SR-03-09-2010-1DCity Council Meeting: March 9, 2010
Agenda Item: i _..p
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Director, Planning & Community Development Department
Subject: Contract Amendments for Services Related to Land Use & Circulation
Element (LUCE) Implementation and Exposition Light Rail Planning and
Design Coordination
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute contract amendments with:
1) The Phipps Group (Contract #9058) for an amount not to exceed $100,000 to
develop implementation measures for Neighborhood Conservation and Historic
Preservation initiatives contained in the LUCE; and
2) The Odermatt Group (Contract #8729) for an amount not-to-exceed $225,000 to
provide planning and urban design services in conjunction with; refinement and
implementation of the Final Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) principals
and integration of the Exposition Light Rail project in Santa Monica.
Executive Summary
Parallel with adoption of a final LUCE for the City of Santa Monica, the City will -lead a
concurrent effort to develop and implement planning, urban design and neighborhood
conservation approaches identified in LUCE. The City Council and the community have
identified protection of the neighborhoods as the highest priority. The Phipps Group will
continue working with staff and the community to refine a targeted list of initiatives for
implementation that focus on preserving and enhancing neighborhoods, as well as
implementation tools for preservation.
The LUCE identifies specific areas in the City that require district-wide planning to refine
development parameters, circulation and integration with the Expo light rail stations.
The Odermatt Group will continue to focus on area planning for several critical areas,
including the coordination between Downtown and the Civic Center area and the
development of urban design parameters for the Bergamot Transit Village/ Mixed Use
Creative District area. The Odermatt Group will help the City shape Expo light rail
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station area design requirements, now that the line has been adopted, to ensure station
design and access meet the City's urban design goals and objectives.
The contracts will be funded from the current year (FY 09-10) LUCE implementation
professional services budget and the Expo Light Rail Station Enhancements account
approved for these purposes. The Odermatt Group amendment is for an amount not-to-
exceed $225,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed contract amount to $865,000. The
Phipps Group amendment is for an amount not-to-exceed $100,000, bringing the total
not-to-exceed contract amount to $270,000.
Background
LUCE and Neighborhood Conservation
The Phipps Group was selected to work with the community to develop neighborhood
conservation measures and to refine the concepts that were incorporated into the LUCE
Strategy Framework. Staff issued an RFP on March 31, 2009 for technical assistance in
developing neighborhood conservation approaches and tools for integration into the
Final LUCE. Five firms that were sent the RFP were pre-screened for having
capabilities in neighborhood planning and conservation. Two excellent firms responded
and both have been put on the Department's list of pre-qualified consultants for
preservation and conservation services. The Phipps Group provides a balance of
neighborhood conservation knowledge and award winning experience advancing the art
of conservation planning in nationally recognized historic cities. The firm also has,
through its historic preservation arm, over 20 years of practical construction experience
in the historic preservation of nationally and locally significant structures.
On June 2, 2009, the Phipps Group ran a well attended and highly regarded
Neighborhood Conservation Community Workshop. The workshop encouraged
neighborhood residents to identify the special attributes of their neighborhoods for
conservation and built understanding of the range of methods and tools for addressing
conservation priorities, with the results reported to City Council on July 14, 2009. The
Phipps Group worked with staff to develop an innovative set of incentives and restraints
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designed to conserve and enhance existing residential areas that were included in the
Draft LUCE, issued on November 24, 2009.
LUCE, District Planning and the Expo Light Rail
The Odermatt Group has assisted the City with shaping the LUCE document and LUCE
implementation, particularly focusing on specific areas in the City that require district
wide planning to refine development parameters, circulation and integration with the
Expo light rail stations. The firm originally responded to Requests for Qualifications
(RFQs) issued by the department to over fifty firms. A resulting list of qualified firms
was developed that includes expertise in the areas of urban design, planning,
architecture, community facilitation, process implementation and project management.
To date, a total of nine firms, including The Odermatt Group, have been utilized for
various work scopes.
