North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

Agency:	City of Berkeley
State:	California
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	C - Architect and Engineering Services - Construction
Posted:	Jan 30, 2024
Due:	Mar 14, 2024
Solicitation No:	24-11655-C
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Attachment Preview

Finance Department

General Services Division

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Specification No 24-11655-C

FOR

North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE OPENED AND READ PUBLICLY.

Dear Proposer:

The City of Berkeley is soliciting written proposals from qualified firms or individuals to assist the City to update

land use regulations for the North Shattuck, College, and Solano corridors (“Corridors Zoning Update”). The

project will include four components:

1. Analysis of existing zoning policies, standards, and physical and built conditions.

2. Community outreach and engagement

3. Development of zoning policies and objective standards that meet State law

4. Zoning amendments, related General Plan amendments, and environmental analysis

The project scope, content of proposal, and vendor selection process are summarized in the RFP (attached).

Proposals must be received by 2:00 pm, on March 14, 2024. Please submit one (1) electronic copy of all

required documents of the complete proposal in Excel and PDF format as appropriate. Email Proposals with the

subject line “Specification No 24-11655-C, North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning

Update” to:

City of Berkeley

Finance Department/General Services Division:

purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

A confirmation of receipt notice will be sent from purchasing. If the applicant does not receive it, please reach out

to Uttara Ramakrishnan, Associate Planner via email at uramakrishnan@berkeleyca.gov. Incomplete proposal

or proposals that do not conform to the requirements specified herein will not be considered. Issuance of the RFP

does not obligate the City to award a contract, nor is the City liable for any costs incurred by the proposer in the

preparation and submittal of proposals for the subject work. The City retains the right to award all or parts of this

contract to several bidders, to not select any bidders, and/or to re-solicit proposals.

For questions concerning the anticipated work, or scope of the project, please contact Uttara Ramakrishnan,

Associate Planner, via email at uramakrishnan@berkeleyca.gov no later than February 19, 2024. Answers to all

questions or any addenda will be posted on the City of Berkeley’s site at Bid & Proposal Opportunities | City of

Berkeley (berkeleyca.gov). Answers to questions will not be provided by telephone or email. It is the vendor’s

responsibility to check this site. For general questions concerning the submittal process, contact purchasing at 510-

981-7320.

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your proposal.

Sincerely,

Darryl Sweet

General Services Manager

2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: 510.981.7320 TDD: 510.981.6903

E-mail: purchasing@cityofberkeley.info Website: cityofberkeley.info/finance/

City of Berkeley

Specification No 24-11655-C

North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

INTRODUCTION

Page 2 of 27

Release Date 01/29/2024

Incorporated in 1909, the City of Berkeley (the “City”) has a population of nearly 125,000 and total land area of

approximately 10.5 square miles, making it one of the older and denser cities in the East Bay. The City has a

number of lively pedestrian-oriented commercial areas that developed along former streetcar routes and near the

University of California. These commercial districts add to the City's charm, offering distinct pedestrian-scale

placemaking as well as cultural and economic opportunities.

In adopting Berkeley’s 6th Cycle Housing Element 2023-2031, the City Council identified Solano, North Shattuck,

and College Avenues as priority commercial and transit corridors for increasing housing capacity, in part to further

fair housing and mitigate barriers to development in high resource neighborhoods (Program 27-Priority

Development Areas (PDAs), Commercial and Transit Corridors).

Project Overview

The City of Berkeley seeks to engage a firm or team of firms (“consultant”) to assist in zoning amendments for

three priority commercial and transit corridors, with an estimated completion date of no later than December 2026.

The goals of the zoning updates are to (1) revisit the land uses and permits required in these districts; (2) establish

objective development standards in accordance with State laws, and (3) increase the zoned capacity for housing

development by at least 2000 units. The project will also include targeted updates to the General Plan Land Use

Element to align with proposed zoning amendments, and associated environmental review.

The consultant will work collaboratively with staff and stakeholders to analyze and develop land use policy

recommendations. The process will proactively engage the community, consider relevant statutory laws and

regulations, and result in updates to the Berkeley Municipal Code and Berkeley General Plan.

It is expected that the consultant will:

• Be knowledgeable about State requirements related to objective development standards, streamlined

approvals, state density bonus, and housing regulations.

