HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-17; Carlsbad Blvd and Tamarack Ave Pedestrian Improvements (District 1); Gomez, PazCouncil Memo -Carlsbad Blvd and Tamarack Ave Pedestrian Improvements (District 1)
March 17, 2022
Page 2
Commission, now known as the Traffic and Mobility Commission. Staff incorporated feedback
from these engagements to develop and refine design options for the intersection
improvements and associated technical studies.
During the preliminary engineering and assessment phase of the project, topographic and site
surveys revealed property line ambiguities in the right-of-way between the city and the
California Department of Parks and Recreation, or State Parks, property. Staff have been in an
ongoing coordination with the State Parks since early 2018 to address the long-term
maintenance and liability issues associated with the project.
City staff have also presented the State Parks staff with a draft reimbursement agreement that
would reimburse the State Parks for their staff's plan review and construction inspection
expenses related to the project. The draft reimbursement agreement was submitted to the
State Parks staff in fall 2021 for their plan check and construction inspection expenses. The city
has not yet received any comments from the State Parks on the draft reimbursement
agreement which has resulted in delays to the previous project schedule.
The city has worked with the State Parks to receive concurrence on conceptual intersection
control designs since portions of the project are located within the State Parks' right-of-way.
Three alternatives were presented to the State Parks for consideration, and additional
evaluation was prepared to address their comments. In 2021, city staff received a concurrence
letter from the State Parks staff on the project's conceptual designs.
Once city staff received the concurrence letter on the conceptual design options from the State
Parks, staff advertised a request for qualifications in summer 2021 to provide engineering and
environmental services for the project. The first-ranked firm that staff selected to perform
these design services had previously worked on the project in the grant writing and preliminary
design context. Accordingly, staff consulted with the California Fair Political Practices
Commission, or FPPC, to determine whether a Government Code section 1090 conflict of
interest existed with the first-ranked firm due to their previous work on the project.
Based on feedback received from the FPPC, staff determined that the first-ranked firm had a
conflict of interest based on their previous project work. Consequently, the city's selection
panel completed negotiations with the second-ranked firm, Wood Rodgers, Inc. On
March 8, 2022, the City Council approved a professional services agreement with Wood
Rodgers, Inc. to provide engineering design and environmental services for the project.
Discussion
Due to the complexities of the project and maintenance agreement issues with the State Parks,
the project schedule has been significantly extended. Staff have coordinated with SAN DAG staff
and have requested a second 36-month grant extension for the project after the current
expiration in May 2022. The process to seek such an extension requires city staff presentations
Council Memo -Carlsbad Blvd and Tamarack Ave Pedestrian Improvements (District 1)
March 17, 2022
Page 3
at the SANDAG Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee, or ITOC, and the SAN DAG
Transportation Committee meetings.
City and SAN DAG staff presented the grant extension request to the ITOC on March 9, 2022. At
the same meeting, the ITOC recommended approval to the SAN DAG Transportation Committee
for the grant extension request. Next, staff will present the city's extension request at the
SAN DAG Transportation Committee meeting on March 18, 2022, and will request their support
for the city's grant extension request.
Next Steps
The city's consultant will evaluate the feasibility of the three intersection control options, which
will be the basis of formalizing an alternatives analysis, and one design will be selected as a final
alternative. The process will include a thorough public outreach program. Once the
intersection control alternative is determined, the project will advance to final engineering
design, processing environmental clearance and resource agency permitting.
The engineering design and environmental process will begin in April 2022 and is estimated to
be completed and a final conceptual design approved by the City Council in early 2025. The final
design is targeted for approval and authorization to solicit bids for a construction contract in
mid-2025. Staff plan to request City Council approval of the construction contract in mid-2025.
The construction is targeted to start in late 2025 and be completed by late 2026, contingent
upon coordination with the State Parks and obtaining a Coastal Development Permit.
Attachment: A. Project location map
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Mickey Williams, Police Chief
Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief
Robby Contreras, Assistant City Attorney
Tom Frank, Transportation Director/City Engineer
David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer
Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director
Jeff Murphy, Community Development Director
Kristina Ray, Communication & Engagement Director
Suzanne Smithson, Library & Cultural Arts Director
Hossein Ajideh, Engineering Manager
John Kim, City Traffic Engineer
Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager
Scott Lyle, Senior Engineer
Lauren Ferrell, Associate Engineer