The San Luis City Council approved a professional services agreement for design work on the planned widening of Tenth Avenue from Cesar Chavez Boulevard to County 20 Second Street, authorizing Robbins and Associates, Inc., to perform the design for $100,000.

City Engineer Thomas Sanchez told the council the design will include dual travel lanes, a center turn lane, bike lanes, street lighting, sidewalks or multi-use path options, right-of-way exhibits and storm drainage design. Sanchez said the design is required to request remaining right-of-way from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and that, if the contract is executed promptly, the city could submit design plans to the BLM within about three months; BLM review, he said, could take six to eight months, with construction-ready plans likely after July 2026.

City attorney Kaye McQuill cautioned the council that litigation involving the same Tenth Avenue corridor was pending and advised limiting discussion of litigated topics to protect the city; the council subsequently moved into executive session for legal advice and returned to approve the design contract. The mayor declared a conflict of interest and abstained; the motion carried with six votes in favor and one abstention.

Sanchez said the selected firm is on the city’s on-call engineering list under resolution number 2161 and that the procurement conforms with the city’s professional-services procurement code. Council direction included proceeding with contract execution so staff could advance the design and BLM submittal schedule.