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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/10/1991, 3 - CITY HALL EXPANSION PROJECT - STUDY PHASE III�II�II�I�II��III MEETING DATE: jDec.ci"Jor san tins osispo 10, 1991 COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ITS NUMB: FROM: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer David F. Romero, Public Works Director E::;oXe PREPARED BY: David Elliott, Administrative Analyst �f SUBJECT: City Hall Expansion Project - Study e CAO RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) Review and approve the "City Hall Building Program" docu- ment, which will guide any future City Hall expansion; 2) Review the schematic building plans and elevations prepared to date for the City Hall expansion and provide comments for consideration when the project is reactivated at some future point; 3) Review the Civic Center master plan and refer it to the Downtown Design Committee for its consideration as part of the Downtown Physical Concept Plan; 4) Defer further work on the City Hall expansion until cir- cumstances are appropriate for reactivating the project. 5) Transfer $440, 000 not spent for project design from the capital outlay fund control account to the general fund. DISCUSSION: Background. In January 1989 the City hired Fred Sweeney of Grant Pedersen Phillips Architects to work on the study phase of the City Hall expansion project. The study phase work has included programming, conceptual/schematic design, and preparation of a Civic Center master plan. During budget study sessions in Spring 1991, staff concluded that because of current economic conditions and budget restraints the City should postpone further work on this project. The purpose of the presentation at the December 10 Council meeting is to document Council -consensus and direction on this project for guidance when work resumes in the future, sometime after the 1991/93 Financial Plan period. Previous Review. Throughout the study phase staff and the project architect have presented progress reports or work pro- ducts to the City Council, the Planning Commission, the Architec- tural Review Commission, and representatives from community groups and other agencies. Following is a list of various presentations: 1/89 Study session with the Architectural Review Commission 3/89 Study session with the Planning Commission 3/89 Study session with the Architectural Review Commission 3/89 Briefings with individual councilmembers 3-1 City Of San tins OBISp0 Nii% COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Expansion Project - Study Phase page 2 i 4/89 Study session with the City Council 2/90 Public hearing with the City Council, Planning Commission and Architectural Review Commission 6/90 Work session with County administrative staff 6/90 Work session with representatives from the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission 6/90 Work session with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, the BIA Parking Committee and the Parking Manage- ment Committee 6/90 Work session with representatives from the Arts Council, the Land Conservancy, and the County Historical Society 6/90 Work session with reprentatives from Obispo Beautiful and surrounding property owners 1/91 Work session with the Downtown Design Committee 2/91 Study session with the City Council 4/91 Briefings with individual Councilmembers Community Consensus. Overall, representatives from community groups and other agencies seem to agree that the City Hall expansion and the Civic Center improvements are necessary to meet the City's future needs. They feel that both the City and County should develop enough space to keep as many government offices as possible downtown. While acknowledging the uncertainty of plan- ning beyond the year 2010, they have urged the City to think beyond the immediate future and avoid the economic consequences of moving offices out of the downtown. To ease the traffic concerns and parking demand anticipated with such expansion, they i advocate a flexible and innovative blend of circulation options, with particular emphasis on pedestrian paths. While favoring a mix of public open spaces and land uses in the Civic Center area to promote round-the-clock activity, they prefer keeping the ceremonial heart of San Luis Obispo at Mission Plaza, with the Civic Center area functioning as a subordinate public space. I ' Study Phase Work Products. The study phase work products (build- ing plans and elevations package, program report, and master plan report) were distributed to the Council under separate cover during the fourth week of November. Fred Sweeney will discuss j these products and answer questions at the December 10 Council meeting. I Future Direction. Attached to this agenda report is an eight- j page document which summarizes the comments received and the con- clusions reached during the study phase. The last part of this document outlines proposed direction for the design phase of the project, including issues which must be resolved later during the design development portion of the design phase. 3-� iliiiilti�►i�IIIlIP1Q lllllll city of San LUIS oBispo COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Expansion Project - Study Phase page 3 Nest Steps. If the Council follows the staff recommendation on i December 10, all project work by staff and the architect will stop. The Civic Center master plan will go to the Downtown Design Committee for review, possible revision, and incorporation into the Downtown Physical Concept Plan, which will eventually return to the Council for adoption. i Staff cannot recommend when project work should restart, because that depends on the City's future financial position and the priorities of the Council. Staff does recommend that the Council reconsider the project schedule during preliminary goal-setting meetings for the 1993/95 Financial Plan. At that time, financial trends may be clearer, and the Council may be in a better posi- tion to decide if and when work should resume with the design phase. FISCAL IMPACT: The 1987/89 and 1989/91 Financial Plans designated $600, 000 for . the study