Title
Report regarding a resolution making findings and recommending that the City Council approve application for Design Review for a new Aquatic Center at Orange Memorial Park, and adopt the Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration (ND23-0005) in accordance with the California Public Resources Code and the California Environmental Quality Act. (Philip Vitale, Deputy Director - Capital Projects, and Adena Friedman, Chief Planner)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conduct a public hearing and take the following actions:
1. Adopt a resolution making findings and recommending that the City Council adopt the Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration (ND23-0005), in accordance with Section 21080 of the California Public Resources Code and CEQA Guidelines Section 15070 et seq.; and
2. Adopt a resolution making findings and recommending that the City Council approve Design Review (DR23-0037), subject to the attached Conditions of Approval.
MOTIONS FOR THE COMMISSION TO ADOPT STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
(1) Move to adopt the resolution recommending adoption of the IS/MND
(2) Move to adopt the resolution recommending approval of planning entitlements.
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center project (Project) proposes to build a aquatic center to replace the existing Orange Pool, South San Francisco’s only municipal swimming pool. The existing Orange Pool opened in 1970, it continues to serve as a community-wide destination for residents of all ages. Despite the City’s attentive custodianship of the building, overall, the building’s age and heavy use have resulted in very worn condition of the shell and interior. The facility is well beyond the point of meriting replacement.
In April 2021, staff presented to the City Council Budget Standing Committee the findings from a 2016 Wong and Logan Feasibility Study for a new aquatic center along with recommendation of the construction of a new two-pool facility. In May 2021, staff engaged Group4 Architects from the City’s on-call architecture firm list to explore alternative Aquatic Center locations within Orange Memorial Park and validate construction costs. City Council directed staff to locate the new facility at the corner of Orange Avenue and Tennis Drive, adjacent to the existing pool to allow for ongoing operation of the existing pool while the new facility is constructed.
Working from the two-pool facility approach identified in the Wong and Logan study, Group4 refined the program to include an 8-lane 25-meter lap pool, separate teaching pool, swimmer’s lounge, rentable multi-use/party room, staff offices, locker rooms and support spaces for mechanical equipment within a 28,500 square-foot single-story facility.
In February 2022, City Council authorized the execution of a professional services agreement with ELS Architecture and Urban Design for design, construction documentation and construction administration for the Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center project.
The Project will construct a new facility at the corner of Orange Avenue and Tennis Drive, adjacent to the existing Orange Pool. Operation of the existing Orange Pool will continue through construction of the new facility. Once construction of the new facility is complete, the old pool and building will be demolished and replaced with a small parking lot and drop-off area.
Project Location
The Project site consists of 6.5 acres (283,140 square feet) located at 1 West Orange Avenue (APN 014-041-160). The project site is located within the larger 26.9-acre Orange Memorial Park, the largest developed park within the City of South San Francisco and managed by the City’s Park and Recreation Department. The project site is bounded by Tennis Drive to the North, West Orange Avenue to the East and Orange Memorial Park to the South and West.
Project Description
The project would demolish the existing 22-space parking lot and a portion of existing grass soccer fields in the northeast portion of Orange Memorial Park along W. Orange Avenue and construct a new 23,070 SF aquatic center southeast of the existing Orange Memorial Pool. The facility would include a new building with an indoor pool and an attached outdoor pool. The single-story facility for the indoor pool would be approximately 30 feet in height and would contain an approximately 5,200 SF seven-lane indoor pool with a surrounding 2,920 SF pool deck. The pool would contain a volume of 173,264 gallons. Separate men’s, women’s and family locker / changing rooms and restroom areas, staff changing and restroom areas, approximately 400 square feet of office space, a 800-square foot activity room and lobby, storage, and mechanical space would also be constructed within the new center. An approximately 6,287 SF, ten-lane outdoor pool with a volume of 283,956 gallons would be constructed adjacent to the center and to the south. The outdoor pool would have a surrounding 3,240 SF pool deck, pool storage and bleachers and would be fenced by 15-foot-tall composite wood fencing. The project would construct a new 13-space parking lot with 5 ADA-accessible and 3 electric vehicle (EV) charging spaces and relocate an existing Eternal Flame sculpture and memorial plaques to a new ADA-accessible plaza. Project plans are attached as Exhibit A to the associated Entitlements Resolution.
Building Architecture
The proposed exterior materials for the aquatic center include painted cement plaster and composite wood cladding, with accent exterior glass detailing. The exterior materials palette primarily consists of a pre-finished “weathered steel” metal panel, composite wood cladding, and glazing. The proposed metal panel would be complementary to the color palette of the adjacent James A. Fernekes Building. In addition, the project would incorporate blue and aqua colors which are sprinkled through the building in the form of blue accent glazing, aqua colored cement plaster and aqua colored signage. The exterior pool metal fencing would be painted dark bronze.
Landscaping and Open Space
The Project’s landscaping and site improvements will knit the new aquatics center within the existing Orange Park. A new entry plaza and pathways will connect the new aquatics center with a new parking lot and Veterans Memorial plaza. The arcing pathway that leads to the Veterans Memorial is intended to extend to other park facilities in the future, as part of the overall Orange Park Master Plan. The Veterans Memorial will feature a flagpole, dedication plaques, a restored Eternal Flame sculpture, and will provide a seating area that can be used for reflection and contemplation.
At the arrival of Orange Avenue and Tennis Drive, the project proposes additional palm trees to continue the language of the Previti palms that currently exist along Tennis Drive. The overall landscape planting palette also includes evergreen canopy trees, deciduous canopy trees, lawn, ornamental grasses, shrub planting and stormwater treatment grasses.
