SR 10-09-2018 3N
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 9, 2018
Agenda Item: 3.N
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: David Martin, Director, Transportation Planning
Subject: Award Contract for A Needs Assessment Study for the Third Street
Promenade
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP #2537 to Rios Clement Hale Studios (RCHS) a California-based
company, to provide a Needs Assessment study for the Third Street
Promenade.
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services
agreement with RCHS, in an amount not to exceed $330,000 (in cluding a 10%
contingency).
3. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a cost-sharing agreement with
Downtown Santa Monica Inc. for an amount up to $100,000
Summary
Since the current iteration of the Third Street Promenade was constructed in the 1980s,
it has been the dynamic heart of our Downtown. In addition to locals, it has attracted
visitors from around the world, and has been a main factor in the success of Santa
Monica’s local economy. After almost three decades, the Promenade’s continued
success depends in part on refreshed infrastructure. To this end, the City requested
proposals from professional design teams to prepare a strategic action plan to ensure
we reinvest in the Promenade so that it continues to flourish and remain relevant. The
proposed study requires coordination across a range of urban design, place -making,
economic development and engineering disciplines to realize both short - and long-term
goals of revitalizing the Promenade. Staff recommends an urban design team led
by Rios Clementi Hale Studios (RCHS), a California-based company, for the Third
Street Promenade Needs Assessment at a total cost of $330,000 over a one -year
period (including a 10% contingency). Up to $100,000 of that total will be funded by
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Downtown Santa Monica Inc. Staff anticipates a six-month planning process,
with public outreach beginning December 2018.
Discussion
In the late 1980s, City leaders and property owners on the Third Street Mall had the
foresight to invest in creating the experiential public space in cluding renovation of the
public right-of-way and other streetscape. In 1989, after a two-year $10-million
renovation project, the three-block-long, Third Street Mall reopened as the Third Street
Promenade and quickly became a place for people to gather, walk around, and enjoy
outdoor cafes, restaurants, shops and live entertainment. It has also become a
significant contributor to the City’s economic base and urban identity.
However, with the exception of the recent refurbishment of the six topiary dinosaurs (4
fountains), the Promenade has not seen any significant investment in its physical
infrastructure beyond routine maintenance over the past three decades. Recognizing
this, and the changing retail, entertainment, dining landscape brought on by online -
retailers, streaming video, and “fast-casual” restaurants, the Downtown Community Plan
called for two specific implementation actions related to the Promenade:
“PPS4.3A Continue to work with DTSM, Inc. to evaluate the necessary upgrades
to the Third Street Promenade” and
“PPS4.3B Evaluate and prioritize necessary capital improvement and
infrastructure upgrades to the Third Street Promenade.”
Additionally, in the FY2016-18 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget the City
budgeted funds for a “Third Street Promenade Needs Assessment” for the “preparation
of a needs assessment report for the Third Street Promenade. This project aims to
identify areas for improvement and develop a multiyear implementation plan.”
On April 18, May 1, and May 15 of 2018, Downtown Santa Monica Inc. (DTSM) hosted
a series of public meetings under the title “Promenade 3.0” to discuss the future of the
Third Street Promenade and to collect community feedback for possible design and
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infrastructure upgrades. Roughly 50 community members attended each of the three
meetings and shared what they would like to see on the street.
On June 6, 2018, the Planning Commission participated in a recap of the DTSM
workshops through a walking tour of the Promenade and discussion about the future of
urban retail environments, further setting the stage for the current “Promenade 3.0”
planning effort.
Rios Clementi Hale Studios (RCHS) a Los Angeles-based design firm, known for Grand
Park in Downtown Los Angeles, the Runway in Playa Vista, renovations of the
Hollywood Bowl and Universal Studios, and within Santa Monica, Airport Park and
Euclid Park, will lead the recommended consultant team. RCHS is supported by Gehl
Architects, an internationally known planning firm that specializes in a metric-based
survey of public life in locations around the world from Copenhagen, Moscow, New York
Times Square, Nashville, Denver, and San Francisco. The team also includes KPFF
and MGAC, providing civil engineering and cost estimating support, respectively.
