sr-032211-3iCity Council Meeting: March 22, 2011
Agenda Item: ~ - Z--
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Director, Planning & Community Development
Department
Subject: Contract Amendment for Services Related to Neighborhood
Conservation, Transfer of Development Rights and Demolition
Procedures as part of Land Use & Circulation Element (LUCE)
Implementation
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute contract amendments with The Phipps Group (Contract #9058) for an
amount not to exceed $35,000 to develop implementation measures for
Neighborhood Conservation, Transfer of Development Rights .and associated
demolition procedures for initiatives contained in the LUCE, for a total of amount
of $305,000.
Executive Summary
Neighborhood .conservation and historic preservation were identified by the
community and City Council. as high priority through the LUCE process. The
Phipps Group is providing expertise in the areas of neighborhood conservation
and historic preservation, most recently to ensure that appropriate measures are
developed for implementatioh. This amendment is to finalize development of a
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District program, refine components of a
program to allow transfer of development rights from a historic property to a
receiving location, and to define a supporting demolition ordinance. The Phipps
Group amendment is for an amount not-to-exceed $35,000, bringing the total
not-to-exceed contract amount to $305,000.
Background
Staff issued an RFP on March 31, 2009 for technical assistance in developing
neighborhood conservation approaches and tools for integration into the Final
LUCE. ,The Phipps Group, a firm with extensive experience in conservation
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planning and historic preservation, was selected to work with the community to
develop neighborhood conservation measures and placed on the department's
list of pre-qualified consultants. The team developed an outreach process and
held a well attended community workshop to encourage neighborhood residents
to identify the special attributes of their neighborhoods for conservation and build
understanding of the range of methods and tools for addressing conservation
priorities. The Phipps Groups worked with staff to draft an innovative set of
incentives and restraints designed to conserve and enhance existing residential
areas that were incorporated into the LUCE document.
Discussion
The Phipps Group has continued to work with staff and the community to
development implementation tools and refine initiatives. The development of a
viable and acceptable Neighborhood Conservation Overly District program has
been an iterative process, and has required several rounds of interviews with
neighborhood and historic preservation representatives. An additional
component identified through recent outreach is the clear need for a demolition
ordinance to address residents' concerns. Currently noticing of demolition only
occurs if a property is identified as historic. Residents currently do not have a
means to find out if a property that is part of a "district" is going to be demolished
until it is too late. The Phipps Group is working with staff to finalize
recommendations for a proposed neighborhood conservation program and a
draft demolition ordinance.
The Phipps Group has also developed a draft discussion packet of proposed
program components for the transfer of development rights from a historic
property to another location within the City. The next step will be for the Phipps
Group to research the potential for "receiving areas" within the City. Refined
recommendations will be incorporated into a draft review packet.
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Budget/Financial Impact
The contract amendment to be awarded to The Phipps Group is $35,000. Funds
are included in the FY2010-11 budget in Account 01265.555060.
Prepared by:
Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director, Planning & Community Development
Department
Approved:
E
Planning &6Community
~ment Department
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
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Reference Amended
Contract No. 9058 (CCS).