City Council

14.\nINITIATION OF CEQA REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF CONSULTANT\nAGREEMENT FOR THE PROPOSED ALISO ESTUARY RESTORATION\nPROJECT\nRecommendations:\n1. Authorize the initiation of environmental review for the Aliso Estuary\nRestoration Project in accordance with the California Environmental Quality\nAct, with the City of Laguna Beach serving as the lead agency, and direct staff\nto assume that role for purposes of environmental review and coordination;\n2. Approve a professional services agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. in the\namount of $117,882 to prepare the required CEQA documentation, with the City\ncontributing $100,000 and the balance funded by the Laguna Ocean Foundation\nthrough grant resources;\n3. Authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement and any necessary\namendments, in a form approved by the City Attorney; and\n4. Find that the recommended action is not a project subject to the California\nEnvironmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines,\nas it involves only the initiation of environmental review and does not commit\nthe City to a specific physical development or construction project.