Transportation System with Minimal Impacts on Residential Neighborhoods 6. A High Level of Safety for Motorists, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists on Palo Alto Streets 7. Mobility for People with Special needs 8. Attractive, Convenient Public and Private Parking Facilities Palo Alto public policy for many years has favored development of alternative modes of transport, improved travel safety, ,and protection of neighborhoods from traffic impacts. Palo Alto developed the nation’s first bicycle boulevard and created at the University Avenue Caltrain depot northern California’s first "bike station" for valet bicycle parking. Palo Alto’s two Caltrain stations, at University Avenue and California Avenue have the second and seventh highest number of passenger boardings of the more than thirty’, stations along the entire San Francisco-San Jose-Gilroy Caltrain system. Pal0. Alto has been cited by many observers, most recently University of California at Berkeley Prof. Robert Cervero in his book Transit Villages, as an exceptionally walkable and bikable community. The area around Palo Alto’s Caltrain station’s developed as early California examples transit-oriented development. Public bus transport in Palo Alto includes 2 routes operated by Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Samtrans, Stanford’s Marguerite, the Dunbarton Express (operated by a consortium of transit agencies), and the new City of Palo Alto shuttle service. VTA’s line 22, which serves the E1 Camino Real corridor in Palo Alto, has the highest ridership in the VTA bus route network. Palo Alto has traditionally been a leader in neighborhood traffic management or "traffic calming" in contemporary terminology. This effort has included deployment of traffic circles in several neighborhoods and use of semi-diverters and road closures (for vehicle traffic) in other locations. The City is currently updating its local and collector traffic calming program to incorporate emerging best practices. A major study of traffic calming on a residential arterial roadway, which included evaluation of roundabouts and a reduction in number of travel lanes, has recently been completed. Palo Alto is connected to the surrounding region by Caltrain, 1-280, E1 Camino Real and US 101. Palo Alto public policy favors improvements in rail and bus transit passenger capacity over increased highway capacity as a response to rising travel demand to, from and through the city. Rail passenger capacity improvements envisioned include increased direct service to Palo Alto via Caltrain or new indirect service via shuttle bus to and from a proposed Dunbarton rail passenger service. Public policy in Palo Alto emphasizes the importance of linking transportation and land use planning. As an example, the City Council in 1999 expanded the role of the Planning Commission to become a Planning and Transportation Commission. The Commission was given a specific mandate to integrate land and transportation in ways that carry out the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. The Transportation Division itself has for many years been housed in the Planning Dep,artment, organizationally alongside the land use planning staff. An example of the integration of land use and transport planning in Palo Alto is the design development study underway in conjunction with Stanford to create improvements in alternative modes access and circulation within the area surrounding the University Avenue Caltrain station. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT In creating the new Planning and Transportation~ Commission, the Palo Alto City Council also directed staff to prepare under Cbmmission guidance a strategic transportation plan for Council consideration. The "strategic plan would provide to Council a prioritized program of projects, plans, and studies with associated narrative description, cost, and scheduling information. The Transportation Strategic Plan would also provide a basis for development of the Transportation 3 Division work staff program. This work program, in turn would be developed within the context of a Transportation Division strategic planning process. The purpose of the project is to: a. Develop a strategic framework for Council decision-making with respect to transportation facilities and services in Palo Alto. b. Improve the understanding of Council, the Planning and Transportation Commission, and City staff of transportation conditions and trends within and external to, but impacting, Palo Alto. c. Create a strategic framework for the activities of the Transportation Division. The City envisions a high quality strategic transportation planning effort that meets the following criteria: is comprehensive in approach, providing a framework that is both strategic in scope, yet detailed enough to guide decisions on both public investment planning and levels of staff effort. enjoys the confidence of decision-makers, City staff, and the broad community represents a high standard of professional transportation planning practice, while being cost effective can be completed within nine months SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED The Scope of Service is to prepare, in conjunction with Palo Alto Transportation Division staff, both a Strategic Transportation Plan for the City of Palo Alto and a Strategic Plan for the Transportation Division, based on the Strategic Transportation Plan. ’ A. Components The Transportation Strategic Plan include shall include the following components: Summary and review of existing conditions and trends in Palo Alto’s transportation system. Transportation Division staffwill assist the consultant in data gathering, organization, and analysis. Data series will include City traffic volume counts and speed surveys, intersection levels of service, accident statistics, bicycle volumes on the Bryant Street Bicycle Boulevard, bus and rail ridership, parking supply and demand, and other quantitative and qualitative measures of transport system characteristics and use in Palo Alto. It is not anticipated that the consultant will collect new data. 4 2.Goals and measurable objectives for the Palo Alto transportation system to the year 2010. Identification of data requirements, including data already being collected and new data sets needed, for evaluation of progress toward achievement of objectives for the Palo Alto transportation system. The outcome of identification of data needs should be an ongoing research and evaluation program for the Transportation Division. A prioritized transportation program of projects, plans, and studies to implement the Transportation Element of the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan and related Council directives. This program will include generalized cost estimates or ranges and implementation timelines. 5.Recommendations on potential funding sources for implementation of the program of projects. The Transportation Strategic Plan may be organized in chapters by topic, as follows: /. II. III. IK K VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. Executive Summary Introduction and Purpose Goals and Objectives Existing Conditions and Trends in Travel Roadways Bicycle and Pedestrian Transit Traffic Calming Parking Transportation and Land Use Integration Evaluation Measures Data Collection Program of Transportation Projects, Programs, Plans, Studies Potential Funding Sources The Transportation Division Strategic Plan shall include the following components:\ 1.An assessment of Division strengths, weaknesses, assets, and threats (SWAT) with respect to achievement of divisional goals and objectives. 