HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-03-09 - AGENDA REPORTS - RRM DESIGN GROUP APPROVAL (2)AGENDA REPORT
City Manager Approva
/q7"�'Item to be presented by: Lisa Hardy
CONSENT CALENDAR
DATE: March 9, 1999
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO A PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH RRM DESIGN GROUP TO
PREPARE THE CITY BEAUTIFICATION MASTER PLAN
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Building Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council to authorize the City Manager to enter into a professional services
agreement between the City and RRM Design Group to prepare the City Beautification
Master Plan, for a total contract amount not to exceed $100,000.00. During the 1998-99
budget process, the City Council appropriated $50,000.00 from Landscape Maintenance
District No. 7515-8001, Area -Wide 1 and $50,000.00 from the Planning Division
Professional Services Account No. 3120-8110 to fund the preparation of the City
Beautification Master Plan.
BACKGROUND
The above referenced project was initiated in 1998 by a concern from Councilmember
Klajic regarding the clean-up of existing freeway on- and off -ramps along State Route
14. In response to this concern, staff determined that a master plan should be in place
to guide the selection and placement of a broad range of streetscape improvements
before initiating case-by-case improvements along the City's rights-of-way.
In May 1998, City Council authorized staff to proceed with the preparation of the City
Beautification Master Plan. During the 1998-99 budget process, the City Council
appropriated $50,000.00 from Landscape Maintenance District No. 7515-8001, Area -
Wide 1 and $50,000.00 from the Planning Division Professional Services Account No.
3120-8110 to fund the preparation of the City Beautification Master Plan.
City staff recommends that the City Council direct the City Manager to enter into a
professional services agreement between the City and RRM Design Group to prepare
the City Beautification Master Plan. RRM Design Group was the highest rated firm of
the four firms interviewed by City staff for the preparation of the Master Plan. A total
of 10 firms submitted a response to the City's Request for Qualifications.
The cost for preparing the document will not exceed $100,000.00. City staff will
administer the contract with the consultant. The preparation of the City Beautification
Master Plan is expected to extend over a one-year period, approximately.
APPROWED AgendaItem:
The scope of work for the City Beautification Master Plan is intended to address the
design and long-term maintenance of basic streetscape elements that have a significant
effect on the City's physical environment and the public's experience of that
environment. The goal of the City Beautification Master Plan is to develop a creative
and 'comprehensive design program for major roadway and public space elements
including lighting, signage, primary and secondary entryways, landscaping, and street
furniture. The purpose of this program is to develop a City identity while maintaining
individual community character through high quality design of the City's public spaces.
Such a program would not only contribute to the City's visual resources and overall
physical environment, but would eliminate the use of inappropriate materials and
piecemeal installation of elements in the public right-of-way. The City has a rich,
colorful history and a variety of natural features tied to the development and physical
setting of the communities of Newhall, Canyon Country, Saugus and Valencia. For this
reason, it is important that this comprehensive, city-wide design program also be
flexible to reflect the individual character of the City's four communities.
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS
There are no alternative actions as identified by staff.
FISCAL IMPACT
Preparation of the City Beautification Master Plan will require City funds in the
amount of $100,000.00. During the 1998-99 budget process, the City Council
appropriated $50,000.00 from Landscape Maintenance District No. 7515-8001, Area -
Wide 1 and $50,000.00 from the Planning Division Professional Services Account No.
3120-8110 to fund the preparation of the City Beautification Master Plan. This will
have a fiscal impact to the City's budget.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Scope of Services for the Preparation of the City Beautification Master Plan
2. Statement of Qualifications (provided in reading file)
council \ cbmpar.doc
RRM DESIGN GROUP
Architecture • Planning • Engineering • Surveying • Interiors • Landscape Architecture
City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
February 10, 1999
Phase 1 Learning About the Community
A. Review Existing Data
RRM will review data relative to the development of the Beautification Master Plan, including
design guidelines, and the implementation and maintenance issues relative to this master plan.
This data may include existing Specific Plans, the City's Unified Development Code,
architectural design guidelines, historical review, and any other information of importance to this
project.
Work Product:
• Review existing data
• Develop data needs list, if necessary
B. Kickoff Meeting and City Tour
RRM will meet with City staff to review the scope of work, identify project milestones, discuss
roles, establish a project contacts list, and discuss the overall project schedule. This meeting will
allow City staff to brief RRM on important issues and enable us to conduct a site tour to
photograph, make field notes, and become familiar with the project area.
Work Product:
Prepare for and attend kickoff meeting and City tour
• Photos and field notes will be part of project context map and opportunities and constraints
map
C. Stakeholders Interviews
RRM will conduct interviews with selected property owners, merchants, City staff, and other key
stakeholders in the area including the Chamber of Commerce, City Council Members, etc. These
interviews will help the project team gain insight on issues that are important to the creation of
the Beautification Master Plan. Interviews will likely be conducted in small groups (two to three
persons) in 30 minutes to one-hour time periods throughout a workday.
