SR-301-001 (4)
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RP:DTA:VR
August 13, 1985
Santa Monlcat California
TO:
Mayor and CIty CouncIl
FROM:
CIty Staff
SUBJECT:
RecommendatIon to Seek Proposals from Non- ProfIt
ChIldcare ProvIders to Renovate and UtllIze Unused
Flrestatlon at Clover Park
INTRODUCTION
ThIS report prov ides CI ty Council with informatIon about the
status of the vacant flrestation at 2801 25th Street. The
or Ig In al developmen t agreement whIch invol ved the fIrestatIon,
the range of communIty concerns, and the Interest of non-profit
chIldcare provIders are all revIewed.
The estImated costs of
renovatIng the buildIng and possible uses of the second floor of
the bUIldIng are also discussed.
ThIS report recommends that
CI ty CounCIl authorIze the Cl ty Manager to seek proposals from
non-profIt childcare prOVIders Interested In renovatIng the
bUIlding and rentIng 1 t for a nomInal cost from the ci ty for a
perIod of up to 10 years.
BACKGROUND
In 1982 the then owners of 2701 Ocean Park Blvd. entered into a
development agreement to bUIld a three story proJect which
included a number of amenItIes IncludIng 18 units of affordable
hOUSIng.
The property owners had a partIcular interest In
chlldcare and, as part of the agreement, commItted themselves to
provIdlng space for chlldcare either on slte or through
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renovating the unused Clover Park firestation. CIty CouncIl was
given the chOIce of WhICh option to choose In thIS matter. After
several community meetings WIth affected neIghbors and chIldcare
advocates, a consensus developed to support the renovation of the
fIrestatlon rather than askIng the developer to prOVIde chIldcare
space on SIte.
DurIng those meetings the other requested uses
for the bu ild Ing were: storage for sports leagues (eg soccer,
rugby), a clubhouse for sports leagues t and activity center for
senIor CItIzens.
It was acknowledged that storage could be
prOVIded on the outside of the faCIlIty regardless of the
InterIor uses and that use by senior CItizens might be
problematic due to the cost of Installing an elevator to provide
second floor access. NeIghbors also expressed concerns about the
effect WhICh heavy use of the faCIlIty could have on the
surroundIng commun 1 ty, partIcul ar 1 y In the evenIngs.
(Similar
concerns wer e voiced at the July 15, 1985 Clover Park pI anning
meetIng.)
Based on communIty input, in January, 1983 Council requested the
developer to renovate the firestatlon rather than prOVIde
childcare space on SIte. CIty staff commiSSIoned an archItect to
develop plans for such a renovatIon based on recommendatIons from
LaurIe Rozet, the then director of Connections for ChIldren.
DISCUSSIons ensued WIth the developer regardIng the actual costs
of such a renovatIon.
Before these dISCUSSIons were concluded,
the developer was dIverted by personal concerns and no agreement
was reached.
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DISCUSSION
2701 Ocean Park Blvd. has recently been acquIred by a new
developer who is proposIng an entIrely new prOject on that
property.
The project IS now beIng handled through city review
channels.
Staff has no reason to assume that the origInal
prOject with Its prOVIsIon of chlldcare space will be bUIlt.
On March 26, 1985 a representatIve of the Santa MonIca Chlldcare
Task Force (WhICh Includes chlldcare provIders), appeared before
Cl ty Council requesting the Council make the unused flrestatlon
ava1lable for use by a non-profIt chlldcare provIder.
The Task
Force stressed the varIOUS aspects of the bUIldIng which make It
unIquely sUIted for a chlldcare center including Its access to
open space and Its fenced-1n play area, both of which are
r equ 1 red by the State for a lIcensed facl11 ty.
The d 1 fficul ty
childcare provIders have In locatIng SItes WhIch meet these and
other licensing requirements was emphaSIzed.
The Task Force
suggested that chlldcare operators be asked to submIt bIds to
renovate the building and rent It for $1 a year for a mInimum of
10 years to recoup the costs of the renovation.
CIty CounCIl receIved the request of the Task Force and referred
the matter to CIty Staff requestIng: an update on the 2701
development agreement, a reVIew of neIghborhood concerns, updated
cost fIgures for rehabilItatIon versus new construction, and an
Idea of how the renovatIon would be affected by the Clover Park
expanSIon proJect.
