Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTom Dodson & Associates 1 PROPOSAL TO PREPARE A CEQA DOCUMENT FOR A 49-UNIT ATTACHED AND DETACHED RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM PROJECT Submitted to: Submitted by: Tom Dodson and Associates P.O. Box 2307 San Bernardino, California 92406 (909) 882-3612 In association with CRM TECH ELMT Consulting Urban Crossroads Proposal Due Date and Time: July 31, 2025 3:00 p.m. 2 TOM DODSON & ASSOCIATES Mailing Address: PO Box 2307, San Bernardino, CA 92406-2307 Physical Address: 2150 N. Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92405 Tel: (909) 882-3612 ✦ Email: tda@tdaenv.com ✦ Web: tdaenvironmental.com MEMORANDUM July 23, 2025 From: Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton, Tom Dodson & Associates To: City of Diamond Bar Subject: Proposal to Prepare a CEQA Document for a 49-Unit Attached and Detached Residential Condominium Project Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for award of the Environmental Consulting Services for the 49-Unit Attached and Detached Residential Condominium Project defined in the above- referenced request for proposal. Tom Dodson & Associates (TDA) looks forward to working with the City on this Project as we have for many other Cities, Counties, and agencies providing service in the Southern California area. TDA has extensive experience working on residential projects within the Southern California Area and has served the area, and in fact much of the State with Environmental Consulting Services for 40 years. It has been TDA’s experience that a team’s performance can best be demonstrated by the long-term relationships it maintains with its clients. TDA also has long-term relationships with several cities, such as the County of San Bernardino, City of Big Bear Lake, and the City of El Monte, for each of which we have Master or On-Call Contracts. The following summarizes TDA’s experience and capabilities as outlined in the attached proposal: • Solid history of successfully supporting a diverse range of water and wastewater infrastructure projects throughout the region, by meeting deadlines, and schedules within requirements. • Regional, local presence and detailed knowledge of challenges facing Los Angeles County. • An innovative, creative team that will support this project with new ideas and solutions that will provide best value to the City in consideration of budget and schedule requirements. • A management philosophy that applies a partnership approach to its subconsultant team and will demonstrate a high level of commitment and responsibility to this project. The scope of work outlined in the forthcoming pages will lead to a fully substantiated CEQA environmental determination for the proposed project over a period of about six months. I believe the schedules below are reasonable to comply with CEQA and meet City’s objectives for the proposed project. Should you have any questions regarding the proposal, please feel free to give me a call. 3 Sincerely, Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton, Vice President, TDA Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton is an authorized officer of the company who can make legally binding commitments on TDA’s behalf. 4 QUALIFICATIONS Who We Are TDA, incorporated in 1983, is a small environmental consulting and regulatory compliance firm located in San Bernardino, with offices that have been located in San Bernardino from the business’s inception. The principal partners, Tom Dodson (President) and Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton (Vice President), are directly involved in day-to-day operation of the firm and are also involved in each project undertaken by TDA. This approach provides the company owners with direct knowledge and oversight for each project, thus ensuring that each project receives the firm’s high standard for product quality. A common theme of all TDA projects is compliance with environmental requirements while meeting project schedules. TDA works with clients to meet schedules and identify reasonable and ethical environmental requirements. For every project, TDA has found there is a mutually accept- able balance between development goals and the need to protect the environment. TDA strives to define this balance for clients and regulators and present workable solutions that both parties can accept as the basis for implementation of projects. With over 50 years of collective experience in environmental problem-solving, TDA has been remarkably successful in meeting client and environmental objectives. TDA believes that we have relevant and recent experience that will aid the City in complying with the CEQA requirements for the proposed project. Innovations While much of environmental consulting consists of fairly routine activities, such as processing environmental documents, there are also many opportunities to innovate and apply creative problem solving. One of TDA’s long-term clients is Fontana Water Company/San Gabriel Valley Water Company (FWC/SGVWC). Because FWC/SGVWC is not a public agency, obtaining CEQA clearance can be difficult. TDA has worked with the Company to develop innovative CEQA compliance processing options. We have worked with the SWRCB Division of Drinking Water to get them to accept the use of Categorical Exemptions