Consultants
Public Agencies Specialized Services
CSA. continues to provide the highest quality of services to its public agency clients with a focus on specific services that are necessary to attain our client's goals and to fulfill their specific needs. The services offered are designed to address a variety of general topics.
Each service is targeted and structure to meet the individual needs of the client based upon proven models, techniques and methodologies. The intent is to provide the most effective professional and technical services based on the experience, skills, and knowledge of CSA.
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Environmental Documentation
CSA, Inc. maintains the professional and technical skill set to prepare environmental documents required by California school districts for the planning, development and construction of new schools and school sites. In addition, the firm has the expertise to evaluate and analyze Notices of Preparations, and Draft and Final EIR’s prepared on private development projects that may have impacts on the clients school planning, facilities, financing, and educational programs. As an expert in the California Environmental Quality Act and the CEQA Guidelines, CSA, Inc. has been successful in evaluating and challenging the school impacts caused by private development and has formulating legally viable mitigation measures to address the project specific and cumulative impacts, particularly specific residential developments, change of zones, specific and master development plans, General Plan updates, area plans, annexations, and other land use entitlements that may affect our client’s facilities and services. CSA, Inc. has and can accomplish this within the limitation of California Senate Bill 50 and is capable of documenting appropriate a viable review of CEQA documentation, supporting appropriate administrative and legal remedies, as necessary.
Development Fee Justification Reports
School districts have the authority to levy and impose statutory development fees to off-set the cost of school facility planning, development and construction. The provisions of SB 50 provide specific guidelines and requirements associated with the preparation of Development Fee Justification Reports and School Facilities Needs Analysis. From the inception of the implementation of Section 65995 et. seq. of the Government Code, CSA, Inc. has been leader is preparing and processing the necessary document for the implementation of Level I and Level II Statutory Development Fees. In conjunction with our legal advisors, CSA, Inc. continues to be in the forefront of interpreting the provisions of SB 50 so as to legally be able to justify the highest level of fees, many times in excess of similar other reports. In addition, CSA, Inc. has the clarity and understanding of other California laws which enable CSA, Inc. to offer other locally imposed fees for the financing or interim facilities, above and beyond the Level I and Level II statutory provisions.
School Facilities Planning and Site Planning
Critical to the a school district's ability to attain adequate school facilities needed to address the impacts associated with new development, is the ability to assess the school issues which are relevant to the current and future conditions of the school districts. This involves a careful analysis and evaluation of current conditions and future needs based on student generation rates, school capacities, classroom loading, school district policies and practices with regards to site development and construction, school facility specifications and standards, State funding eligibility, local funding capabilities and policies, and demographic trends of the community and the school district. CSA, Inc. has the expertise to formulate the required studies to support the client’s perspective with regards to community development and growth by identifying, planning, and forecasting the need for new school facilities and school sites within the project. CSA, Inc. has also developed a highly technical model for projecting land acquisition and development cost estimates based on the California School Facilities Funding Program, and the administrative regulations, rules and guidelines of the California State Allocation Board, the California Office of Public School Construction, the California Department of Education, and State of California Architect. Through collaboration with the client, the local governmental agencies and the private sector, CSA, Inc. has the skill set to identify State and local funding opportunities, including scheduling of the school planning, approval processing, and construction through flexible cash flow models facilitate school development to attain the client’s needs in the short- and long-term.
School Facilities Mitigation and Financing Agreements
The success of any school facilities planning and implementation program is the ability to address in an effective way the mitigation of impacts associated with new development and community growth in order to serve the needs of the client. Although somewhat limited due to State laws, CSA, Inc. is been extremely successful in negotiating legally binding short- and long-term School Facilities Mitigation and Financing Agreements forming understandings, commitments, and relationship with the private development community and local governmental agencies. CSA, Inc. has the technical skills, proven methodologies, and negotiating techniques to structure, draft, and execute agreements that serve the client’s needs. Through collaboration, creativity, flexibility and understanding the legal foundation and parameter, CSA, Inc. can offer a number of agreement formats and tools that provide for the implementation of understandings between parties based on the current and future conditions of the community and the client. Unlike attorney that come in with a adversarial legal style which is sometimes needed, CSA, Inc. initiates and provides a process that is based on clarity and understanding with a focus on "win-win" relationships.
School Facilities Strategic Plans
The successes of CSA, Inc. have come from its ability to guide its clients through long-range planning to attain its goals and policies. Critical to this success is the client’s ability to understand and outline its short- and long-range plans for school facilities (permanent and interim, district-wide support facilities, bussing facilities and operations, and other facilities and non-educational services) required to accommodate student’s enrollments and employees. Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ) and PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis) or STEER analysis (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors) and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatic, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal). Strategic planning is the formal consideration of an organization's future course. All strategic plans deals with three key questions:
- "What do we do?"
- "For whom do we do it?"
- "How do we excel?"
In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go, and then how it will get there. The resulting document is called the "strategic plan". Strategic innovation and tinkering with the “strategic plan” have to be a cornerstone strategy for an organization to survive the ever-changing climate. CSA, Inc. has developed a model for developing strategic plans and master plans for its clients utilizing community participation and organizational resources. Combined with a public relations program, the strategic plan can be a valuable tool to setting the foundation of a school districts success in providing for the financial and physical needs of the school district in the future.
