Policy 7.2A.2 Information Distribution - Publish and Distribute information regarding City programs and services, City Council actions and policy issues.

Policy 7.2C.1 Representation – Plan for and encourage an appropriate cross-section of the community when obtaining public input for policy decisions.

GOAL C1: Preserve and enhance an attractive community, with a positive image and a sense of place, that consists of distinctive neighborhoods, pockets of interest, and human-scale development.

Final Downtown Design document ($10,800)

The Downtown Design Plan was approved in concept with direction for changes in some design features and further analysis of land uses. In addition not all of the illustrations were included in the draft reviewed by the City Council. This budget would provide 200 copies of the final report for community use during the next phase of analysis.

Environmental Impact Report ($120,000)

The downtown Design Plan was prepared with a general review of environmental resources. For example, traffic and parking were given a generalized look; however, detailed intersection analysis was not performed. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) would include the required analysis of all environmental resources with a formal public review and comment period. Decisions on modifying the Downtown Specific Plan and zoning for the area would consider the potential environmental impacts associated with the changes in land use.

Staff requested a proposal from Wagstaff and Associates to prepare the EIR. In November 1998, the City Council authorized a contract with Wagstaff and Associates for environmental review services in the downtown. This contract has expired. Staff recommends a new contract, specific to this planning effort (Attachment A). Wagstaff and Associates is familiar with Sunnyvale’s downtown; previously preparing environmental documentation for the Mall expansion, Multi-modal Transit Center and Mozart office development and plaza. In addition, the city will contract directly with a traffic consultant for the necessary traffic analysis. Based on a scope of work provided by Fehr and Peers, staff is recommending a budget of $30,000 for traffic analysis.

The scope of work includes funds for copying environmental documents. Staff recommends a supplemental amount as part of the community outreach budget, below, for additional copies of environmental documents to assist in community review of plans.

Downtown Specific Plan Update (Design Guidelines) ($44,000)

As part of the Council action on the Downtown Design Plan, Council directed staff to update the existing Downtown Specific Plan. The update will include revised land use designations and new design requirements. Staff time for updating the plan, as well as to coordinate the public outreach and EIR processes would be covered by the Community Planning Program operating budget. Consultant assistance (architectural design guidelines) is needed to address design requirements associated with the changes to land use and development patterns (see Attachment B).

Community Outreach ($100,200)

On April 23, the City Council selected 13 of 27 techniques to increase community awareness of the downtown planning efforts. Seven of the options have no direct costs associated with them as they can be handled as part of the routine activities of staff. Six of the selected options were estimated to cost just over $108,000. Staff has worked with consultants and refined these estimates and is suggesting a budget of $100,200. The largest single item on the budget is for the 3-D model ($79,000). Detailed information on the community outreach items (that have additional cost) is provided in Attachment C. Staff recommends award of a contract to ELS Architecture and Urban Design to provide the model (Attachment B). ELS was involved in the preparation of the Downtown Design Plan. Staff selected ELS as their knowledge of the downtown and the Design Plan will allow them to efficiently and effectively incorporate design features into a usable model.

The preparation of an Environmental Impact Report has several state prescribed notification and public review requirements. The time required to prepare the report and the required review essentially set the schedule for this next effort for the downtown. Following is a generalized schedule of activities:

Section 2.08.070(b) of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code exempts professional or specialized services from competitive bidding.