for installing new treatment systems (such as an ion exchange unit for PFOS) and to process CEQA compliance using a Statutory Exemption for FWC/SGVWC’s Lytle Creek surface water diversion facility, because the original project was installed 70 years before CEQA was enacted. TDA worked with a Developer in Monrovia that had prepared a Specific Plan EIR; shortly after the EIR was certified, the lone holdout property owner decided to sell their property to the Developer, thus warranting a follow on CEQA document. TDA worked with Monrovia Staff and determined that an Addendum would be the appropriate mechanism by which to comply with CEQA, as it is a wonderful tool to address these such issues. As a result, the Developer was able to incorporate the final parcel into its design with a very short turn around (less than 4 months), and utilizing a modest budget. As a final example, TDA has been remarkably successful with the utilization of exemptions (CEs and SEs), and has several Private Developer and even more Utility examples that have been successful in moving smoothly through the CEQA Process. A recent example is the FWC F7 Reservoir and well development project that was processed utilizing a CE in the County of San Bernardino within days of agreement by the County. In addition to TDA, we have brought several members to our team that are innovative in their own right. 5 Ability to Prioritize Tasks TDA has regularly been asked to speed up a review by the agencies we work with, and we consistently have met difficult schedules. TDA has assembled a quality team in response to this RFP. TDA would extend priority of service to Diamond Bar if selected for this contract. Consultant Personnel TDA has assembled a remarkable group of subconsultants (discussed in detail below). Over the years TDA has met and maintained relationships with a broad range of subconsultants, and the proposed team is comprised of established professionals with a diverse knowledge base. The methodology for using subconsultants versus relying on in-house staff is as follows. If the team members are qualified, as they likely are in this instance, it is the manager’s ability to guide or direct the team members that is most important. TDA has a team of subconsultants that are well vetted and trusted. We are all equals in this process and the team members are here to augment TDA’s knowledge and capabilities with their hard-earned knowledge and capabilities. Our job as managers is to provide guidance and a set of expectations while each of our subconsultant teams bring their own independent knowledge and abilities to provide the best solutions. We are ready and available to provide services beyond the historical normal environmental support role, if requested. Summary Resumes and Qualifications of Personnel Summary of Resumes for the Project Team As shown in the organizational chart above, TDA will be the lead on all future projects with the City. TDA will manage all arrangements and contracts with the subconsultants listed below for future City projects. As such the management structure is such that TDA will lead all Projects and will oversee/manage all subconsultants involved in future projects with City. Full resumes for all TDA personnel, as well as key personnel for all subconsultants that are part of TDA’s Project Team are provided as an attachment to this Proposal. A brief summary of TDA personnel and subconsultant personnel is provided below. Tom Dodson & Associates Tom Dodson, President, TDA Education: M.A., Geography, University of California at Berkeley, 1973; B.A., Geography, University of California at Berkeley, 1968 Summary of Experience: Tom Dodson is the President of Tom Dodson and Associates since its incorporation. He has more than 40 years of experience in the environmental consulting world. He personally prepares environmental documentation for a broad variety of Projects and acts as a resource person in working with clients, governmental agencies, and decision-makers in finding solutions to complex problems. He negotiates with regulators at the Federal, State, and local level, and designs formal presentations to committees. Mr. Dodson also provides expert witness testimony on land use and environmental issues on a variety of court cases, primarily in CEQA litigation, takings, land use and regulatory cases. He serves as program manager on many Projects undertaken by the firm and maintains close contacts with subconsultants and specialists who can provide technical information, as needed, in a timely manner. Mr. Dodson also serves as the environmental advisor/consultant to the Mission Springs Water District, San Bernardino County Local Agency 6 Formation Commission, San Bernardino International Airport Authority, Inland Valley Development Agency, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, cities of Murrieta and El Monte, and several other agencies. Availability: 15% Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton, Vice President and Environmental Specialist, TDA Education: B.A., English with Honors, University of California at Riverside, 2011 Summary of Experience: Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton is an Environmental Specialist for Tom Dodson and Associates. Ms. Dodson-Hamilton has more than 10 years of experience at TDA in environmental and