• Be informed of ongoing local policies and recent zoning efforts, including the San Pablo Avenue Specific

Plan and Safety and Environmental Justice Elements efforts currently underway.

• Analyze the built environment and other factors that inform the local context for this project.

• Engage a variety of community members and policymakers, and communicate ideas effectively in various

forums.

• Formulate a range of options and alternatives to demonstrate potential growth capacities along the three

commercial corridors.

The City’s Land Use Planning Division will act as the lead agency and City staff will:

• Provide links to documents for recent and ongoing Planning Policy efforts, as well as GIS data.

• Coordinate logistics, scheduling and printing for community outreach events.

• Attend and assist with facilitation at community outreach events.

• Prepare staff reports, ordinances, resolutions, and presentations to Planning Commission and City Council.

Project Budget

The city has allocated $600,000 for this project. The City will also devote approximately 10% FTE Principal

Planner, 10% FTE Senior Planner, and 50% FTE Associate Planner to this project.

II. SCOPE OF WORK

Please provide a proposal demonstrating the consultant’s ability to complete the following tasks and deliverables.

Proposers are also invited to modify or expand on the deliverables detailed below. Please note that all draft

City of Berkeley

Specification No 24-11655-C

North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

Page 3 of 27

Release Date 01/29/2024

documents shall be provided in their original format (e.g., Word), and all final documents shall be provided in their

native format as well as in PDF.

A. Project Management and Coordination

This task is applicable throughout the project and includes all communications and weekly coordination

meetings between the consultant, sub-consultants, and City staff. The consultant will prepare and maintain a

master project schedule that integrates all tasks. The master project schedule shall include all key deliverable

milestones (including review timelines), community engagement efforts (e.g. community workshops,

stakeholder meetings, advisory committee meetings), environmental review and document preparation, and

public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council.

Deliverable(s):

• Master Project Schedule, and revisions as needed

B. Background Research and Policy Framework

The consultant will assess and analyze current conditions and review recent and ongoing land use policy efforts

to develop a framework document for the Corridors Zoning Update. The research will include:

• Reviewing recent housing and economic data from the Housing Element Update, and Housing

Preference Policy

• Researching historical context on the corridors, with a lens on opportunities for equity and inclusion.

• Conducting site visits with City staff to review patterns and scales of existing development.

• Assessing existing land use conditions, including ground floor uses, vacancy rates, owner versus rental,

changes in demographics, and business types over time in comparison with other commercial corridors

citywide.

• Mapping and summarizing existing transportation connectivity and mobility networks.

Deliverable(s):

• Existing Conditions and Policy Framework Document

C. Community Outreach and Engagement

This task is applicable throughout the project and includes outreach and engagement efforts with community

members, stakeholders, technical advisory groups, and local policymakers. To ensure a transparent and

inclusive planning process, the consultant’s proposal shall include activities and methods—both in-person and

virtually—that will engage Berkeley’s diverse range of community members who live, work, shop, and travel

along each of the three commercial corridors. Outreach is expected to begin early in the process, seeking

feedback to identify critical issues for the community, development standards, and offering opportunities for

citizens, local businesses, neighboring jurisdictions, and other agencies to provide input during the process. The

engagement is also intended to understand potential ground floor uses to support locally-owned commerce,

housing, and other potential uses.

The outreach strategy shall include, but is not limited to:

• Technical Advisory Meetings (minimum 3)

• Stakeholder meetings

• Community workshops (minimum 3)

• Public survey(s)

• Informal pop-ups event(s) in coordination with existing activities, such as Solano Stroll, farmers’

markets, and City recreation events.

The consultant will create outreach materials, such as flyers and boards, and help publicize events through

appropriate channels. The City is receptive to creative suggestions for innovative opportunities to actively

involve the community.

City of Berkeley

Specification No 24-11655-C

North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

Page 4 of 27

Release Date 01/29/2024

Deliverable(s):

• Community Engagement and Outreach Plan

• Outreach Materials

• Attend, present, and facilitate at community workshops, pop-ups, and other events

• Provide a concise summary memo detailing the outcomes of each engagement event

D. Modeling and Alternatives

Based on the initial data gathering, background research, and feedback received from the community, the

consultant shall develop a Modeling and Alternatives Report applicable to all three commercial corridors. The

Modeling and Alternatives Report shall include recommendations of options for potential zoning amendments,

including modifications to zoning district boundaries, changes to land use policies, and extent of buildable

envelope.

