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BACKGROUND The City Council established the conversion of the historic fire station located at 4444 Railroad Avenue to an arts center as a priority. Construction of the Firehouse Arts Center (Center) project began in August 2008 and is progressing on schedule, with the anticipated completion date of spring 2010. The transportation corridor adjacent to the project, which was recently purchased from Alameda County, will provide the parking amenities. The lot is expected to accommodate approximately 100 vehicles (between Angela Street and Spring Street) and is critical to the successful operations of the facility. This staff report is focused on the parking lot design project. DISCUSSION The area in discussion covers approximately 2.1 acres and was previously used for railroad purposes. In addition to requiring the standard land surveying and civil engineering services, lighting design and landscape architecture, two other activities need to be incorporated in this project. Given the large impervious surface of the lot, a hydro-modification evaluation and the development of a hydro-modification management plan will need to be completed. Current regulations require that storm water runoff volumes post-development does not exceed the volumes that existed pre- development during a storm. There are a number of methods to reduce storm water runoff. These include improving infiltration rates into the soil thus allowing storm water to be absorbed into the soil, reducing the amount of impervious surface that contribute to storm water runoff or providing storage of storm water runoff onsite and slowly metering the runoff to another site after the storm has passed. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages as it relates to costs and long term maintenance. The purpose of the hydro-modification study is to examine the various methods and make a recommendation based on the existing soil conditions, presence of heavy metal in the soil and the limited project area constraints for storm water storage. The study will include establishing a Bay Area Hydrology Model (BAHM) for the locality that extends from Ray Street to Angela Street and includes both the Lions Wayside and Delucchi parks. Examining an area with boundaries that are broader than the parking lot itself will allow staff to take into account the needs of future areas of development. This will also expand the available hydro-modification options for the City to consider. The geotechnical element of this project will include testing of boring samples, soil characterization, pavement design recommendation, and development of a remedial action plan, if needed for contaminated soils that exceed concentration levels above State guidelines. Staff solicited proposals from qualified consultants for the project as described above, keeping in mind the importance for the consultant selected to have knowledge and experience with Bay Area Hydrology Model requirements of the California State Water Resources Control Board. The design consultant selected would also be expected to work closely with the landscape architect recently retained by City for the design of the Lions Wayside and Delucchi Parks (Richard Larson and Associates). In December 2008, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued for the Transportation Corridor Parking Lot Design and Hydro-Modification Master Plan. Staff received Page 2 of 3