title
General Plan reserve area appropriation and contract award - Appropriate an additional $25,000 from the General Fund and authorize the City Manager to award the contract for professional services for preparation of reserve area land use designations, specific plan for potential industrial land uses and program environmental impact report to QK, Inc. for a total amount not to exceed $491,517.
body
Deadline for Action: 01/20/2026
Submitting Department: Planning and Community Preservation
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Jarred Olsen, Principal Planner, jarred.olsen@visalia.city, (559) 713-4449;
Devon Jones, Economic Development Manager, devon.jones@visalia.city, (559) 713-4190;
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, paul.bernal@visalia.city, (559) 713-4025
Department Recommendation:
Appropriate an additional $25,000 to CIP0671, in anticipation for the preparation of a Water Supply Assessment (WSA) that will need to be prepared by Cal Water’s consultant, and authorize the City Manager to award the contract for Request for Proposals (RFP) 24-25-55 - “Professional Services for Preparation of Reserve Area Land Use Designations, Specific Plan for Potential Industrial Land Uses and Program Environmental Impact Report” (herein referred to as “RFP No. 24-25-55”) to QK, Inc. for a total amount not to exceed $491,517 (Capital Improvement Project (CIP) #CP0671). Please note, QK, Inc., fee schedule includes an optional fee/task in the amount of $7,000 for the preparation of a Water Supply Assessment (WSA), should the California Water Service (“Cal Water”) allow the City (or its consultant) to prepare a WSA; however, Cal Water is not obligated to permit the preparation of the WSA by the City’s consultant and thus may require the preparation of the WSA by their own consultant.
Summary:
In February 2025, the City Council received a presentation on the results of the industrial land inventory analysis (ILIA). One of the main recommendations of the ILIA was to designate 405 acres of additional industrial land within the reserve area located near State Route (SR) 99 and Caldwell and SR99, to help address the anticipated shortfall of available industrial development space through 2033 and ensure the City could continue to realize industrial development opportunities. The reserve area is particularly suitable for this designation due to its proximity to SR99 and the Caldwell Avenue interchange, enhancing transportation connectivity. In addition to the ILIA, there is extensive interest from property owners who own property in the reserve area who are seeking to develop their property with urban uses, which resulted in two development considerations submitted through the County of Tulare’s land review process due to this area not having designated land uses under Visalia’s General Plan.
Based on the interest in the area, the City Council received a presentation and report on the reserve area and appropriated monies towards CP0671 to hire a consultant to help with identifying and establishing land use designations for the reserve area, preparing the appropriate environmental document, and updating the General Plan. This resulted in the City issuing a corresponding RFP.
Discussion:
At the February 18th City Council meeting, Council appropriated funds and directed staff to hire a consultant to help with identifying and establishing land use designations for the Reserve area and update the General Plan and issue a corresponding RFP.
RFP No. 24-25-55 was advertised beginning July 11, 2025, and closed on August 21, 2025. The project received the following four proposals:
• QK, Inc. - Visalia, CA
• Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group - Clovis, CA
• 4Creeks, Inc. - Visalia, CA
• Precision Engineering, Inc. - Fresno, CA
Proposals were evaluated based on the following criteria:
• Merit of Proposals Submittal / Presentation (15 points)
o Proposal thoroughness
• Knowledge and Expertise of Personnel/Firm (25 points)
o Capability of personnel
o Firm qualifications and experience
o Knowledge and expertise in preparation of comprehensive specific plans and zoning codes
o Knowledge of contemporary CEQA practices and environmental issues
• Understanding of Project (25 points)
o Knowledge of project and requirements
o Ability and resources to develop a detailed, professional, and technically sound specific plan and Program EIR, and establish land use designations in accordance with State law
• Record of Past Performance (25 points)
o References
o Ability to work effectively with City staff, other public agencies and related parties.
o Demonstrated ability to complete work tasks within project timelines and budget.
o Satisfactory record of ability to perform on similar projects
o Project work in Tulare, Kings, and southern Fresno counties
• Timeline (5 points)
o Demonstrated efficient and flexible allocation of time resources focused on completing the tasks within the City’s timeframes
• Local Knowledge Preference (5 points)
o Familiarity with the City of Visalia, its policies, ordinances, and procedures
QK’s proposal was determined to be the most qualified for this project based upon the aforementioned criteria, and as a result, staff recommends that the City Council award a contract to QK, Inc. and their project team, which includes project partners Bollard Acoustical Consultants, Kosmont Companies, and Yamabe & Horn Engineering, Inc. QK, Inc. and its team, as part of its scope of work [Exhibit “A” of the Agreement (Attachment 3)] will identify the following items and conduct the following services in coordination with appropriate City staff:
• Public outreach via social media and study sessions with Planning Commission and City Council.
