5.A. UPDATE ON THE SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD BIKE LANES STUDY AND RELATED CONTRACT APPROVAL [F. CONTRERAS, B. CHEUNG]: SUBJECT: The City Council will receive a project update and consider approving a contract with Gibson Transportation Consulting Inc. to provide transportation planning and design service for additional Council-requested studies implementing bike lanes on Santa Monica Boulevard. The project is exempt under CEQA under a Categorical Exemption 15301 (c), as it consists of improvements on existing highways and streets where there is negligible or no expansion of use and the addition of bicycle facilities, including bicycle lanes, enhanced sidewalks and crosswalks, street trees and other similar alterations that do not create additional automobile lanes. Further, the project qualifies for a statutory exemption under PRC Section 21080.25, as it includes the installation of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, which include bike lanes, either as separate bike lanes or shared bike lanes. The project also meets the additional criteria required to assert the exemption under PRC Section 21080.25, as it is located in an urbanized area, is situated in the existing public right-of-way, does not add physical infrastructure that increases automobile capacity, does not require demolition of affordable housing units, and will be carried out by a skilled and trained workforce.