and design phases of the City Hall expansion project. The cost of the study phase has been $160,700. That leaves about $440,000 designated for this project in the capital outlay fund control account. Since there are no scheduled uses for this money in 1991/93 , staff recommends transferring $440, 000 from the capital outlay fund control account to the general fund. Estimating construction costs at this point is difficult without answers to those questions which must be considered during the design phase. When the architect can determine the general I building size, the number of floors, and what building codes will apply, he will be able to calculate an accurate and meaningful cost estimate. CAO COMMENTS: Although the City must now defer this project, eventually the City Hall building must expand to accommodate the immediate and future needs which previous studies (including the adopted Facilities Master Plan) have documented. Substantial review and comment by community groups have revealed strong consensus for such an expansion, particularly on two points. First, keeping local government offices in one location will provide good service to the public, long term government productivity, and continued economic vitality for the downtown. Second, building a high-quality, well-conceived addition will enhance the histori- cal, cultural and architectural context of the Civic Center and the surrounding downtown area. Achieving these objectives will 3-3 illllil city of San i 13 OBISpo COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Expansion Project - Study Phase page 4 i i require, at an appropriate future time, deliberate and pro- fessional continuation of the work already completed. attachment: City Hall Expansion Project - Study Phase Summary I ' enclosures: building plans and elevations package program report master plan report i I I I � i i I I 3- CITY HALL EXPANSION PROJECT STUDY PHASE SUMMARY MMODUCnON During capital planning and budgeting sessions in 1985, manage- ment team members mentioned an overcrowding problem at City Hall that was growing worse each year. Besides a shortage of office space, there also seemed to be a disruptive lack of meeting and storage space. Three independent studies conducted in 1986, 1988 and 1989 confirmed an existing need for about 14, 000 additional square feet and an eventual need by the year 2010 for another 13, 000 square feet to house City Hall activities. (The existing City Hall building contains about 20, 000 square feet. ) To provide immediate relief, the City undertook three projects. First, it remodeled the building at 955 Morro Street and gained about 6, 000 square feet of office space. Second, it began remodeling the existing City Hall building to use the space there more efficiently. Third, it moved the water conservation offices into the Old Library next to City Hall, where that program occupies about 1,700 square feet. After examining several options to fulfill long-term space needs, the City decided to further explore building a new City Hall addition on the Old Library site. In January 1989 the City awarded a contract to Grant Pedersen Phillips Architects for preliminary programming work on a new addition and various Civic Center site improvements. At a combined City Council/Planning Commission/Architectural Review Commission meeting in February 1990, Fred Sweeney, the project architect, presented the findings and conclusions of the programming work along with preliminary designs. In April 1990, the City amended the contract and authorized the project architect to continue with conceptual and schematic design, refining his preliminary work and resolving questions which arose during programming. This document summarizes the comments received and the con- clusions reached during the study phase of the City Hall expan- sion project, which includes programming, conceptual design and schematic design. This document also outlines directions for the design phase of the project, including issues which must be resolved during design development. This summary accompanies the written building program and the schematic plans and elevations. 3-S City Hall Expansion Project.Study Phase Summary page 2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES • Improve public access and use of City Hall. • Improve service to the public. • Provide adequate long-term office, meeting and storage space for City Hall work activities. • Improve the working environment for City Hall employees. • _ Establish the Palm Street corridor as a beautiful and useful Civic Center. • Preserve the character and integrity of the existing City Hall building. GENERAL PROJECT SCOPE • Construct a new City Hall office building addition on the Old Library site. • Remodel the existing City Hall office building. • Build various Civic Center site improvements (including refined open space and pedestrian links) . DIRECTION FROM THE CITY COUNM PLANNING COMMISSION AND ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION Direction on Building Appearance. Scale and Balance • Protect and enhance the historical, cultural and architec- tural context of the Civic Center and the stature of the existing City Hall building. • Promote a sense of solidity and perpetuity so that the building and site declare "San Luis Obispo City Hall" . • At the business entrance near the corner of Palm and Morro, keep the foyer height as low as possible in order to a) reduce the overall scale of the building addition b) incor- porate the terraced effect of the existing City Hall and c) emphasize the formal main entrance. • Reduce the height of the elevator tower; set the tower farther back from Palm Street or move it to the Osos street side of the building. • Place a large building element toward the Osos Street side of the Palm Street building facade for balance. Direction on the Building Program • Provide ample natural light in the workspaces. • Design workspaces for flexibility and expansion. • Stress quality and longevity while avoiding extravagance. 