DATE: January 28, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Public Works Department
TITLE: APPROVE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTING SERVICES TO PREPARE A COMPREHENSIVE SAFETY ACTION PLAN AND AN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
RECOMMENDATION
title
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Alta Planning and Design, Inc. (Alta), in the amount of $1,100,419, to conduct a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) and an Active Transportation Plan (ATP); and authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the agreement upon receipt of all supporting documents.
body
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
In July 2025, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) awarded the City of Oceanside $595,000 to prepare an ATP that would integrate and expand upon the City’s 2009 Pedestrian Master Plan, and the 2017 update of the 2008 Bicycle Plan, into a single plan that would include and address bike, pedestrian and micro-mobility users. Caltrans issued a Notice to Proceed in November 2025. On September 3, 2025, City Council approved the acceptance of the $595,000 grant as well as Resolution 25-R0529-1.
In May 2024, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded the City of Oceanside a Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant in the amount of $400,000 to prepare a CSAP that would identify and strategically plan for a broad range of safety measures and improvements to address transportation safety, such as roadway design, traffic management, enforcement, education and public awareness. On October 23, 2024, City Council approved acceptance of the $400,000 grant as well as Resolution 24-R0586-1.
The CSAP and the ATP are supported by separate funding sources; however, one consultant was chosen through a single RFP to conduct both the CSAP and the ATP, to ensure consistency between the two plans. The consultant evaluation was based on an evaluation matrix followed by the selection of the top two candidates to participate in in-person interviews. Based on its consultant team, which was local and well balanced with both planners and engineers, Alta was chosen to conduct Oceanside’s CSAP and ATP.
Alta will track time and expenses separately for the SS4A grant and the Caltrans grant for the development of the CSAP and ATP, respectively. It will maintain clear budget separation between the two grants and submit separate monthly invoices corresponding to work performed for each plan.
The CSAP will be developed to enhance roadway safety citywide. The plan will identify factors contributing to traffic related fatalities and injuries and provide information and tools to address roadway safety challenges for all roadway users including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, transit riders, micromobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. Leveraging and expanding upon planning efforts such as the City’s General Plan Update and SANDAG’s Regional Vision Zero Action Plan, the CSAP will create a toolbox containing policies, countermeasures, priority projects, and quick build activities that will help reduce roadway injuries and fatalities in the City. Driven by data, equity, transparency, and community engagement, CSAP preparation will involve extensive outreach with the City’s safety stakeholders, leadership, and community members, ensuring the City’s stakeholders and community are engaged and help shape the plan. The completed plan will be used to develop highly competitive grant applications in the future.
The development and implementation of the ATP will focus on providing Oceanside’s students, residents, and visitors with safer and more accessible non-motorized transportation options, while building on years of engagement, data collection, and feasibility analysis conducted through prior studies including the 2008 Bicycle Master Plan, 2009 Pedestrian Master Plan, 2020 Oceanside Safe Routes to School Plan, and the City’s General Plan Update. It will promote improvements that connect pedestrians and bicyclists to commercial districts and community facilities such as schools, parks, and other community destinations in a safer manner. The ATP will include a robust outreach and engagement plan that reaches a wide range of community members, especially those directly benefiting from sustainable transportation options, such as those with lower incomes, no or limited access to automobiles, as well as local bicycle and pedestrian groups. The completed plan will result in a list of prioritized infrastructure projects and complementary policies and programs that will help create a healthier, safer, and more connected Oceanside.
FISCAL IMPACT
The PSA with Alta, in the amount of $1,100,419, is inclusive of the required and optional tasks proposed by Alta and will be charged to the accounts as shown in the table below. A portion of the City Match will include staff time.
|
Description |
Contract Amount |
Account |
Available Balance |
|
Alta PSA |
$387,941 |
822195724274.5326 Comprehensive Safety Action Plan Grant (80%) |
$400,000 |
|
|
96,985 |
902195724265.5326 Comprehensive Safety Action Plan City Match (20%) |
100,000 |
|
|
540,957 |
836202625272.5326 Active Transportation Plan Grant (87.89%) |
595,000 |
|
|
74,536 |
912202625581.5326 Active Transportation Plan City Match (12.11%) |
82,000 |
|
Total |
$1,100,419 |
|
$1,177,000 |
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
end
Prepared by: Kristopher Martinez, Active Transportation Coordinator
Reviewed by: Hamid Bahadori, Public Works Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Professional Services Agreement - Alta
3. Exhibit A - Proposal