SR-303-021 (2)
~f!J
JUN I LA 2005
Council Meeting: June 14, 2005
Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommended Concept Design for the Euclid Park Project
INTRODUCTION
This report provides background on the proposed concept design for the Euclid Park Project
and recommends that the City Council review and approve the plans.
BACKGROUND
The Euclid Park site is a 0.34 acre property on the east side of the 1500 block of Euclid Street,
between Colorado Avenue and Broadway. After conducting public noticing and receiving
community input from groups including the Pico Neighborhood Association and Mid-City
Neighbors, the City Council approved the purchase of the site from the County of Los Angeles in
1998 as part of a combined park and housing development. Located next to the planned park is
the Hacienda del Mar, a 13-unit residence run by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) for persons with
disabilities. UCP completed renovation of the historic 1928 brick Spanish Colonial Revival
building in late 2003. The renovation project included two community meeting rooms that were
funded by the City. The meeting rooms are accessible from the park site. On May 11 , 2004, the
City Council awarded a design contract to Rios Clementi Hale Studios (RCHS) to develop the
park design. Artist Abbie Baron was selected from a group of artists short-listed by the City's
Public Art Committee and Arts Commission through a request for proposal and peer panel
selection process to work with RCHS.
<68
1
JUN 1 4 2005
PUBLIC PROCESS
The community design process began in September 2004 with a survey distributed to over
3,000 area residents. More than 250 survey responses were received, with respondents
indicating a desire for seating, a lawn area, shade, and children's playground equipment. The
survey also included an opportunity for respondents to indicate park name preferences. Sixty-
six percent of the respondents preferred Euclid Park as the park name, 18% of respondents
suggested other names and 16% of respondents chose not to respond to the question. Security
issues and homelessness were identified as top concerns and comprised the bulk of write-in
comments.
Two widely-noticed public meetings were held at the park site to involve community members in
the development of the concept design for the park. At an open house workshop on October 23,
2004, attended by 40 participants, the design team presented the survey results and a range of
design ideas in order to gauge community preferences for park amenities such as seating, plant
materials, playground equipment, lighting, picnic facilities, and other park furnishings. At the
public meeting on December 5, 2004, three themed design options were presented to 40
community members, and comments and suggestions from the community were received.
Suggestions for addressing neighborhood security issues and for a gardening component in the
park were discussed. Additionally, on February 2,2005, the Community Relations Unit of the
Santa Monica Police Department hosted a neighborhood meeting at the site to discuss security
concerns in the vicinity of the park site, including recent crime statistics and trends. A
neighborhood watch meeting followed the Police Department presentation and discussion.
The Recreation & Parks Commission reviewed the concept design at its February 17, 2005
meeting and consequent design changes to the plan at its March 17,2005 meeting. After taking
2
public input at both meetings, the Commission recommended approval of a final proposed
concept design (Attachment B). The Commission recommended that staff continue to work
closely with the Police Department to monitor and respond to neighborhood security concerns
with the park development, use several types of materials for the pathways in the park, consider
a low barrier or playful edge treatment near the children's play area, use the garden workshop
year-round, and ensure appropriate opportunities for picnicking. These recommendations will
be considered in design development after the concept design approval. In addition to the
Recreation & Parks Commission review and recommendation, the Public Art Committee and
Arts Commission reviewed and unanimously approved the art concept envisioned for the park at
a joint Committee and Commission meeting held on April 5, 2005. A summary of the community
input process is included as Attachment A.
DISCUSSION
Park Design. The goal of the proposed final Euclid Park concept design (Attachment B) is to
carefully balance the opportunities for positive, spontaneous neighborhood use of the park with
the stated public safety concerns expressed by nearby residents without creating barriers to
community access. Given the small site and scarcity of private open space in the densely-built
neighborhood, the designers developed the park concept with a "backyard" neighborhood
theme, incorporating features that typically are found in residential rear yards, yet still
appropriate for public use. These features, including a children's play area (with swings and
climbing apparatus), a garden area, three circular-shaped seating areas, two small green lawn
areas, and a trellis entry linking the open space with the adjacent meeting rooms are designed
to promote positive, daily use of the park with activity that complements the neighborhood
without negatively impacting adjacent residences.