resource management, with special expertise in CEQA and NEPA compliance. She has over 10 years of part-time experience providing support at TDA in research and mapping for CEQA, NEPA, and regulatory purposes at TDA. Ms. Dodson-Hamilton personally prepares environmental documen- tation for a broad variety of CEQA and NEPA Projects, as well as occasional regulatory permits for the CDFW, USFWS, and the USACOE with the oversight of Tom Dodson. She works with clients, governmental agencies, and decision-makers to find solutions to complex problems. Mrs. Dodson- Hamilton serves alongside Tom as an environmental consultant to San Bernardino International Airport Authority, Inland Valley Development Agency, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Phelan Piñon Hills Community Services District, Mission Springs Water District, and several other agencies. Ms. Dodson-Hamilton attends meetings and hearings and prepares presentations for nearly all reports for which she is the author. Availability: 25% Danielle Bier, Environmental Analyst, TDA Education: Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara, 2025 Summary of Experience: Ms. Bier has interned at various environmental firms during her tenure in college, and has successfully written and been awarded a grant intended to facilitate beach cleanup in Santa Barbara. She recently joined TDA staff as an environmental analyst, and has provided support on various CEQA and NEPA compliance projects including for water and wastewater agencies, as well as for residential projects throughout Southern California. Ms. Dodson-Hamilton oversees the majority of Ms. Bier’s work product, in conjunction with Mr. Tom Dodson. Availability: 35% TDA is always happy to partner with larger firms, such as GEI Consulting, Rincon, and ESA, as we have done to accomplish larger scale projects for our clients in the past. TDA persons outside of the scope of the Proposal may require additional authorization from the City in the future, should this occur. The project manager for this project will be Ms. Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton. Her contact information is: Phone: Office: (909) 882-3612 Cell: (909) 645-5478 Email: kaitlyn@tdaenv.com When Ms. Dodson-Hamilton is unavailable, Tom Dodson will be available in her absence. 7 Subconsultants: The Project Team that TDA has put together is extensive and highly qualified. Resumes of key personnel assigned and committed to the services outlined under this proposal can be found as an attachment to this proposal. v CRM TECH CRM TECH is a full-service consulting firm that for more than 35 years has provided the full range of cultural resources management services to Federal, State and local public agencies, environmental firms and private developers. CRM TECH is the firm TDA intends to utilize to comply with Cultural Resources, and sometimes Tribal Cultural Resources under the CEQA Checklist, as their staff have a successful working relationship with many of the Tribes within the City’s service area. As part of the preparation of cultural resources management study reports, CRM TECH performs the required correspondence with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), which is not only a requirement of CEQA, but assists in meeting the requirements of CEQA Plus packages. TDA envisions utilizing CRM TECH to prepare the cultural resources report for this project. Key personnel include Bai “Tom” Tang, M.A., Principal Investigator/ Historian/ Architectural Historian and Michael Hogan, PH.D., RPA, Principal Investigator/ Archaeologist, in addition to Dan Ballester, and Terri Jacquemain. Availability: 25% v ELMT Consulting TDA has a relationship with ELMT Consulting because Tom Dodson worked with their Principal and Owner—Tom McGill—at the China Lake Navel Weapons Center in the late 70s and early 80s. In total, ELMT has teamed with TDA for about 10 years to perform Ecology, Biology, and Regulatory Specialty services. ELMT Consulting as part of the Project Team to continue to apply their expertise in similar efforts and to meet several of the tasks including: Biological Resources Analyses for CEQA/NEPA/CEQA Plus; Incidental Take Permit (ITPs); California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Streambed Alteration Agreements (SAAs), US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) 404 permits and 408 permissions, Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) 401 Certifications/ Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs); On Call Field Surveys including vegetation surveys, nesting bird surveys, burrowing owl surveys, endangered species surveys, photographic surveys, and wetland delineations; Permit Requirements Training; Preparation of Permit-Required Annual, Periodic, and Special Reports; and Biological Monitoring. TDA envisions utilizing ELMT to prepare the biological resources report for this project. Key personnel include Tom McGill and Travis McGill. Availability: 25% v URBAN CROSSROADS Urban Crossroads was founded in 2000, and is a leading provider of traffic, air and noise consulting services. TDA has utilized the services of Urban Crossroads to perform these services for more than 10 years and has confidence in their capabilities. Urban Crossroads provides air quality, greenhouse gas and health risk assessment analysis services