sr-020910-1dCity Council Meeting: February 9, 2010
Agenda Item: ~ ~D
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen P. Fogarty, Director, Department of Community Development
Subject: Contract with Cityworks Design to Develop Light Rail Integration Criteria
for Colorado Avenue and Other City Streets Impacted by the Construction
of the Exposition Light Rail Phase II
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a contract with Cityworks Design in an amount not to exceed $320,000, with a
15% contingency, to develop urban design criteria for integration of the Expo Light Rail
on Colorado Avenue and other streets, and to assist the City to coordinate
implementation of the criteria in the Expo LRT project.
Executive Summary
As a result of the LUCE community process, the Exposition Light Rail (Expo LRT)
alignment was shifted to traverse down Colorado Avenue at grade level to better
integrate with the urban fabric and the future vision for the downtown and LUCE activity
centers. The construction o f the Expo LRT will change the visual and functional
character of Colorado Avenue between 17th Street and the Downtown station. Similarly,
there will be changes along Olympic Boulevard and 26th Street near Bergamot Station.
As part of the planning effort anticipating the Expo LRT, this contract will develop light
rail integration criteria that will be coordinated with Metro and the Exposition Light Rail
Construction Authority (Expo LRT CA) for elements along this new transit corridor that
will integrate with existing City values, standards and regulations. This project will
provide concept design for the integration of the light rail project into the city's existing
infrastructure that evaluates the EXPO construction criteria and incorporates the City
standards including: pedestrian orientation, parking location, utilities re-location and
ADA access. Providing this level of analysis and concept development prior to the
finalization of the EXPO LRT CA design-build scope will facilitate its cost efficient
integration into the City and minimize the potential for additional work after the LRT is
operational, thereby also minimizing expense and disruption. Funding for this project
was allocated by the Council and Redevelopment Agency on May 72, 2009 (transit
stations and streetscape improvements) in order to establish community preferences
and priorities early, and to facilitate decision-making by identifying associated cost and
physical implications.
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Staff has conducted a competitive selection process that began with a Request for
Qualifications (RFQ), which was publicized widely and posted on Planet Bids. Staff
received 22 submittals and interviewed seven consultant teams, from which five
qualified teams were selected. Staff recommends awarding the $320,000 contract to
Cityworks Design, a Los Angeles-based firm that has extensive experience on Light Rail
and other urban design and streetscape projects.
Background
At the March 24. 2009 City Council meeting, the enhancement of Colorado Avenue as a
transit boulevard was discussed as a central component of the Civic Center/Downtown
plan. The improvements on Colorado Avenue consist of two major components: the 12-
block portion from 17th Street to the planned Downtown Expo LRT Terminus Station,
and the portion that continues west from approximately 5th Street to Ocean Avenue.
Council gave clear direction to staff to develop an integrated vision and design for the
entire street, while differentiating to reflect the varying use of the street. For this
purpose, the Council and Redevelopment Agency allocated funding on May 12, 2009
for transit stations and streetscape improvements.
Staff has developed timelines to move projects forward to prepare effectively for the
arrival of the Expo LRT and to interface with the approved Village Project and Palisades
Garden Walk park project. The first phase of the Expo Green Streets and Pathways
project, which will be accomplished through the proposed contract, was identified as
necessary within the early stages of this timeline because the criteria that will be
developed to reflect the community's desires for the reconstructed Colorado Avenue
must be completed and presented to the Expo LRT CA in early spring in order for their
design-build consultants to coordinate them into their designs and cost estimating.
Discussion
Consultant Selection
An RFQ was issued on October 27, 2009, in order to narrow down the number of firms
asked to compete in an RFP process for development of criteria for integration of the
Expo LRT and for design of a downtown station. plaza and "Esplanade" along Colorado
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Avenue from the Downtown station to Ocean Avenue. The RFQ was advertised widely
and posted on Planet Bids. Staff received 22 qualifications submittals prior to the
November 9 deadline from firms located both in the Los Angeles area and in other
locations throughout the state. The qualifications were reviewed and seven finalists
were interviewed. Five firms were selected to receive the RFP for the project: City
Works Design, Gruen Associates, Ken Smith Landscape Architects, Koning-Eizenberg,
and Sasaki Associates.
On December 24, 2009, an RFP was issued to all five qualified consultant teams for
design and integration criteria for the portion of the street, sidewalks and intersections
that Expo LRT CA will restore following construction of the Light Rail Tine, in addition to
recommendations for portions of the light rail trackway and platform design. The
project area includes Colorado Avenue from 17t" Street to the Downtown station and
portions of the City west of Bergamot Station, where the Exposition Right of Way
crosses 26th Street; Olympic and Cloverfield Boulevards. Some of the most important
issues identified so far to be resolved in this project are: location of the OCS poles that
support the train's electrical wires (center of track or sides of the street), street parking,
sidewalk widths; landscaping and sustainable features, lighting, multi-modal interface
and bridges. For all areas, the consultants will identify design alternatives and
determine which alternatives may be constructed by the Expo LRT CA within their
budget and which may require enhancements by the City in order to implement. The
Council will then be presented with alternatives.
Proposals were received from all five finalists, with fees ranging from $343,209 to
$530,288. An additional interview was held with three firms (Cityworks Design, Sasaki
Associates and Gruen Associates) that submitted strong proposals and demonstrated
extensive experience with designing streetscape along light rail routes. Based on their
experience, project approach and competitive cost, Cityworks Design, which is
partnered with Patricia Smith ASLA, is recommended. Cityworks Design is a small firm,
whose principal, Lisa Padilla, led the Expo LRT Phase I concept design work for Metro,
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and has led urban design processes with significant community involvement in Los
Angeles, West Hollywood and Santa Monica. Ms. Smith similarly has designed many
landscape and streetscape projects throughout the Southland and has recently
completed streetscape criteria for downtown Los Angeles. Together with sub-
consultants KPFF (engineering), Francis Krahe & Associates (lighting), Lenax (cost
estimating) and Fehr & Peers (multi-modal access consultation), the Cityworks Design
team has an appropriate mix of skills and experience to deliver these criteria to the City
on an aggressive time schedule and to work side-by-side with Metro and the Expo LRT
CA to ensure that the City's criteria are achievable. Staff is recommending the contract
be approved with a 15% contingency to accommodate potential scope changes due to
the evolving nature of the Light Rail program and engineering.
In the next month or two, a second RFP will be released for design of the Downtown
LRT Station Plaza and the westernmost portion of Colorado Avenue to Ocean Avenue
("the Esplanade"). Award of that contract will be separate and based on considerations
specific to the scope of work that it will include.
Public Outreach
Following contract approval, City staff and the Cityworks Design team will engage the
community through a public workshop or other community event and. possibly Board
and/or Commission meeting within the tight Exposition LRT CA timelines.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Funding for this project ($368,000 total including 15% contingency) is available in the
following two accounts: $200,000 in Acct. 0172073.589000 (Expo Green Streets) and
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$168,000 in Acct. 0177027.589000 (Expo Light Rail Station Enhancement).
Prepared by: Elizabeth Bar-EI, AICP, Senior Planner
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
Planning & Community Development
Department
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Reference Contract No.
9172 (CCS).