7 21-0680 Subject: Professional Services Agreement For General Plan Update
From: Planning And Building Department
Recommendation: Adopt The Following Pieces Of Legislation:
A Resolution:
(1) Accepting And Appropriating A Priority Development Area (PDA) Grant From The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) In The Amount Of One Million Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,600,000) To Provide Funding For Services Related To The General Plan Update, Associated Zoning Code And Map Amendments, Community Engagement, And California Environmental Quality Act Assessment; And
(2) Accepting And Appropriating A Regional Early Action Plan (REAP) Grant From The Association Of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) In The Amount Of Two Hundred Eighty-One Thousand Six Hundred Nine Dollars ($281,609) To Provide Funding For Services Related To The General Plan Update, Associated Zoning Code And Map Amendments, Community Engagement, And California Environmental Quality Act Assessment; And
(3) Awarding A Professional Services Agreement To Dyett & Bhatia, Urban And Regional Planners, Inc In An Amount Not-To-Exceed Five Million Seven Hundred Nineteen Thousand Four Hundred Two Dollars ($5,719,402), Including Five Hundred Nineteen Thousand Nine Hundred Forty-Six Dollars ($519,946) Reserved As Contingency, To Provide Technical Consultant Services Related To The General Plan Update, Associated Zoning Code And Map Amendments, Community Engagement, And California Environmental Quality Act Assessment, For A Term Of Six (6) Years; And
(4) Appropriating Funds From The Development Services Fund (2415) Fund Balance In The Amount Of Two Million Three Hundred Forty-Seven Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Dollars And Eighty-Four Cents ($2,347,890.84) To Provide Funding For Services Related To The General Plan Update, Associated Zoning Code And Map Amendments, Community Engagement, And California Environmental Quality Act Assessment; And
Dear Councilmembers,
I’m writing on behalf of Sustainable Economies Law Center, a member of The Oakland People’s Plan, a coalition of 35 Oakland grassroots groups working to support the people of Oakland to participate as much as possible in city planning.
The Law Center is concerned about the proposal to award these contracts, because:
1. There has been no transparency about the use of the $8.4M, even though transparency is a guiding principle of the General Plan Update. The use of the funds determines a lot about how the next 4 years of planning will unfold, and the public deserves to see and comment on what is proposed.
2. The allocation of funds shows that community organizations will be marginalized in this process. Page 3 of Attachment A shows that around 70% of the $5.7M will be paid to the for-profit planning firm, Dyett & Bhatia. This means the vast majority of the work, thinking, and writing about the future of our city will be done by a narrow group of professional planners, not by community orgs and community members. The City declined proposals from Smith Group and The Oakland People’s Plan, which would have engaged and spread our city’s planning funds across many and diverse community groups and BIPOC-led planning firms, some of which are founded by born-and-raised Oaklanders. Meanwhile, we know of grassroots orgs who have been asked to sub-contract or participate in the plan process for very little or no compensation.
Thank you,
Janelle
Dear Councilmembers,
I’m writing on behalf of Sustainable Economies Law Center, a member of The Oakland People’s Plan, a coalition of 35 Oakland grassroots groups working to support the people of Oakland to participate as much as possible in city planning.
The Law Center is concerned about the proposal to award these contracts, because:
1. There has been no transparency about the use of the $8.4M, even though transparency is a guiding principle of the General Plan Update. The use of the funds determines a lot about how the next 4 years of planning will unfold, and the public deserves to see and comment on what is proposed.
2. The allocation of funds shows that community organizations will be marginalized in this process. Page 3 of Attachment A shows that around 70% of the $5.7M will be paid to the for-profit planning firm, Dyett & Bhatia. This means the vast majority of the work, thinking, and writing about the future of our city will be done by a narrow group of professional planners, not by community orgs and community members. The City declined proposals from Smith Group and The Oakland People’s Plan, which would have engaged and spread our city’s planning funds across many and diverse community groups and BIPOC-led planning firms, some of which are founded by born-and-raised Oaklanders. Meanwhile, we know of grassroots orgs who have been asked to sub-contract or participate in the plan process for very little or no compensation.
Thank you,
Janelle
Testing this comment section.
6 year funding should be based on performance.