Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a First Amendment to Service Provider Agreement with Douglas Herring & Associates to Increase Compensation by $109,800, for a Total Aggregate Compensation Not to Exceed $180,000, to Complete the Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan 2040 Update. (Planning, Building and Transportation 209)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2019, the City Council approved the 2019 Biannual Budget and 2019 Annual Report on the Status of the General Plan, which identified the need the need for a comprehensive update of the 1991 General Plan. In 2019, staff initiated work on the update and began initial work on the environmental review of the draft General Plan. The environmental work was initiated with the assistance of Douglas Herring & Associates.
Staff is requesting City Council approval to increase the amount of the contract with Douglas Herring & Associates by $109,800 for a total amount not to exceed $180,000 to provide sufficient funds to complete the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Per the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the EIR must be completed and reviewed for adequacy by the City Council, before the City Council can approve the General Plan update.
BACKGROUND
The General Plan must be an "integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the adopting agency." (Government Code section 65300.5.) The General Plan establishes the local development and conservation policies necessary to guide physical development and protect the general health, safety and welfare of the community and the environment. The last comprehensive update of the current General Plan occurred almost 30 years ago in 1991. As described in the introduction of the General Plan, the 1991 Plan was designed to serve the City of Alameda (City) for 20 years or until 2010.
In August, the staff/consultant team completed all chapters f...
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