REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director Planning & Development Department BY: DALTON BENNETT, Projects Administrator Planning and Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Actions pertaining to the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant and the 2019 Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant: 1. ***RESOLUTION - Adopting the 17th amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2022-154 to appropriate $694,000 for the Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant (Requires 5 Affirmative Votes) (Subject to Mayor's Veto) 2. Approve the Second Amendment to the consultant services agreement between the City of Fresno and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., regarding planning services for the Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant to increase the scope of work, extending the contract performance period to January 31, 2026, and authorizing additional compensation in the amount up to $100,000. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $800,000 Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant to the City of Fresno in order to complement ongoing revitalization efforts in Downtown, Chinatown, and Southwest Fresno, specifically within the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) project area., The TCC project area was targeted because of the number of planned investments, the economically and environmentally disadvantaged neighborhoods, and the most leverageable infrastructure, and has been the focus for multiple recent planning processes. The grant provides Environmental Assessment and loan opportunities for brownfields identified through the Coalition Assessment Grant. BACKGROUND The Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant was applied for in partnership with Fresno County Department of Public Health, The Chinatown Foundation, and Saint Rest Community Economic Development Corporation. Goals for the plan include the following: 1. Assessment and identification of environmental hazards with defined strategies for cleanup on selected brownfield sites. 2. Development of a participatory reuse plan for selected brownfield sites, which includes market studies and analysis, and associated area-wide planning studies that provided documented demand for desired reuse and help secure developer interest and subsequent financing; and 3. Building coalition member's capacity to apply for and manage future EPA Brownfield grants. The RLF Grant is intended to complement the Coalition Assessment Grant by providing financial opportunities to implement potential identified remediation for assessed sites. Key project activities include establishment of revolving loan fund application criteria, application review, and loan administration. As part of the RLF implementation process, the Grant requires the City to work with a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) to review environmental findings on remediation projects. Staff recommends approving the second amendment to the consultant services agreement between the City and Stantec, expanding the scope to include additional Environmental Assessment activities, extending the contract performance period to January 31, 2026, to align with the RLF grant end date, and authorizing additional compensation in the amount up to $100,000 for additional grant activities. Stantec is adequately qualified to perform the desired scope of services as outlined in Exhibit C and will leverage existing experience obtained through their work with the Coalition Assessment Grant. Approval of this agreement will allow staff to begin the implementation of the RLF, including acceptance of loan agreements for shovel-ready projects. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This is not a "project" for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. LOCAL PREFERENCE Not applicable, this is an amendment to an existing agreement. FISCAL IMPACT Funding will be appropriated in the 17th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution and consists of a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Attachments Exhibit A - Annual Appropriation Resolution Exhibit B - 2nd Amendment Brownfields - {12-01-2022} Exhibit C - Stantec Proposal [10-26-2022]