Snellville proposes Jacobs contract for concept plan of city-owned town-center parcel; council seeks public-engagement details

Snellville City staff presented a proposal May 27 to hire Jacobs, a planning and engineering firm, to prepare a concept plan, market analysis and feasibility study for the city-owned property in the town-center area (referred to in the meeting as the 1240 property).

Staff said Jacobs has performed prior planning work for the city and maintains an existing database of background material that would reduce duplicative effort. The staff recommendation was to approve Jacobs' scope and fee and to authorize the mayor to sign the contract after the city attorney reviews the final contract form. Staff circulated motion language that would approve Jacobs' proposal for an amount not to exceed $50,000 and authorize mayoral signature subject to the city-attorney's sign-off.

Councilors raised questions about the contract form and the timing of legal review. A staff speaker said that if the contract returned from the firm with changes to scope, price or term, it would be brought back to the council; the city attorney would sign off on the contract form before the mayor would sign. Councilors also pressed staff on how community engagement would be handled. Staff said Jacobs' task list identifies Task 3 (and subtasks) as the appropriate point to gather public feedback, but the city would manage facilitation and select a targeted stakeholder process (small stakeholder groups, focused presentations and educational outreach) rather than an immediately broad public town hall.

No formal roll-call vote was recorded in the public transcript; staff requested direction to approve scope and fee and to proceed once the contract form is finalized by legal review.