Title
Staff Report for a Resolution for City Council to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Consulting Services Agreement with Dixon Resources Unlimited in the amount of $130,000 for Oversight of the Downtown San Leandro parking system and Guided Implementation of the City’s New Downtown Parking Management Plan, and to Approve Appropriation of $600,000 from the Successor Agency to the City of San Leandro Redevelopment Agency’s 2008 Bond Funds to the City of San Leandro Parking Fund’s 2017-18 Operating Expenditure
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council to authorize the City Manager to execute a Consulting Services Agreement with Dixon Resources Unlimited for oversight of the Downtown San Leandro parking system and to guide implementation of the City’s new Parking Management Plan, and to approve appropriation of $600,000 from the Successor Agency to the City of San Leandro Redevelopment Agency’s 2008 Bond Funds to the Successor Agency to the City of San Leandro Redevelopment Agency’s (SARA) 2017-18 operating expenditure.
BACKGROUND
The City of San Leandro recently completed a Downtown Parking Management Plan to guide policies and regulations for parking in Downtown San Leandro. The primary goal of the study was to understand and analyze various policy opportunities and their impacts on different user groups in the downtown. Based on parking inventory, utilization, and turnover data collected previously, this study analyzed how and where user groups are parking, and how various policies can be used to improve the efficiency of the parking system for all users. The plan includes proposed regulations, rates, and time restrictions for the Downtown Parking Garage, on-street parking, and off-street public parking lots. The information collected and analyzed can be used to help shape and develop new parking management regulations, technologies and enforcement practices for Downtown San Leandro.
Implementation of the Plan will be impacted by the permitting and payment systems in the Garage, which are largely non-functional due to a bankruptcy of the primary system vendor. Therefore, the repurposing of existing equipment and implementation of a new sustainable system, consistent with the guidelines in the plan, is a top priority for the City.
Analysis
Numerous City departments play a role if the management and operation of the City’s parking system. A key recommendation of the Parking Management Plan was to consolidate oversight of the parking system to improve coordination between the various functions. For example, new time restrictions for an off-street parking lot will only be effective if the City’s parking aides have the tools they need to enforce them. Although larger cities often have dedicated staff to manage parking, staff believes that, in San Leandro, this function can be most efficiently provided by a consultant with broad expertise in all facets of parking management. The most intensive work will be required in the next year, as new technologies and regulations are implemented consistent with the Plan. Thereafter, staff believes that the demands of overseeing the parking system will be reduced significantly and will be handled either by staff or through a reduced scope of work for a consultant.
On May 4, 2017, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an experienced consultant to provide centralized oversight of the Downtown San Leandro parking system, coordination between departments and to guide implementation of the City’s new Parking Management Plan.
Three consulting firms responded to the City’s RFP. After evaluation of the proposals, Dixon Resources Unlimited, ranked the highest based on scope of work, price, proposed timeline, expertise, experience, and references. The Consulting Services Agreement with Dixon Resources Unlimited will ensure smooth implementation of the Downtown Parking Strategy and the establishment of practices and systems to ensure ongoing effectiveness of the parking system.
This work will be split into four phases, all of which will involve a City Project Committee that includes the following City Departments: Finance, Engineering and Transportation, Public Works, Community Development and Police. Dixon Resources Unlimited will hold regular meetings with the Project Committee to provide direction and develop collaborative recommendations with each of the Departments to ensure efficiency, accountability and optimization.
The first phase will consist of a site visit and an assessment of existing parking conditions to establish a thorough understanding of the City’s current operational needs and define the parking operations and technology roadmap that will ensure stable, efficient and manageable parking operation for the City that will allow patrons to efficiently locate and pay for available parking. The second and third phases will focus on the parking strategy implementation, with the second phase developing an RFP for an integrated payment, permit issuance and enforcement system for the Downtown Parking Garage, the third phase focusing on the optimization of existing and new sustainable technology. The final phase will consist of ongoing maintenance, optimization of products and ongoing status performance reports to City staff and City Council.
Dixon Resources Unlimited will also assist in outreach efforts, helping to ensure that all users of the parking system are properly informed of any changes to parking rules and regulations.
Dixon Resources Unlimited has unique expertise in supporting cities across the United States and internationally to maximize parking and transportation programs while taking into consideration the unique dynamic and priorities within each city, especially focused on parking management and technology optimization. Dixon Resources Unlimited had direct involvement with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) internationally-recognized SFpark program, the first parking project in the United States to evaluate both on-and off-street parking technology and policies and policies.
Previous Actions
On September 19, 2016, the City Council, acting as the governing body of the Successor Agency to the City of San Leandro Redevelopment Agency, approved the transfer of $600,000 in former Redevelopment Agency bond funds to the City of San Leandro for implementation of parking improvements.
Legal Analysis
The Consulting Services Agreement was reviewed by the City Attorney’s Office and approved as to form.
Fiscal Impacts
On September 19, 2016, the City Council, acting as the governing body of the Successor Agency to the City of San Leandro Redevelopment Agency, approved the transfer of $600,000 in Redevelopment Agency bond funds to the City of San Leandro for implementation of parking improvements. This action was subsequently approved by the Successor Agency Oversight Board and the California Department of Finance. As a result, the City is authorized to use this funding from a 2008 bond issuance for this purpose. This consulting services agreement will be funded from this source and remaining funding will be used for capital expenditures related to the purchase and installation of equipment.
Budget Authority
Staff requests City Council approval to appropriate $600,000 from the SARA 2008 bond fund to the City of San Leandro Parking Fund, Account 132-35-003-5120. Currently, sufficient funding is available in the SARA 2008 bond fund account 982-103-1049.
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment(s) to Resolution
• Consulting Services Agreement with Dixon Unlimited Resources
PREPARED BY: Mariana Garcia, Economic Development Specialist, Community Development