• Preparation of land use and circulation alternatives and preparation of a fiscal analysis report, for approval by Council.
• Preparation of an Industrial Specific Plan, with design standards, wastewater and water system diagrams.
• Preparation of a Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and its technical studies, with focus on air quality, biological and cultural resources, greenhouse gases, noise, and traffic.
Upon reviewing the fees proposed by QK, Inc. [Exhibit “B” of the agreement (attachment 3], staff found that the fee was higher than what was previously appropriated by Council on February 8th. Several questions were asked during the proposers’ conference with regards to flexibility on the budget. Given recent legal challenges to industrial projects, and the recent adoption of Assembly Bill 98 (2024), the necessity for more technical studies and additional environmental review justifies the additional cost. QK’s tasks will be performed at a fixed cost, ensuring that cost overruns for in-scope work would not occur. Additionally, some of these technical studies needed for preparation can be re-used in a future General Plan update. Lastly, City staff intend to prepare a Specific Plan implementation fee that would be imposed on development within the Specific Plan that would reimburse the City for the Specific Plan area’s fair share of this effort’s costs, which would over time reduce the City’s cost burden.
In addition to the QK contract, Cal Water is required by California law to prepare a WSA for the project. Based on correspondence with applicants whose own projects required the preparation of a WSA, it is anticipated that an additional $40,000 will be needed in order for Cal Water’s consultant to prepare the WSA. While QK is capable of preparing a WSA for significantly less than what is estimated by Cal Water. Nevertheless, as good stewards of taxpayer dollars and its preference for local firms, staff will work diligently to keep costs down by discussing with Cal Water the ability to use local firms. The proposed agreement with QK includes a WSA as an optional task, should the opportunity arise.
Fiscal Impact:
Approval of staff’s recommendation would appropriate an additional $25,000 from the General Fund specifically for this project. A total of $500,000 is currently budgeted in the CIP under CP0671. As mentioned above, City staff intend to recover some of these funds through an implementation fee that would be imposed on development within the Industrial Specific Plan area.
Prior Council Action:
• On June 10, 2022, the City Council approved the budget for FY 2022/23 and 2023/24, which included $60,000 for the preparation of the ILIA (CIP #CP0536) and $150,000 towards funding for the reserve area (#CP0532). Funds from CP0532 were transferred to CP0671.
• On July 17, 2023, the City Council awarded a contract to 4Creeks, Inc. in an amount of $60,000 for the preparation of an ILIA (CIP #CP0536).
• On June 17, 2024, the City Council approved the budget for FY 2024/25 and 2025/26, which included CP0671 and appropriated $130,000 towards it.
• On February 3, 2025, the City Council received the ILIA report and requested staff to come back to discuss potentially proceeding with the recommendations of the report.
• On February 18, 2025, the City Council received the report on the reserve area and appropriated an additional $170,000 towards CP0671 to hire a consultant to help with identifying and establishing land use designations for the reserve area and update the General Plan and issue a corresponding RFP.
Other: N/A
Alternatives:
The City Council may, in lieu of the recommendation, consider any of the following alternatives:
1. May elect not to appropriate additional funds nor award the contract for RFP No. 24-25-55.
2. Continue the matter to a future City Council hearing for additional information per Council direction.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the appropriation of an additional $25,000 from the General Fund and authorize the City Manager to award the contract for professional services for preparation of reserve area land use designations, specific plan for potential industrial land uses, and program environmental impact report to QK, Inc. for a total amount not to exceed $491,517.
end
Environmental Assessment Status: This item is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code sections 21000 et seq. (“CEQA”) and 14 Cal. Code Re. sections 15000 et seq. (“CEQA Guidelines”). The analysis conducted is not for any particular project or action that would result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.
Attachments:
1. RFP No. 24-25-55
2. Addendum 1 to RFP No. 24-25-55
3. Agreement with Scope of Work and Fees
4. Ownership Disclosure