To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: MARC WIENER, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
TITLE
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APPROVE A NINTH AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH PLACEWORKS, INC. FOR CONSULTING SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE FOR AN ADDITIONAL COST OF $49,100 TO BE PAID FOR BY GENERAL PLAN MAINTENANCE FUNDS FOR A NEW TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $2,556,956 AND TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT THROUGH MARCH 31, 2027
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In October 2016, the City Council approved an Agreement for Consulting Services with PlaceWorks, Inc. (PlaceWorks) to update the Redondo Beach General Plan. Following the adoption of the Eighth Amendment on June 16, 2026, additional consulting and technical services were required to support Article XXVII traffic and land use modeling to incorporate revisions from the May 2026 Housing Element update.
Additional work also includes preparing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Addenda for the staggered adoption of General Plan elements, completing regulatory and technical updates to the draft Safety Element (addressing State mandates such as AB 2684 extreme heat requirements), revising the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance (Inland and Coastal) to address City Council direction concerning Public/Institutional (PI), Park (P), and Open Space (OS) designations post-adoption, providing ongoing project management through element adoption, and establishing a specialized contingency for future unanticipated updates.
The cost of the additional services outlined in the Ninth Amendment is $49,100 and will be funded by the City's General Plan Maintenance Fund. With approval of the Ninth Amendment, the total contract amount will increase from $2,507,856 to an amount not to exceed $2,556,956. In addition, the term of the Agreement will be extended through March 31, 2027, with an option for an automatic six-month extension through September 30, 2027.
BACKGROUND
On October 4, 2016, the City originally retained PlaceWorks to comprehensively update the Redondo Beach General Plan and prepare the associated Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Subsequent amendments (First through Seventh) adjusted scopes of work, extended performance timelines, and addressed the statutory deadlines necessitating the bifurcation of the Housing Element from the remaining General Plan elements.
Most recently, on June 16, 2026, the City Council approved the Eighth Amendment to the Agreement (adding $48,010 for a total contract cap of $2,507,856) to perform expanded Article XXVII traffic and land use modeling associated with Public/Institutional properties, initiate Senate Bill (SB) 18 tribal consultation, and begin consistency updates.
Because the City Council is proceeding with adopting the General Plan Update in multiple actions, additional environmental review, technical analyses, and document synchronization are required. Specifically, the Article XXVII Traffic Analysis originally initiated in January 2026 had to be further updated to account for the Housing Element sites certified in May 2026. Additionally, because the Safety, Noise, and Open Space and Conservation Elements are advancing separately from the Land Use Element, individual CEQA Addenda and corresponding zoning consistency amendments are necessary.
AMENDMENT NINE TASKS/COSTS
The proposed Ninth Amendment adds the following tasks and costs to the PlaceWorks Agreement:
Task 17: Article XXVII Fehr & Peers Traffic Modeling/Analysis - $22,000
Fehr & Peers will prepare updated traffic analyses to incorporate the May 2026 Housing Element sites into the Current Plan analysis. Because Article XXVII analysis commenced in January 2026 prior to the May 2026 Housing Element certification, this task updates the baseline traffic modeling to reflect post-January changes.
Task 17: Article XXVII PlaceWorks Land Use Modeling/Analysis - $6,500
PlaceWorks will update the Article XXVII land use analysis to incorporate the May 2026 Housing Element site revisions, aligning land use data directly with the updated Fehr & Peers traffic modeling.
Task 8.10: CEQA Addendum for Land Use Changes (August 4 CC Meeting) - $1,700
PlaceWorks will prepare a CEQA Addendum covering land use changes considered at the August 4, 2026 City Council meeting.
New Task 8.11: CEQA Addendum for Safety, Open Space, and Noise Updates - $2,000
PlaceWorks will prepare CEQA Addenda to support the Safety, Open Space, and Noise Elements, which are scheduled to be adopted separately from the Land Use Element.
New Task 4.8: General Plan & Zoning Changes After Adoption - $2,500
Consultant will draft technical revisions to the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Coastal Zone Zoning Ordinance as needed for consistency to reflect final Council actions regarding Public/Institutional (PI), Park (P), and Open Space (OS) designations.
Task 11.1: Safety Element Updates - $2,400
Updating the regulatory framework and draft text of the Safety Element to address evacuation planning under Gov. Code § 65302.15, incorporation of the current LHMP, emergency preparedness (consolidation to one EOC at the Main Library), updated CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone designations, hazardous materials and CUPA oversight, DWR snowpack drought data, extreme heat as a stand-alone topic pursuant to AB 2684, and the 2024 Ocean Protection Council Sea Level Rise Guidance.
Task 10.2: Project Management - $7,500
Covers essential interdepartmental coordination, bi-weekly progress calls, and meetings with City staff through element adoption, including $4,470 for work performed while contract funding was on hold.
New Task: Contingency - $4,500
Provides specialized contingency funds to address unanticipated refinements to the Noise and Open Space Elements or conforming Zoning Ordinance amendments before or after adoption. Expenditure of these funds requires prior written authorization from City staff.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the proposed Ninth Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, Inc. to add $49,100 to the total not-to-exceed contract amount, raising it to $2,556,956, and to extend the term of the Agreement through March 31, 2027 (with an option for an automatic six-month extension through September 30, 2027).
COORDINATION
The proposed amendment was reviewed and approved by the City Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
The net cost of the additional services outlined in the Ninth Amendment is $49,100 and is funded by the City’s General Plan Maintenance Fund. With approval of the Ninth Amendment, the total cost of the Agreement increases from $2,507,856 to $2,556,956.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Agmt - Ninth Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks
• Agmt - Eighth Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, June 16, 2026
• Agmt - Seventh Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, March 18, 2025
• Agmt - Sixth Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, March 12, 2024
• Agmt - Fifth Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, February 21, 2023
• Agmt - Fourth Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, October 4, 2022
• Agmt - Third Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, March 17, 2020
• Agmt - Second Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, April 16, 2019
• Agmt - First Amendment to the Agreement with PlaceWorks, December 19, 2017
• Agmt - Original Agreement with PlaceWorks, October 4, 2016
• Insurance - PlaceWorks