to meet national, State and various local compliance standard requirements. In determining potential air quality impacts, Urban Crossroads utilizes industry-standard models to study the source-specific 8 pollutant emissions. Additionally, Urban Crossroads has been TDA’s go-to source for Energy Analyses as the CEQA Checklist has added Energy as a topic required to be analyzed as part of CEQA. Given that meeting these requirements is novel for every professional in the industry, Urban Crossroads has proven themselves to be uniquely qualified at providing comprehensive Energy Analyses to meet these new CEQA requirements. Urban Crossroads provides the full spectrum of environmental noise measurement and analysis expertise. This may include a preliminary noise study to establish the barrier height requirements for tentative tract map approval, detailed building assembly requirements as part of a final noise study to satisfy the interior noise requirements, Project operational stationary-source noise levels and potential short-term construction noise impacts. In addition, Urban Crossroads’ noise group maintains a strong technical background in the application and development of noise prediction models. TDA envisions utilizing Urban Crossroads to prepare the air and greenhouse gas impact analysis report for this project. Key personnel include Aric Evatt, PTP, President; Bill Lawson, P.E., INCE, Principal; Haseeb Qureshi, MES, Associate Principal. Availability: 25% Staffing Plan TDA is a small business, and will employ all three persons on our staff to complete this project. Our subconsultants are smaller businesses as well, but have available staff to complete the technical studies required to complete the Initial Study, and can do so in a timely manner. References ■ Mr. Samuel Martinez, Executive Director Local Agency Formation Commission 1170 West 3rd Street, Unit 150 San Bernardino, CA 92415-0490 Tel: (909) 388-0480 E: smartinez@lafco.sbcounty.gov ■ Ms. Sandra Elias, Senior Planner City of El Monte 11333 Valley Boulevard El Monte, CA 91731 Tel: (626) 580-2056 E: selias@elmonteca.gov ■ Ms. Kim Stater, Planner City of Highland 27215 Base Line, Highland, CA 92346 Tel: (909) 864-8732 E: kstater@cityofhighland.org ■ Mr. Sean Sullivan, Assistant City Manager City of Big Bear Lake 39707 Big Bear Blvd., PO Box 10000 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 Tel: (909) 886-5831 x113 E: ssullivan@CITYBIGBEARLAKE.COM 9 PROJECT LIST AND SCHEDULE Summary of Experience with Similar Projects TDA has gained knowledge through 30+ years of environmental service experience in the development forum. Over this lengthy period of service, TDA and its team of subconsultants has earned the trust of the agencies that we work with to respond in a timely manner to a wide variety of environmental issues, ranging from a variety of environmental documentation, to coordinating cultural resources and Native American monitoring requirements, to providing City/County staff with educational workshops, or assisting Lead Agency management with planning and executing coordination with regulatory agencies and other State agencies. TDA’s assistance has been successful across the board in these efforts. TDA has experience with residential development throughout the State. TDA has outlined several similar projects below. Similar Projects • IS/MND Jefferson Murrieta Apartments: The project proposes a Development Plan permit for the development of the site for 852 units of multi-family residential and a Tentative Parcel Map (38568) for the subdivision of 31.69 gross acres into two parcels. The residential units would be provided in 16 four-story buildings with a height of 50 feet. o APPROVED 07/23 o CLIENT NAME: Nutmeg/Washington Development, L.P. § Andrew Dixon: andrew@pwdevelopment.com & (760) 484-2462 • IS/MND Whitewood Multi-Family: Tentative Parcel Map No. 38185 proposes the subdivision of 28.90 acres into two parcels. Parcel 1 will contain 9.99 acres and Parcel 2 will contain 19.18 acres. Development Plan 2021-2356 is proposed on Parcel 2 and includes 330 apartment units. Tentative Tract Map 38199 and Development Plan 2021-2355 propose the subdivision of 9.99 acres into one parcel and development of 153 condominium dwelling units. Phasing Plan 2021-2408 proposes that Phase 1 includes the development of the apartment project and Phase 2 includes development of the condominium project. o APPROVED 10/22 o CLIENT NAME: Corman Leigh § Dan Leigh, Cell 951.232.3013, dleigh@Cormanleigh.com • IS/MND Whittier Comstock Multi-Family Development and Uptown Whittier Specific Plan Amendment Project: The project is a combination of a Specific Plan Amendment to the Uptown Whittier Specific Plan affecting the entire 185-acres with additional modification to all of the Uptown Core zone and portions of the Uptown Center zone together with a site- specific tentative map on a single 0.826 gross acre parcel and a development application for a site-specific multi-family residential project. o APPROVED 12/24 o CLIENT NAME: MJW Investments § Matt Waken, (626) 710-6377, Matt@MWAKENIG.com • Addendum No. 1 to the Arroyo at Monrovia Station Specific Plan EIR: In March 2020, the City of Monrovia (City) approved the Arroyo at Monrovia Station Specific Plan to allow development of 302 residential units (including 3 live/work