3
The larger curvilinear lawn area draws visitors into the neighborhood-oriented park. Bordered
by a curved walk, this lawn area is well-integrated with the more active children's play area and
the adjacent, smaller, bermed lawn. The lawn areas are envisioned as flexible places for
picnicking, reading, and other low intensity activities. The larger of the two lawn spaces will be
set slightly below grade so it can act as a natural ponding area during rainy periods (with a valve
so it can be quickly drained, if desired). The collected rain could be sent to the underground
retention area planned as part of the project to harvest the storm water that falls on both the
park site and on the building next to the park site at 1525 Euclid Street. Shade trees accent the
seating areas and help frame the open lawn spaces.
Model of concept design.
Artist Abbie Baron has worked closely with RCHS on the overall concept design and specifically
on the development of sculptural components that are integral to the park design and work to
reinforce the "backyard" theme. Whimsical sculptures, including a series of unique birdhouses,
reference garden ornaments and will trigger visitors' memories of the magic of childhood
adventures in "grandma's" backyard.
4
Park Security. In response to neighbors' concerns regarding park security and safety, the
design team worked closely with the Police Department in developing the concept design.
While a number of residents expressed a desire for a fully-fenced park with public access during
specified hours, others in the neighborhood preferred an open park design. All workshop
participants desired an adequate level of ongoing surveillance by the Police Department.
Working with local residents and the newly-established neighborhood watch group is also seen
as a key factor in ensuring park and neighborhood safety. While full perimeter fencing is not
proposed, the design includes six foot high fencing and 42" high gates at the alley edge and at
the pathways to the park from the alley. Gates into the park are also provided at the entrance to
the adjacent housing. The park topography including berms and depressions as well as
planting and seat walls will form "layers" of protection between the street and the park. In order
to discourage illegal or destructive park activity, the proposed design includes: targeted
programming (such as the community garden workshop and active play that will bring gardeners
and neighborhood children into the park throughout the day); park amenities (adequate park and
pathway lighting, fencing in key areas, low planting and two defined pathways providing views
into the park from the street); and periodic checks by Police patrol units. Park Rangers, and
other personnel during regular park hours. The proposed FY 2005-06 City Budget includes
increased staffing levels for Park Rangers and the Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team
providing for more targeted public safety resources for the park. In addition, the Department of
Community and Cultural Services and Police Department are focusing on preventative
measures to ensure that any existing patterns of illegal activity in the immediate neighborhood
are responded to prior to the park's opening.
The issue of full perimeter fencing was carefully considered. It is hoped that the park design will
encourage consistent use of the park by neighbors of all ages and by community gardeners
5
throughout the day in order to create an environment where destructive or illegal activity is
minimized. Staff is hesitant to propose the first gated closure of a City park without initially
employing the strategies inherent in the recommended design. If a negative use pattern
emerges after the park opening, fencing along Euclid Avenue could be considered and added if
required.
Community Garden. The plan includes a space that supports the community's desire for
additional community garden space and the neighborhood's interest in having a consistent,
invested group of park users. This area, near the alley in the rear of the park, is envisioned as a
flexible space that could support gardening classes with plots available to class participants for
a specified period of time. Alternatively, this area could be used as incubator space for
gardeners on the City's waiting list or as longer-term plots for users needing raised beds (such
as seniors and persons with a disability). Regarding the desire by some community members to
have a larger, more traditional community garden area, the size of the park (15,000 square feet)
makes this extremely problematic. In addition, federal Community Development Block Grant
funds were used for the acquisition of the site -- necessitating broad neighborhood access to the
park to meet the necessary "community benefit" test for this funding. Restricting the project area
to designated individuals would require low-income "means testing" in order to meet CDBG
funding requirements for "direct benefit" projects.
Parking. The concept design adds three parking spaces and a loading space for the new park
off the alley. In addition, Transportation Management Division staff are currently investigating
the possibility of adding angled (90 degree), metered parking spaces on the 1500 block of
Euclid Street. Residents and property owners adjacent to Euclid Street have been notified of
the initial plans, with updates to the neighbors planned as the concept evolves. If any changes
6
occur to the park edge as a result of final decisions concerning the reconfigured street parking,
they will be presented in an information item to City Council before implementation.
