TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
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Agreement with Dixon Resources Unlimited for Professional Services related to the Old Towne Smart Parking Program Development and Implementation Project.
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2. Summary
The consultant will be developing parking policy options for a sustainable parking program in Old Towne. The scope of work includes the determination of specific smart infrastructure that would be compatible with the City’s needs, how best to phase their deployment, optimal fee structures for paid parking should that be implemented, and other supplemental funding mechanisms that may be beneficial for addressing long-term parking needs. The consultant will also lead the effort to build consensus among affected business owners.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Approve the contract with Dixon Resources Unlimited in the amount of $54,040 for consulting services related to the Old Towne Smart Parking Program Development and Implementation Project; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
2. Authorize $8,100 (15%) of the contract amount for contingency purposes.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total expenditure for this agreement is $62,140, including a 15% contingency, and will be funded in the Evaluation of Smart Parking Devices For Old Towne Project (20522) through Parking In Lieu (555), expenditure account 555.5031.56100.20522.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
1. Provide for a safe community
b. provide and maintain infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
2. Be a fiscally healthy community
d. effectively manage and develop City assets.
6. Discussion and Background
Purpose and Background
As Old Towne Orange becomes more of a destination, the need and opportunity to implement parking policy changes is becoming increasingly evident. And while the recent Old Towne Parking study indicated a current overall parking surplus, the shortage of parking in central areas, desire to increase economic potential, and recent state legislation has accelerated the need to address parking in downtown.
Key takeaways from the recently completed Old Towne Parking Study (April 2023) included: an existing parking imbalance (spaces are generally only available farther from the Plaza;) future parking shortfall; high costs of constructing additional parking supply (beyond the 160+ spaces that could be constructed on Grand Street over the old Fire Station headquarters;) and a recommendation to implement smart parking technologies to address the above. Also recommended in conjunction with smart parking was considering the implementation of paid parking strategies and exploring other funding mechanisms that can finance parking infrastructure projects. Doing so can help the City more effectively manage growing parking demand and increase access to local businesses while also providing revenue for operating and capital needs.
Smart Parking Technology
Smart parking technologies can optimize the use of existing facilitates and, at the same time, facilitate revenue generation that can be reinvested into the parking infrastructure. These technologies can affect substantial change in how parking facilities are utilized and transform the dynamic of an area. Thus, they often serve as the cornerstone of many successful municipal parking programs across the country. Among other capabilities, smart parking systems can:
• provide flexibility in communicating real-time information to visitors regarding locations of available parking supply.
• simplify implementation and enforcement of paid parking, if so desired.
• allow for variable fee rates that can be set based on times of day (demand.)
• be compatible with mobile device apps so that everything is “at the fingertips”.
• significantly enhance mobility by linking to future app-based transit services, including micro transit, for all-in-one service. Potentially, one could use a single app to find a parking space, make a payment, and hail a ride to their destination.
• have phased deployments based on capital availability and/or parking demand management needs.
Consultant Scope of Work
The consultant will develop an Old Towne Smart Parking Program, providing a road map for potential parking policy changes that are built around smart parking technologies.
Because such parking programs can potentially affect many business stakeholders, some of which may have both overlapping needs and competing interests, stakeholder engagement is critical in building consensus. The consultant, with support from the City Manager’s Office and the Public Works Department, will be responsible for conducting a multi-pronged outreach effort that tailors a parking program to the merchants’ expressed needs and objectives. Among other responsibilities, the consultant will host and organize meetings, present information, obtain input, develop strategies, and build the necessary consensus.
With the stakeholders’ goals in mind, the consultant will assist the City in developing feasible options for smart parking equipment. There are many vendors and products in the marketplace, each with strengths and weaknesses, and all having different levels of compatibility with the City’s needs. From appearance to functionality, the consultant will help narrow down appropriate products and develop alternatives for phasing deployments, including determination of associated capital outlay and maintenance and operation costs.
In addition, the consultant will analyze parking rate structures, including using financial models to determine revenue generation potential, as well as corresponding impacts to parking demand and distribution. Moreover, the consultant will evaluate cooperative options/funding mechanisms for supplementing operational costs and/or subsidizing the capital costs of enhancing the public parking supply.
Lastly, the consultant will document the components of the Old Towne Smart Parking Program in a report that will be presented to the City Council.
Procurement Process
To engage the expertise of consultants who have successfully developed/implemented parking programs for other agencies, the City issued a request for proposals (RFP 23-24.09) on August 31, 2023. As of the September 28 deadline to submit, three proposals were received, two of which were responsive to the requirements of the RFP.
A three-member selection committee was assembled to evaluate the proposals based on the following criteria:
• Project Understanding
• Experience with Similar Projects
• Clarity of Proposal/Organization and Schedule
• Thoughtfulness in Addressing Requirements
• Approach
• Cost
After evaluating the responsive proposals, the committee selected Dixon Resources Unlimited. The Dixon proposal was concise and comprehensive, with the company having demonstrated success on similar projects for other California cities. In addition, Dixon’s cost proposal represents the best value to the City, and its team members have been involved in all phases of parking system planning, design, operations, and financial analysis, including public outreach. Moreover, they are recognized as industry leaders and have a track record of satisfied municipal clients.
If approved, the agreement would be for $54,050 plus a 15% contingency of $8,100, totaling $62,150.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Professional Services Agreement with Dixon Resources Unlimited