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preparation of a comprehensive community farm master plan was identified as a City Council priority and the City's 2015-16 Capital Improvement Plan included $100,000 to prepare the Master Plan. To assist with preparation of a Master Plan, in August 2016, the City retained Management Partners to provide project coordination and management of the master plan process. Management Partners initial work focused on reviewing the Abbie 4-H Draft Master Plan to determine its compatibility with the Specific Plan, to gain a better understanding of potential site uses and users, to explore potential for use, lease, and other agreements for operating the community farm, to survey other similar community farms, and to provide options for proceeding with the project. The result of Management Partners initial work is the submittal of an October 25, 2016 Initial Review of Community Farm Project report (Attachment 2) that discusses this material and other issues related to the potential for developing a community farm park. Shortly after receipt of the draft Management Partners report, staff met with representatives from Abbie 4-H to discuss several project issues identified in the report, including an interest in exploring other venues for housing livestock. At the start of the meeting, staff was informed that Abbie 4-H had developed an understanding with the Alameda County Fairgrounds that it would have access to a yet to be constructed barn to raise and house its animals. As a result of this development, it was no longer necessary to include a barn or other livestock raising amenities as part of the community farm. Staff later confirmed with the fairgrounds that it was intending to construct a three-sided barn with a classroom for the benefit of 4-H clubs to allow its youth to raise livestock for the Fair's junior auction. Funding for the project is being provided through Alameda County and the current plan calls for the barn to be operational by February 2018. As a result of the change to the potential use and design requirements for the community farm, staff determined that the City was in better position to pursue a more crop, vineyard, orchard, and community gardening concept for the community farm as identified as an option in the Management Partners' report. Staff then met with current members of the MD Fotheringham team to discuss options and determined that the team was qualified and best positioned to transfer the documentation prepared for the Abbie 4-H to a City master plan. As such, staff developed a project scope to prepare a community farm master plan and MD Fotheringham has provided a proposal to complete the work. The proposal and related City Professional Services Agreement are included as Attachment 1 and are recommended for City Council approval. DISCUSSION The Management Partners' October 25, 2016 report, provides several conclusions regarding this project as follows: 1. The development and operation of a community farm on Sub-areas 7 and 16 of the Specific Plan are consistent with the Specific Plan's intended use for these sub-areas; Page 3 of 7