Kevin Faulconer's pricy plan to privatize planning

The departure of Bill Fulton as city planning director at the end of August was taken as a given by a host of San Diego inside political watchers.

The renowned land-use expert, author of the Guide to California Planning, a famous smart-growth primer, had been recruited by fallen Democratic mayor Bob Filner, whose regulatory philosophies were despised by Faulconer's legions of big-money real estate industry backers.

The new GOP mayor moved swiftly to consolidate the developers' hold on the planning commission, appointing architect Doug Austin, whose most prominient client is one of Faulconer's biggest financial backers, U-T San Diego publisher Douglas Manchester, to the key panel.

Since joining the commission this spring, Austin has been recused when matters concerning Manchester and his two major San Diego developments — the Grand Del Mar resort and a proposed Mission Valley residential project designed by Austin — have come up for consideration, but skeptics note that the panel has a long history of vote trading.

When Fulton's departure was announced on the first of August, Faulconer deputy chief operating officer David Graham told the city council he would "launch a national search for a replacement and notify them if an interim director is needed," according to an August 2 report in U-T San Diego.

A September 22 organization chart posted on the city's website shows that the position of interim planning director is currently being occupied by Thomas Tomlinson, and news of any pending national search is being tightly held.

In the meanwhile, Faulconer has set out to privatize a major part of the planning department, as spelled out in an October 9 request for proposals for planning services.

"The consultants chosen from this solicitation can be used by the entire Planning Department," says the document. "However, it is anticipated that Long Range Planning will primarily use the consultants from this process….

"The Long Range Planning section includes General Plan monitoring and conformance, Community Planning, Mobility Planning, and Maps & Urban Analysis."

Among the tasks to be performed, according to the notice, are, "comprehensive community plan updates, transit oriented development focused updates, minor community plan updates, plan implementation, monitoring, and amendments, administering planning grants to further planning initiatives," along with "citywide efforts to further the City of Villages smart growth strategy for growth and development."

The privatized planning services are not expected to come cheap, based on the estimates provided in the document.

"The City may choose up to four consultants to complete these services," it says.

"If one consultant is chosen, the not-to-exceed consultant fee shall be $8,500,000. If two consultants are chosen, each of the two contracts shall have a not-to-exceed consultant fee of $4,250,000. If three consultants are chosen, each of the three consultants shall have a not-to-exceed consultant fee of $2,833,333.

"If four consultants are chosen, each of the four consultants shall have a not-to- exceed consultant fee of $1,125,000."

Depending on the response, the selection process is possibly rife with conflict-of-interest questions for both the contractors and the mayor, whose political career has benefited from hefty cash contributions by real estate industry vendors, including many of the same planning, engineering, and environmental consulting firms expected to be eligible for the privatized planning jobs.

Proposals are due November 13, with notices to proceed for the winning proposers expected in May, according to the document.

A pre-proposal meeting is set for next Wednesday, October 22, at 9:00 a.m. in the 14th Floor Large Conference Room at 1010 Second Avenue.