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
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure
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 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 buffered bicycle lanes.
Prior to 2012, Pruneridge Avenue operated as a four-lane roadway with two lanes in each direction. In 2012, the City re-configured Pruneridge Avenue between the western city limit and Pomeroy Avenue (0.85 miles) to become a three-lane facility with one lane in each direction, a center turn lane, and bicycle lanes. In 2017, the City of San Jose re-configured the street east of Winchester Boulevard to become a three-lane facility with bicycle lanes, similar in design to the 2012 project. Completion of this improvement generated interest from the bicycling community to re-configure Pruneridge Avenue to install bicycle lanes between Pomeroy Avenue and Winchester Boulevard (2.2 miles).
On October 9, 2018, staff provided the City Council with an update on the Pruneridge Avenue corridor and relayed that staff was applying for a grant to study the re-configuration 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).
In May 2019, the City was notified by Caltrans that the Project was selected for award of grant funding. On July 9, 2019 the City Council adopted Resolution No. 19-8736 to authorize the City Manager to execute the grant funding agreement with Caltrans. On November 15, 2019, the grant funding agreement for $351,077 from the Sustainable Communities Grant (State-SB1) and a local match from the City of $45,486 was approved by Caltrans.
In December 2019, a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional services was posted on BidSync and was also emailed to qualified firms to solicit proposals from 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.
On January 10, 2020, two proposals were received from Alta Planning + Design (Alta) and TJKM. Staff thoroughly reviewed and evaluated both proposals and recommended that Alta provide the services for the Project. Alta was selected based on their technical skills, references, extensive experience preparing complete streets plans (especially within the Bay Area), and a clear understanding of the importance of conducting extensive public outreach for the project.
On April 7, 2020, staff provided a Report to Council and recommendation to approve a service agreement with Alta to assist the City with public outreach, traffic analysis, and creation of the Plan. At the Council meeting, Council had concerns regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic would impact public outreach efforts and traffic counts. Staff and Council discussed these items as well the project schedule since delays in awarding the contract would impact the ability to complete the project within the grant timelines. Ultimately, Council recommended deferring the approval and asked staff to return when there was more certainty regarding the COVID-19 impacts to outreach and traffic counts.
DISCUSSION
Since April 2020, it has become more apparent that the COVID-19 impacts are going to continue for a longer period of time than originally anticipated. Staff has coordinated with Alta regarding outreach, traffic counts, and schedules. The following information is being provided to answer some of Council’s concerns about conducting this effort during the COVID-19 pandemic so Council can consider approving the agreement and the project can move forward. It should be noted that this effort is only a study and does not include design, environmental review, or construction of any alternative. At the completion of the work effort, if Council decides to move forward a specific alternative, then additional funds and staff time would be required to design, bid and construct the alternative.
Public Outreach
The project’s public outreach efforts were revised to maximize public input and meet COVID-19 social distancing requirements. The project will complete four stakeholder group interviews, five City meetings, six community workshops, and other marketing efforts. Group interviews and community workshops will use an internet video teleconferencing platform (such as Zoom) and may be live streamed via Facebook and YouTube. The project team will also obtain input from Council and other boards, commissions, and committees. In addition, the project will mail postcards to all addresses within one half mile of Pruneridge Avenue and install 10 sidewalk decals along the street. The postcards and decals will notify the public of a phone number and a website created for the public to submit comments. Community feedback will also be obtained using an online survey and a City website. Finally, staff will advertise meetings and outreach opportunities through the City’s website, social media, and Channel 15.
Traffic Counts
The project’s traffic analysis methodology was also revised to address the effects that COVID-19 has had on traffic patterns and corresponding data collection efforts needed for the Project. Since current traffic volumes have significantly decreased since March 2020, the project will use pre-2020 traffic data, collect 2021 traffic data, and use engineering adjustment factors when needed. Of the 22 intersections specified within the scope of the traffic study, the City has recent and reliable historical data for 10 intersections and these historical counts will be used at these intersections. For the remaining 12 intersections, the traffic consultant will collect current traffic counts and adjust those current counts to better represent pre-COVID conditions. An adjustment factor will be developed using new traffic counts that will be collected at intersections where the City already has pre-COVID traffic counts. This data will then be used to determine the difference in traffic counts pre- and post-COVID and to ultimately develop an adjustment factor that will be used for study locations where we do not have historical traffic count data (i.e., pre-COVID conditions).
In addition to public outreach and traffic data collection, the project will develop three alternatives, conduct a parking study, evaluate collision records, complete traffic analyses and microsimulations, and draft the Plan. The project team will coordinate with the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) during the entire schedule to obtain input, refine alternatives, and prepare recommendations.
Schedule
After Council deferred the approval of the contract in April 2020, staff contacted Caltrans to request an extension to the grant deadline of February 28, 2022, since it was no longer possible to achieve the original completion date. Caltrans confirmed the grant may only be extended one month to March 28, 2022. This one-month extension is not adequate to complete the project and any work that is completed after the deadline is not reimbursable through the grant.
If this agreement is approved by Council, staff estimates that the final Pruneridge Complete Streets Plan will be presented to Council for approval in August 2022, which is five months beyond the grant deadline. Based on the delay in awarding the contract in April 2020 there is a potential risk that approximately $25,000 may not be reimbursed to the City. This is just an estimate at this point, however any additional delays to the project would further increase the amount of money that is not reimbursable. Staff will continue to work with Caltrans as the timeline progresses to see if there are any opportunities to receive additional grant extensions.
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 $416,347. This amount includes $362,041 for basic services plus 15 percent for any potential additional services in the amount not-to-exceed $54,306. The potential additional services may include additional outreach efforts or unexpected consultant tasks/analysis resulting from community input. Basic services will be funded mainly by the grant award; however, the proposed agreement exceeds the grant award of $351,077 by $65,270.
The grant award of $351,077 will reimburse all expenditures up to March 2022. Since project approval was postponed by Council in April of this year, the completion date is now forecasted to be August 2022. Staff estimates a potential revenue loss of up to $25,000 since expenditures may occur five months past the grant deadline. Therefore, the resulting grant revenue estimate will be $326,077. The additional funding of $90,270 ($25,000 and $65,270) is needed and available in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities project.
At the time the grant was awarded, a 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 in the Public Works Capital Project Management Fund.
Staff requests an appropriation in the amount of $416,347 for the new Project in the Streets and Highways Capital Fund to be funded by the Caltrans Sustainable Communities Grant (State-SB1) and the reallocation of $90,270 from the existing Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities project in the same fund. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities project supplements funding for the local match related to grant funds for pedestrian and bicycle projects. The source for this supplemental funding includes traffic impact fees.
Budget Amendment
FY 2020/21
|
|
Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
|
Streets and Highways Capital Fund |
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
|
|
|
Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) SB1 |
$0 |
$326,077 |
$326,077 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan (New Project) |
$0 |
$416,347 |
$416,347 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities Project |
$1,539,603 |
($90,270) |
$1,449,333 |
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 $416,347;
2. Approve a FY 2020/21 budget amendment in the Streets and Highways Capital Fund to establish an appropriation for the new Project - Pruneridge Avenue Complete Streets Plan project in the amount of $416,347, increase the revenue estimate in the amount of $326,077 to recognize the Caltrans Sustainable Communities Grant, and decrease the Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancement Facilities Project by $90,270; 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