HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/20/2000, C5 - RFP REQUESTING CONSULTANT FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH THE COPELAND'S DOWNTOWN PROJECT. council
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CITY O F SAN LUIS O B I S P O
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FROM: Arnold B. Jonas, Community Development Director;
By: Ronald Whisenand, Development Review Manage
SUBJECT: RFP REQUESTING CONSULTANT FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES
IN CONNECTION WITH THE COPELAND'S DOWNTOWN PROJECT.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
A. Approve the workscope for cultural resource services in connection with the Copeland's
Downtown Project and authorize staff to proceed with sending out Request for Proposal
(RFP)documents to qualified consulting firms.
B. Authorize the CAO to award the contract to a qualified consulting firm, contingent upon
the developer depositing with the City the amount of the contract plus 30%.
DISCUSSION:
Situation
On September 20, 1999, the City Council endorsed a proposal by the Copeland family to
redevelop two significant tracts of land in the downtown. The concept, commonly referred to as
the Paha Street/Court Street development, received strong community and Council support. The
Council further directed staff to make this the highest priority development project in the City.
Both project sites have a high likelihood of uncovering significant archaeological resources. Due
to the length of time associated with a thorough archaeological investigation, including possible
recovery of sensitive archaeological resources prior to project excavation, it is imperative that
this study begins as soon.as possible.
Background
Since last September's Council action, staff has worked diligently in negotiations with the
Copelands on the scope of the project and property transfers/values. At present, the project
contains two components. The first,referred to as the Court Street project, involves the removal
of surface parking and replacement with a mixed-use commercial development. The second
component is referred to as the Palm Street project, and includes a mix of public parking, office
space,retail space, entertainment uses, and residential units.
Excavation at the Court Street site has the potential to unearth building features or archaeological
artifacts associated with La Casa Grande, the original County courthouse, as well as the Obispo
Theatre that burned in the 1970s. Excavation at the Chinatown site has a high likelihood of
encountering significant archaeological artifacts associated with mission era Chumash culture,
the Chinese culture, and Euro-American culture.
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Council Agenda Report—Palm Street/Court Street Archaeological Services
Page 2
In order to identify the presence and extent of these resources, and establish a possible resource
recovery program, the services of a qualified archaeologist and a historical consultant will be
needed. The study will become a key component in the project's environmental or CEQA
analysis that is expected to begin once a formal project application is submitted. However, due
to the time involved in an extensive archaeological analysis and recovery program, it is
imperative that work begin as soon as possible.
Although the applicant is not ready to make a formal application for the project at this time, they
have formally requested that the City begin work on the archaeological study(attached). As with
any special consultant study preformed with a development project, the applicant will need to
pay for the study and a 30% administrative processing fee. Once a consultant is selected, and
funds to cover the cost of the work are deposited with the City, research and sampling work can
begin.
Schedule for Guidelines Update
With City Council endorsement of the RFP and workscope on June 20` , RFPs would be sent out to
qualified consultants on June 26`b. In order to keep the Copelands project on schedule, the contract
would specify that the research, field sampling, analysis, and mitigation plan be prepared within 90
days after execution of the contract. This plan will provide staff,the Council,and the applicant with
the scope of impacts on archaeological resources and establish procedures on resources that need
recovery prior to the start of construction. The plan will also allow the project to proceed through
the environmental review process.
CHC Review
The draft RFP and workscope were presented to the CHC on May 22"d for input. The CHC is
very interested in the archaeological impacts of the project and endorsed the scope of work with
some changes. The CHC has also recommended that one of their members participate in the
consultant interview and selection process.
CONCURRENCES
As relevant, other City Departments may become involved in reviewing the archaeological study
once it is finished.
