CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council approved a contract June 26 with Price Consulting Services to perform planning services for processing an expansion project proposed by Walmart in Clearlake, Calif.
Walmart is seeking to increase its existing 103,740-square-foot building by 41,645 square feet.
“Basically, it's a 40-percent increase in size,” said Gary Price of Price Consulting Services.
Walmart proposes its expansion on the north side of its existing building on Dam Road, which is adjacent to the Yuba College Clear Lake Campus.
The project includes removal of an existing loading dock and demolition of the tire and lube center. The garden center will be enlarged by about 2,900 square feet.
Numerous changes to the inside of the building are planned as are parking lot improvements including additional lighting, based on the plans.
Truck lanes are to be added the east side of the building and additional entry ways are planned. Facade and signage changes are also included in the project.
City Manager Joan Phillipe said the costs for the Price Consulting Services contract will be paid by Walmart through deposit of funds, which are required of Walmart as part of the planning process.
She said an estimate of funds will be deposited and accounted for separately with the city's costs charged to that account.
Work will stop if funds become insufficient to complete the work until an additional deposit is made, Phillipe said.
Price Consulting Services is to be compensated at a rate of $100 per hour. Monthly statements of services are to be prepared covering charges incurred for the previous month. Any rate adjustments may be made in January of each year beginning in 2015, not to exceed a 10-percent increase.
The expansion project was originally under consideration in 2009. Phillipe said it was put on hold at Walmart's request sometime in 2011 and reactivated in 2012 and again put on hold.
“In the ensuing time, the company has conducted a community survey and ultimately determined to enter into discussion with staff about the possibility of reactivating its application,” Phillipe in her report to the council.
She said there are not any significant changes in relation to reactivating the application.
According to Phillipe, Price Consulting Services reviewed the file and worked with a Walmart representative to address some prior billing and payment questions and evaluated work completed on environmental review documents.
She said as a result of that evaluation and because so much time has lapsed since the original document was completed, the contract with the consulting firm that prepared the draft documents was terminated and a request for proposal for an environmental impact report consultant was issued.
Phillipe said reactivation of the project will require significant staff time to process necessitating use of a professional planner to assist the city.
Price Consulting Services is to provide management of all city level entitlements including use permit application for completeness as well as tasks related to public review. It will be responsible for developing and monitoring planning entitlement process timeline and maintaining process momentum and any follow-up with agencies required of the city.
The firm also will be tasked with coordination of the project with city staff, including assistance with required public noticing and preparation of relevant documents including those related to environmental review.
The contract calls for Price Consulting Services providing project status reports upon request of staff at least monthly. It will review the project for compliance with related city, local, state and federal planning laws.
Price Consulting Services also will coordinate with Walmart to maintain the flow of necessary project information between the city, the public and project consultants.
It will provide performance and schedule management and project budget management, coordinate meetings between relevant entities including the public, and oversee environmental mitigation and project design work.
In addition, the firm will provide consultant management services related to provision of the environmental impact report, including assistance with selecting consultants and overseeing their performance, among other tasks.
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