REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Amendment No 3. to the Agreement for Professional Services with Perkins + Will for Amendments to the Tasman East Specific Plan
Report
BACKGROUND
On November 13, 2018, the City Council adopted the Tasman East Specific Plan to guide the transition of an underutilized 45-acre industrial neighborhood east of the Lawrence Caltrain Station into a pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented development, providing for the addition of 4,500 new residential units near transit and jobs. The Specific Plan also incorporates approximately 100,000 square feet of neighborhood-oriented and convenience retail and 10 acres of open space including various outdoor recreational facilities and landscape features, such as a community garden, a public plaza, pocket parks and paseos. As a result of these features, there has been strong development interest within the Specific Plan. To date, there are currently nine projects in the architectural review process with the City that collectively would allow construction of a total of 3,549 residential units.
On April 18, 2016, the City Council awarded a contract to Perkins + Will to assist staff with preparation of the Specific Plan and an associated Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The contract was amended in October 2017 to complete additional traffic modeling in order to update the traffic impact analysis, update the air quality and noise technical reports, provide alternative technical analysis to determine the Plan’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions and make substantial text revisions to the EIR as well as the Specific Plan documents. In January 2019, the contract was again amended to perform additional outreach with key stakeholders and environmental analysis that was needed to complete the Specific Plan process.
DISCUSSION
As the City has moved into implementation of the Specific Plan, working with Tasman East property owners, staff is recommending a modification of the Specific Plan to allow the Primavera sewer lift station to be maintained at its current location. As a result, the proposed extension of Calle del Sol would be implemented as a pedestrian paseo rather than a vehicular street. The proposed contract amendment would allow the consultant to complete additional analysis related to maintaining the Primavera sewer lift station in its current location and reconfiguring the Calle del Sol extension into a pedestrian paseo between Calle de Luna and Calle del Mundo. The proposed contract amendment for $45,500 would increase the total not-to-exceed amount to $1,186,432 including the current update to the Specific Plan and associated EIR addendum.
Changes to the Adopted Specific Plan
Calle del Sol Extension
As a part of the adopted Specific Plan, several public improvements were proposed to create a well-designed public realm. One of these improvements was the proposed extension of Calle del Sol northwards between Calle de Luna and Calle del Mundo. This roadway extension was intended to lengthen the proposed main street within Tasman East and to create a pedestrian-oriented public realm along the Calle del Sol extension, with the additional benefit of providing additional vehicular circulation within the neighborhood.
Relocation of Sewer Pump Station
To implement the Calle del Sol extension, the City’s Primavera lift station would either need to be relocated to the northern terminus of Calle del Sol, on the north side of Calle de Luna, or otherwise be converted to an underground facility within the street right-of-way. Undergrounding the lift station in its current location was determined to be infeasible due to safety concerns with potential build-up of gases in maintenance areas, along with the added difficulty of performing routine maintenance in the public right-of-way.
The City’s Public Works Department hired Woodard and Curran consultants to perform an engineering study to assess the needs and requirements to determine the feasibility of relocating the lift station. Relocating the lift station required a full analysis of current sewer flows, reconstruction of sewer lines to redirect flows to a new location, determining connections to sewer mains, and ultimately identifying locations within the plan area that met all the necessary requirements. The City evaluated potential alternative locations for the station on private properties within Tasman East including sites currently being contemplated for development projects. The potentially affected developers indicated that relocation of the lift station would have a significant impact on their development projects which were already submitted for Architectural Review approval to the City prior to the results from the Woodard and Curran relocation study. The developer group proposed an alternative that the lift station could be kept at its current location with an architectural screening treatment along with reconfiguration of the Calle del Sol extension.
Pedestrian Paseo Concept
The Tasman East developer group commissioned a design study to look at the ways to maintain the existing lift station in place and redesign the Calle del Sol extension from a two-lane street to be a pedestrian paseo that could accommodate the lift station within a portion of the paseo. City staff were agreeable to the redesign of the Calle del Sol extension provided that the removal of the Calle del Sol extension as a roadway did not impact the flow of traffic within the plan area, and that the revised proposal did not impair placemaking objectives for the district.
Converting the Calle del Sol extension into a paseo and keeping the Calle del Sol extension in place would present three major issues that need to be addressed through the contract amendment. The first issue is to confirm that the roadway network can still accommodate traffic in a manner consistent with what was originally proposed in the Specific Plan and evaluated in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The proposed contract amendment includes funds for both the environmental consultant and the traffic sub-consultant to analyze and document the changes to the proposed roadway network.
The second issue is to design the paseo to help create a vibrant and comfortable public realm, recognizing that the above-ground lift station might hamper that objective. Perkins + Will, the City’s design consultant, will create design standards for the paseo to reinforce the fact that the paseo is a public space that connects the three major streets within Tasman East. The paseo design will also focus on the optimization of pedestrian as well as bicycle access within the paseo. These changes will be incorporated into an amended Tasman East Specific Plan, which would require approval from the City Council.
The third concern is to ensure that the paseo is an attractive gathering space that supports the Specific Plan’s placemaking objective. Toward that end, the contract also includes funds for subconsultant to Perkins + Will, Strategic Economics, to propose cooperative funding strategies for the area property owners to share in the costs of programming and maintaining the paseo, so that it can be a focal point within the neighborhood. The intention is for the paseo’s ongoing maintenance to be privately funded through financing tools such as a business improvement district or similar structure.
Conceptual Designs
The developer study includes screening and landscaping ideas to minimize the visual impacts of the lift station and its associated odor-control measures. The enclosure will be required to be accessible to heavy equipment, with large access doors and clear space around the enclosure, so that the lift station pumps can be maintained. One of the building concepts, a slatted wooden enclosure, is shown in Attachment 5. The conceptual renderings show conceptual public art on south and east sides of the building and small seating area and stage built into the north side of the building. The public art component of the enclosure would be further refined as part of the contract amendment work. This rendering suggests that the lift station could be accommodated within the paseo and still be consistent with the Specific Plan placemaking objectives.
Reimbursement Agreement
If the Council approves the proposed contract amendment with Perkins + Will, the City will enter into a reimbursement agreement for $50,050 with the applicants that are developing projects within the Tasman East Specific Plan. The reimbursement agreement will recover the $45,500 in costs which includes preparation of the supporting environmental analysis and the additional contract costs described in this report and an additional 10% to recover contract administration costs. The Council previously authorized the City Manager to execute reimbursement agreements for up to $250,000 in Resolution 18-8619.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Tasman East Specific Plan was analyzed under an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) adopted and certified by the City Council on November 13, 2018. An Addendum to the EIR will be prepared in accordance with the scope of work proposed under this Amendment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed amendment includes an increase of $45,550 for the additional services related to modifications of the Specific Plan. The City will enter into a reimbursement agreement with applicants developing projects within the Tasman East Specific Plan to fully recover these costs.
COORDINATION
The proposed contract amendment was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the Finance Department.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 3 to the Agreement for Professional Services with Perkins + Will, Inc. to update the Tasman East Specific Plan and prepare an Addendum to the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), increasing the not-to-exceed cost by $45,500 to a revised total of $1,186,432.
Staff
Reviewed by: Andrew Crabtree, Director, Community Development Department
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Perkins + Will draft Contract Amendment No. 3
2. Perkins + Will fully executed agreement for Tasman East
3. Perkins + Will Contract Amendment No.1
4. Perkins + Will Contract Amendment No. 2
5. Enclosure concept illustrations and proposed street sections