The three corridors will be modeled to understand the maximum development potential within the existing

zoning, development standards, and State Density Bonus law. The analysis will inform development feasibility

under the current regulations and help formulate a range of options (at least 2 per corridor) to illustrate how

changes in key development standards (such as parking, FAR coverage, height, massing, setbacks, and

articulation) would result in different building prototypes and growth capacities along each corridor. The

options produced will be used to understand at a high-level:

• The trade-offs and potential impacts to different stakeholders and community members,

• Development capacity and feasibility,

• Impacts to the overall built environment.

The report shall include an illustrative analysis of policy recommendations and the resulting building

prototypes. A build-out analysis of each corridor will be necessary to estimate the expected growth based on

proposed amendments to land use designations and zoning districts.

Deliverable(s):

• Modeling and Alternatives Report

E. Objective Development Standards

Based on feedback received on the Modeling and Alternatives Report from decision-makers, stakeholders and

the community, the consultant shall prepare an Objective Development Standards Report that reflects the

proposed development standards that are to be codified into the City’s Zoning Ordinance. The Report shall

include high quality graphics, maps and diagrams to clearly illustrate proposed policies, development

regulations, land use designations, zoning districts, and levels of intensity.

Deliverable(s):

• Objective Development Standards Report, Administrative Draft

• Objective Development Standards Report, Public Review Draft

• Objective Development Standards Report, Final

F. Consistency Review of Zoning Ordinance and General Plan Land Use Element Update

Based on the Final Objective Development Standards Report, City staff will prepare materials necessary for

amending the Berkeley Municipal Code and General Plan Land Use Element consistency update, which

includes staff reports, draft ordinances, and resolutions for Planning Commission and City Council hearings.

The Consultant team will be tasked with conducting a consistency review of the Planning Commission and City

Council hearing material to ensure that the documents prepared by City staff are in alignment with the policies

and standards set forth in the Objective Development Standards Report.

City of Berkeley

Specification No 24-11655-C

North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

Page 5 of 27

Release Date 01/29/2024

Deliverables:

• Zoning and General Plan Consistency Review – Planning Commission Hearing (up to 2)

• Zoning and General Plan Consistency Review – City Council Hearing (up to 2)

G. Environmental Review Documents

The consultant shall prepare, post, and file all the appropriate environmental documents for compliance with

the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and all required CEQA noticing. In addition, the consultant

will be responsible for preparing all notices and mailings for SB 18 and AB 52.

Deliverables:

• Environmental Studies

• Initial Study

• Draft and Final Addendum to the 6th Cycle Housing Element EIR

III. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All proposals shall include the following information, organized as separate sections of the proposal. The proposal

should be concise and to the point. The proposal is to be prepared in 8.5x11-inch PDF format and limited to 35 pages

(excluding cover pages and attachments).

1. Transmittal Letter:

Please include the following:

• The name(s) of the firm(s), the firm's principal place of business (refer to section VII, F. – Local Vendor

Preference), the name, telephone number, and email address of the contact person, and the company's

tax identification number should be provided.

• In the case of teams comprising multiple firms, please outline the role that each firm will play in the

project.

• Summary of key points of the consulting firms’ interests and qualifications and pertinent areas of

expertise.

• Signature by an authorized principal or partner of the firm.

2. Client References:

Provide a minimum of three (3) client references for the prime consultant and one (1) reference for sub-consultant.

References should be California cities or other large public sector entities. Provide the designated person's name,

title, organization, address, telephone number, and the project(s) that were completed under that client’s direction.

3. Contract Terminations:

If your organization has had a contract terminated in the last five (5) years, describe such incident.

Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the vendor’s non-performance or poor

performance and the issue of performance was either (a) not litigated due to inaction on the part of the vendor,

or (b) litigated and such litigation determined that the vendor was in default.

Submit full details of the terms for default including the other party’s name, address, and phone number. Present

the vendor’s position on the matter. The City will evaluate the facts and may, at its sole discretion, reject the

proposal on the grounds of the past experience.

This is the opportunity summary page. You are currently viewing an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation. For more information, please visit the Publication URL Web page.

North Shattuck, College, and Solano Avenue Corridors Zoning Update

Attachment Preview

See also