January 30, 2020
FROM: WILMA QUAN, City Manager
Office of the Mayor & City Manager
BY: JANE SUMPTER, Assistant City Manager
Office of the Mayor & City Manager
COURTNEY ESPINOZA, Program Implementation Manager
Office of the Mayor & City Manager
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a Sub-Recipient Agreement with the City of Fresno Department of Public Works for Park at MLK Magnet Core totaling $5,430,466.53 pertaining to the 2017 Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant and Transform Fresno plan.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council approve a Sub-Recipient Agreement with the City of Fresno Department of Public Works for project 13 regarding Park at MLK Magnet Core Project and authorize the City Manager to execute all related documents to the administration, modification, monitoring and closeout of the Sub-Recipient Agreements for Project 13.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On February 28, 2019, the City Council unanimously voted to approve a Master Grant Agreement (MGA) with the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) for the TCC grant award with the understanding that the Sub-Recipient Agreements between the City and Partners who will be receiving funds to implement components of the Transform Fresno Plan would be brought forward for subsequent Council consideration as they meet the required SGC readiness thresholds and receive a notice to proceed from SGC. Project 13 Park at MLK Magnet Core has met the necessary thresholds and is ready to begin implementation.
BACKGROUND
The Transform Fresno Plan was created by a participatory steering committee comprised of community stakeholders from the Chinatown, Downtown and Southwest Fresno neighborhoods. On February 28, 2019, the City Council unanimously approved the MGA which binds the City and SGC with the understanding that Sub-Recipient Agreements between the City and Partners who will be receiving funds to implement components of the Transform Fresno Plan would be brought forward for subsequent Council consideration as they meet the required SGC readiness thresholds and receive a notice to proceed from SGC. The project referenced below have met those thresholds and are ready to begin implementation:
Project 13 Park at Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Magnet Core
The project will design and construct a new approximately 9.5 acre public park in the center of a planned residential development adjacent to the new West Fresno Satellite Campus, on the west side of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Church and Jensen Avenues. The TCC grant will fund the design phase, property acquisition, and park construction, which include landscaping of 100 trees, low water use plantings, a walking path, irrigation, restroom, utilities infrastructure, site furnishings, and LED lighting. The City of Fresno Department of Public Works will provide long-term operations and maintenance of the park improvements.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
A Mitigated Negative Declaration, A-17-007/R-17-010/TPM-17-06/ANX-17-005 was prepared for Plan Amendment Application No. A-17-007, Prezone Application No. R-17-010, Tentative Parcel Map Application No. TMP-2017-06 and Annexation Application No. ANX-17-005. It was adopted on August 24, 2017. The MND assessed a plan amendment, rezone, tentative parcel map, and annexation for approximately 115.95 acres located on the northwest corner of East Jensen and South Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The project as a whole included establishment of a park approximately 9.5 acres in size This approval is to implement a portion of that project, through approval of a sub recipient agreement for TCC Grant funding, which is necessary funding for design, property acquisition, and construction of the park contemplated for Plan Amendment Application No. A-17-007, Prezone Application No. R-17-010, Tentative Parcel Map Application No. TMP-2017-06 and Annexation Application No. ANX-17-005 (the “Prior Approvals”).
An analysis has been performed pursuant CEQA Guidelines §15162 to determine whether subsequent environmental review is required for approval of the sub recipient agreement. Based upon this analysis the following findings are made to support the determination that no subsequent environmental review is required:
1. No substantial changes are proposed in the project which will require major revisions of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects. In this case, the park is still proposed to be located within the existing boundary of the Prior Approvals and is substantially the same size as discussed in the prior MND.
2. No substantial changes have occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the project was undertaken which will require major revisions of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects.
3. There is no new information, which was not known and could not have been known at the time of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration showing that:
a. The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration;
b. Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration;
c. Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found to be not feasible are now feasible and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects of the project.
Based upon these findings, it has been determined that no further environmental documentation is required for this approval.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered based upon conditions of state funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the General Fund. Funding for Transform Fresno Plan projects will be distributed on a reimbursement basis.
Attachments:
1. Sub-recipient Agreement with City of Fresno Department of Public Works for Project 13
2. Sub-Recipient Agreement Status Summary