Work Product:
• Prepare for and conduct stakeholders interviews
• Record notes and brief staff
City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
D. Prepare Regional Context Map
A context map of the City of Santa Clarita will be prepared to illustrate the individual
communities, major connecting thoroughfares, open space systems, gateways, viewsheds, and
existing road network. This map will be used at community meetings and in the final master plan
document. RRM will use existing digital mapping data from the City to prepare this map.
Work Product:
• Prepare regional context map
E. Opportunities and Constraints Map and Photo Board
This exhibit will be prepared to help identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and constraints
that exist in Santa Clarita relative to citywide beautification. This map will be used throughout
the process and will include photos of existing streetscapes, gateways and entries, fences,
medians, street trees, and key intersections, etc., keyed to various locations.
Work Product:
• Prepare opportunities and constraints exhibit
Phase 2 Discovering a Unifying Theme for Santa Clarita
F. Information / Example Presentation
RRM will gather examples of how other cities have addressed a "Unifying theme". These
examples may include signage, streetscapes, logos, gateway features, street trees, street
furnishings, and other elements that have been used to create a unifying theme. This will be
presented at the first focus group meeting to stimulate discussion and get feedback from the focus
group.
Work Product:
• Presentation of photo examples and other graphics to illustrate unifying elements by other
cities
G. Focus Group / Workshop #1
RRM will assist the City in conducting an interactive workshop with the focus group and other
interested community members. RRM and City staff will identify potential attendees. The
purpose of this workshop is to present project goals to the community and gather additional input.
At this workshop, we will conduct a visioning exercise that will identify issues, opportunities and
constraints that should be addressed during this planning effort.
Work Product:
• Preparation for and attendance at focus groups and workshop
• RRM will assist staff in preparing meeting notices and agenda
• Staff will arrange for meeting room and facilities
• RRM will prepare results of workshop
City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
H. Defining Contents of Citywide Guidelines
RRM will work closely with City staff to define the contents and framework of the citywide
guidelines and produce an outline for the document. This will include defining the hierarchy of
streets and gateways, and deciding on what elements to include as part of the citywide guidelines
verses what elements to include as a part of the individual community design guidelines.
Work Product:
• Prepare outline and mock-up layout of citywide Beautification Guidelines
I. Citywide Beautification Guidelines — Screencheck Draft
Utilizing the information collected from previous tasks, the citywide Beautification Guidelines
will be drafted. "Citywide" guidelines will be the first chapter of the Beautification Master Plan
to be followed by guidelines for individual communities. The citywide guidelines will include
design direction on such unifying elements as landscaping, view corridors, gateway, logos,
streetscape elements, furnishings, signage, and other design criteria that will help unify the City
of Santa Clarita. This document will be a user-friendly document with graphics, photographs,
and sketches to accompany the text.
Work Product:
• Prepare a screencheck draft of the citywide Beautification Guidelines
• RRM will deliver ten (10) copies of screencheck draft
J. Staff Meetings
RRM will meet with City staff up to two (2) times during Phase 2 to review the results of the
previous tasks including interviews, workshops, draft Beautification Guidelines outline, guideline
document, and to discuss future tasks.
Work Products:
• Prepare for and attend two (2) meetings in Santa Clarita with staff
K. Revisions and Response to Staff Input — Administrative Draft of the Beautification
Guidelines
After meeting with staff and reviewing the citywide Beautification Guidelines document, RRM
will revise and respond to staff suggestions for the document. An administrative draft of the
guidelines will be prepared and submitted.
Work Product:
• Prepare revisions and delivery of ten (10) copies of administrative draft guidelines
Phase 3 Defining Community Identities
L. Community Group Meetings / Public Workshops
RRM Design Group will meet with existing community groups within each of the four individual
communities. These meetings will be used to present the camera survey results, identify
individual community visions, identify visual opportunities, and identify the essence / character
City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
of each community. Workshops will also explore identifying features and historical themes in
each community that may help to define a sense of place.
Work Product:
• Prepare for and attend four (4) workshops including notices, agendas, workshop exercises,
materials, conduct meetings, and provide brief summary of workshop results
M. Defining Content of Community Guidelines
Working closely with City staff, RRM Design Group will prepare a detailed outline of the four
(4) individual community beautification guideline documents. This outline will identify the
content and organization of the community guidelines and will enable design team and staff to
select the best method of communicating recommendations. This assumes some consolidation of
workshops to reduce travel time.
Work Product:
• Prepare an outline and mock-up layout of community guidelines
N. Community Beautification Design Guidelines -- Screencheck Draft
After working with City staff to establish the documents outline, RRM Design Group will prepare
a preliminary draft of the Beautification Guidelines for each community. The community
guidelines will be prepared as a chapter within the overall Beautification Master Plan. Each
individual community will have its own chapter describing its unique identity and
recommendations for achieving it. The document will identify recommended design guidelines
for landscaping, streetscape, lighting, banners, colors, fencing, signage, logo / image, gateway
treatments, intersection treatments, street cross sections, and other street design criteria that will
help identify the individual communities.