and 15 very low-income affordable 10 units); 9,460 square feet of potential commercial retail and service uses; a 500-parking space structure; and a variety of public and private open space and recreation areas on approximately 2.90 acres. In 2020, the resident decided to sell a parcel of property to the developer, and hence an application has been submitted to revise the approved Specific Plan to incorporate this property into the Specific Plan area. o APPROVED 04/22 o CLIENT NAME: MJW Investments § Matt Waken, (626) 710-6377, Matt@MWAKENIG.com • Addendum No. 4 to the Program EIR prepared for the 2022 Parcel 2 Development of the El Monte Gateway Project: After considering the available options for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for this updated 2022 Parcel 2 Development Plan, the City concluded that due to potential changes in circumstances since the 2016 approval and the addition of several new environmental topics in the standard Initial Study Environmental Checklist Form (such as Energy and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)), a new Addendum should be compiled for consideration with the 2022 Parcel 2 Development Plan. o APPROVED 09/22 o CLIENT NAME: City of El Monte § Betty Donavanik (no longer at City) For each of the above contracts, TDA has delivered a majority of our services in a timely manner, in some cases on very tight schedules, always with the client’s needs for timely completion in mind. This list is not to be considered 100% comprehensive due to the extensive number of projects TDA is working on at any given time. Further, this is meant to be reflective of a selection of applicable projects, rather than a complete list of all Projects completely by TDA in recent years. SCOPE OF WORK Our scope of work assumes that an IS/MND will be the appropriate environmental determination for this project and that TDA will provide comprehensive environmental and technical services and that we will be responsible for each step of the CEQA process. This scope of work assumes that the Applicant/Developer will provide Project Plans, Construction Information, traffic study, sewer study, geotechnical report, Low Impact Development (LID) report, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) report and hydrology/hydraulic report prepared for the project development. TDA will prepare or provide the technical analyses and modeling outlined in support of the IS/MND. The technical analyses will be prepared in accordance with all applicable & professionally-accepted federal, state & local guidelines, procedures, & requirements. Should the proposed project ultimately require the preparation of a Focused EIR, these technical studies would be sufficient to substantiate the analysis in an EIR. However, we do not believe that this is likely for a project of this size and type. TASK 1: KICK OFF MEETING Tom Dodson and/or Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton will attend the initial kick-off meeting, and will prepare an agenda for the meeting to be held within the first week or two of being authorized to proceed. TDA will ensure that every party that the City identifies must be at the meeting is invited to the meeting. We assume that this meeting will be held virtually. The kick-off meeting will establish roles 11 and responsibilities within the City’s team, TDA’s team, and the Applicant/Developer’s team so that each are clear on next steps needed to achieve the CEQA compliance for the proposed project. TASK 2: AB 52 CONSULTATION Tom Dodson and/or Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton have vast experience working with Native American tribes on behalf of our clients, particularly as part of the required AB 52 consultation. In many cases, TDA have attended the tribal consultation meetings on behalf of our clients or in partnership with our clients and further, have organized monitoring in the post-CEQA compliance phase as directed by the tribes as part of AB 52 consultation. TDA will work with CRM TECH and the City to obtain the Native American Heritage Commission tribal list, and will work with the City to obtain its AB 52 consultation List. TDA will utilize the Draft Project Description outlined in Task 3, below will be used as the basis to write the AB 52 consultation letters. TDA will run the letters by the City for an initial review and comment, and will await the City’s signature on the final letters. The letters will be sent out via priority mail with signature service for verification purposes and will be emailed where emails are known for tribal representatives. TDA will attend any AB 52 consultation meetings at the City’s requires with any tribes requesting a meeting to consult. • Deliverable: AB 52 consultation letters via priority mail and email to area Tribes. TASK 3: DEVELOP AND COMPILE THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION TDA will develop a comprehensive project description that will be utilized to forecast the potential environmental impacts of the project. The project description will include a detailed summary of the overall project and its potential effects on the environment. Construction and operation scenarios will be compiled in coordination with the Applicant/Developer for this specific project to allow detailed impact forecasts. Once the project description