GENERAL PLAN AND ZONING
The new Aquatic Center is consistent with, and helps to achieve many of the Parks and Recreation goals and policies in the City’s General Plan, including:
Goal PR-1: South San Francisco equitably provides improved parkland, recreational facilities, and services for all residents.
Policy PR-1.3: Design parks and facilities to meet universal access standards. Design parks and recreation facilities for universal access and multi-generational use, encouraging play by residents of all abilities and ages. Continue to improve existing parks and open spaces to accommodate the needs of users of all ages and abilities.
The General Plan Land Use Designation and Zoning District for Orange Memorial Park is Parks and Recreation (PR), which is intended for parks and recreation complexes, intended to provide locations for a variety of recreational activities to meet the community’s diverse needs. Development of the new aquatic center is consistent with the City’s General Plan and Zoning.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROCESS
Community engagement for the Aquatic Center commenced in April 2022, with three workshops and online surveys. Conceptual Design of the project was completed in September 2022 resulting in a design that included an indoor 7-lane pool and outdoor 10-lane pool. In October 2022 Schematic Design commenced, detailing the size and function of the two pools as well as the layout and size of the natatorium. The Schematic Design Phase concluded in December 2022. With input received during presentations to the Parks and Recreation Commission, City Council and engagement with the South San Francisco Aquatics Club, a list of design revisions which maintained the Aquatic Center program while reducing cost were developed and incorporated into construction documentation and final design of the project.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
The South San Francisco Design Review Board (DRB) reviewed the proposed Project on two occasions. First was during the March 21, 2023 meeting and the DRB provided comments and requested a more activated area behind the outdoor pool windscreen with a pedestrian walkway or seating areas to engage and activate the area; addition of some articulation to the windscreen wall facing out toward the playing fields to help break up the long flat wall using some different material finishes; review the corner element where the aquatic sign is being proposed, as the area looks unbalanced and with a disconnected appearance; consider planting the trees around the pool further back to keep the winds from blowing the leaves into the outdoor pool and creating maintenance issues.
On June 20, 2023, the DRB reviewed a subsequent revision to plans and was uniformly supportive of the design edits and presentation to address previous comments. During this meeting, the DRB deemed that the revisions to the Project addressed previous comments, and recommended approval with the following comments and conditions:
a. The Board liked the revised plan concept with the warm color palette.
b. Consider using the same material finishes on all the elevations, including the proposed wind screen wall.
c. The proposed landscaping plan will work for the site and recommends not overusing the Native Sycamore trees for this site as they can easily become disfigured.
d. Recommend Approval with conditions and can proceed to Planning Commission for future hearing.
Following the June 20, 2023, DRB meeting, the applicant submitted revised plans which became part of the entitlements package under review. DRB comments letters from both meetings are included as Attachment 1 to this staff report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City, with assistance from SWCA Environmental Consultants prepared an Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) (State Clearinghouse #2023090168) for the proposed project (Associated CEQA Resolution, Exhibit A). It was circulated in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for 30 days to state and other reviewing agencies/jurisdictions, and interested parties, from September 8, 2023, through October 9, 2023.
The IS/MND finds that the following resources could potentially result in impacts due to the proposed Project: Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources, Geology and Soils, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, and Transportation. However, mitigation measures are proposed that would ensure the potential impacts would be less than significant with mitigation.
The proposed mitigation measures are typical for a modern construction project and detailed within the IS/MND. These required mitigations are incorporated into the Project through a Condition of Approval requiring compliance with the mitigation measures identified in the IS/MND and reflected on the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (Associated CEQA Resolution, Exhibit B). The City will ensure that all required mitigation measures are incorporated during project construction.
Comments on the IS/MND
The comment period on the IS/MND closed on October 9, 2023. Two comment letters were received during the comment period, as listed below:
• Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System Email: Advisement of proximity of SFPUC’s water transmission pipeline located in Orange Avenue public right-of-way adjacent to Project Site, dated September 25, 2023
• State Clearinghouse Email: Advisement no mailed hard copies of Public Notices can be accepted; future notices to be emailed: Email dated September 26, 2023
In summary, the comments received by Staff have not raised any issues that would require recirculation of the IS/MND or preparation of an environmental impact report under sections 15073.5 and 15074.1 of the CEQA Guidelines as no new significant effects were identified, no new mitigation measures were added and proposed revisions to the mitigation measures would result in measures that are equivalent or more effective, the significance of identified impacts remains unchanged, and all impacts are either below significance levels or reduced to that level through application of identified mitigation.
CONCLUSION
The proposed Aquatic Center project has been reviewed substantially by City Departments, Commissions and Boards and the City Council. The Planning Commission action for this phase of the project development is to find the project consistent with zoning and environmental review. The new Aquatic Center will deliver a state-of-the art facility for the City of South San Francisco and has been designed with extensive community input and support. Therefore, staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following actions:
1. Adopt a resolution making findings and recommending that the City Council adopt the Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration (ND23-0005), in accordance with Section 21080 of the California Public Resources Code and CEQA Guidelines Section 15070 et seq.; and
2. Adopt a resolution making findings and recommending that the City Council approve Design Review (DR23-0037), subject to the attached Conditions of Approval.
Attachment
1. Design Review Board (DRB) Comment Letters (March and June, 2023)
Associated Resolutions and Exhibits
1. Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center CEQA Resolution (File ID#23-956)
A. Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
B. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
2. Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center Entitlements Resolution (File ID#23-957)
A. Draft Conditions of Approval
B. Project Plan Set