REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL June 9, 2016 FROM: DANIEL ZACK, AICP, Assistant Director Development and Resource Management Department BY: SOPHIA PAGOULATOS, Planning Manager Development and Resource Management Department SUBJECT ..Title Approve the second amendment to the agreement with Placeworks, Inc., a California Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $23,721 for consulting services to augment the scope of the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan and to authorize the Development and Resource Management Department Director or his or her designee to execute documents. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Approve the second amendment to the agreement with Placeworks, Inc., a California Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $23,721 for consulting services to augment the scope of the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan and to authorize the Development and Resource Management Department Director or his or her designee to execute documents. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Placeworks, Inc. is the consulting firm that was approved by the City Council on February 26, 2015 to work with the community and staff in the preparation of the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan. The original agreement was in the amount of $789,094 ($750,000 in CDBG funds the remainder in General Fund monies). An amendment to the agreement in the amount of $23,721 is now being requested to allow for two additional steering committee meetings and the inclusion of a key 120-acre site in the environmental analysis. BACKGROUND The Fresno General Plan was adopted on December 18, 2014. New specific plans are being prepared to help provide geographically specific goals and policies and to assist in implementation. The City Council authorized staff to develop a scope for the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan in 2013, and then took subsequent actions to authorize the funding needed to pay for the planning and environmental work necessary for plan completion. An initial amendment was approved administratively in November of 2015 in order to expand the public participation process. No additional funds were needed, as other tasks were streamlined to balance the budget. The current amendment adds two steering committee meetings to allow for the resolving of critical issues related to the Preferred Alternative. In addition, it adds a potentially catalytic 120-acre site to the environmental analysis. The site was not initially included because the use of CDBG funds limits the planning area to lands within city limits. While the subject site is not within city limits, its inclusion can be funded by non-CDBG funds that are already part of the project budget. The site is bounded by Church Avenue on the north, Knight Avenue on the west, Jensen Avenue on the south, and Martin Luther King, Jr. on the east. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 the amendment of an agreement does not qualify as a "project" for the purposes of CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented because this item is an amendment to an existing contract. FISCAL IMPACT Funding is appropriated in the Fiscal Year 2016 budget. Attachment: Second Amendment to Agreement