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SR-1000-001-04 (6) iC SEP z 8 2004 EPWM: CP: AA: DB:MM:\DA T A\SPFILES\SP1609\CC1609sept28.doc Council Meeting: September 28,2004 Santa Monica, California TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City Staff SUBJECT: Presentation of Schematic Design for the Big Blue Bus Campus Expansion Project, Phases II-IV Introduction This report seeks input from the City Council on the schematic design for the Big Blue Bus (BBB) Campus Expansion Project, Phases II -IV. Backqround On February 27, 2001, City Council approved the BBB Facility Expansion Plan and certified the Final Environmental Impact Report for the project. Phase I (Fuel and Wash Facility) has been completed and on September 11, 2001 Council awarded a design contract to Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) for the design of Phases II-IV of the BBB Campus Expansion Project. On April 27, 2004, City Council approved in concept revisions to the BBB Campus Expansion Plan. The revised expansion plan provides for construction of an administration building with underground employee and visitor parking at Sixth Street and Colorado Avenue linked to a new maintenance facility along Seventh Street between Colorado Avenue and Olympic Boulevard and on-site parking to accommodate a total of 235 buses. 1 SEP 2 8 ,004, 8~ The remaining phases of the revised expansion plan are as follows: (II a) Demolition of the existing SW ASHLOCK facility along Olympic Boulevard and construction of a new modular facility for the OPCC Access Center and SWASHLOCK at the site; (lib) Demolition of the 612 Colorado Building, construction of a new administration building with a below grade parking structure, and subsequent demolition of prior administration building; (II I) Construction of a transit bus maintenance facility; and (IV) Demolition of the existing maintenance facility, grading, paving, and other site improvements. Discussion Schematic Design During this phase of the project HOK is refining the conceptual plan and increasing the level of detail. HOK is revising the design to reflect comments and suggestions from Council, including: 1) The pedestrian experience along Colorado Avenue and Seventh Street; 2) Scale and appropriateness to the neighborhood; 3) The articulation of the elevations; 4) Drive-through bays on Seventh Street; 5) Treatment at Colorado Avenue and Seventh Street; and 6) Client access to the social services facility on Olympic Boulevard via Fifth Street and via Seventh Street. 2 The pedestrian amenities include a deep 10 foot wide landscaped zone along Colorado Avenue which makes a dynamic pedestrian scaled "garden" along the public sidewalk. The landscaping continues around the corner on Sixth Street and there are colorful insets on the concrete sidewalk along Colorado Avenue, expanding into a plaza area on Sixth Street. The 10-foot wide landscaped area continues along Seventh Street, featuring existing and in-filled trees, indigenous plantings, and a dry rocky creek bed, which filters storm water runoff. HOK has also modified the pedestrian experience by adding a customer service entry on the corner of Colorado and Sixth Street, which is a transparent, curved and inviting form. Several techniques are used to break down the scale of the architectural forms. For example, the scale of the Colorado Avenue elevation is broken down into distinct areas: the oval corner entry, the curved glass curtain wall with sun screens, the permeable central lobby, and the open outdoor terrace at Seventh Street. The administration building along Colorado Avenue is three-stories, and becomes two-story on Seventh Street as the maintenance building. The mass of the maintenance building is broken by a folded roof plane and a changing pattern of glazed openings. It mirrors the proposed Postal Annex Building across Seventh Street in its two-story height. The three-story administration building mediates between the one-story to five-story buildings to the north. 3 The elevations are articulated using similar exterior materials, but each building uses them in varying amounts. For instance, less glass is used on the maintenance building, less ceramic tile base is used on the administration building, and the bold, folded planes and dramatic arcs of the new design tie the whole complex together. The drive-through bays are limited to three on Seventh Street, and HOK has modified the doors to minimize a garage-door appearance. HOK has also added more window openings, and extensive drought-tolerant landscaping in the bioswale along Seventh Street. HOK mitigated the mass at the corner of Seventh Street and Colorado Avenue by adding openings to the wall at the outdoor terrace, creating interest and more interaction with the neighborhood. Parking will be available for staff and clients of the new Access Center social services facility in the new underground parking garage to be built under the administration building on Colorado Avenue. The most direct route to the Access Center will be along Seventh Street which has been broadened to 10 feet, and adjacent to the 15 foot landscaped bioswale. The bus stop is also located at Seventh Street and Colorado Avenue, leading clients to walk down Seventh Street. Should a client approach from Fifth Street; there is an existing eight-foot sidewalk. Crossing zones will be indicated around the new fueling area on the corner of Fifth and Olympic Boulevard. 