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COST ESTIMATES
In May, 1985 WillIam Brantley ArchItects was commiSSIoned to
evaluate the firestation structure and develop cost estImates to
renovate
the
bUIldIng
for
public
use.
The
cost
for
rehabIlitatIon of the fIrst floor for public use and the second
floor for office use was estimated at $138,000 (includIng a 15%
contIngency).
RehabilItatIon of the fIrst floor only was
estimated at $83,000.
Optional Items not Included In the cost
estimate are hydraUlIC elevator $35,000,
aIr conditIoning
$10,000, and eqUIpment or fIxtures necessary to IndIVIdual
programs such as furnIture, shelvIng, fIles, etc.
To renovate
the second floor for publIC assembly use as opposed to offIce use
could Increase the structur al costs by as much as $40,000 for
floor reinforcement and need to Include the Installation of a
$35,000 elevator for handIcapped assesslbllity.
COMMUNITY INTEREST
A number of chlldcare providers have expressed interest In the
fIrestation as a SIte for expanded childcare programmIng. It is
seen as a faCIlIty SUI table for Infant, toddler, preschool and
afterschool care. One prOVIder has made contact WIth a bUSIness
located In the Ocean Park BUSIness Park which may prOVIde some
support for the bUIlding renovatIon. The facilIty has been
VISl ted by one of the prOVIders and prelImInary plans developed
WhICh locate the kItchen area on the second floor, freeIng up
more square footage on the ground floor for chlldcare.
However,
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no fIrm plans have been made pendIng CouncIl's actIon on thIS
matter.
On Wednesday, July 24 the Santa MonIca CommIssion on the Status
of Women endorsed the concept of utilizing the firestation as a
sIte for a non-profIt childcare center and requested the
opportunIty to partICIpate in the desIgn of the Request for
Proposal to be developed for thIS effort I f approved by CI ty
Council.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS
In discuSSIons with neighbors regardIng thIS facility, there has
been some ambIvalence about its contInued use. Some neighbors
have suggested tearIng the building down. Others have suggested
that the prImary concerns relate to parkIng and traffIC. Before
ISSUIng a Request for Proposal but after receiVIng Council
approval for deSIgnatIng the structure for use as a daycare
center, City Staff would propose to meet WIth ImmedIate neighbors
of the bUIldIng to identIfy their concerns related to parkIng,
traffIC t bUIldIng desIgn, noise, etc. This would allow these
concerns to be IdentifIed In the RFP process and addressed by
proJect proposers.
Code reqUIrements call for the prOVIsion of 10 parking spaces on
si te or wi thin 300 feet of the faelli ty. Four spaces currently
are provided on SIte. The prOVIsion of off-SIte spaces would
reqUIre a variance from the plannIng admInistrator. At a
min imum, parking for the staff of the childcare facil i ty would
have to be prOVIded off-Site through a rental arrangement with a
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nearby employer or use 0 f a 1 iml ted number 0 f spaces at the
Clover Park parklng area. Because the childcare center would be
ln operatIon durIng off-peak park hours such an arrangement could
be compatible. Drop-off, pick-up areas would have to be designed
WIth neighborhood concerns in mind.
The use of the fac III ty for other uses such as a communl ty
serVIce faCIlity WIth a large assembly meetIng room would reqUIre
the prOVIsIon of 1 parking space for every 80 square feet of
floor area. Because of the parkIng requirements and neIghborhood
concerns, such a use IS seen as undeSirable In this bUIldIng.
CLOVER PARK EXPANSION
Plans to date for the expanSIon of Clover Park call for vehicle
access to the 4.25 acre extenSIon from 28th Street rather than
25th WhICh borders a reSidentIal area. Therefore addltIonal
parkIng spaces WIll be prOVIded close to the southeast corner of
the extenslon, away from the old firestation.
As part of the park expanslon, a restroom bUlldlng wlll be
constructed and Will lnclude storage areas for the eqUIpment of
various sports leagues, ln lIne WIth community requests. That
WIll allow equlpment to be stored adJacent to playing flelds and
away from the flrestatlon.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
Currently there are no funds budgeted for the renovatIon of thIS
faCIlIty.
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As compar Ison for the rehab ill ta tIon costs cited earl ier , the
cost of new construction IS estimated at $55/square foot for the
bUIlding and $5/square foot for Improvements to the lot for a
total of $228,000.