3-� City Hall Expansion Project-Study Phase Summary page 3 Direction on the Building Program (continued) • Keep interior layouts simple, open and flexible. Avoid compartmentalization. • Carefully discriminate between needs and wants by continual- ly asking how each proposed improvement benefits the public. • Include a one-stop service counter for community develop- ment, public works and finance customers. • Include more building area than the 47, 000 square feet proposed during preliminary programming; place most of the additional area up against the AT&T building. • As much as possible consolidate all unused space into one location and lease this space out until needed for future growth. • Think about growth and expansion after the year 2010. Either provide more building area now or carefully plan how the next expansion might evolve. • Improve the council chamber, with particular attention to acoustics, sight lines, lighting, visual presentation and accessibility for disabled people. • Reexamine functional relationships between various City Hall activities and incorporate conclusions in the program document. • Provide enough flexibility in the building to incorporate possible future social functions like child care. Direction on Circulation and Entrances • Make circulation around the .site and through the building logical and simple for all officials, employees and visit- ors. • Make all areas of City Hall (and particularly the business entrance, the council chamber and the public service count- er) easily accessible to disabled people. If appropriate, go beyond minimum code requirements and establish an affir- mative standard of enlightened development for accessibil- ity. • Incorporate an elevator for disabled accessibility but consider locating it at the Osos Street side of the building rather than the formal entrance. • Retain the concept of two main entrances: one formal en- trance leading to the council chamber and one business entrance leading to the one-stop public service counter. • Plan the two main entrances (one formal entrance and one business entrance) carefully. Emphasize the formal en- trance; don't let the business entrance dominate. • Build up the formal main entrance to City Hall even more than the original architect intended. 3 - 7 Oty Hall Expansion Project-Study Phase Summary page 4 Direction on Circulation and Entrances (continued) • Build the sidewalk bulbouts on Palm Street so that they extend in front of the main entrance to City Hall and main entrance to the new library across the street. Use this design element to better unify and align these two entran- ces. • If possible, face the business entrance toward Morro Street instead of Palm Street or at an angle toward both Morro and Palm Streets. • Locate the business entrance near the Palm Street parking garage to take advantage of an existing resource for cus- tomer parking. Direction on site Development • Set a positive and commendable example for development in the downtown. • Prepare a master plan for the civic center area to identify needs and opportunities for open space, pedestrian circula- tion and preservation of view corridors. • Include attractive, useful and small-scale public open space. • Articulate more clearly the intended uses for open spaces. • Carefully refine the open spaces to fit their intended uses, with particular attention to accommodating pedestrian traffic. • Preserving the tall redwood trees is commendable, but do some study to determine 1) their existing health and ex- pected longevity and 2) their chances of surviving construc- tion and thriving under different conditions. • Don't let the location of the redwood trees dictate building design. Over the long run, an efficient building shape along with newly planted trees may be more sensible. Direction on Traffic Management (Parking and Transit) • Move the bus transfer facilities out of the Civic Center as soon as practical. • Address immediate parking needs through a trip reduction plan which can serve as a model for large-scale downtown development. • Acknowledge the need for short-term parking (1/2 hour or less) near the business entrance at Palm and Morro. 3-8 City Hall Expansion Project-Study Phase Summary page 5 CONCLUSIONS OF PROGRAMMING, CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND SCHEMATIC DESIGN WORK Conclusions about Building Appearance, Scale and Balance • To protect the form and eminence of the existing City Hall building and to allow adequate open space, the new building addition should be no taller than three or four stories above the existing City Hall ground floor and should have a footprint no larger than 12, 000 square feet. • The architectural texture and detail of the new building addition should derive from the existing City Hall building. • Moving the exterior elevator (needed to make the main entrance accessible for disabled people) to the Osos Street side of the formal main entrance would help balance the entire Palm Street facade and eliminate a previously pro- posed elevated walkway in front of the new addition. • The building interior and exterior should incorporate and accommodate public art. Conclusions about the Building Proaram • A building with 55, 000 square feet (the existing City Hall plus a new three-story addition) would accommodate all currently programmed City Hall activities through the year 2010. • A building with 62, 000 square feet (the existing City Hall plus a new four-story addition) would: a) accommodate all City Hall activities through the year 2010 b) Provide additional space for growth beyond the year 2010 C) allow more flexibility in locating large departments and accommodating future growth d) allow the City to lease excess space until needed for future growth. • Consolidating most of the future growth area into one location would allow the City to lease about 5, 000 square feet of office space to another government agency. • The ground floor area nearest to Osos Street would be most appropriate for leasable space because it could be easily isolated from the remainder of the building and could be provided a separate entrance. • Ground floor spaces in the existing City Hall and a new addition must have adequate ventilation and natural light to work well as offices. Qty Hail