SR 05:205 - Laserfiche WebLink

Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council: BACKGROUND At its meeting of June 21, 2005, the Council approved a conceptual site plan ("Option 1") and design philosophy principles for the 318-acre City-owned portion of the Bemal Property. These are to be used by City staff and consultants as the primary basis for updating the Draft Phase II Specific Plan as well as for preparing the Bernal Community Park Master Plan PUD application. Since this plan work is now underway, it would also be appropriate to initiate the environmental review process. As the City has previously done with other specific plans, staff is recommending that "mitigated plans" be prepared for the Bernal projects. This would provide the opportunity for the environmental consultants to suggest proactive mitigation measures for otherwise potentially significant environmental impacts that can then be incorporated directly into the plans. This approach also allows for a more interactive exchange of information between those that prepare the plans and the consultants that are evaluating the environmental consequences of the plans. The environmental consulting firm of Mundie & Associates and its team of sub-consultants have prepared two Bernal Property EIR's for Pleasanton in recent years. The first was back in the mid-1990s for a then anticipated forced City annexation of the Property. The second was in the late 1990s for the Phase I Bernal Specific Plan. Since this team of consultants has collectively accumulated substantial knowledge regarding the site and the community's planning desires during these eftbrts, staff felt it would be beneficial and cost-effective to further retain this team for preparing the upcoming EIR. Staff therefore invited Mundie & Associates to submit a proposal to undertake this work. EIR PROPOSAL Mundie & Associates would serve as the lead in preparing a draft EIR, response to comments document, mitigation monitoring plan, CEQA findings, and statement of overriding considerations for the Phase II Specific Plan and Master Park Plan PUD. It would also assist staff in shaping the environmental review process to best conform to the City's needs and to provide recommendations to assist the City in defining the EIR alternatives that the Council would like to evaluate. The sub-consultant team consists of: Environmental Vision (visual resources), BASELINE Environmental Consulting (geology, hazards, hydrology), Illingworth & Rodkin (noise), WRA (biology), Donald M. Ballanti (air quality), and William Self Associates (cultural resources). SR 05:205 Page 2