AgdaPkt 2006-01-09 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7/£ - I REPORT To the Redevelopment Agency Board From the Executive Director January 9, 2006 Subject Agreement for Professional Services with Korve Engineering, Inc. to conduct a traffic study for the Downtown Precise Plan EIR. Recommendation Approve the agreement with Korve Engineering, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $71,590. Background On October 3, 2005, the City Council together with the Planning Commission and Architectural Review Committee gave appropriate direction to staff and the urban design consultant on including some general concepts in the Downtown Precise Plan. It then directed staff to prepare the Downtown Precise Plan and move forward with the Environmental Impact Report. Since that time staff has been working closely with the consultant on reviewing and writing drafts of the document. As required by the State, the City must first prepare a written evaluation of the Precise Plan's environmental impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before the City can formally review and adopt the planning document. Staff has determined that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be required due to potential significant impacts. This document will analyze the environmental impacts that will result from implementation of the Plan, including traffic, noise, and aesthetic issues. A key component to the EIR will be the traffic section. Staff is recommending hiring Korve Engineering, Inc. to prepare this part of the EIR. The firm has been involved with the Downtown Precise Plan during the various Council study sessions and is very familiar with the traffic issues. The consultant has estimated the cost to be $71,590. (See Attachment 1: Proposed Scope of Work). Although staff has yet to hire a planning consultant to prepare the overall EIR, the City wanted to get a jump start on the traffic section since this will be the most significant and take the most time. Staff is currently awaiting proposals from these EIR consultants and will be forwarding a recommended contract to City Council sometime in late January. It is estimated that the entire EIR process will be completed in late spring or early summer. Per the direction of the City Manager, staff is also exploring an "accelerated" schedule for the preparation of the EIR. The planning consultants will include this accelerated schedule and associated costs in their EIR proposals. REDEVSHARED_2006 STAFF REPORTS_O1-2006_KorveAgreement 1