FISCAL UVIPACT
As noted above, the project applicant will pay all of the costs for the consultant services. In
addition consistent with City policy, a 30% fee to administer the contract and consultant work
effort will be required. Therefore, the project will have no direct fiscal impact. However at the
current level of staffing in the Community Development Department, work on the above project,
including the management of this consultant services contract, will be slowed by the heavy
permit load that the department is currently experiencing. If the Council goal of consjtt#nflie
Council Agenda Report—Palm Street/Court Street Archaeological Services
Page 3
Copeland's project as the City's number one priority, and significant delay to other private
development proposals is to be avoided, additional staff resources on at, least a part time basis
will be needed. This need will be addressed as part of the current negotiation process with the
applicant,and results will be presented to the Council at a future meeting.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Continue consideration of the workscope and RFP with direction to staff on necessary
changes.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 —Scope of Work
Attachment 2—Proposers List
Available in Council Reading File—Entire Draft RFP
l:\Copelands Archaeological Services RFP Council ReporLdoc
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Section A ATTACHMENT i
DESCRIPTION OF WORK
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Project Description
An application has been filed to develop a downtown mixed-use project involving two separate
components. The first development, which is referred to as the Court Street area, involves the removal
of a City owned surface parking lot located between Monterey Street, Osos Street, Higuera Street and
Court Street,and developing a three story retail/office complex with interior courtyards and promenades.
Retail will generally be located at the ground level with second and third floor office space. Ground
level and rooftop restaurants may be proposed. This first component will contain approximately 46,000
square feet of retail, 11,000 square feet of office and 5,000 square feet of restaurant space.
The second component, which is referred to as the Palm Street area, involves the consolidation of a
series of private and public parcels generally lying between Palm Street and Monterey Street, the
City/County Library and the easterly edge of the Palm Theatre and Pier 1 Imports. The project involves
the removal of private and public surface parking and the removal of existing City and private
commercial structures. The Palm Street area will include a subterranean public parking structure with
above ground retail,restaurant, residential, theater and office (including possible civic office) uses. The
development will also include a series of multi-level courtyards, plazas, and pedestrian and vehicular
access corridors connecting the interior of the development to the surrounding streets. This component
will contain approximately 9,000 square feet of restaurant, 30,000 square feet of office, and 46,000 of
retail and theatre space, and will include approximately 22 residential living units above the ground floor
commercial space.
The proposed project has the potential to adversely affect archaeological and historical resources two
ways:
A. Removal, demolition, relocation or alteration of cultural resources. The project will involve
considerable grading and excavation in areas believed to contain significant subsurface cultural
resources. Pursuant to the City's Archaeological Resource Preservation Guidelines, this will likely
require a Phase 3 data recovery to preserve significant artifacts. In addition,new constriction is likely to
adversely affect on-site and adjacent historic resources requiring demolition or structural modifications
to accommodate the project.
B. Alteration of the resource's setting or immediate surroundings, such that the significance
of a historical resource is materially impaired (CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5). This includes
the construction of buildings that, due to their location, design, or scale, alter views of the resource, its
historic relationship to nearby properties, or other characteristics of the historic building, cultural
resource or use.
A site plan is included in Section J. The project is described in greater detail in application materials
submitted by the applicant,available for public review in the Community Development Department.
Settine
San Luis Obispo has a rich cultural heritage which is marked by prehistoric use of the area by native
Americans, early settlements of the Mission period, early American settlements, and the "modern" era
from 1900 on. From its inception as a mission settlement in 1772, the commercial and civic life of San
Luis Obispo evolved along the streets adjacent to the Old Mission. Today, the principal business district
covers roughly the same area it did in the late 19th century, occupying both sides of Monterey, Higuera,
and Marsh Streets between Santa Rosa and Nipomo Streets. Here is located the City's largest
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concentration of pre-1900, multi-storied commercial, residential and public buildings, offering visible
proof of the significance and central role of Downtown over time. Due to the high concentration of
cultural resources — including both archaeological sites and historic buildings — the City has designated
downtown San Luis Obispo as a Historical District.
