Title
Staff Report for a Resolution Approving a Consulting Services Agreement Between the City of San Leandro and Raimi + Associates to Prepare the Bay Fair Transit Village Transit Oriented Development Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a consulting services agreement (CSA) with Raimi + Associates for an amount not to exceed $500,000 to prepare the Bay Fair Transit Village Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
BACKGROUND
With its proximity to multiple transit options, the Bay Fair Transit Village (see Attachment 1, Project Area Map) has exciting possibilities as a mixed-use, transit-oriented retail, commercial and residential destination. The Bay Fair Transit Village project area includes Bayfair Center and Bay Fair BART Station. In Spring 2014, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) awarded the City of San Leandro a $440,000 Priority Development Area (PDA) Planning Grant to prepare a long-range Bay Fair Transit Village Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan (Specific Plan) and EIR. The City’s local project partners are the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Madison Marquette (owner of Bayfair Center), and Alameda County as they represent direct stakeholders in the enhancement of the proposed project area.
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and MTC have recognized the Downtown TOD and East 14th Street corridor as certified PDAs, but the Bay Fair Transit Village does not have the designation. By having an approved TOD Plan in place, the Bay Fair Transit Village area will be able to gain PDA status from ABAG and MTC. Key benefits for PDA certified areas are access to and/or priority for a variety of federal, State and regional funding.
The project area represents an important opportunity for transit-oriented development that can transform the area into a regionally sustainable and vibrant destination in support of Plan Bay Area’s goals. ABAG and MTC adopted Plan Bay Area in 2013 to address State mandated land use, transportation and greenhouse gas emission goals and requirements under Senate Bill (SB) 375.
In December 2014, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a grant agreement with MTC and approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City, BART, Madison Marquette and Alameda County. The MOU outlined mutual goals and objectives, roles and responsibilities and financial/match commitments from each party.
Analysis
The City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) in Fall 2014 to over 20 qualified planning firms to prepare the Specific Plan and EIR. Five well regarded and highly qualified firms submitted proposals. The selection committee, consisting of representatives from the City, Alameda County, BART and Madison Marquette, reviewed the submittals, interviewed each firm, and chose Raimi + Associates as the most qualified candidate.
Raimi + Associates (Raimi) was founded in 2006 and is a multi-disciplinary urban planning firm with offices in Berkeley, Riverside and Los Angeles. Raimi has prepared similar TOD specific plans for other Bay Area cities, including Mountain View, Fremont, and Oakland. This year, the American Planning Association awarded Raimi the “National Planning Excellence Award for an Emerging Planning & Design Firm,” which is given to newer planning firms that “elevate the planning profession…and influence the profession through its current work for years to come.” Raimi’s consulting team for the project consists of:
• Raimi + Associates, Lead consultant and project manager
• Van Meter Williams Pollack, Urban design
• Strategic Economics, Economic consultant
• Kittelson Associates, Transportation consultant
• Rincon, Environmental consultant
• Wood Rogers, Engineering/Infrastructure consultant
The following outcomes or work products will result from the planning process and will be incorporated into the final Specific Plan:
• Market demand analysis for TOD development in the project area
• Affordable housing and anti-displacement strategy
• Financial and market feasibility study of potential development options
• Regulatory framework for achieving the preferred development alternative (e.g., Zoning Code and/or General Plan amendments)
• Urban design standards and guidelines
• Parking/transit strategies to better manage parking resources, reduce parking demand and increase transit use
• Transportation/infrastructure improvements to accommodate the preferred development alternative and better serve BART and AC Transit riders
• Financing options and implementation strategies to foster implementation of the preferred land use alternative
• Final EIR to streamline environmental review for future development projects
Community Involvement
MTC requires wide-ranging public participation under its PDA Planning Program. The City and Raimi must prepare a community involvement strategy to describe how they plan to broaden public engagement. The City will create a citizen advisory committee (CAC) and technical advisory committee (TAC) to provide stakeholder and professional input at key junctures during the planning process. Both the CAC and TAC will meet 4 times. The CAC will consist primarily of stakeholders from in and around the Bay Fair area, including residents, property owners, business owners and public service providers.
