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SR-032508-1B~~r ~;,Yo, City Council Report Santa Monica City Council Meeting: March 25, 2008 Agenda Item: ' ®~ To: Mayor and City Council From: Eileen Fogarty, Director, Planning & Community Development Department Subject: Consultant Service Contract to Assist with the Preparation of Land Use & Circulation Element. of the General Plan, Proposed Changes in the Development Review Process and Preparation of a Section of a Work Force Housing Report Recommended Action Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with The Phipps Group in an amount not to exceed $104,000. Executive Summary The Phipps Group provides a broad breath of professional services related to planning and community development. The Planning and Community Development (PCD) department currently has a contract with The Phipps Group for a scope of services to continue to improve and streamline the management of the development review process along with identifying modifications that would provide for the early involvement of the community in the review of projects. The current contract is for an amount not the exceed $69,300, which did not require Council approval. PCD has completed a selection process for technical assistance related to the outreach and preparation of the Executive Summary and associated outreach material for the Land Use and Circulation Element of the General Plan; creation of outreach materials, guidelines and assistance in the implementation of the proposed changes to the development review process, as well as for Transportation Division process improvements; and preparation of a chapter on work force housing. This will be a separate contract for an amount not to exceed $104,000, thus .making the total amount of contract services with .The Phipps Group not-to-exceed $173,300. Funds for the contract associated with this recommendation are available in the department's current budget. Council is reminded that as the City proceeds with the development and adoption of the LUCE, additional work by this firm may be required. If this does occur, additional actions would be brought to Council. 1 Background: Preparation of the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) of the General Plan has been a priority for Council. Many community workshops have been conducted along with public hearings before the Planning Commission and Council. Staff is endeavoring to present to Council the Concept Plan before the end of this fiscal year. In order to meet this objective, additional assistance is needed in preparing materials that will be easily accessible to the public, including the Executive Summary and preparation of an informational brochure for the Santa Monica community. The subject of work force housing is the focus of both LUCE and a citywide Task Force. The Phipps Group is also tasked with integrating material and information for the Task Force as it relates to land use policy. The work is complementary to LUCE work pertormed by other consultants and does not overlap. Another priority of the City and the Department is to improve and streamline the development review process, including modifications to provide for the early involvement of the community in the review of projects. Key recommendations include creating a process for pre-application at the concept stage; creating a process for early public review and comment; ensuring predictability of outcome at each stage of the development review, permitting and compliance process; and developing schedules to ensure timeliness and predictable turnaround. Consultant assistance is necessary to develop several outreach brochures, including a guide to the process for the Santa Monica development community and applicants, a citizen guide to ensure that Santa Monica residents are aware of their new roles and opportunities for citizen involvement, and a guide for staff to ensure consistency throughout the development. review and approval process. The Phipps Group worked with staff and applicants to develop the proposed changes to the review and. approval process and is well qualified to create the informational brochures, outreach material and guidelines for implementation. They also are working with the Transportation Management Division staff identifying areas for process improvements and efficiencies. 2 Discussion Contractor/Consultant Selection The Department has developed a list of qualified firms in the areas of urban design, planning, architecture, community facilitation, process implementation and project management through distribution of several Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) to over fifty firms. Twenty-two firms have responded and been put on a qualified list. To date, a total of eight firms have been utilized for various work scopes. The Phipps Group was selected for this work as they have exemplary credentials and extensive experience in planning, the development review process and the development of informative, well-written documents and outreach brochures for the public and planning community. The Phipps Group (TPG) is an award-winning land use and economic development firm in business since 1981. The firm specializes in working closely with jurisdictions in the development of highly practical recommendations which reflect the consensus of business, political and community representations. It is the recipient of the State of California, "Award of Excellence in Comprehensive Planning" and of the State of Maryland, `Award for Professional Excellence". Budget/Financial Impact The Phipps Group contract for $104,000 will be paid out of the following accounts: $56,000 from Account No. 01265.555060 and $48,000 from Account No. 01265.511690. Prepared by: Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director, Planning & Community Development Department Forwarded to Council: Director, Plar~riing & C 'm unity Development Departure t Ewell 3 Reference Contract No. 8901 (CCS).