SR 01-12-2021 3B
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: January 12, 2021
Agenda Item: 3.B
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Acting Assistant City Manager, Public Works, Architecture
Services
Subject: Award Request for Proposal SP2577 and enter into Agreement with SWA
Group for Design Services for the 7th Street Fencing Upgrade and Activation
Project
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP #SP2577 to SWA Group for professional design services for the 7th
Street Fencing Upgrade and Activation Project for the Big Blue Bus; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services
agreement with SWA Group in an amount not to exceed $158,000 (including a
10% contingency) for two years with a one-year renewal option.
Summary
Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus property, located at 1620 6th Street, requires fencing
upgrades to adequately maintain and secure City facilities. The existing fencing along
the west side of 7th Street north of Olympic Boulevard would be removed and replaced,
and the fueling station at the northeast corner of 5th Street and Olympic Boulevard
would be fenced with pedestrian and vehicular access gates. Further, the underutilized
twelve-foot landscape buffer along the west side of 7th Street would be converted into
an active series of dog exercise, food, and mobility areas serving downtown residents,
visitors, and employees. Staff recommends awarding an agreement with SWA Group to
provide professional design services for the 7th Street Fencing Upgrade and Activation
Project in an amount not to exceed $158,000 (including a 10% contingency). Staff
anticipates up to 12 months for the design and pre-construction phases of the project
with design beginning 1st Quarter 2021 and construction beginning 1st Quarter 2022.
Discussion
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The City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus (BBB) property located at 1620 6th Street is
bounded by 5th Street to the west, Colorado Avenue to the north, 7th Street to the east,
and Olympic Boulevard to the south. The site presently contains the BBB’s
administration building, maintenance facilities, staff and bus parking, and fueling station.
The site is adjacent to Downtown Santa Monica’s Expo light rail station and a major
BBB bus stop providing regional connectivity via Route 7 and Rapid 7. The BBB
property and its immediate vicinity fall within the Transit Adjacent land-use district
designated in the City’s Downtown Community Plan. Given its proximity to transit, this
district presents opportunities for increased activity and a broad mix of uses and
services such as retail, multi-family housing, and community gathering spaces.
The BBB property’s fencing along the west side of 7th Street north of Olympic
Boulevard is at the end of its useful life and requires removal and replacement. The
fueling station located at the northeast corner of 5th Street and Olympic Boulevard has
often been vandalized and would be fenced in with large, motorized vehicular access
gates and a pedestrian access gate for maintenance. By making these upgrades in a
timely manner, City facilities would be adequately maintained and secured, and would
result in ongoing cost savings. Further, in support of the Downtown Community Plan
vision for vibrant, publicly accessible open spaces and amenities to meet the growing
needs of the Downtown neighborhood, the underutilized twelve-foot landscape buffer
along the west side of 7th Street would be converted into open green space designed for
dog exercise as well as separate areas for downtown residents, visitors, and employees
to meet or picnic or pick up or drop off an e-bike or e-scooter from a shared mobility
device drop zone. See Figure 1 below for project location and context.
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Figure 1: Project Location
This project is necessary to meet the dynamic needs and uses of the Downtown area.
Improvements would include:
• Replace existing 7th Street fence and gates and increase visibility between
southeast surface parking lot and sidewalk.
• Install new fencing at the fueling station area with motorized vehicular access
gates and a pedestrian access gate.
• Four fenced and gated dog exercise areas designated for large dogs, medium
dogs, small dogs, and an area for injured/in-training dogs. New synthetic turf dog
exercise areas would include a sprinkler system, draining system, drinking
fountains, shade trees, dog play elements, seating, lighting, and signage.
• One picnic area with on-site movable furniture, trees, shade devices, and
furniture storage. Access to curbside food trucks would be considered.
• Remove existing panels in the decorative wall at Colorado Avenue to increase
visibility. Finish framed openings consistent to existing design.
• Designated shared mobility e-bike/e-scooter drop zone.
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• Pedestrian amenities, as needed, including pedestrian-scale lighting and
wayfinding signage.
• Shade trees, landscaping improvements, and plant relocation.
Engagement
Through a series of preliminary engagement efforts, various City departments as well as
Downtown Santa Monica Inc. (DTSM) participated in the generation and refinement of
the Project’s proposed improvements. As part of the Project’s design phase, the
consultant team would conduct community and stakeholder outreach to obtain input and
feedback to be incorporated into the Project’s final design.
One of the Downtown Community Plan’s guiding principles related to pathways and
public spaces is to focus on enhancements to the public realm that bring a higher level
of amenities to the Downtown community, including through private-public partnership
opportunities shaped by City participation and investment in coordination with private
interests. Given DTSM’s interest and expertise in successfully programming and
maintaining Downtown areas, the newly created food and dog exercise areas may be
maintained by DTSM through a public-private partnership with the Big Blue Bus, if
desired.
Vendor/Consultant Selection
The City received a total of three proposals; however, following a review of submittal
requirements, HAI’s proposal did not provide all the information required by the RFP,
was considered nonresponsive, and rejected without evaluation. An evaluation panel
composed of Architecture Services and Big Blue Bus staff evaluated the remaining two
proposals and recommend SWA Group as the best qualified firm to provide professional
design services for the 7th Street Fencing Upgrade and Activation.