Archaeological Resources
Downtown San Luis Obispo is the center of a rich archaeological tapestry, containing artifacts
representative of the town's multi-cultural heritage, indicative of three distinct components of the City's
history: the Mission era Chumash culture, the Chinese culture, and Euro-American culture (Conway,
1995). Archaeological excavations and construction projects have unearthed an usually rich collection of
pre-historic and historic artifacts considered to qualify as significant under the California Environmental
Quality Act(CEQA) Section 15064.5. Although limited in geographic area, the abundance and diversity
of past excavations suggest that the probability of encountering additional cultural materials during
project grading and construction is high.
Besides the remaining historic resources, several other archaeologically or historically significant
buildings or sites are believed to have existed in the area. Next to the Mission, extending north and east
past Chorro Street is believed to be the location of a cemetery for Native Americans. La Casa Grande,
the original County courthouse was located on Court Street, as was the ornate Obispo Theatre that
burned in the 1970s. Chinese culture in San Luis Obispo was concentrated along both sides of Palm
Street between Chorro and Morro Streets,within the boundaries of the project site.
Past City projects in the vicinity of the Palm Street project (i.e. development of a surface parking lot at
the southwest comer of Palm and Morro Streets and the Palm Street parldng structure on the northeast
side of Palm Street across from the proposed development) have identified the presence of
archaeological resources. A records search has also identified five archaeological sites that are known to
exist within a half mile, including the Mission, the present location of the Pacific Bell Telephone
Building on 872 Morro Street, which contained four burials potentially from the Mission Period, and the
Murray Adobe.
In 1986 a significant archeological discovery was made during the excavation for the Palm Street
Parldng Garage. The site is located at the'old center of Clinatown, on Palm Street, across from the
Chinatown component of the proposed project Findings on the site included a late Mission Period
structure with its foundation and walls intact, and evidence of Chinese occupation 25 to 175 centimeters
below the surface. Native American artifacts,probably from the Mission Period, were also discovered at
the site. More recently (1997), the City prepared an Archaeological Resource Inventory and Subsurface
Archaeological Resource Evaluation prior to development of the present surface parking lot at the corner
of Morro and Palm Street. Field excavations produced an extensive amount of cultural materials that
were cataloged. Similar resources are anticipated to exist on the proposed Chinatown site.
Historical Resources
The proposed project is located within the Downtown and Chinatown Historic Districts, near or next to
several of the City's most historically and architecturally significant buildings. These include: Mission
San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Murray Adobe, Carnegie Library, Ah Louis Store, Muzio's Store,
Sauer/Adams Adobe, Sauer Bakery, Universal Auto Parts Building, J.P. Andrews Building, Fremont
Theatre, Sperry-Laird Building, and the Anderson Hotel. Several of the listed structures have been
determined to be eligible or "potentially eligible" for the National Register of Historic Places. A map
showing the location of the Downtown and Chinatown Historic Districts and their historic resources is
included in Section J. In addition, several adjacent buildings and a neon sign, although not on the City's
Master List of Historic Resources, may otherwise qualify as "significant" under CEQA due to their age,
design or historical association with Chinatown or the Old Mission. These include, but are not limited
to,buildings located at 861 Palm Street and 978/980 Chorro Street,and the historic Shanghai Low"Chop
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Suey"roof sign at 861 Palm Street.
Scope of Work
Base Proposal:
A. A qualified Historical consultant will be retained to identify significant historic resources within
the project area, evaluate project effects on those historic resources, and recommend appropriate
measures to mitigate adverse impacts, consistent with CEQA, the City's General Plan and the Historic
Preservation Program Guidelines.
B. A qualified archeologist will conduct an Archaeological Resource Inventory and Subsurface
Archaeological Resource Evaluation, and prepare an Archaeological Resources Impact Mitigation Plan
that discusses the significance of the resources and describes steps necessary to protect the resource,
including resource recovery, monitoring, curation and public display/interpretation of the significant
resources,pursuant to the City's Archaeological Resource Preservation Guidelines.
