REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on a Design Professional Services Agreement with Alta Planning + Design for the Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan Project and Related Budget Amendments [Council Pillar: Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure]
Report
BACKGROUND
Pruneridge Avenue is an east/west street near the southern boundary of Santa Clara, tying into Cupertino at the western city limit and San Jose on the eastern city limit (Attachment 1, Location Map). The majority of Pruneridge Avenue in Santa Clara is fronted by single family homes. The General Plan lists Pruneridge Avenue as a minor arterial street to include future Class II bicycle facilities (i.e. bicycle lanes) along the entire roadway within the City. Additionally, the Santa Clara Bicycle Plan Update 2018 lists the entirety of Pruneridge Avenue within Santa Clara as a roadway that should include Class II Buffered Bicycle lanes.
Historically, Pruneridge Avenue operated as a four-lane facility, with two lanes in each direction. In 2012, the City modified 0.85 miles of Pruneridge Avenue between the western city limit and Pomeroy Avenue to become a two-lane facility with one lane in each direction and bicycle lanes. During the fall of 2017, the City of San Jose constructed bicycle lanes on West Hedding Street from the eastern city limit at Winchester Boulevard eastward into San Jose. This was accomplished by changing the street from a four-lane facility to a two-lane facility, similar in design to the 2012 Pruneridge Avenue Roadway Reallocation. Completion of this improvement generated renewed interest from the bicycling community to complete the installation of bicycle lanes on the 2.2 mile segment of Pruneridge Avenue between Pomeroy Avenue to Winchester Boulevard.
On October 9, 2018, staff provided the City Council with an update on the Pruneridge Avenue corridor and relayed that staff was actively seeking grants to further study the option of installing bicycle lanes from Pomeroy Avenue to Winchester Boulevard. In November 2018, the City applied for grant funding from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Sustainable Communities Transportation Planning Grant Program for the proposed Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan project (Project). The grant program was created to support Caltrans’ mission to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability. Grant funds must be used for studies or plans that will directly benefit the multi-modal transportation system, and through successful implementation, will improve public health, social equity, environmental justice and other important community benefits.
In May 2019, the City was notified by Caltrans that the Project was selected for award of grant funding. The City will receive state grant funds in the amount of $351,077 with local matching funds in the amount of $45,486 that were planned to be provided through in-kind staff support. The FY 2019/2020 grant funds are to be expended prior to February 28, 2022. On July 9, 2019 the City Council adopted Resolution No. 19-8736, which authorizes the City Manager to execute the grant funding agreement with Caltrans. Additionally, staff indicated that consultant support would be needed for the Project and that staff would return to City Council for approval of a consultant agreement. On November 15, 2019, the grant funding agreement was approved by Caltrans.
DISCUSSION
A Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional services was issued in December 2019 to solicit proposals from private consultants. The scope of services included project management, extensive public outreach, review of existing conditions, roadway corridor analysis, development of conceptual design options and associated cost estimates, multi-modal simulation modeling, and developing the complete streets plan along Pruneridge Avenue from Pomeroy Avenue to Winchester Boulevard. The complete streets plan would identify bicycle and pedestrian improvements necessary to expand the existing network, complete network gaps, provide greater connectivity to public transportation, increase mobility, and encourage the public to choose more sustainable modes of transportation.
The RFP was posted on BidSync for three and a half weeks and was also emailed to qualified private consulting firms. Two proposals were received on January 10, 2020 from Alta Planning + Design and TJKM. Staff thoroughly reviewed and evaluated both proposals and based on that analysis is recommending that Alta Planning + Design (Alta) provide the consulting services for the Project. Alta is being selected for a variety of reasons, including the technical skills of the proposed project team, their reputation for providing excellent services locally, extensive experience preparing complete streets plans (especially within the Bay Area), and a clear understanding of the project objectives, along with the importance of conducting extensive outreach for this project.
If approved, Alta would immediately begin work on the Project, which includes the creation of a project website to promote outreach and education materials, document workshops, and advertise public events including interactive opportunities. Pop-up events, stakeholder interviews and numerous community workshops will be conducted to gather both community and stakeholder input. Additionally, an existing conditions assessment of the corridor will be completed which will include peak period vehicle and bicycle counts, collision analysis, and a parking study. Subsequent steps include development of three conceptual corridor design alternatives, along with traffic analysis and microsimulation of the three alternatives. The Project will also be coordinated with the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. As the City continues to receive feedback from stakeholders in favor of and against any future consideration of a roadway reconfiguration (including potential lane reductions) of Pruneridge Avenue to accommodate bicycle lanes, staff anticipates significant community outreach efforts will be needed to solicit input. It is anticipated that the final Pruneridge Complete Streets Plan will be presented to Council for approval in mid FY 2021/22. It should be noted that this effort does not include design and construction of a Council preferred option. If Council decides to move forward with an option, then it would require additional money and time to design, bid and construct the project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered is subject to a statutory exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15262 (“Feasibility and Planning Studies”) as it involves a feasibility or planning study for possible future actions that the City has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed agreement is for a total not-to-exceed amount of $398,245. This amount includes $362,041 for basic services plus 10 percent for any potential additional services in the amount not-to-exceed $36,204. Basic services will be mainly funded by the grant award, however, the proposed consultant service costs for basic services exceed the grant award of $351,077 by $10,964. Therefore, the City must fund the additional basic service costs of $10,964 not covered by the grant award and the potential additional services costs of $36,204 for a total of $47,168. The potential additional services can include additional meetings/outreach efforts or unexpected consultant tasks/analysis resulting from community input. The additional funding of $47,168 is available in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities project.
When applying for the grant, the local match of $45,486 was expected to be met with staff support for this project. The funding for the staff time is available in the Department of Public Work’s Traffic - Capital Projects Program budget.
Staff requests an appropriation in the amount of $398,245 for the new CIP Project in the Streets and Highways Fund to be funded by the Caltrans grant and the reallocation of $47,168 from the existing Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities CIP project in the same fund. The description of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities project identifies it as a funding source for the local match related to grant funds.
Budget Amendment
FY 2019/20
|
|
Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
|
Fund 533 - Streets and Highways Fund |
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
|
|
|
Grant Funding - Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan (New Project) |
$0 |
$351,077 |
$351,077 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan (New Project) |
$0 |
$398,245 |
$398,245 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities Project |
$431,667* |
($47,168) |
$384,499 |
* Budget assumes approval of RTC 20-1284 on March 17, 2020.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Finance Department and the City Attorney’s Office.
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> .
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the Agreement for Design Professional Services with Alta Planning + Design for the Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan in the amount not-to-exceed $398,245;
2. Approve a budget amendment in the Streets and Highway Fund to establish an appropriation for the new CIP project - Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan project in the amount of $398,245, increase the revenue estimate in the amount of $351,077 to recognize the Caltrans Sustainable Communities Grant, and decrease the Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities Project in the amount of $47,168; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to make minor modifications, including time extensions, to the Agreement, if necessary.
Staff
Reviewed by: Craig Mobeck, Director of Public Works
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Location Map
2. Agreement