Agenda

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C. 34

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	November 23, 2021

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Contract Amendment with PlaceWorks, Inc. for Envision Contra Costa 2040

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 11/23/2021

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Daniel Barrios, (925) 655-2901

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: November 23, 2021
Monica Nino, County Administrator

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute a contract amendment with PlaceWorks, a corporation, to extend the term from December 31, 2021 through December 31, 2024, increase the payment limit of $3,190,376 by $531,957 to a new payment limit of $3,722,333, and revise the scope of work to include consulting services related to the General Plan Housing Element Update, development of objective design and development standards, and additional outreach for the Climate Action Plan (CAP).

FISCAL IMPACT:

In August 2018 the Board authorized execution of a contract with PlaceWorks for a total payment limit of $3,190,376 ($2,900,342 base cost plus $290,034 [10%] contingency) for work on the General Plan and CAP updates, plus technical support for the Zoning Code update. The Board authorized an additional $1.351 million for County staff time to prepare the Zoning Code update. The estimated project cost was $4,541,376, which would be financed by DCD’s Land Development Fund and up to $2,250,000 from the County General Fund.

FISCAL IMPACT: (CONT'D)

The proposed contract amendment increases the payment limit by $531,957, from $3,190,376 to a new total payment limit of $3,722,333. The increase would be partially paid for through DCD's Land Development Fund. Additionally, the County was awarded the following grants by the State Department of Housing and Community Development:

A Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grant in the amount of $200,000 for development of the Housing Element. At least $190,000 (95%) will be utilized for this purpose.
An SB 2 Planning Grant in the amount of $75,000 for development of the Housing Element. At least $71,250 (95%) will be utilized for this purpose.
A LEAP Grant in the amount of $90,000 for development of Objective Design and Development Standards (ODDS) for multi-family, mixed-use, and tentatively single-family development. At least $85,500 (95%) will be utilized for this purpose.

These grants will cover approximately 65% of the proposed contract amendment.

BACKGROUND:

In December 2017 the Board of Supervisors directed the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) to update the County General Plan, Zoning Code, and Climate Action Plan, a project now called Envision Contra Costa 2040. Staff had planned to complete the bulk of the Envision 2040 project by the end of 2020. However, an unanticipated volume and complexity of work associated with the General Plan update, in combination with the COVID-19 pandemic, pushed the project timeline out considerably. DCD has determined that the scope of services and budget for the PlaceWorks contract should be expanded to include the following items:

Housing Element Update: State law requires the County to update the Housing Element of the General Plan every eight years, a period known as the housing cycle. The existing Housing Element covers the fifth housing cycle, which runs from 2015-2022. The original Envision 2040 timeline called for the comprehensive General Plan update portion of the project to be completed at the end of 2020, prior to commencing work on the Housing Element update for the sixth housing cycle, which runs from 2023-2030. The Housing Element update and General Plan update now are more closely aligned, and PlaceWorks has staff who specialize in Housing Element updates.

Objective Design and Development Standards (ODDS): In 2017, Governor Brown signed multiple housing bills with the intent of streamlining the approval process for housing projects to accelerate the housing production. Senate Bill (SB) 35 added Section 65913.4 to the Government Code providing for a streamlined, ministerial approval process for multi-unit residential development in localities that have not met their Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) targets, subject to certain conditions and consistent with objective zoning and design review standards in effect at the time the development application is submitted for approval. Contra Costa County is subject to the requirements of SB 35 because, while its gross RHNA has been exceeded, it is not on track to meet housing production targets for certain affordable income categories. Without adopted ODDS, the County will have little or no ability to influence the design of projects qualifying for streamlined approval under SB 35 other than through the objective standards in the Zoning and Building codes. As neither code addresses aesthetic considerations (architecture, colors, landscaping, etc.), the County could be compelled to approve projects whose designs are entirely inconsistent with the character and context of the communities in which they are proposed.

Additional CAP Outreach: There has been greater public interest and involvement in the CAP update than initially anticipated. As such, it is necessary to expand the scope of services and budget to include additional public outreach.

With execution of the proposed contract amendment, PlaceWorks will complete the supplemental tasks described here in addition to those tasks in the original 2018 scope of services.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the contract amendment with PlaceWorks is not executed, then the contract will expire before the updates to the County’s General Plan, Zoning Code, and Climate Action Plan, including the State-mandated Housing Element update, are complete.