Council Postpones Vote on Contract for Analysis of Chiquita Ridge Project Options

The City Council wants more time and more information before moving forward with Chiquita Ridge development.

Rancho Santa Margarita council members voted to postpone a decision Wednesday on whether to award a consulting firm a $369,144 contract to create a feasibility study—an analysis of the possible development options—of the 92-acres of city-owned land located between the 241 Toll Road and Antonio Parkway.

City staff recommended the council award RBF Consulting the contract, but at the June 8 meeting, officials asked staff for more information and pushed the contract vote to their next meeting.  

Councilman Steven Baric said the project bears extra examination.

"What I want to express is that this is a unique project,” Baric said. “I don’t think it’s inappropriate to look at this uniquely.”

Councilwoman Carol Gamble said she was concerned that there wasn’t a specific cost-estimate for the different phases of RBF’s proposal.

Other contract issues discussed during the meeting include the amount of projects RBF consulting would work on at the same time, the number of hours the project manager would be involved, and what would happen if the consulting firm doesn’t deliver on time.

Michael Burke, executive vice president of RBF, said that there was no cost-increase if the firm takes longer than their projected nine months unless the city changes the scope of the project.

“I think it’s very likely that the schedule will have some degree of fluidity to it,” Burke said.

But Burke added that it’s highly unlikely the project will take the maximum three years expressed in the contract.

In 2005, the city obtained the Chiquita Ridge open space in a settlement with the County of Orange, the Rancho Mission Viejo Company and an environmental group called the Endangered Habitats League.

One of the terms of the settlement was that—if the 92-acres are developed—23 acres of the land at minimum must be a sports park, 32 acres can be other developments and the rest, when the project is complete, must be open space.

The project represents a “tremendous opportunity for the city” especially because Rancho Santa Margarita has a “well-documented shortage of sports facility,” said Mayor Tony Beall at the Wednesday night meeting.  

The land could also hold businesses which would bring jobs and services to the residents, Beall added.

The city asked for requests for proposal for a project manager firm for the feasibility study in March, 2010 and received nine written proposals.

Staff winnowed down the number to three possible firms: RBF consulting, Core Ventures and Public Private Ventures. Then staff recommended RBF consulting for the contract.

Baric said that he was disappointed there was only one option for a project manager.

“I’m guess I’m just slightly concerned,” Baric said. “We have one choice and that’s it.”

The staff report also indicated the council could choose either of the other two firms, could reject all of them and start over, could reject all of them and not start over, or could ask for a rough analysis—which would cost between $72,000 to $95,000—then make a decision.

With a vote of 4-0—with councilman Jesse Petrilla absent as he is serving in the California National Guard in Kentucky—council moved the decision to the next meeting June 22, 7 p.m., at . 

OTHER BUSINESS

• The council honored two Orange County Sheriff’s Department officers for their intervention in an attempted suicide on the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge April 28, Deputy Joses Walehwa and Sgt. Angel Andrade.