5 2.A prioritized work program for the Division, including staffing requirements and responsibilities as well as cost estimates for achievement of the Division’s work program. This will include the ongoing research and evaluation program identified under item #2 of the Strategic Transportation Plan components previously described. The Transportation Division Strategic Plan may be organized in chapters by topic, as follows: II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. Executive Summary Introduction and Purpose Goals and Objectives Description of the Transportation Division Strengths, Weaknesses, Assets, and Threats (SWAT) Staffing and other Resources Evaluation Meastires Work Program The Transportation Division staff will be actively involved with the consultant in developing all aspects of the strategic planning process, including assembly and analysis of pertinent data. The consultant will meet with Division staff to review existing information and to coordinate work on the project. B. Draft Plans The consultant will join Division staff in presenting both a draft Palo Alto Transportation Strategic Plan and a draft Strategic Plan for the Transportation Division. The draft Plans will be presented to a joint workshop of the Planning and Transportation Commission and the Palo Alto City Council. The draft Plans will include text, data, maps and graphics (as needed). C. Draft Final Plans The draft final Plans will be presented to first to the Planning and Transportation Commission for review and recommendation, then to the City Council for decision. The consultant will make revisions to the draft final Plans to comply with conditions of City Council approval, including revisions to cost estimates, as necessary. 6 D. Community Involvement Process and Meetings with City Staff The consultant will attend the following meetings, as part of the strategic planning process: 1. one joint Council/Planning and Transportation Commission workshop meeting 2. one meeting with the Planning and Transportation Commission 3. one meeting with the City Council 4. one public forum 5. five meetings with City staff The City will arrange all of the meetings. The consultant and Transportation Division staff will jointly develop a presentation for and conduct the public forum, as well as the Council/Planning and Transportation workshop. The purpose of the meetings and community involvement is to ensure that citizens and decision-makers have an opportunity to consider and discuss the strategic issues in planning for Palo Alto’s transportation system and to give the City Council and City management a sound information base for making strategic transportation planning decisions. E. Submittals Each of the major components will culminate with the development of a technical memorandum or report for review by the City staff. The consultant shall submit 10 copies of each document, except the consultant shall submit 35 copies of the draft and final draft Plans, and 80 copies of the Final Plans. SCHEDULE FOR CONSULTANT SELECTION Either two or three consultants responding to the RFP will be selected to be interviewed. Interviews up are tentatively scheduled for the week of At the conclusion of the interview process, the interview committee will make a ranking of all consultants. The interview committee will consist of City staff and one member of the Planning and Transportation Commission. Based upon the responses to the RFP, the interview, and information provided by references, the preferred candidate would be selected to enter into negotiations for a contract with the City. PROJECT SCHEDULE AND RESOURCES The project is expected to start in and to be completed, including review and approval by the City Council, within a nine-month period from the 7 time of contract approval. Proposal should clearly demonstrate how the required services could be provided within this time frame. While the actual cost of performing the required services is to be determined through the proposal selection and negotiation process, the total amount of the contract is not expected to exceed $50,000. PROPOSAL GUIDELINES A suggested format for the consultant’s response to this Request for Proposals is indicated below. These guidelines are intended to facilitate review of the consultant responses. Consultants are requested, but not required, to follow these guidelines. Project Statement Prepare a brief, general statement indicating the consultant’s overall understanding of the nature of the project and the services to be provided. Proposed Work Program Identify specific major components and related work elements accomplish .the proposed services. Include for each project component: to a) a statement of OBJECTIVE indicating its purpose, b) a statement of PROCEDURE indicating how the work will be accomplished, c) a statement of OUTPUT indicating what information and products are to be provided, and d) a statement of RESOURCES, person-days and dollar costs, estimated to complete the work. Schedule Prepare a work schedule indicating total time and staging for each work component. Resource Summary ’ Present a summary of the estimates of person-days and total dollar costs for each work component. Staff’mg Identify specific individuals proposed for this project, including: a.their project responsibilities, b.their specific experience related to their responsibilities project, c. estimated level of effort (person-days) for each person, and on this 8 d. personal resumes. 6.References Provide three references (name, address, and telephone number) for recent similar consulting work. If you have completed similar projects within the Bay Area, please provide a description. 7.Documents Complete and return with your proposal all required proposal documents. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS The criteria to be used to evaluate responses to the Request for Proposals and to select consultants for oral interviews, includes: 1. Completeness of responses to Request for Proposals, 2.Composition and expertise of the consultant team, including specific individuals who will perform the work and the time to be spent by each person. 3.Responsiveness to time requirements and demonstrated means to accomplish necessary inter-relationship between consultant and City staff efforts. o Demonstrated recent experience with similar type and quality of work expected in this project, including a demonstrated ability to complete work within budget and schedule. 5.Demonstrated experience and skill in working on innovative solutions to transportation problems and on alternative transportation modes. Estimate of required resources, including proposed fee relative to the services to be provided, and projected Palo Alto staff time in assisting consultant(s). Selection of a consultant is based on the best-qualified proposal within the project budget. 7.Expertise in strategic planning, transportation planning,and public participation, SUBMITTAL OF PROPOSALS Six (6) copies of the completed proposal are to be delivered to the Director of Purchasing and Contract Administration, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, by ~, no later than 3:00 p.m.