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Study session regarding Community Civic Campus project site plan recommendation and schematic design scope. (Marian Lee, Assistant City Manager and Smith Group JJR, Master Architect)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council receive a presentation on the Community Civic Campus project site plan recommendation and schematic design scope. Receiving direction at this juncture of the project is important to meet the project schedule and contain project costs.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Community Civic Campus project proposes to build a new Police, Fire and Library and Parks & Recreation facilities. The project will be built at the northeast corner of El Camino Real and Chestnut Avenue and southeast corner of Arroyo Drive and Camaritas Avenue. Our current facilities are seismically unsafe and/or undersized/underequipped to meet the growing needs of our community and new facilities are needed.
Since January 2018, with the selection of the project Master Architect (Smith Group JJR), the project team has been focused on validating the building programs for Police, Fire and Library and Park & Recreation. The team has also been developing a multi-modal access plan for the site and design ideas based on the City Council preferred site concept plan identified last year. For the Police and Fire stations, the specialty public safety subconsultants have been meeting with the Police and Fire staff to validate the public safety building functions and spaces in the buildings. For the Library and Park & Recreation facility, in additional to staff meetings, there have been many public meetings to inform the community about what we have accomplished to date and seek their input about user interface preferences.
In April 2018, at the City Council Study Session, staff provided an update on the public outreach efforts associated with this phase of the project, the multi-modal access plan, and site plan options. The outreach validated the community’s desire for modernized spaces and more programs - for the new facility to provide a range of spaces supporting diverse venues for all to feel welcome and enjoy. The multi-modal access plan reflected a range of strategies that would maximize pedestrian and bicycle facilities, Centennial Trail connections, universal access as well as intersection improvements and priority access and egress for public safety facilities.
The site plan options reflected differences in how parking was addressed (all surface parking versus some underground), amount of recreational open space (zero to 20,000 sq. ft. to 50,000 sq. ft.), and Library and Parks and Recreation building height (two-story to three-story). The purpose of presenting the different options was to begin visualizing how cost constraints might influence project design. At the conclusion of the meeting, staff committed to completing the outreach effort, developing a recommended site plan and providing cost information at the June City Council Study Session. At the June City Council meeting, staff and the Smith Group JJR will make a presentation regarding project work completed to date, the proposed project funding plan, site plan recommendation, and design package strategy.
The presentation is attached.
Staff is recommending design development for the Library, Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire facilities on a campus with surface parking, multi-modal transportation facilities and open space that will be programmed for passive and active uses. The design would be packaged so that Library, Parks and Recreation and Police will be in the BASE package for construction and Fire, as OPTION 1 for construction. Given that the cost estimate of the project has increased since the 2016 estimate, this proposed design packaging strategy allows for phasing the project as needed.
The main community center will include a welcoming lobby and atrium area for multiple users, a White Box Theatre / City Council Chamber that will support public meetings as well as performances, a new Library Hub, a new Parks and Recreation Hub, and outdoor space for passive and active recreation. Shared spaces between the Library and Parks and Recreation will allow both departments to maximize their programs for the community.
The new Library Hub will provide larger, quieter spaces that more fully support reading, studying and the use of technology. Teens will have their own 2,000 sq. ft. “hang out” spot. Six adjacent study rooms of various sizes will help students complete their homework. The Children’s Library will double in size. In the expanded space, families will enjoy story times among the books in an area comfortably furnished. Early literacy stations will be added to the expanded picture book room for preschoolers. Set apart from the children’s area, the Adult Library will become a quiet reading sanctuary, with views, natural light, and comfortable seating. Finally, state-of-the-art, technology-based learning experiences will be offered in the Discovery Center. The new library and discovery center will feature programs covering a wide range of interests, from basic literacy and computer operation to writing code and building robots.
The new Parks and Recreation Hub will provide flexible, adaptable classrooms and meeting rooms, in addition to specialized activity spaces to allow customized programs. The largest activity space will be larger than the current Social Hall. The new Social Hall will have storage for tables and chairs, and dividers so that smaller activities can also be offered while maximizing space utilization. The dance studios will be larger with appropriate sprung flooring and adjacent dressing rooms. Classrooms will be designed for young children with adjacent restrooms to expand programming, and provide safety and operational control for staff supervising the children. A teaching kitchen will allow for cooking classes that can accommodate more students. Classrooms equipped with sinks, floor drain, and durable furnishings and finishes will allow for “messy” art and other creative activities. Combination of adjacent classrooms and meeting rooms will accommodate small conferences and meetings that require a lecture area and break-out rooms. There will be several small music rooms for piano, guitar, voice, or other types of music instruction.
The new Police and Fire stations will be built to the current Essential Services Code Requirement. It will be designed to be functional with efficient spaces to meet the operational needs of the public safety departments. The Police facility will include a 911 Emergency Center, support patrol and spaces for administrative records, communications, investigations, property and evidence, classrooms, physical training, and a firing range. 80 secured surface parking spaces will be provided. Design strategies for weather protection will be explored. The parking spaces will allow for fleet parking and police employee parking. At times, when shift transitions are heavy, police employees will need to utilize parking in nearby areas. The Fire facility will include three apparatus bays, storage, living and dining areas, separate sleeping quarters for males and females, administration and 14 parking spaces. These functional areas will provide the best environment for our fire employees and apparatus to efficiently and safely serve our community.
FISCAL IMPACT
Direction from this meeting will advance the project from program validation to schematic design. The funding for design was included in the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget approvals which will be carried over to Fiscal Year 2018-2019.
CONCLUSION
Schematic design is scheduled for the remainder of this calendar year. Public input will continue to inform design development. The project team will continue to provide quarterly updates to City Council.
Attachment: Project Update Presentation June 2018