is completed, a draft will be forwarded to City staff for review and comment. The end product of this effort will be a detailed project description that will be utilized by TDA in the environmental process to forecast environmental effects of implementing the Project. • Deliverable: Draft Project Description and associated Figures (electronic copy) TASK 4: TECHNICAL ANALYSES AND MODELING Task 34: Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) – TDA will oversee preparation technical analyses to evaluate potential air quality & GHG emissions impacts associated with the proposed project that would meet CEQA requirements. These technical analyses will be prepared by Urban Crossroads. Model data will be compiled for the following project activities: construction, operation, local significance thresholds, health & GHG. Task 4B: Cultural Resources Report – TDA will oversee preparation of a technical analysis to evaluate potential impacts the cultural and paleontological resources. CRM TECH staff are extremely adept at preparing cultural resources reports, and have conducted several studies for similar projects. CRM TECH will conduct a field study of the project area, as well as a records search of the footprint to ultimately compile a Historical/Archaeological Resources Survey Report that will meet CEQA requirements. Task 4C: Biological Resources Assessment– TDA will oversee preparation of a technical analysis to evaluate potential impacts to biological resources that may occur near or within the project footprint. 12 ELMT biologists will determine the appropriate treatment of any potential species that may exist within the footprint. TDA assumes that a jurisdictional delineation may be need based on a review of the topography and vegetation and drainage features found at the project site. This proposal addresses preparation of a Preliminary Jurisdictional Delineation in the event that any features must be documented or cannot be avoided. This does not include conducting any individual focused species surveys. If necessary due to potential site constraints, additional surveys will be at an additional cost at the recommendation of the biologist. • Deliverable: Electronic copies of the above technical studies. TASK 5: DRAFT IS/MND The draft IS/MND will follow the CEQA Guidelines Appendix G Initial Study format and will clearly identify and address all potential issues facing the proposed project. It will be clearly written and will avoid the use of technical jargon, to the extent possible, so that the document is easily understood, whist meeting all of the requirements set forth in CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines. The completed draft IS/MND will be submitted to the Applicant/Developer for initial review and comment, and then to the City. We assume two rounds of review of the draft IS/MND. Modification to the scope of work, budget, and time frame may be necessary if additional reviews are required. • Deliverable: Electronic copy of the Draft IS/MND and associated figures and technical studies. TASK 6: PUBLIC/FINAL DRAFT IS/MND TDA will edit the IS/MND upon receipt of the comments from the City. Upon approval of the IS/MND as the public draft version, we will also aid the City to prepare a Notice of Intent (NOI)/Notice of Availability. TDA will produce and distribute the public draft IS/MND and NOI to responsible agencies, trustee agencies, and other special interest groups and individuals and work with the City to draft a list of the appropriate agencies to send the Notice of Intent/Availability to. TDA file the NOI with the Los Angeles County Clerk-Recorder and a Notice of Completion and Document Summary Form, in addition to the Draft IS/MND and technical studies thereof with the State Clearinghouse. TDA will draft a Notice of Availability (NOA), which will provide notice to the public pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15072(b) and will post the NOA with the newspaper if local circulation. If this is to be the LA Times, the NOA posting cost will be quite high and this task has assumed this posting cost as part of our proposal. Task 6A: Accessibility Compliance – TDA is aware that Accessibility Compliance is necessary to submit documents to the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI formerly Office of Planning and Research). TDA will work with the City to determine whether this is something they will undertake or that will be required of TDA. Note that TDA has researched a number of options for Accessibility compliance, and it would appear that outsourcing the documents to experts in this field is the most cost effective approach for meeting this requirement. TDA is presently working from an assumption that the cost per page to make a document accessible (including all technical studies) is an average of 5 dollars per page, with a potential for upwards of 6 dollars per page due to the complexity of the documents we produce (primarily the number of tables used). TDA would expect to utilize Allyant for this project. Accessibility PDF remediation would be assessed at an additional cost. • Deliverable: Draft Notice of Availability and Distribution List, Filed Notice of Intent with the 13 County, email copies of the Notice of Availability to any party on the Distribution List (up to 20 mailers of the Notice