REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director Planning and Development Department BY: ADRIENNE ASADOORIAN-GILBERT, Supervising Planner Planning and Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Approve the Second Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement between the City of Fresno and Wallace Roberts and Todd (WRT) regarding land use, planning and environmental services for the update of the Tower District Specific Plan, extending the contract performance period to December 31, 2025, and adding $334,528, for a total contract amount not to exceed $905,118. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the second amended Consultant Services Agreement. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Planning and Development Department proposes to amend the existing Consultant Services Agreement between the City of Fresno and WRT, extending the contract performance period by one year and adding $334,528 for a total contract amount not to exceed $905,118. This amendment will allow for completion of the Specific Plan update Environmental Impact Report by fall 2025. BACKGROUND The City and WRT entered into an Agreement dated April 28, 2022 for professional consulting services for the update of the Tower District Specific Plan. The Tower District Specific Plan Area is generally bounded by State Route 180 to the south, Blackstone Avenue to the east, Shields Avenue to the north and Fruit Avenue and the Union Pacific Railroad to the west. This effort will update the Specific Plan to provide strategic and comprehensive guidance for decisions regarding Tower District's built environment. As a result of the court challenge to the City of Fresno's General Plan Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR), the Specific Plan update now assumes a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is necessary to analyze potential environmental impacts resulting from updates to the Specific Plan. With the approval of this amendment, a final public draft of the EIR is expected to be released in fall 2025. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS Approval of this amendment is not a Project for the purposes of CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. LOCAL PREFERENCE This is an existing contract and is not a bid or award of a new contract. FISCAL IMPACT Additional project funding has been secured utilizing cost recovery under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Attachment: Second Amendment to Consulting Agreement WRT Original Agreement