SR 08-23-2016 3C
Ci ty Counc il
Report
City Council Meeting : August 23, 2016
Agenda Item: 3.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Director , Public Works, Architecture Services
Subject: North Beach Trail Improvement Award of Design Agreement
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP #SP2448 to KPFF Consulting Engineers, Inc., a California -based
company, for design services for the North Beach Trail Improvement Project ; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with KPFF
Consulting Engineers, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $853,122 (i ncluding a
10% contingency ).
Executive Summary
The North Beach Trail Improvement Project would mitigate conflicts between fast
moving cyclists and slower pedestrians and non -bicyclists, resulting in increased safety,
capacity and enjoyment of the Santa M onica Beach Trail from Bay Street to Ocean
Front Walk to the Santa Monica Pier and then to the northern city limit . Staff
recommends K PFF Consulting Engineers, Inc. t o provide design services in an amount
not to exceed $853,122 (including a 10% contingenc y). Staff will return to Council to
present the design and for approval to award a construction contract.
Background
The beach bike path in Santa Monica is a section of the Marvin K. Braude Beach Trail
and the greater Pacific Coast Bicycle Route running along the Pacific coast from
Canada to Mexico. In Santa Monica, the generally 14 -foot -wide Beach Trail runs along
Santa Monica State Beach from the c ity’s northern periphery at Pacific Palisades to the
southern boundary at Venice. At its midpoint, the Bea ch Trail runs under the Santa
Monica Pier (Pier) and along the busy beachside edge of the 1 550 Pacific Coast
Highway (PCH) parking lot located north of the Pier.
Popular among recreational bicyclists, traffic on the Beach Trail is heavy and users
frequent ly experience congestion leading to conflict between fast moving cyclists and
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slower pedestrians and non -bicyclists. South of the Pier, areas of conflict have been
mitigated, safety significantly enhanced and user enjoyment improved by innovative
projects, such as the Beach Improvement Group (BIG) Project, completed in 1999,
which widened the bike path between the Pier and Bay Street from 14 to 20 feet and
reconfigured and renovated Ocean Front Walk. An earlier project in the 1980 s
constructed a clearly def ined pedestrian path separated from the bike path between Bay
Street and Venice. Public art components are fully integrated into the design of these
projects and become useful amenities for users, further enhancing enjoyment of the
Beach Trail in the south beach area. Upgraded signage, markings and striping were
added to the entire Beach Trail in 2012.
Adjacent to and north of the Pier, amenities are deficient and areas are prone to
congestion and potential for conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists . T here are
in adequate crossing points for visitors parking in the 1550 lot to cross the single bike
path as they head to and from the beach and the Pier.
Nearby, pedestrian -only Ocean Front Walk offers few useful improvements for walkway
users, is lacking a dequate visual buffers from adjacent construction and is frequented
by cyclists and other fast moving modes of transportation. Further north from the
termination point of Ocean Front Walk at California Avenue and to the northern City
limit, walkers, jogger s and other non -bicycle users share the single path.
Recently completed and future recreation opportunities in the north beach vicinity are
expected to attract both new and existing users.
Discussion
The objective of the North Beach Trail Improvement Pr oject is to increase safety,
capacity and enjoyment of the Santa Monica Beach Trail and Ocean Front Walk from
just south of the Pier to the City’s northern boundary, utilizing aesthetic and innovative
means suitable to the coastal environment and sensitive to neighboring conditions and
existing views . The P roject wo uld include approximately 1.75 miles of t rail widening and
the addition of a clearly defined separation between pedestrians and cyclists to reduce
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conflicts on the single shared path from Califor nia Avenue to the northern c ity limits and
betwee n Bay Street and the Pier. The P roject would also address cyclist and non -cyclist
circulation conflicts and congestion adjacent to the Pier and at the 1550 Pier p arking lot
area by directing pedestrians to c learly defined crossing areas. At p edestrian -only
Ocean Front Walk, improvements would add user -friendly amenities including seat
walls, upgraded paving and LED lighting to provide appropriate and energy efficient
illumination levels. Construction is antic ipated to begin in FY 2018 -19.
Consultant Selection
On May 3, 2016, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) #SP2448 for urban
design services , including landscape architecture, transportation planning, and
engineering design for the North Beach Tra il Improvement Project . The RFP was
posted on the City's on -line bidding site, and notices were advertised in the Santa
Monica Daily Press in accordance with City Charter and Municipal Code provisions. 86
vendors downloaded the RFP . O n Ju ne 6, 2016, 7 firm s responded:
AHBE Landscape Architects
Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio
Hirsch & Associates, Inc.
KPFF Consulting Engineers
Mia Lehrer + Associates
Pacific Coast Land Design, Inc.
Stantec Consulting services, Inc.
Responses to the RFP were reviewed by a selection panel of staff from Community and
Cultural Services, Planning and Community Development , and Public Works.
Evaluation was based on the following se le ction criteria: composition and experience of
the project team, references, work plans , and pro posed fees. To assess project team
qualifications, three firms were short -listed and interviewed. Based on this criteria and
criteria in SMMC 2.24.073, staff recommends KPFF Consulting Engineers, Inc. as the
best qualified firm to provide design services f or the North Beach Trail Improvement
Project based on the firm’s competitive cost and assembled team, clear understanding
of the project, track record of projects of similar size and scope for the Cities of Santa
Monica, Los Angeles, San Diego, Hunting ton Beach, Newport Beach, San Clemente,
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and Malibu , previous experience with community outreach and government agencies,
fee schedule, hourly rates and references.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The agreement to be awarded to KPFF Consulting Engineers , Inc. is for an amount not
to exceed $853,122. Funds of $666,429 a re available in the FY2016 -17 Capital
Improvement Program (CIP) b udget in account C119072.589000. Award of contract
requires additional FY 2016 -17 Capital Improvement Program budget appropr iation of
$186,693 to account C119072.589000. This appropriation will be offset by a reduction
of $186,693 in the FY 2017 -18 Capital Improvement Program budget plan to account
C119072.589000. Future year funding is contin gent on Council budget approval .
Construction funding in the amount of $6,862,803 is included in the CIP budget plan for
FY 2018 -19 based on a preliminary cost estimate. The construction cost estimate will be
finalized during the design phase and the budget will be put forward for Counci l
approval as part of the FY 2018 -20 Biennial CIP budget.
Prepared By: Voneelya Simmons, Project Manager
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Reference:
Agreement No. 10354
(CCS)