Agenda

Return

C. 48

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	August 14, 2018

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Contract with PlaceWorks, Inc.

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 08/14/2018

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

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

ABSENT:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor

Contact:

Will Nelson, (925) 674-7791

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: August 14, 2018
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute a contract, subject to approval by the County Administrator and approval as to form by County Counsel, with PlaceWorks, a corporation, in an amount not to exceed $3,190,376 for consulting services related to updating the Contra Costa County General Plan, Contra Costa County Zoning Code, and Contra Costa County Climate Action Plan, and preparation of an environmental impact report for said updates, for the period August 15, 2018, through December 31, 2021.

FISCAL IMPACT:

FISCAL IMPACT: (CONT'D)

In December 2017, DCD staff estimated the cost to update the County General Plan, including preparation of the associated environmental impact report (EIR), at up to $7 million depending on which of three options the Board of Supervisors chose to pursue (see Attachment A for more discussion of these options). The cost associated with a simultaneous update to the County Zoning Code, to be carried out primarily by DCD staff, was estimated at an additional $1.5 million. The Board selected Option 2 for updating the General Plan, which staff estimated at $2 - 4 million. Combined with the Zoning Code update, the total project cost was estimated at $3.5 - 5.5 million.

The proposed contract with PlaceWorks, which includes updating the General Plan and Climate Action Plan, preparing the EIR, and providing technical support to County staff for the Zoning Code update, is $3,190,376 ($2,900,342 base cost plus $290,034 [10%] contingency). Adding $1.351 million for County staff time to prepare the Zoning Code update (the original $1.5 million estimate minus approximately $149,000 for PlaceWorks' technical support) brings the total estimated project cost to $4,541,376. This project will be financed by DCD's Land Development Fund and up to $2,250,000 from the County General Fund. Throughout the process, staff will pursue grant funding to defer costs where possible.

BACKGROUND:

State law requires each city and county in California to prepare and maintain a general plan, which serves as a jurisdiction's "constitution" for decisions concerning land use planning and expresses a community's long-term vision for its future development. All decisions on planning matters (rezonings, subdivisions, use permits, etc.) must be consistent with the jurisdiction's adopted general plan. The Board of Supervisors adopted the first iteration of the County General Plan in January 1991. Limited General Plan updates, or “reconsolidations,” were adopted in 1996 and 2005, but a comprehensive update has never occurred. The 2005 reconsolidation extended the life of the document through 2020.

On December 19, 2017, DCD staff presented a report to the Board explaining the necessity of a General Plan update. As indicated above, three options were outlined and the Board authorized DCD to proceed with Option 2 along with a parallel update of the County Zoning Code.

DCD released a request for proposals (RFP) for the General Plan update in April 2018. Four environmental consulting firms responded, and interviews with all four were conducted in June. The interview panel selected PlaceWorks, a full-service consulting firm that has worked on over 75 general plans across the state. PlaceWorks will be primarily responsible for preparing the General Plan update and its accompanying EIR, and will provide technical support to DCD staff for the Zoning Code update. While not requested in the RFP, PlaceWorks has included a Climate Action Plan update in the proposed scope of work.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the contract with PlaceWorks is not executed, then work on the General Plan update cannot begin.