ThIS fIgure does not Include deSIgn and
engineerIng costs and IS based on the currently avaIlable square
footage (3,400 square feet of building, and an 8,200 square foot
lot) .
By seekIng proposals from non-profit chlldcare providers to
renovate and rent the bUildIng for use as a chIldcare center,the
cost for renovation and operation of the facility would be
absorbed by that operator, with no cost to the CIty.
CONCLUSION
In conclusIon, 1 t appears that the unused fIrestation at Clover
Park IS relatively sound and could be rehabilItated for a
reasonable cost. UtiliZing the bUildIng for a childcare center,
renovated at no publIC cost, IS the use whIch would produce the
greatest publIC benefIt at this tIme.
The alternative of
rehabilitating the building at publiC expense for publiC assembly
would Increase the renovation costs SignifIcantly ($40,000 to
reinforce the second floor and $35,000 for InstallatIon of an
elevator) and produce parking reqUirements which could not be
satisfIed WIthout convertIng park land to blacktop. This IS an
alternative WhICh IS not appealing to either the neighborhood or
CIty Staff. In additIon, use of the faCIlity for public meetings
would produce traffic durIng evenings and weekends, periods when
the area experiences the most congestIon.
UtilIzing it for
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chIldcare would mean Increased use dur1ng week days only, periods
of low park usage.
If proposals from ch1ldcare prov1ders propose utillzlng the fIrst
floor only, It would then be possible to consIder the lnvestment
of City funds into rehabIlitating the top floor for use as off1ce
space for RecreatIon and Parks staff.
WhIle there 1S some commun1ty interest in the construction of a
community center at Clover Park, there is no support for locating
such a center adJacent to the ne1ghborlng res1dentlal area.
To summar ize, It appear s prud ent to pur sue the util ization of
thl s fac il i ty for childcare purposes due to the SUI tablll ty of
the site and the shortage of suitable sites In Santa MonIca for
the provIsIon of chIldcare serVIces.
However, the costs of the
CIty renovatIng the buildIng for use as a communIty center do not
appear warranted due to the small SIze of the existIng bUIlding,
the diffIculty of access to the second floor, and the location of
the facIlity.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It 1S recommended that CIty CounCIl authorize the CIty Manager to
seek proposal s from non-prof1 t chlldcare prov Iders to renovate
and rent for a m1n1mal charge the unused flrestation at 2801 25th
Street for up to 10 ye ar s.
It IS further recommended that the
following Issues be taken Into considerat1on In desIgnIng the
RFP:
1. IdentIfYIng and mInImIzing negatIve neighborhood Impact;
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2. The ab111 ty of the operator to generate the revenue needed
for rehab1lltation of the build1ng;
3. ChIldcare needs 1n the communIty;
4. Abill ty of the program to prov lde serv lces to low lncome
famllies and Santa Monica residents;
5. Exper lence of the prov lder in offer lng qual i ty ChIld care
serVIces and 1n meetIng Ilcenslng requlrements.
Prepared by: VIVIan RothsteIn
Assistant to the Director
Recreat10n and Parks Department
( frhse)
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~os t 1 y broken out, wlll need to be replaced In order to sa ti s fy current
(nergy constraints for insulatlon and infiltration. All exterlor walls
)nd ceillngs below unconditloned spaces will need to be properly
1nsulated. ThlS will requlre removing and replacing most of the wall and
cel11ng finishes.
CONSTRUCTION BUDGET COSTS
Budgeti ng for the constructi on of thl s buil di ng wi 11 be addressed as if
both floors wlll be used and occupi ed. Si nce no defl ni te use has been
determined at this time, the following will provide for sufficient
funding to cover most any needs.
Off-Site Improvements $ 1,500
On-site Surface Improvements 14,000
Excavation and Backfill 3,500
Demolitlon 3,800
Structura 1 System 10,000
Mechanical 7,500
Electrical 6,900
Plumbing 15,000
Interior Partitions and Cellings 40,800
Exterior Walls 11,900
Roof 5,100
Sub-Total $ 120,000
Contingency (15%) 18,000
TOTAL $ 138,000
Optlonal Hydraulic Elevator $ 35,000
The above budget fi gure 1 ncl udes a fl fteen percent (15%) conti ngency
allowance for unknowns. It should be noted that renovating older,
eXlstlng structures is risky because of problems that can only be
discovered after the bUlldlng elements are uncovered. These problems can
be very costly and should be anticipated.
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