C. The results of the inventory, testing and resource recovery programs will be documented and
submitted to the City in a final archaeological report, and appropriate documentation prepared and
submitted to the Regional Information Center for recording,pursuant to the Guidelines.
D. The consultants will be responsible for planning, administering and performing all cultural
preservation work, including providing site security, sorting, identifying, storing, and arranging for all
important cultural materials removed the site to be curated at a qualified institution, to the City's
Community Development Director's approval. Cost of security, materials storage and if necessary,
transportation, shall be included in the base bid,but not curation fees.
Alternate Proposal:
E. The scope of work shall include, as a proposal alternate, conducting an Archaeological Data
Recovery Excavation (ADRE) if determined necessary by the City to protect cultural resources. Native
American coordination should be arranged for possible recovery of human remains during project
excavation. The archaeologist shall provide public interpretive services for resource excavations,
including, but not limited to: interpretive signage, limited public and special groups access and
opportunities for community/student/university volunteer training and involvement. The archaeological
team shall use the"Harris Matrix"for resource recovery, or equal. The proposal alternate should assume
that data recovery will be conducted on 15 percent of the developable project area. Depending upon the
results of the Phase H investigation, data recovery may ultimately comprise a larger area than the 15
percent bid basis. The consultant should include costs for additional data recovery work using both an
hourly or area basis.
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ATTACHMENT 2
PROPOSERS LIST
(Specialization Key: P-Prehistoric;H-Historic;M- Site Monitor)
Clay A.Singer(P,H) James and Mary Maniery(P,H)
C.A. Singer and Associates PAR Environmental Services,Inc.
1071 Main Street, Suite 99 1906 21st Street
Cambria,CA 93428-2821 Sacramento,CA 95816
805 927-0455 916 739-8356
Roberta Greenwood(P,H) Nancy Ferrell,CRMS(P,H)
Greenwood and Associates 813 Paso Robles Street
725 Jacon Way Paso Robles,CA 93446
Pacific Palisades,CA 90272 (805)237-3838
310 454-3091
Thor Conway(P,H) Robert O.Gibson(P)
Heritage Discoveries Inc. P.O.Box 102
763B Foothill Blvd.,Suite#108 Paso Robles,CA 93447-0102
San Luis Obispo,CA 93405 (805)238-7029(fax)
805 545-0724
Bertrando and Bertrando(P,H) Mark Vigil(M)
Research Consultants 515 S.Ehn
267 Foothill Blvd. Arroyo Grande,CA 93420-3709
San Luis Obispo,CA 93405 (805)48 1-2461
805 5441308
Dr.John Parker(Pjp Paul Chace&Associates(P,H)
P.O.Box 462 1823 Kenora Drive
Cayucos,CA 93430 Escondido,CA 92027
805 772-0117 619 743-8609
Vance G.Bente(H) Far Western Anthropological Research Group(P)
21 Lovell Avenue P.O.Box 413
Mill Valley,CA 94941 Davis,CA 95617
415 388-1072 fax 916 756-3941
Julia G.Costello(H) Anthropological Studies Center
Foothill Resources,Ltd. Sonoma State University
P.O.Box 288 Building 29
Mokelumne Hill,CA 95245 1801 E.Cotati Avenue
(209)286-1182 Rohnert Park,CA 94928-3609
707 6642381
Douglas Wood&Assoc.(PH) Judy Triem(H)
124 Highland Drive San Buenaventura Research Associates
San Luis Obispo,CA 93405 1328 Woodland Drive
805 544-1680 Santa Paula,CA 93060
Carole A.Denardo(PH) Larry Garnica(P,M)
Applied Earthworks Hutash Consultants
515 E.Ocean,Suite G 604 4.Ocean Avenue,Suite B
Lompoc,CA 93436-4121 Lompoc,CA 93436
805 737-4119 805 899-0062
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