The proposed scope of work, to unfold over six months, will create a strategic action
plan for reinvesting in the Promenade’s physical infrastructure. The core effort for the
study is to develop a pedestrian-only streetscape configuration complemented by a
range of innovative strategies for improving the character and functionality of the
Promenade. This task involves identifying a preferred conceptual design that helps
revitalize the Promenade as a walking and shopping corridor that continues to meet
community and stakeholder expectations. The final product should provide conceptual-
level details suitable for use on a planning level as a guide for implementation of the
desired infrastructure featured in the concept plan, and as a basis of design for future
capital improvement projects along the Promenade. Specifically, the RCHS team will:
Survey public life on the Promenade utilizing Gehl Architect’s “Public Space /
Public Life” (PS/PL) study methodology.
Index the PS/PL data against other great public spaces aro und the world.
Utilize the PS/PL data to provide recommendations for the following tasks:
1. Reparation / replacement of concrete sidewalks.
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2. Reparation / replacement of pavers in “street” locations (between curb lines).
3. Installation of new bollards and/or planters at intersections (for pedestrian
control and safety).
4. Replacement of existing light fixtures with newer modernized light fixtures
including the possibility of installing “smart poles”. Smart Poles shall include
items such as, but not limited to, ability to implement WiFi, phone charging,
security features such as cameras and panic buttons, lighting control,
environmental sensors, messaging and marketing, etc.
5. Replacement of existing trash receptacles with new trash receptacles.
6. Removal / replacement of existing benches with mobile and movable sit-down
facilities.
7. Installation of decorative pavement types at Arizona intersection
(commensurate with Broadway and Santa Monica intersections).
8. Removal of two Retail Pavilions (adjacent to Santa Monica Blvd and Arizona
Ave) and replace with stages and/or play areas and/or landscaped groves
and/or other activity features. Also, make recommendations for lighting and
installation of “splash fountains” around the new event areas.
9. Installation of outdoor dining “beer gardens” within various “street” locations
(one option could consist of raised wood deck surfaces with additional
landscaping).
10. Installation of shade sails over portions of promenade (preferably fastened
to new “smart poles”).
Consultant Selection
RFP Data
RFP Posting Date RFP Posted On RFP Advertised in
(City Charter and
Muni Code)
# of Vendors
Downloaded
# of
Submittals
Received
Date
Proposals
Received
04/23/2018 City’s Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica
Daily Press
106 3 05/24/201
8
Proposals Received
Rios Clementi Hale Studios
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ARUP
DesignWorkshop
Justification for Award
A selection panel of staff from the Planning, Engineering, Economic Development,
Cultural Affairs divisions and Downtown Santa Monica Inc, evaluated the proposals
based on the following criteria: proposer’s previous experience with similar projects
with other cities, quality and thoroughness of the proposer’s project work plans and
timelines, experience of the proposer’s key personnel, proposer’s references, and
cost. Based on this criteria and the criteria in SMMC 2 .24.073, staff recommends
RCHS because the firm submitted a proposal that met all required criteria.
Next Steps
The RCHS team will develop and deliver a City approved, community supported, and
technically vetted strategic design plan for the revitalization of Third Street Promenade.
Staff anticipates a six-month planning process, with public outreach beginning
December 2018.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to award a contract with Rios Clementi Hale Studios is for an
amount not to exceed $330,000 (including a $30,000 contingency). Downtown Santa
Monica Inc, has agreed to fund the Gehl subcontract to an amount not to exceed
$100,000 through a cost-sharing agreement with the City, which will need to be
executed separately through the City Manager’s Office.
Award of the contract requires the following budget changes:
FY 2018-19 Budget Changes
Release Funds Appropriate Funds
Account Number(s) Amount Account Number(s) Amount
01.380246 $92,500 C0107080.689000 $92,500
Total $92,500 Total $92,500
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Contract will be charged to the following accounts:
Contract
Request Amount
FY 2018-19 Budget
CIP Account # Total Contract Amount
$230,000 C0107080.689000 $230,000
Prepared By: Alan Loomis, City Urban Designer
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Rios Clementi Hale Studios Oaks Form
REFERENCE:
Agreement No. 10769
(CCS)