TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, Community Development Director
Jaehee Yoon, Senior Planner
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of Awarding RFP No. 1301-23 and Adopting a Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. to Develop the Long-Term Outdoor Dining and Business Use Program for an Amount Not-to-Exceed $400,000 (Community Development Director Mirzakhanian).
(Estimated Time: 45 Mins.)
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 23-0072
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council award RFP No. 1301-23 and adopt Resolution No. 23-0072 approving a Professional Services Agreement with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc (MIG) to develop the long-term outdoor dining and business use program for an amount not-to-exceed $400,000.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The proposed agreement with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc (MIG) to develop the City’s long-term outdoor dining and business use program is for a total not to exceed amount of $400,000. City Council’s approval of the agreement is required, as the total agreement amount exceeds the City Manager’s awarding authority per the City’s purchasing policy. Sufficient funds for this agreement are included within Community Development’s Department Budget in the General Fund with $150,000 available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2023 and $250,000 in the Proposed Budget for FY 2023-2024.
BACKGROUND:
Since June 2020, the City allowed for temporary outdoor placement of a variety of uses, including dining areas, fitness uses, and salons in response to COVID-19 protocols that restricted indoor operations. After a number of amendments to the City’s Emergency Orders regarding the temporary program and public testimony on the subject matter, the focus gradually shifted to post-pandemic operations for outdoor dining and business uses. In general, the community has been supportive of allowing outdoor dining and business uses to continue in the post-pandemic era as long as a refined set of regulations to address some of the unintended pitfalls of the temporary program are established. Subsequently, on August 24, 2021, the City Council provided direction to staff to pursue a work plan item to study a long-term program for outdoor dining and business uses, both in the public right-of-way and on private property.
On February 28, 2023, the City’s temporary outdoor dining and business use program came to an end, in concert with the end of the State of Emergency. In order to expedite the development of a comprehensive, long-term program for outdoor dining, the City is looking to secure outside expertise to assist in specialized subject areas. Specifically, design and engineering, traffic and parking analysis, fiscal impact analysis, community engagement, and environmental documentation to support the work plan effort.
DISCUSSION:
The Community Development Department issued a Request for Proposals on March 9, 2023, for professional planning services to develop a long-term outdoor dining and business use program. Only one proposal was received (from MIG) on April 6, 2023, which was evaluated by City staff according to the following selection criteria:
• Understanding Scope of Services;
• Firm qualifications and experience performing similar work;
• Qualification and experience of key personnel;
• Experience with stakeholder engagement;
• Proposed methodology for completing the work;
• References; and
• Costs
Based on the selection criteria, MIG submitted a proposal which demonstrated their extensive experience in conducting complex planning analyses, preparing environmental documentation, engaging the community for outreach, and providing creative design solutions in the public realm. MIG also proposes to utilize sub-consultants Fehr & Peers for a holistic parking analysis, Economic & Planning Systems for fiscal impact analyses, and Sandra Miles for her expertise in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. After reviewing the proposal, staff concluded that MIG and the sub-consultant team are well-qualified to complete the specified work scope contained in the RFP. Specifically, the proposal included several project examples that are relevant to the City’s endeavor including, but not limited to, the following:
• City of San Diego: Outdoor dining program manual
• City of Santa Barbara: State Street Master Plan
• City of Azusa: Comprehensive downtown parking study
• City of Santa Cruz: Financial analysis of the downtown parking district
The proposal’s scope of work and methodology were clearly outlined to complete the project in a timely manner which is expected to take approximately 15 months. A summary of MIG’s proposal as it relates to the scope of services to be provided is as follows:
• Project management, meetings, and coordination
• Analysis of existing conditions
• Development of guidelines
• Parking analysis
• Fiscal impact analysis
• Community engagement
• Environmental documentation
• Comprehensive outdoor dining design manual
Once awarded, staff will be working closely with the consultant team to expedite the process and get them up to speed with the City’s current efforts including the Long-term Outdoor Dining Task Force meeting discussions. The first Task Force meeting took place on Monday, May 1, 2023. Staff provided an overview of the temporary outdoor dining program, visioning exercise, and a SWOT analysis. The following Task Force meeting is tentatively scheduled to occur on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 from 1 PM to 3 PM at the LA County library meeting room.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
This request for proposals was advertised on the City’s website as well as on OpenGov Procurement, a public bid notification board.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The awarding of this contract has been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common sense exemption (formerly the “general rule”) that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question can have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA, as is the case with the awarding of this contract to develop a long-term outdoor dining program. The outdoor dining program to be developed from this contract is subject to CEQA, and environmental review is included in the consultant’s scope of work.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreement as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 23-0072
2. Agreement - Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc
3. Powerpoint Presentation