Finanincing Stragegies
The viability of any School Facilities Mitigation Agreement, School Facilities Strategic Plan, School Phasing Construction Program, or any other facilities implementation program is the understanding, formulation and implementation of financing strategies. In this ever changing economic and financial world, CSA, Inc. has a focus on the most viable financing vehicles available to financing school facilities, including Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFD’s), School Facility Improvement Districts (SFID’s), Lighting and Landscaping Districts, General Obligation Bonds, parcel taxes, statutory developer fees, interim facility financing laws, and State funding, including the Leroy F. Green School Facilities Act. In conjunction with the implementation of effective financing vehicles, CSA, Inc. has an understanding of the eminent domain laws, procedures and requirements to obtain school sites and the creative ways to structure land dedications to maximize Federal and State tax advantages for developers and land owners. Not only does CSA, Inc. understand the legal and financial intricacies of financing vehicles, CSA, Inc. has the computerized models and techniques to structure financing strategies that maximize the effectiveness of each financing tool, providing flexibility for the clients and the development community.
Public/Private Partnerships and Relations
Public relations is the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics. Public relations gains an organization exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items. Because public relations places exposure in credible third-party outlets, it offers a third-party legitimacy that other forms of communication do not have. Common activities include speaking at conferences, working with the press, and other forms of public communication. PR can be used to build rapport with local legislators, stakeholders, voters, employees and the general public. Almost any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in the public arena employs some level of public relations. A public relations specialist is an image shaper. The job is to generate positive publicity for their client and enhance their reputation. The client can be a company, an individual or a government agency. In government, public relations is intended to keep the public informed about the activity of government agencies, explain policy, and manage political issues. The successful PR representative must be a good communicator-in print, in person and on the phone. They must be effective communicators in the moment of challenge. They cultivate and maintain contacts with journalists, participate in speaking engagements, write speeches and testimony, prepare required reports, respond to inquiries and speak directly to the press and the public on behalf of their client. Public relations representatives write press releases and may be involved in producing sales or marketing material. CSA, Inc. has formed relationships and maintains an expertise in the implementation of public and private relations to effectuate the intentions and direction of its clients.
City/County General Plan Review and Modifications
California State law requires each city and county adopt a general plan “for the physical development of the county or city, and any land outside its boundaries which bears relation to its planning”. The California Supreme Court has called the General Plan the “constitution for future development.” The General Plan expresses the community’s development goals and embodies public policy relative to the distribution of future land uses, both public and private. Every project proposed for development in a community is required to comply with the contents of the General Plan. Most General Plans are adopted as long-term policy documents and are revised and updated every 10-15 years. The Housing Element of every General Plan is required to be updated and revised every five years. General Plans contain seven mandatory elements which include the Land Use Element, Circulation Element, Housing Element, Conservation Element, Open-Space Element, Noise Element and Safety Element. Optional elements can address Air Quality, Capital Improvements/Public Facilities, Community Design, Economic/Fiscal Development, Energy, Flood Management, Geothermal, and Parks and Recreation Water. CSA, Inc. has developed an analytical methodology for insuring that school issues and facilities are addressed in General Plans to serve the needs of our clients. Additionally, CSA, Inc. has developed a methodology for evaluating proposed development projects against the contents of adopted General Plans so as to insure that projects are complying with the goals and policies of General Plans in addressing school issues effectively.
School Facilities Processing and Overview
The implementation of a school district’s school facilities program is driven by the ability to attain the required school and financing approvals of the State of California. CSA, Inc. has developed the technology to process and oversee the preparation, processing and implementation of applications through the State’s school facilities programs, including State school construction funding approvals, school site approvals, and the construction oversight. CSA, Inc. maintains a monitoring program of the activities of the State Office of Public School Construction, the State Department of Education, the State Allocation Board, the State Architect, and the Governor’s Secretary of Education in order to maintain and understand the current and future direction of State departments and agencies that would influence a school district’s implementation of required facilities. Further, CSA, Inc. has an understanding of how to influence the State processes in order to gain the approvals required by our clients.
Expert Witness
CSA, Inc. is pleased that it has a reputation and skill set to offer expert witness testimony required before State and Federal Courts in litigation involving school facilities planning, financing and implementation, environmental documentation and review, development fee and impact negotiations and documentation, State laws and regulations, State and local school financing, and other aspects relating to school facilities, community planning, and environmental law. In additional, CSA, Inc. has been recognized as a public hearing expert witness in presentations relating to the consideration and adoption of State and local laws, regulations and legislation.
Surplus Property Disposition
CSA, Inc. maintains a philosophy that its public sector clients, particularly school districts should not sell its land assets, but rather should developed strategies for leveraging land assets fro purpose of generating revenues while still maintain ownership. CSA, Inc. has developed strategies for working with 7-11 committees and formulating consensus in the future use of surplus properties. CSA, Inc.has the expertise to work with State agencies in gaining the approval of disposition of properties and for analyzing the highest and best use. Further, CSA, Inc, has developed models for soliciting and reviewing proposals, and for negotiating agreements that attain the leveraging required for the client. CSA, Inc. has created a network of real estate developers and surplus land uses that can effective market properties to potential lessors.
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