COUNCIL MEETING:  February 13, 1996    Santa Monica, California

TO:  Mayor and City Council

FROM:     City Staff

SUBJECT:  Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to
          Negotiate and Execute a Contract with Cotton/Beland/
          Associates for Preparation of an Environmental Impact
          Report (EIR) for the Expansion of the Sunset Park
          Preferential Parking Zone "L"

INTRODUCTION
This staff report recommends that the City Council authorize the
City Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with
Cotton/Beland/Associates in the amount of Forty-six Thousand,
Three Hundred Fifty-three ($46,353) Dollars for preparation of an
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the expansion of Sunset
Park Preferential Parking Zone "L".  
 
BACKGROUND
On August 8, 1995, the City Council directed the City Attorney to
prepare an ordinance expanding the existing Sunset Park
Preferential Parking Zone "L" to include the area bounded by 
Twenty-third Street, Ashland Avenue, Euclid Street and Ocean Park
Boulevard and directed Planning Staff to prepare the necessary
environmental documentation. Staff indicated to Council that if
an EIR was required, staff would be returning to Council for an
award of contract and the appropriation of funds estimated to be
approximately $50,000.  

The Planning and Community Development Department has determined
that an EIR is required for the proposed project.  The EIR will
examine a number of potential environmental impacts of the
proposed project including effects on Transportation/Circulation,
Public Services, and Neighborhood Effects. Once a Draft EIR is
prepared, there will be a public comment period during which time
interested persons can review and comment on the environmental
analysis.  A public hearing on the establishment of the new
preferential parking zone and the EIR will be conducted by the
City Council when the ordinance is agendized for consideration.  

A Request for Proposal was issued on October 26, 1995 and sent to
seven (7) consulting firms. Proposals were submitted by two (2)
consulting teams: Cotton/Beland/Associates with Meyer, Mohaddes
Associates as subconsultant for parking and traffic analysis and
The Keith Companies also with Meyer, Mohaddes Associates.  Staff
is recommending that Cotton/Beland/Associates be selected to
prepare the EIR in consideration of their better understanding of
the project and a lower cost proposal.  

The scope of work for the EIR will include an inventory of
available on-street parking spaces, utilization, duration and
user surveys of these parking spaces, and a utilization analysis
of the Santa Monica College Parking Shuttle system to determine
which parts of the area would be impacted by spill-over parkers
if only a portion of this area were made a preferential parking
zone. 

BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
This project was not budgeted for in this fiscal year's budget.
Therefore, an appropriation of $46,353 is required from General
Fund reserves to undertake the project. These funds should be
appropriated to account # 01-210-267-00000-5506-00000.  

RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:  

1)   Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a
     contract with Cotton/Beland/Associates for an amount not to
     exceed Forty-six Thousand, Three Hundred Fifty-three
     ($46,353) Dollars for preparation of an environmental impact
     report for the proposed expansion of the Sunset Park
     Preferential Parking Zone "L". 

2)   Appropriate $46,353 from General Fund reserves to     Account #
     01-210-267-00000-5506-00000.

Prepared by:  Suzanne Frick, Director of PCD
              Karen Ginsberg, Planning Manager
              Paul Foley, Associate Planner