Work Product:
• Prepare a screencheck draft of the community, four (4) Beautification Guidelines, one for
each community
• RRM will deliver ten (10) copies of the screencheck draft
O. Perspective Sketches
RRM will prepare up to eight (8) perspective sketches of conditions at key locations in Santa
Clarita representing conditions "after" guidelines are used. RRM Design Group will coordinate
with City staff to choose the appropriate locations for sketches. These sketches will be integrated
into the Beautification Guideline document.
Work Product:
• Prepare up to eight (8) perspective sketches illustrating "after" condition
• Sketch will be black and white for inclusion in document
• Colored sketches will be made for presentation purposes
P. Staff Meetings
RRM Design Group will have up to two (2) meetings with City staff to review work to date and
to review contents of the community Beautification Guidelines.
Work Products:
• Prepare for and attend two (2) meetings in Santa Clarita
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City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
Q. Revisions to Draft Guidelines — Prepare Administrative Draft
After meeting and communication with City staff, RRM will revise the draft Beautification
Guidelines responding to staff's suggestions for the document.
Work Product:
• Prepare an administrative draft of community Beautification Guidelines
• RRM will deliver ten (10) copies of administrative draft
R. Material for Existing Publication
RRM Design Group will assist the City staff in preparing articles, graphics, and results of the
ongoing process of the Beautification Master Plan. These materials will be integrated into the
existing City and/or community publications and mailed out by the City.
Work Product:
• RRM will prepare up to four (4) articles at strategic points during this project
• RRM will coordinate with staff, prepare articles and graphics for inclusion in existing
publications
City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
Phase 4: Implementation Plan
S. Identifying Projects, Priorities, Costs, and Funding Sources
From the recommendations in both "citywide" and "community" guidelines, RRM and City staff
will identify specific projects that can be undertaken to begin implementing the plan. Each
"project" will be further analyzed to describe specific improvements and action items, associated
"ballpark" capital and maintenance costs, and potential funding sources. Once a list of projects
and costs has been created, City staff and RRM will create a draft priority list. This list can be
presented to community groups and decision -makers for deliberation and ratification and
ultimately make its way to the City's CIP.
Work Product:
• Prepare list of projects, identify components (improvements and action items) of each
project, estimate ballpark costs, and identify potential funding sources
• Analysis will be prepared in spreadsheet format for ease in manipulation and refinement
• One (I) draft will be prepared for staff comment prior to review and priority setting
T. Policy Review
In order for the Beautification Master Plan to be implemented, a thorough review of all existing
City policies that may be affected is required. Policies pertaining to design, design review, street
trees, landscaping, signs, fences and walls, parking, etc., will need to be reviewed to ensure
consistency. Policies related to historic districts, specific plan areas, and annexation areas will be
evaluated.
Consideration of ongoing efforts such as the Canyon Country and Saugus Surveys, and the New
Hall Redevelopment Area will be given throughout this project. The results and relevant
information from these efforts will be reviewed and incorporated into the Beautification Master
Plan where appropriate.
RRM will also review existing design guidelines and make recommendations for refinements (if
necessary) to achieve greater consistency with proposed Beautification Master Plan. Where
existing policies pertaining to those above, and others are in conflict with recommended
beautification plan, modifications to either existing policy or recommended guidelines must be
made. RRM will also explore potential incentives that may be used to encourage private property
owners to make improvements to their property pursuant to existing design guidelines. With staff
participation, a list of incentives will be developed for presentation to decision -makers.
Work Product:
• RRM will assist staff in reviewing existing policies and identify potential modifications, if
necessary, to either policy text or beautification recommendation
• RRM will review existing design guidelines for consistency with beautification
recommendations and identify potential modifications to design guidelines or beautification
plan, if necessary
• RRM will review other ongoing efforts and incorporate (where appropriate) relevant
material
• RRM will prepare potential list of private property incentives for review with City staff
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City of Santa Clarita
Beautification Master Plan
Scope of Services
U. Public Hearings
Following the preparation of a hearing draft of the Beautification Master Plan, consisting of
citywide and community guidelines and implementation recommendations, RRM will prepare for
and attend up to two (2) public hearings.
Work Product:
• Prepare for and attend two (2) public hearings as required by City staff
• RRM will prepare presentation and materials and attend hearings
• RRM will prepare twenty (20) copies of complete hearing draft beautification plan for use at
public hearings.
V. Prepare Final Documents
Upon approval of Beautification Master Plan, RRM will prepare a final document including
modifications as recommended by decision -makers.
Work Product:
• Prepare final Beautification Master Plan including final revisions
• One (1) camera-ready original and one (1) complete digital version (Word /Pagemaker)
W. Project Management
Throughout the Beautification Master Plan, RRM will provide client and community coordination
and project management tasks including correspondence, scheduling of work, meeting and
workshop logistics, teleconferences, etc.
Work Product:
Ongoing project management
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