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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2c: Contract with Mobility Group for Traffic Modeling and Information ServicesDATE: September 1, 2009 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Jason Kruckeberg, Development Services Director S~--K- Philip A. Wray, Deputy Director of Development Services SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE MOBILITY GROUP TO PROVIDE TRAFFIC MODELING AND INFORMATION SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF $51,400 WITH A TEN (10%) PERCENT CONTINGENCY, APPROPRIATE A TOTAL OF $56,000 FROM PROP C FUNDS AND REDUCE THE EXISTING CONTRACT WITH HOGLE-IRELAND FOR THE GENERAL PLAN PROJECT BY $16,277 Recommended Action: Approve SUMMARY In February of 2008, the City Council awarded a contract to Hogle-Ireland for the preparation of a General Plan update: for the.City of Arcadia. A portion of their contract is for the traffic analysis' for the Circulation Element update to be prepared by The Mobility Group as a 'sub-consultant. Subsequently, the land use changes that have been proposed through the General Plan process are different from the assumptions used to estimate the traffic analysis work in the original contract. These changes have caused the need to re-evaluate the scope of the traffic analysis. In addition, the Staff has been in discussions regarding the need for updated traffic modeling and information related to street designations, repair scope for the Pavement Management Program, and to review right-of-way needs to accommodate the necessary street widths when reviewing developments. The Mobility Group has submitted a proposal to the City to modify their traffic modeling services to support the General Plan update and assist the City with general traffic and transportation planning and design efforts. The Mobility Group proposes to prepare a new traffic model and analysis in the amount of $51,400. The preparation of a new model will supersede the need for some traffic work in the General Plan contract with Hogle-Ireland. The impact to the Hogle-Ireland contract is a savings of $16,277. Staff recommends approval of a contract with The Mobility Group for the traffic analysis in the amount of $51,400, the appropriation of $56,000 in Proposition C funds which includes a 10 % contingency, and the reduction of $16,277 in the Hogle-Ireland Contract. Staff Report September 1, 2009 Page 2 BACKGROUND On February 5, 2008, the City Council awarded a contract to Hogle-Ireland for the preparation of a General Plan update for the City of Arcadia. The Mobility Group is the traffic sub-consultant to Hogle-Ireland and will prepare the traffic analysis of the proposed land use changes and update of the Circulation Element. The Mobility Group and City Staff agreed in the original contact that to use the City's Transportation Master Plan (TMP) traffic model as a basis for analyzing the proposed General Plan changes. Although the level of detail generated by the TMP model is not typically what is utilized for a General Plan Circulation Element, it appeared to be the best and most cost effective way to analyze the land use changes. However, through the development and refinement of the General Plan land use changes, it has become apparent that the TMP model information is no longer applicable to base the changes and should not be used. There are two primary reasons for this: First, the General Plan land use changes are different than the growth assumptions in the TMP. The TMP based the City's growth on historic building permit data and external growth factors provided by the Congestion Management Plan and Southern California Association of Government assumptions. The TMP assumed that historical growth averages would continue over the next 25 years and would be spread throughout the City in a distribution similar to current activity. The TMP traffic model reflected these assumptions. It was anticipated that the General Plan growth assumptions would not be too different from the TMP and could be adjusted in the TMP model. It has now been determined that the projected growth in the General Plan focus areas is more . . concentrated.,in. specific areas-.and- in higher numbers in these areas than the TMP assumptions. Further, by their nature General Plans must look at the total build-out-of a City to review and anticipate the maximum growth potential and capacity. This was not what the TMP evaluated. The combination of these differences makes revising the TMP model very difficult and less reliable. The second reason is that the TMP concentrated its analysis on the transportation network intersections to identify deficiencies created by the impacts of future growth and actual improvements needed. The results of the TMP were then used to prepare the Traffic Impact Fee program. A General Plan Circulation Element does not require that level of analysis. Typically, General Plan Circulation Elements are based on a model that analyzes the roadway network to determine or validate the number of lanes for the roadway segments. When the original proposal was prepared, it was based on a very simple update of the TMP model, by which the necessary information for the General Plan could be extracted. Now with the specificity of the changes, revising the TMP model is not cost effective. Rather than consider a complete revision to the TMP model, which could cost in excess of $70,000, it is more cost effective to prepare a simpler link- analysis model to meet the needs of the General Plan and other City traffic planning and design needs. The link-analysis model will validate the network street sizes and spacing and will provide the basis for the Circulation Element. DISCUSSION The Mobility Group has submitted a proposal to the City to provide the necessary traffic modeling services in the amount of $51,400 to support the General Plan update and provide the City with needed link analysis information for its planning efforts. The preparation of a new model will negate the need for some traffic work currently in the General Plan contract with Hogle-Ireland. The savings to the Hogle-Ireland contract is $16,277. Staff proposes to contract directly with the Mobility Group for the traffic modeling because it is a "stand-alone" item and is eligible for Proposition C funding. As has been mentioned, the model results will serve other purposes such as to confirm the street designations and the repair scopes for the Pavement Management Program. The results of the new model will also be useful to verify right-of-way needs to accommodate necessary street widths when reviewing and administering new developments. Staff recommends approval of a contract with the Mobility Group for the traffic analysis in the amount of $51,400 to be paid for with Proposition C funds, the appropriation of $56,000 in Proposition C funds for this purpose that includes a 10% contingency, and the reduction of $16,277 from the Hogle-Ireland contract, which would be a savings to the General Fund in addition to the prior $70,000 savings already approved. FISCAL IMPACT The impact of this action will appropriate $56,000 in Proposition C funding for the traffic analysis work. It will also reduce the expenditure of General Funds in the amount of $16,277 from the Hogle-Ireland contract for the General Plan Update. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a Professional Services Agreement with The Mobility Group to provide traffic modeling and information services in the amount of $51,400 with a ten (10%) percent contingency, appropriate a total of $56,000 from Prop C Funds, and reduce the existing contract with Hogle-Ireland for the General Plan project by $16,277. Approved by: Donald Penman, City Manager J K: PAW