Expansion Project-Study Phase Summary page 6 Conclusions about the Building Program (continued) • The business entrance leading to the one-stop public service counter should be located on the ground floor near short- term parking, either on the street or in the Palm Street Parking Garage. • Employees from community development, public works and finance departments with significant customer service responsibility should have workstations on the ground floor close to the one-stop public service counter. • The city clerk offices should be located near the formal entrance to best accomplish public information activities. • The personnel offices should be located on the second floor and near an entrance for the convenience of applicants. • Restoring the council chamber to its original size and rotating it 90 degrees would strengthen the ceremonial axis formed by the front steps, the entrance doors, the lobby and the rotunda. • Rotating the council chamber 90 degrees would also improve sight lines, bring all public seating closer to the council, and make the chamber more accessible to disabled people. • For maximum interior efficiency and flexibility, all work- stations for employees below management level should be open offices. • Listed below are tentative space requirements for various employee categories, based on industry standards as well as the City's experience using systems furniture at 955 Morro Street: Executive employees 200 square feet Management employees 150 square feet Mid-management employees 120 square feet Professional employees 120 square feet Technical employees 90 square feet Secretarial employees 60 square feet Clerical employees 40 square feet Interns/Inspectors 40 square feet These space requirements lie at the high end of accepted standards and might prudently be reduced to hold down building size and cost. Conclusions about Circulation and Entrances • To promote efficient and understandable interior cir- culation, a new building addition should connect to the existing building and the floor levels of the two buildings should align. 310 City Hall Expansion Project-Study Phase Summary page 7 Conclusions about Circulation and Entrances (continued) • In the public corridors, shallow and distinctive niches should define public entries into department spaces. • An exterior elevator would make entrances to the council chamber and second-floor administrative areas easily acces- sible to the disabled without awkward and imposing exterior ramps. • Placing the exterior elevator on the Osos Street facade of the building would make leasable space on the ground floor easily accessible to the disabled. • Building design should emphasize the existing Palm Street entrance (the front steps and entry doors along with the rotunda and council chamber) as the ceremonial focus of City Hall. Conclusions about Site Development • The existing parking lot site behind City Hall should be reserved for future long-term building expansion. • The required building size and configuration would allow preservation of the two mature redwood trees. • To provide ample natural light in the workspaces, the area occupied by the redwood trees should remain as open space regardless of whether or not the redwood trees are pre- served. • As opportunities arise, the City should acquire the un- developed and underdeveloped parcels across Palm Street from City Hall for an appropriate future use, currently visual- ized as a public plaza with underground parking. Conclusions about Traffic Management (Parking and Transit) • Underground on-site parking would be inefficient and prohi- bitively expensive. • Developing the parking lot behind City Hall into a multi- level parking garage with interconnected floors would be inefficient because the square shape would require a high proportion of ramping area to parking area. Although a two- level garage without connections between floors (top floor access would be from Mill Street; bottom floor access would be from Osos Street) migh t be feasible, this site should be reserved for future expansion. 3-11 City Hall Expansion Project-Study Phase Summary page 8 Conclusions about Traffic Management (Parking and Transit) (continued) • If a trip reduction plan can achieve an average vehicle ridership of 1.5, total calculated parking demand for City Hall would be about 110 parking spaces. The lot behind City Hall has 50 spaces, so development of the expansion project would require about 60 spaces off-site. • The site directly across Palm Street next to the new library would accommodate about 60 surface parking spaces or 100 spaces in a two-level garage. • Site development should maintain two-way auto traffic on Palm Street and limit curbside parking in order to widen the sidewalks and provide more pedestrian improvements. DIRECTION FOR THE DESIGN PHASE • Identify organization changes and additions which alter projected space requirements. • Compare projected to actual workforce growth and adjust space requirements. • Reassess the space requirements for various employee catego- ries to determine if total programmed square footage can be reduced. • Design typical, standardized open workstation layouts for all employee categories. • Determine the financial feasibility and desirability of building beyond program requirements to accommodate long- term growth. • Determine if more than 5, 000 square feet can be consolidated and leased out until needed for future growth. • Review the design options created during the study phase (including the need for and specific use of a fourth floor) and select a preferred option. • Determine if any portion of the existing building or the addition should be designed to essential services building codes. • Review the effectiveness of trip reduction strategies and adjust parking demand calculations if necessary. • As needed, acquire off-site property for parking. • Incorporate advanced and proven energy conservation strate- gies into the building design, going beyond basic code requirements if appropriate. • Develop a strategy for 1) determining the presence and extent of archaeological artifacts and 2) preserving any artifacts found.