REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director Planning & Development Department BY: DALTON BENNETT, Projects Administrator Planning & Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Approve the Fifth Amendment to the consultant services agreement with Rami + Associates, Inc., extending the contract performance period to June 30, 2023. No additional funding is requested. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the City Council approve the Fifth Amendment to the consultant services agreement with Rami + Associates, Inc. to extend the contract performance period to June 30, 2023. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Planning and Development Department proposes to extend the contract performance period of the consultant agreement with Rami + Associates, Inc. to June 30, 2023, to complete the analysis necessary for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). No change to the contract amount is proposed. The CEQA compliance is the last step needed prior to City Council consideration. BACKGROUND On June 22, 2017, the City entered into an agreement with Rami + Associates to provide professional planning services related to the Central Southeast Area Specific Plan (CSESP). The Plan area covers over 2,200 acres (3.4 square miles) just east and southeast of downtown, bounded by Belmont Ave to the north, S Orange Ave to the west, E Church Ave to the south, and S Peach Ave to the east. Most of the land use planning for the CSESP has been completed. The first phase of the project included the initiation by the City Council of the Plan's Draft Guiding Principles and the Proposed Land Use Map on June 18,2020, after robust community outreach. This allowed the second phase to commence, which is the environmental assessment of the Plan under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Because of several changes in state law (SB 330 affecting housing and SB 743 affecting Vehicle Miles Traveled) and targeted additional community engagement, the City entered into three subsequent amendments (2019, 2020, and 2021) to extend the term length with Rami + Associates. These amendments required no additional funding. On December 9, 2021, the City and Rami + Associates entered into a fourth amendment that increased the scope of work and term length to December 31, 2022, to accommodate additional analysis needed for the environmental assessment. The Planning and Development Department proposes to extend the contract performance period of the consultant agreement with Rami + Associates, Inc. to June 30, 2023. This extension is needed to complete the environmental document and allow for contract closeout. Under current timelines, the CSESP should be scheduled for City Council consideration early next year. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This approval is not a project for the purposes of CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, as it consists of a contractual time extension which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented because this item is an amendment to an existing contract. FISCAL IMPACT Funding is provided in existing appropriations. Attachments: Exhibit A: Contract