4 Dan Corson, project artist, has updated his concepts including the perforated outdoor terrace, cobalt blue wall, sky portals at the lunch room, and dynamic landscaping on an accessible green roof. The project team continues its evaluation of an integrated sustainable design. Many features have been identified to produce a silver LEED rating. These include: . Central plant system and photovoltaic system for increased energy efficiency . Under floor air distribution, reducing energy costs and enhancing occupant health . Use of recycled and recyclable materials . Use of daylighting, reducing energy costs and increasing occupant satisfaction . Permeable concrete and bioswale reducing urban runoff and bay pollution . Alternative fuel facility, reduced emission buses Additionally, a multidisciplinary team is collaborating to develop strategies to minimize the use of resources, reduce any harmful effects on the environment and create a healthy indoor environment. Life-cycle analysis and a "whole building" approach will reduce the impact of construction and lower the operating costs of the new building. Tenant Relocation OPCC currently occupies a portion of the 612 Colorado Avenue facility. This property was purchased in 1985 with dedicated public transit funding and leased to OPCC and other tenants on a temporary basis until the site was needed for transit purposes. 5 On August 12, 2003, City Council approved the relocation of OPCC's Daybreak Shelter and the establishment of their new Safe Haven program at 1751-1753 Cloverfield Boulevard, and directed the retention of the Access Center program on the Big Blue Bus campus. The southwest area of the campus currently houses SAMOSHEL, a 110- bed homeless shelter, and SWASHLOCK which contains shower facilities, lockers, laundry facilities and a counseling center for the homeless, both operated by the Salvation Army. On April 27, 2004, Council approved the option of incorporating the Access Center and SW ASHLOCK in a two-story modular or pre-fabricated facility. OPCC will operate the new Access Center, which will incorporate the SWASHLOCK functions into the new facility. It provides space for Access Center functions with minimal disruption to existing social service programs and Big Blue Bus operations. There is sufficient outdoor queuing space for clients, and loading functions can also be accommodated on- site. Staff parking would be accommodated within the proposed Big Blue Bus parking structure. Construction time, schedule and budget impacts are reduced for the agencies and the BBB by the use of modular or pre-fabricated construction. Additionally, permanent construction for uses other than transit services would not be allowed on transit property. The construction of the OPCC Access Center and SWASHLOCK would occur during the first stage of the facility expansion project, eliminating the need for OPCC relocation from 612 Colorado during construction. Suitable on-site facilities will be 6 made available for the SWASHLOCK function during construction of the new Access Center building. CEQA The subsequent phases of the revised Big Blue Bus Campus Expansion Plan will be reviewed by the Planning Commission for their planning entitlements prior to construction. An addendum has been prepared to the Big Blue Bus Facility Expansion Environmental Impact Report to analyze the environmental implications of the revisions to the Expansion Plan. No additional significant environmental impacts were identified. The Planning Commission will consider the addendum along with the planning applications for the subsequent phases of the Expansion Plan. BudqetlFinancial Impact There is no budget impact associated with Council action recommended in this report. The project (Phases II-IV) is estimated to cost approximately $80.4 million, which breaks down as follows. This cost estimate is subject to an increase due to inflation and market fluctuations should unforeseen project delays occur. Expansion Plan Preparation $ 350,000 EIR Preparation $ 200,000 Phases II-IV Design $ 4,500,000 (Administration and Maintenance Buildings, Site Work and Utilities) 7 Phases II-IV Construction $59,600,000 Program & Construction Management, Testing $ 4,575,000 Relocation and Renovation Expenses $ 3,000,000 Furniture, Furnishings and Equipment $ 2,000,000 Administrative Costs, Contingencies and Miscellaneous $ 6,175,000 TOTAL $80,400,000 The project is funded by regional transportation funds (Proposition A & C, State Transit Assistance Funds, and Transportation Development Act Funds) allocated to the Big Blue Bus and requires no local general funds. Recommendations Staff recommends Council review the Big Blue Bus Campus Expansion Project schematic design plans and provide comment and feedback as appropriate. Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director, Environmental & Public Works Management Anthony Antich, P.E., City Engineer Stephanie Negriff, Director, Big Blue Bus Joe Stitcher, Assistant Director, Big Blue Bus - Transit Operations Ralph Merced, Transit Maintenance Manager Dave Britton, P.E., Principal Civil Engineer Miriam Mulder, Architect Attachments: Design Sketches, Plans and Renderings 8