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Person/Firm SWA Group
Evaluation Criteria Experience/technical competence, ability to meet work plan/timelines,
quality control, cost of services/cost control, stability/references, and
value added/breadth of services.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
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RFPs Received
Hirsch & Associates, Inc. (HAI) RJM Design Group SWA Group
RFP Data
Posted On Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
09/01/2020 City's Online
Bidding Site Santa Monica Daily Press 61 10/02/2020
Justification to Award
Based on this criteria and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, staff recommends SWA Group as the
best qualified firm to provide design services based on its team composition and proven
experience in designing and advancing functional and activated public spaces, project
approach and understanding, and competitive cost proposal. SWA Group also demonstrated
its commitment to deliver the project to the City on schedule and within budget.
Next Steps
SWA Group would initiate background research and data collection, conduct required
site survey work, and identify design alternatives to be considered. Following the public
outreach process, SWA Group would deliver a City approved, community supported,
and technically vetted final design and construction documents. Staff anticipates a
timeline of up to 12 months for the design and pre-construction phases of the project,
with design beginning 1st Quarter 2021 and construction beginning 1st Quarter 2022.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
06/23/20 (Attachment A) FY20-22 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget –
7th Street Fencing Upgrade Project
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Funded through a combination of local funds and federal grant funds, the anticipated full
cost of the Project is approximately $1.5 million. This project was awarded $594,689 in
federal grant funds under the FTA FY21 Section 5307 1% Associated Transit
Improvement Funding Program.
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Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to award
an agreement with SWA Group for professional design services.
Agreement
FY 2020-21
Budget Request
Amount
CIP Account # Total Contract
Amount
$158,000 C6007380.689000 $158,000
Prepared By: Linda Cogswell, Associate Planner
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. June 23, 2020 Staff Report (Web Link)
B. SWA Group Oaks Form
3.B
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Pleaseattachadditionalpagesifmorespaceisrequired.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE NOTICE
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS, BIDDERS, PROPOSERS
AND OTHERS SEEKING DISCRETIONARY PERMITS, CONTRACTS,
OR OTHER BENEFITS FROM THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica’s voters adopted a City Charter amendment commonly known as
the Oaks Initiative. The Oaks Initiative requires the City to provide this notice and
information about the Initiative’s requirements. You may obtain a full copy of the Initiative’s
text from the City Clerk.
This information is required by City Charter Article XXII—Taxpayer Protection. It
prohibits a public official from receiving, and a person or entity from conferring, specified
personal benefits or campaign advantages from a person or entity after the official votes,
or otherwise takes official action, to award a “public benefit” to that person or entity. The
prohibition applies within and outside of the geographical boundaries of Santa Monica.
All persons or entities applying or receiving public benefits from the City of Santa
Monica shall provide the names of trustees, directors, partners, and officers, and names
of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation or revenue interest. An exception
exists for persons serving in those capacities as volunteers, without compensation, for
organizations exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c)(3), (4), or (6), of the
Internal Revenue Code. However, this exception does not apply if the organization is a
political committee or controls political committees. Examples of a “public benefit” include
public contracts to provide goods or services worth more than $25,000 or a land use
approval worth more than $25,000 over a 12-month period.
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City
compiles and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any
person or persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an
entity, rather than an individual person, the information includes the name of every person
who is: (a) trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent
interest in the entity. Therefore, if you are seeking a “public benefit” covered by the Oaks
Initiative, you must supply that information on the Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form. This
information must be updated and supplied every 12 months.
3.B.b
Packet Pg. 124 Attachment: SWA Group Oaks Form [Revision 2] (4321 : 7th Street Fencing Upgrade and Activation Project)
Pleaseattachadditionalpagesifmorespaceisrequired.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE DISCLOSURE FORM
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City compiles
and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person or persons
who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather than an
individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a) trustee, (b)
director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the entity.
Public benefits include:
1. Personal services contracts in excess of $25,000 over any 12-month period;
2. Sale of material, equipment or supplies to the City in excess of $25,000 over a 12-month
period;
3. Purchase, sale or lease of real property to or from the City in excess of $25,000 over a 12-
month period;
4. Non-competitive franchise awards with gross revenue of $50,000 or more in any 12-month
period;
5. Land use variance, special use permit, or other exception to an established land use plan,
where the decision has a value in excess of $25,000;
6. Tax “abatement, exception, or benefit” of a value in excess of $5,000 in any 12-month
period; or
7. Payment of “cash or specie” of a net value to the recipient of $10,000 in any 12-month
period.
Name(s) of persons or entities receiving public benefit:
Name(s) of trustees, directors, partners, and officers:
Name(s) of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation, or revenue interest:
Prepared by: ____________________________Title: __________________________
Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ________________
Email: ____________________________________ Phone: ____________________
SWAGroup, Inc.
811 W 7th Street, 8th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Co-CEO & Principal: Gerdo Aquino
Co-CEO & Principal: David Thompson
CFO: Raymond Siu
N/A - SWAis 100% Employee Owned, hence no employee or officer holds more than
10% equity, participation or revenue interest.
Ying-yu Hung Managing Princiipal
Ying-yu Hung Digitally signed by Ying-yu Hung
Date: 2020.11.19 11:59:04 -08'00'NOV 19 2020
yhung@swagroup.com 213-236-9090
3.B.b
Packet Pg. 125 Attachment: SWA Group Oaks Form [Revision 2] (4321 : 7th Street Fencing Upgrade and Activation Project)