REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL December 10, 2020 FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director Planning and Development Department BY: SUMMER CECIL, Project Manager Planning and Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Approve the Fourth Amendment to the consultant services agreement between the City of Fresno and Ascent Inc., regarding land use, planning and environmental services for the South Central Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report, extending the contract performance period by one year and to increase the total contract amount by an additional $59,780. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Due to the additional community outreach required by this comprehensive land use planning process, the Planning and Development Department proposes to extend the contract performance period by one year as well as increase the total contract amount by $59,780. BACKGROUND The City and Ascent entered into an Agreement, dated November 29, 2018, for professional environmental consulting services for the South Central Specific Plan (SCSP) Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The South Central Specific Plan was a compilation of policies from the past forty years of land use planning and the purpose of the EIR was to assess the cumulative impact of complete build-out of these land uses and to propose appropriate mitigation measures. Prior to issuing a Notice of Preparation, the City conducted public outreach to those within the planning area and it was determined that additional outreach should be conducted to include a broader conversation regarding planning goals, policies, and land use. On November 14, 2019, Council adopted Resolution 2019-235 which appropriated up to an additional $250,000 to the project and directed staff to organize additional community engagement, as well as consider new or revised land use designations, policies and implementation actions through the community engagement process. The resolution also encouraged formation of an advisory committee to meet and advise the Mayor and City Council's ad hoc committee. The City held additional community outreach events on January 13, 14, 15; and February 12, and 25. The City also hosted a 9 person Advisory Committee to discuss the plan area and serve as advisory to the Mayor and City Council's ad-hoc committee. Meetings of the Advisory Committee were held February 6, 18; March 2, 10, 17; and May 19. Due to the additional outreach conducted, including numerous revisions to the vision, guiding principles, policies, and land use map iterations, staff requires to extend the agreement through a Fourth Amendment to December 31, 2021 and to increase the budget by $59,780, the remaining amount appropriated by Resolution 2019-235. With the approval of this amendment, Ascent can continue its work to complete the SCSP EIR by fall of 2021. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS Approval of this amendment is not a project for the purposes of CEQA Guidelines section 15378. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented because this item is an amendment to an existing contract. FISCAL IMPACT The additional $59,780 required by this item is a part of the $250,000 approved by Council as motion 20 during the FY2020 budget hearings. Attachments: Consultant Agreement Fourth Amendment Resolution 2019-235