October 25, 2005

SUBJECT:      Award of Contract for Engineering and Landscape Design Services relating to Improvements on the North Side of the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station (F0510-22)

REPORT IN BRIEF

Approval is requested for the award of a contract to HNTB Corporation of San Jose to provide engineering and landscape design services for transit access and neighborhood enhancement improvements to the area north of the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station for the Department of Public Works Project Administration Section. 

BACKGROUND

For a number of years, many pedestrians have used an unimproved path to reach the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station and the downtown area from Hendy Avenue and the neighborhood to the north.  Although the City has at different times pursued steps to formalize a connection, efforts have been stymied by regulatory, funding and jurisdictional issues:

• The City has interacted with Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to try to gain approval of a project concept for grant funding.  The CPUC has long opposed any at-grade improvement project, which necessitated consideration of more expensive overpass and underpass projects.

• The City has completed a Downtown Specific Plan which includes a concept project to improve a pedestrian connection from the residential area north of the Caltrain tracks to the Caltrain station and Downtown Sunnyvale.

• The City, in partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Caltrain, recently completed “Phases I and II” of the “Sunnyvale Multimodal Station” which provided new parking facilities and passenger amenities for Caltrain patrons and also investigated an overpass from the station to the north.

• The City supported recent efforts by Caltrain to consider an underpass connection as part of a railroad expansion project. 

None of these efforts were successful in initiating a connection project.

Most recently, the City requested and received the support of the VTA to include a project in the Valley Transportation Plan 2030 which is the long- range planning document for major transportation funding for Santa Clara County.  The project was subsequently approved for a planning grant from the VTA’s Community Design and Transportation Program.  Then, a recent inquiry by a member of the public resulted in a re-evaluation and change in policy by the CPUC, allowing consideration of an at-grade crossing connection as a possible short-term improvement. 

This project envisions a new pedestrian access from Hendy Avenue to the Caltrain station and downtown, lighting, streetscaping, noise attenuation, and access improvements for the disabled.  

DISCUSSION

Under the requested contract, the consultant will assess improvement alternatives, gather stakeholder input, prepare concept designs, and conduct environmental screening to produce an improvement strategy for a Caltrain station north-side access.  Staff intends to pursue capital construction funding through the VTA Community Design and Transportation Program once an improvement plan is complete.

Staff recommends award of contract to HNTB Corporation for the conceptual design portion of this project.  HNTB is uniquely qualified in that they are the General Engineering Consultant for Caltrain.  Understanding Caltrain requirements and plans is critical to this project, and HNTB previously conducted conceptual engineering for an underpass design at the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station. In addition, in mid-2004, following a competitive proposal process, Council awarded a contract to HNTB to provide an engineering analysis and feasibility study for the City’s Bernardo Avenue Pedestrian Undercrossing Project (RTC 04-157).  Although this project was never constructed, staff sees great value in being able to build upon the underpass design concepts previously provided by HNTB for the current project.

Staff has negotiated the scope of services outlined in the attached Consultant Services Agreement at a cost of $100,000. 

The consultants and City staff will initiate a community outreach process to inform and seek input regarding the scope of improvements for the Sunnyvale Caltrain North-Side Access Project.  This will include the Heritage District Neighborhood Association, the Downtown Association, Caltrain riders, the Sunnyvale and VTA Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and the general public.  Tentatively, it is anticipated that the community outreach process will begin in December 2005.

FISCAL IMPACT

Staff has secured $75,000 in grant funding from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Community Design and Transportation Program with a 25% local match, for a total project budget of $100,000.  The local match is funded by the City’s Traffic Mitigation funds.  Funds are available in Project 825990 - Caltrain North Side Access Improvements.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that Council award a contract, in substantially the same form as the attached draft and in an amount not to exceed $100,000, to HNTB Corporation to provide engineering and landscape design services for improvements on the north side of the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station.

Prepared by:

Elaine Wesely

Purchasing Officer

Review by:

Mary J. Bradley

Director, Finance

Reviewed by:

Marvin Rose

Director, Public Works

Approved by:

Amy Chan

City Manager

A. Draft Consultant Services Agreement (.pdf)