of Availability to any party on the Distribution List, Publication of the Notice of Availability in a newspaper of Local Circulation pursuant to CEQA, Public Review Initial Study (5 hard copies and 1 digital copy). TASK 7: RESPONSE TO COMMENTS & TASK 8: MMRP Task 7 – If any comments are received during the 30-day IS/MND public review period, TDA will work with the City to address comments. Responses can be handled through a memorandum to be provided in the staff report to the Planning Commission and/or City Council. TDA assumes that no more than 20 discreet comments will be made on the project (more than one comment can be included in one comment letter), and if greater comments on received, our scope of work may need to be amended. Task 8 – TDA will prepare an MMRP based on mitigation measures identified in the IS/MND and pursuant to Section 21081.6 of the CEQA Public Resources Code. The MMRP will be submitted to the City staff for review and approval in conjunction with submittal of the Response to Comments (Task 7). • Deliverable: Electronic copy of the MMRP and Responses to Comments. TASK 9: PREPARATION AND DELIVERY OF FINAL CEQA PACKAGE TDA will compile the Final CEQA package prior to the Public Hearing. The Final package would include the Final IS/MND, Responses to Comments, MMRP, & Technical Appendices. • Deliverable: Electronic copy of the Final CEQA Package TASK 10: MEETINGS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS Tom Dodson and/or Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton will attend the initial kick-off meeting (Task 1). They will be available for up to two additional meetings with Staff to discuss work program and progress, resolve issues, review comments on administrative documents and/or receive any necessary direction from City staff. TDA will also attend the City Planning Commission and/or City Council Public Hearings. Approximately three hours for each public hearing, and one-to-two hours for project status meetings—the hours noted include preparation, drive (where applicable), and attendance time. This task may be used for conference calls, in-person meetings, or public hearings. TASK 11: PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION Tom Dodson and Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton will coordinate closely with the City to ensure that the IS/MND and associated technical documents delivered to the City are legally defensible, accurate, and useful to decision makers when considering approval of the project. The project management task is based on the duration of the estimated schedule, which is presented below under Proposed Schedule. We assume about five hours per month for up to six months. If the schedule or the project is extended for reasons beyond TDA’s control, a contract amendment may be required for additional fees for project management and coordination efforts. TASK 12: NOTICE OF DETERMINATION TDA assumes that the City will prepare the NOD for the project and will file it with the Loa Angeles County Clerk-Recorder & State Clearinghouse within five days of project approval by the City. This task assumes that TDA will pay the NOD filing fee. This task includes the time expended to draft the NOD and file the NOD, in addition to the filing fee cost. 14 • Deliverable: Electronic Copy of the NOD filed with the County SCHEDULE Day 1: Authorization to proceed Day 20: Draft project description submitted for review Day 30: AB 52 consultation initiated Day 50-85: Technical studies delivered Day 90: Draft IS/MND delivered for internal review Day 100: IS/MND comments received Day 110: IS/MND published and 30-day review initiated Day 140: Close of comment period Day 150: Draft Final IS/MND package submitted for review Day 160: Final IS/MND submitted TDA anticipates that CEQA compliance for this project will require about 5-to-6 months. District Board Adoption can occur at any time after Day 160. This schedule is tentative, and the duration may be less than or greater than the above amount. BUDGET Tasks Task Description Initial Study Task 1 Kick-Off Meeting $600 Task 2 AB 52 Consultation $2,000 Task 3 Project Description $3,000 Task 4 Technical Studies Task 4A Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Combined $6,000 Task 4B Cultural Resources Report $7,500 Task 4C Biological Resources Report and Preliminary Jurisdictional Delineation $10,000 Task 5 Draft IS/MND $12,000 Task 6 Public/Final Draft IS/MND $2,000 ODCs Newspaper Posting and Travel to LA County $3,000 Task 6A (Optional) Accessibility Compliance (up to 500 pages) ($3,000) Task 7 & 8 Responses to Comments and MMRP $2,500 Task 9 Delivery of Final CEQA Package $1,500 Task 10 Meetings and Public Hearings $2,250 ODCs Travel to City $250 Task 11 Project Management and Administration $2,000 Task 12 Notice of Determination for IS/MND $4,300 ODCs Travel to LA County $100 Total CEQA Fee $59,000 Total with Task 6A $62,000 15 The fee for the CEQA Scopes of Work without optional tasks is $59,000, and this is considered the “not to exceed” amount of this proposal unless changes in the scope, such as adding in optional tasks, occur after the acceptance of this proposal. ACCEPTANCE OF CONDITIONS The conditions presented in the RFP are acceptable to TDA and we have no exceptions to the contract proposed. Thank you for your consideration.