Staff recommends that the CAC consist of 21 members and the following application and outreach process for selection of the CAC membership:
• May-June 2015 - Staff prepares application and marketing materials
• June - July 2015 - Open the CAC application process for at least 3 weeks. Broad outreach to the community through local/regional newspapers, posting in City community facilities and on the City website, social media postings such as SL NEXT, and directly market to targeted local civic and community organizations (e.g., homeowner associations, Chamber of Commerce).
• July 2015 - Ad-Hoc Selection Committee reviews applications and selects members. Staff recommends that the Ad-Hoc Committee should be composed of Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter, Councilmember Ursula Reed (who is from District 2, where the Bay Fair project area is located), and the City Manager. The selection factors to create a broad-based and diverse committee could include:
Ø Diversity (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender)
Ø Business representation (e.g., Fairmont Plaza and Fashion Faire shopping centers, Bayfair Center businesses)
Ø Resident representation (e.g., HOAs)
Ø Regional/Local Stakeholder Group representation (e.g., community organizations, business associations, local property owners)
Ø City board/commission representation
Ø Professional/Technical expertise (e.g., realtors, developers, architects)
Ø City and County At Large seats
Staff recommends that the TAC be composed of no more than 10 members, including at least two staff representatives from the City (i.e., Planning and Engineering/Transportation), two from Alameda County (i.e., Planning and Flood Control) and one each from the two other local Specific Plan partners (BART and Madison Marquette). In addition, the TAC should also consist of one staff member from ABAG, AC Transit, Caltrans, and the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC).
There will be 2 large community-wide workshops during the planning process. In addition, Raimi and City staff will conduct smaller stakeholder meetings (with local residents, businesses, community/advocacy groups, property owners, and other key stakeholders within the project area) as well as focus groups with for-profit and non-profit developers to gain a greater understanding of the residential and commercial market.
Schedule
Below is an outline of notable dates and milestones for the Specific Plan process. These are subject to change.
• Project kick-off meetings/presentations with City staff, Planning Commission, and City Council (June-September 2015)
• Analyze development alternatives and identify the preferred alternative (January 2016)
• Complete Draft Specific Plan and EIR (December 2016)
• Complete Final Specific Plan and EIR (March 2017)
• City Council Adopts Final Specific Plan and EIR (April 2017)
Previous Actions
On December 1, 2014, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute the MTC Planning grant agreement and approved the MOU between the City, BART, Madison Marquette, and Alameda County.
Applicable General Plan Policies
• General Plan Policy 8.10 - Bayfair Mall: Promote the revitalization of Bayfair Mall and its environs by introducing new and compatible uses, including new shops, services, community facilities, restaurants, entertainment venues, and offices.
• General Plan Policy 15.01 - Coordination with Service Providers: Work collaboratively with AC Transit and BART to ensure that public transit service remains safe, reliable, and affordable, and to improve service frequency and coverage within San Leandro neighborhoods and employment centers.
Environmental Review
No environmental review is required for the authorization to execute the consulting services agreement with Raimi + Associates. A CEQA EIR is required as part of the proposed Specific Plan.
Legal Analysis
The City Attorney’s Office reviewed and approved the staff report and CSA, as to form.
Fiscal Impacts
The contract is for an amount not to exceed $500,000. The sources of funding for the $500,000 CSA with Raimi + Associates are described below in “Budget Authority” section.
Budget Authority
On December 1, 2014, the City Council approved authority for the City Manager to enter into the $440,000 MTC PDA Planning Grant Agreement and approved the MOU (between the City, Madison Marquette, BART and Alameda County) including the match commitments listed below. The MTC grant agreement was executed between the City and MTC on January 29, 2015. The MOU was executed between all parties on April 17, 2015. The $500,000 FY 2014-15 budget appropriation request is broken down below by source and account number:
$440,000 MTC PDA Planning Grant (150-41-127)
$ 30,000 City of San Leandro matching funds approved by City Council on
December 1, 2014 under the MOU (010-41-001-5120)
$ 15,000 BART matching funds (150-41-127)
$ 15,000 Madison Marquette matching funds (150-41-127)
$500,000 TOTAL
The City will also provide a minimum of $10,000 in-kind staff time (primarily Planning and Engineering/Transportation staff) to manage and assist in the MTC grant implementation.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment to Staff Report
• Attachment 1: Project Area Map
Attachment to Resolution
• Consulting Services Agreement with Raimi + Associates
PREPARED BY: Tom Liao, Deputy Community Development Director