OCII approves amendment adding about $4.91 million to CMG contract for Under Ramp Park

The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on Oct. 3 authorized an amended and restated personal services contract with CMG Landscape Architecture to complete design, engineering, permitting and construction administration for the Under Ramp Park in the Transbay redevelopment area.

Staff said the amendment increases the contract authority by $4,910,056 for a new not-to-exceed total of $8,528,561 (Resolution 30-2023). "We are requesting the commission's authorization of an amended and restated contract with CMG Landscape Architecture to increase funding by $4,900,000, establishing a not-to-exceed total contract value of just over $8,500,000," OCII Transbay project manager Ben Brandon said during the presentation. Brandon also reviewed prior contract history, noting an original 2011 contract, four subsequent amendments and periods when the project was placed on hold while OCII negotiated terms with Caltrans and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA).

The staff presentation described the site as a roughly 2.5-acre Under Ramp Park beneath the Fremont Street/Transbay bus ramps that straddles OCII and planning department jurisdictions. Program elements include a dog park, play areas, multiuse paths, sports courts, and the Folsom Pavilion and concession buildings. Staff said the amended contract closes out completed scopes for other streetscape work, re-prices remaining items in 2023 dollars, and adds new Caltrans- and TJPA-required safety and engineering studies, permitting coordination, construction administration, signage design, coordination with the park operator and an 11% design contingency.

Brandon said the original contract and its previous amendments spent about $3.6 million to date and that roughly $2.35 million remained unspent from earlier authority. Staff described the proposed funding increase in the presentation as $4.9 million and elsewhere in the agenda packet and motion text as $4,910,056; commissioners and staff discussed that difference during the meeting. The presentation projected CMG would complete construction documents by early 2025 and that construction would last about two years, aiming for completion in late 2027 or early 2028.

Commissioners asked about the roles of TJPA and Caltrans. Brandon said the TJPA, as primary landowner, approved the schematic design alongside the commission and that Caltrans retains engineering oversight because portions of the park are on Caltrans-owned ramp structures; the contract increase includes scope for additional agency reviews and a required fatal-flaw analysis.

A motion to authorize the amended contract (Resolution 30-2023) was made and seconded; roll call vote recorded Commissioners Aquino, Drew, Vice Chair Scott and Chair Brackett voting aye and the motion carried 4–0.

Clarifying details: the motion and staff presentation used slightly different rounded figures for the requested increase ($4,900,000 in presentation slides vs. $4,910,056 in the motion text); the approved resolution and roll-call recorded the $8,528,561 not-to-exceed total. Staff said small-business-enterprise (SBE) participation for the original contract peaked at about 27%, the amended contract is projected to achieve roughly 24% SBE participation, and that two subconsultants (You Studio and Martin Ron and Associates) qualify as SBEs.

Next steps: staff said CMG will proceed into design development once the amended contract is executed, continue coordination with Caltrans and TJPA, and return with implementation milestones as design progresses.