The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About08 - CC-7 - PSA to Provide Environmental Consulting - 3/3/2015CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: MARCH 3, 2015 ITEM NUMBER: CC -7 SUBJECT: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES FOR AN INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR 216 -UNIT APARTMENT DEVELOPMENT AT 2277 HARBOR BOULEVARD DATE: FEBRUARY 18, 2015 FROM: DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT - PLANNING DIVISION PRESENTATION MINOO ASHABI, PRINCIPAL PLANNER BY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: MINOO ASHABI, PRINCIPAL PLANNER Minoo.ashabi@costamesaca.gov RECOMMENDED ACTION Award contract to First Carbon Solutions (FCS) in the amount of $59,929.00 for preparation of the Initial Study/ Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/ MND) for the proposed 216 -unit apartment development at 2277 Harbor Boulevard, authorize Mayor and City Clerk to sign and execute the contract, and authorize CEO to sign extensions or renewals of the contract. The total number of units may increase to 224, if the easement to the north of the property (0.15 -acre in area) is vacated through a separate action by City Council. BACKGROUND Proposed Project On May, 20, 2014, City Council conducted a General Plan Screening of the development concept for a 236 -unit apartment complex at 2277 Harbor Boulevard. The staff report and minutes of the screening can be accessed at the following link: http://www.costamesaca.gov/index.aspx?page=1675 On July 29, 2014, the applicant submitted revised project plans for the project for processing. The plans were modified from the General Plan Screening submittal by reducing the number of units to 216 units in a four story building, and a parking structure with 478 parking spaces. The 4 -acre site is zoned commercial and the following entitlements are requested: PA -14-27: Construct a 4 -story, 216 unit luxury residential apartment project on the site of the Costa Mesa Motor Inn (the current 236 -unit motel will be demolished to accommodate the proposed project). GP -14-02: Site specific amendment to the Costa Mesa General Plan to change the land use designation from GC (General Commercial) to HDR (High Density Residential) and a site specific density of 40 units to the acre. R-14-04: Zone Change from C1 (Local Business District) to PDR -HD (Planned Development Residential -High Density) CO -14-02: Zoning Code Amendment to allow a site specific density of 40 units to the acre. DBR-12-02: Density Bonus Review to allow a 35% increase in the number of units (160 units allowed; 216 units proposed) and to allow 35% of those units to be set aside for moderate income qualifying residents. The 4.15 -acre site at 2277 Harbor Boulevard is currently developed with the 236 -room, two- story Costa Mesa Motor Inn, originally established in 1972. The proposed project involves a General Plan Amendment for a High Density Residential land use designation and a site specific density. The proposed density is approximately 54 dwelling units per acre. There is an existing easement along a 0.15 -acre area of an alley on the property which requires Council approval to vacate. At this density, this equates to an overall total unit count of 224 units for the gross acreage of 4.15 acres subject to the requested vacation of the alley easement, or 216 units for the net site acreage of 4.01 acres if the easement were to remain in place. The proposed development and the IS/ MND will be subject to review and approval by the Planning Commission and City Council. Request for Proposals and Consultant Qualification On January 15, 2015, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was released to qualified consulting firms to prepare the IS / MND. A total of nine bids were received and approved for review. Because of extensive experience in multi -family housing projects and recent involvement in projects within the City of Costa Mesa and neighboring cities, First Carbon Solutions was selected as the most competitive consultant during the evaluation process. The Consultant will be responsible for the preparation of the IS/ MND and all related CEQA related documents/studies (Notice of Preparation, Responses to Comments, applicable studies, etc.). Attendance at Planning Commission and City Council public hearings is also required. Department staff believes that First Carbon Solutions is qualified to perform the work due to the following considerations: Demonstrated relevant experience with residential development. First Carbon Solutions offers a wide range of in-house technical expertise and proposing a strong sub -consultant list for preparation and peer review of technical studies. In addition to preparation of Environmental Impacts Reports (EIR) for planned developments in cities of Bakersfield, San Diego, and Irvine (Oak Creek Community), FCS recently completed the Mitigated Negative Declarations for Uptown Village in Anaheim and Citrus Grove Apartments in City of Orange. History of successful collaborations with local iurisdictions. First Carbon Solutions has successfully collaborated with local jurisdictions throughout California and has long- standing relationships with the adjacent cities of Irvine, Anaheim, Orange and Tustin. First Carbon Solutions has successfully completed environmental review documents pursuant to CEQA, NEPA, and a multitude of other relevant environmental laws. Highly qualified technical environmental staff and subconsultants. The project team members are experienced environmental analysts with over 27 years of combined 2 experience with CEQA and in the preparation of environmental impact reports. Furthermore, in its Proposal to Provide Services, First Carbon Solutions has committed senior staff to work on the proposal and reputable sub -consultants in specific fields. The total proposed contract amount is $59,929.00 and is anticipated to take place within the next 5-6 months. Sufficient funding is/will be available for the project within the anticipated environmental review timeframe. It should be noted that this contract amount also includes a five percent contingency budget. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED An alternative would be to reject the bid and reinitiate the RFP process. The City's CEQA guidelines do allow environmental documents to be prepared by in-house staff. However, the nature, scope, and complexity of this project and current staff demands do not make this a viable or practical option. FISCAL REVIEW The cost for this contract is 100% funded by the applicant, Westport Properties, Inc. Upon execution of the contract, the $59,929.00 contract amount (plus the City's 10 percent administrative processing fee) will be deposited in a City escrow account that is managed by the project planner. LEGAL REVIEW The attached draft professional services agreement has been reviewed and approved as to the form by the City Attorney's office. CONCLUSION Staff recommends that First Carbon Solutions be awarded the environmental consulting contract for the project IS/ MND. Through a competitive selection process, staff believes that this firm is the most qualified to complete the work in a comprehensive and timely manner, based on their relevant experience and technical expertise. MINOO ASHABI, AIA Principal Planner GARY ARMSTRONG, AICP Director of Economic & Development / Deputy CEO Attachment: Draft Professional Services Agreement cc: Chief Executive Officer Assistant Chief Executive Officer Director of Economic & Development / Deputy CEO City Attorney Public Services Director Transportation Svs. Mgr. City Engineer City Clerk (9) Staff (7) 3 File (2) Donald Lamm Diamond Star Associates, Inc. 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 330 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Lionel Levy Chief Operations Officer Miracle Mile Properties, LP 4221 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 480 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Michael Houlihan Fist Carbon Solutions 250 Commerce, Suite 250 Irvine, CA 92602 10