Report Prepared by: Leah Brown, Management Analyst, Development Services
Title
SUBJECT: Award Services Agreements for the Comprehensive General Plan Update, Environmental Impact Report and the Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan to Mintier Harnish
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers approving Services Agreements for the Comprehensive General Plan Update and Environmental Impact Report in the amount of $1,250,436 and the Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan in the amount of $500,000 to Mintier Harnish.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion:
A. Approving a Services Agreement with Mintier Harnish (MH), in the amount of $1,250,436 to prepare the Comprehensive General Plan Update and Environmental Impact Report; and,
B. Approving a Services Agreement with Mintier Harnish (MH), in the amount of $500,000 to prepare the Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan; and,
C. Authorizing the City Manager to execute the agreements and any necessary documents.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the agreement, as recommended by staff; or
2. Deny; or
3. Refer to staff for reconsideration of specific items.
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in the 2024-2025 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION
The General Plan of any city is a detailed comprehensive master plan for future development of the city. It is a broad, long-term policy document that guides future development, it serves as a blueprint for growth and land use decisions. In California, the General Plan is a required document with several elements. The elements needed in a California General Plan include Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, Public Safety, Environmental Justice and Air Quality. The City last adopted the General Plan in a comprehensive fashion in 2012, with the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan. Since its adoption California legislation calls for more details in areas such as Environmental Justice, Sustainability, Equity, and Health.
In October 2024, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a qualified consultant to assist with the preparation of a Comprehensive General Plan Update, Environmental Impact Report, and Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan.
The goals of the Comprehensive General Plan Update project include such efforts to:
• Develop a comprehensive general plan with a set of goals, policies, and objectives that articulate the community’s vision and guide the City’s growth and conservation for the next twenty years;
• Addressing all issues outlined in the RFP (attached), which include chapters such as Urban Expansion, Land Use, Transportation and Circulation, Public Facilities & Services, Urban Design, Open Space, Conservation, and Recreation, Sustainable Development, Housing (incorporating the Multijurisdictional Housing Element), Noise, Safety, Air Quality, and Environmental Justice, Sustainability, Equity and Health;
• Extensive public outreach, including underserved populations, outreach to the business community, community organizations, education providers, and other services providers. It is anticipated that a Citizens Advisory Focus Group will be formed for this update and the selected firm will interact with this group and the public throughout the update process. The City will be seeking input from the selected consulting firm on innovative approaches to engage and educate the public on the General Plan Update as well as the EIR;
• Utilizing the General Plan Update to implement City programs of the Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Element (MJHE) (Draft completed in May 2024; HCD review in progress; City Council adoption expected in early 2025) to ensure policies and goals support the Regional Housing Needs Allocation Production Plan and incorporating the Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities SB 244 Analysis;
• Legal review of General Plan regulations to ensure conformance with State and Federal regulations;
• Planning Commission and City Council Workshops;
• Public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council; and,
• Completion of an Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan Update.
The goals of the Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan are:
• All the Task Deliverables described in the RFP, including a Stakeholder Engagement & Needs Assessment, Vision Statement, Multimodal Transportation Assessment, Parking Assessment, Future Scenarios & Mobility Hub Concept, Station Area Plan, Absorption Analysis, Economic Forecast, and others;
• A Separate Project Budget and Timeline for the CMDRSAP;
• Preparation of the Environmental Review/CEQA document; and,
• Acknowledgement that the Consultant has reviewed and will abide by the Standard Agreement between the City of Merced and the California High Speed Rail Authority, dated January 8, 2024, in order to receive grant funding.
Once the General Plan Update is completed, the consultant will also be expected to prepare the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Update. Since the Update is not yet completed, the specific issues and areas of analysis are subject to change. City staff and the consultants will confer on the contents of the EIR before work commences. In general, the Environmental Impact Report should include all the required sections per the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines.
The City received proposal from four well-qualified consultant groups led by:
Ascent Environmental, Inc.
Dyett & Bhatia
Precision Civil Engineering, Inc.
Mintier Harnish
Each group attended the City’s pre-proposal scoping meeting, submitted a detailed proposal, and attended an interview with the city selection committee. The selection committee discussed all the candidates and decided that Mintier Harnish was the best fit to recommend to City Council.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
Funding for the Comprehensive General Plan of $1,250,436 comes from the REAP Grant in an amount of $195,493 and the remaining is funded with available FY24-25 budget within the Professional Services account of the Planning Division.
The funding for the Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan is from a $500,000 grant from the High-Speed Rail Authority, under project CP240056.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Request for Proposals
2. Services Agreement with MH for the Comprehensive General Plan Update and Environmental Impact Report
3. Services Agreement with MH for the Central Merced/Downtown Rail Station Area Plan