The Odermatt Group has assisted jurisdictions such as San Jose in designing and
incorporating a light rail systems in a way that is sensitive to the city's urban contexts.
Mr. Odermatt has extensive master planning experience, including: the Seattle Central
Waterfront Plan, the Palo Alto Downtown Plan and comprehensive planning for
Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National
Park.- Mr. Odermatt is a recipierit of the Kemper lifetime achievement award from the
American Institute of Architects (AIA), which is awarded to one member per year (out of
80,000 members) and is the highest award an architect can receive.
Discussion
Neighborhood Conservation Refinement and Implementation:
The City Council and the community have identified protection of the neighborhoods as
one of the City's highest priorities. A wide variety of tools are proposed in LUCE to
provide residents resources to address the type of changes occurring in their
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neighborhoods, including requirements for new buildings to be compatible in scale and
character with the existing neighborhood, development of neighborhood conservation
overlay districts, modification of demolition regulations, and other proposed measures.
The Phipps Group will continue working with staff and the community to refine initiatives
for implementation that focus on preserving and enhancing neighborhoods, as well as
implementation tools for preservation., Specific issues that will be addressed include a
review of current zoning regulations for demolition and proposals for revisions, and
review of current California programs for Transfer of Development rights and proposals
of potential program components for the City of Santa Monica.
District Implementation and the Expo Light Rail Design Integration
The Draft LUCE identifies a vision for key Districts within the City, each with its own
character and requirements. The Odermatt Group will continue to work with staff and
the community to refine the Downtown and Civic Center Districts, particularly examining
the integration of the two districts with the forthcoming Expo light rail station in
Downtown Santa Monica. The Downtown District will also undergo a specific planning
process for the enlarged boundaries and The Odermatt Group will help shape the scope
of this specific planning process. The proposed Bergamot Transit Village District is
another area in need of focused planning to address the connections to the light rail
station with the various development sites proposed for the area surrounding the
station, shared infrastructure including roadways and parking, and urban design
principles including usable public open space and the pedestrian environment.
On February 4, 2010 the Exposition Construction Authority certified the Expo Light Rail
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and is moving forward with design of Phase 2. In
order to ensure City design objectives are incorporated into a project designed by the
Expo Construction Authority, the City needs to be involved in the detailed planning of
the project so that it is thoughtfully integrated into the City fabric. This process will be
occurring at a fast pace and it is essential that the City has the available expertise and
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resources to respond quickly and continue to be highly interactive with the Expo
Authority. The three stations in Downtown, Mid-City and at Bergamot Station will
require careful attention to address: access issues generated by transit, private
vehicles, bicycles and pedestrian; provision of station amenities; and establishment of a
desirable footprint in relation to any future development or open space oh the station
site or adjacent to the site. The same level of scrutiny will be needed to address the
trackway as it proceeds through Santa Monica, both crossing streets and proceeding
within the street and other rail-related facilities, with the goal of working the Expositions
Construction Authority (Expo Authority) to ensure the design best facilitates access,
circulation, parking, public safety and aesthetics.
Budget(Financial Impact
These tasks related to implementation of the LUCE and design of the Expo Light Rail
line within the City of Santa Monica were anticipated as part of the City's FY 09-10
Budget process and specific funds were authorized for these purposes. The contract
amendment to be awarded to The Phipps Group is $100,000. Funds are included in the
FY2009-10 budget at the following accounts: $18,400 in 01265.555060; and $81,600 in
01267.555060. The contract amendment to be awarded to The Odermatt Group is
$225,000. Funds are included in the FY2009-10 budget at the following accounts:
$132,000 in 0177027.589000; and $93,000 in 01267.555060.
Prepared by:
Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director, Planning & Community Development Department
Approved:
~rfleefi Fogarty
Director, Planning & mi
Development Department
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
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Reference Amended
Contract Nos. 9058 (CCS)
and 8729 (CCS).