Environmental Review. On January 26, 1999, the City Council adopted a resolution certifying
an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) for the purchase and development of four lots including the existing building to create a
neighborhood park, community meeting space, and 13 units of housing for persons with
cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Since adoption of the resolution approving the Initial
Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration, there have been no substantial changes to the project, no
substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project is being
undertaken, and no new information of substantial importance regarding the project which would
warrant additional environmental analysis or further documentation as set forth in CEQA
Guidelines Section 15162.
Next Steps. Following City Council approval, the design team and staff will proceed with design
development plans, which will be reviewed in summer, 2005 by the Architectural Review Board,
Recreation and Parks Commission, and the Art Commission's Public Art Committee. There will
also be an opportunity for public input on the park name at the Recreation and Parks
Commission as a follow-up to the park survey and staff will provide Council with the input
received at award of the construction contract. Staff estimates the project will return to City
Council for award of a construction contract in spring 2006, with construction in summer 2006
and a project opening in spring 2007.
7
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funds totaling $687,371 for the construction of the park are budgeted in accounts
C010673.589000, C190673.589000, C040673.589000, and C200673.589000.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve the concept design for Euclid Park.
Prepared by: Barbara Stinchfield, Director
Karen Ginsberg, Assistant Director
Brett Horner, Senior Administrative Analyst
Attachments:
A. Summary of Community Input Process
B. Euclid Park Concept Design Plan
8
ATTACHMENT A
Summary of Euclid Park Community Participation & Input
Participation!
Input
Survey
Mailed to over 3,000
residents and businesses
and made available on
the City's website
256 surveys were
returned
Open House
October 23, 2004
Attendance: 40
Presented:
. survey results
. interactive display
boards with pictures
of plants, park
furniture, lighting,
shade, art, etc. and
space for placing
notes and dots on
items participants
would like
incorporated in the
park design
Summary of Input
The following 8 park features were each ranked from 1 to 5 by
survey respondents, with 1 for "not for this park" and 5 for "must
have." The I to 5 rankings were tabulated and are listed below in
order of priority:
1. Seating
2. Shade
3. Lawn or grassy area
4. Native & drought-tolerant planting
5. Security fencing, lighting
6. Children's playground
7. Art installation/sculpture
8. Exercise equipment (all ages)
The name of the park should be:
. Euclid Park 66%
. Something else 18% (no consensus on suggestions)
. Didn't vote - 16%
Write-in comments:
61 total, most of which expressed concern with safety, security, and
vagrancy.
Comments received:
. Support for shade, places to sit, security/boundary elements,
lawn or grassy area, children's play equipment, lighting,
native and drought-tolerant plantings.
. Concern about alley traffic congestion.
. Park seating should be senior- and disabled-friendly.
. Concern over transients in neighborhood and future park.
Workshop
December 5, 2004
Attendance: 40
Presented:
. Results of October 23
Open House
. 3 park design schemes
. Facilitated discussion
. Display boards and
survey results for those
who couldn't attend the
October 23rd Open
House
Neighborhood
Security
Meeting
February 2,2005
(organized by Euclid
Neighborhood Watch and
SMPD Community
Relations)
Attendance: 20
Presented:
Police Department
January 2004 Euclid
Street crime statistics
Recreation &
Parks
Commission
Meeting
February 17, 2005
Attendance: 20
Speakers: 5
ATTACHMENT A
I Summary:
; . There was a lack of consensus among those gathered as to
what the open space should be (park or garden or other)
and whether or not there are safety Issues III the
neighborhood (some feel very safe and do not want fences,
gates, or a curfew, while others feel very threatened and
want more stringent patrolling, gates, and curfews).
. Suggestions and support for gardening - this was the most
popular comment card topic (6 cards).
. Suggestions and support for security features was the
second most popular comment card topic ( 5 cards).
Other comments noted the increased need for the park
because of the new higher-density housing development at
the southwest comer of 15th Street and Broadway (former
Gallego's restaurant site), that cactus planting was a child-
safety concern, and that the design process should be
"speeded up" so the park can be enjoyed sooner.
Items discussed:
. Concern that neighborhood was not adequately consulted,
informed, and prepared for a new park in this location.
. Suggestions for a single point of entry to the park, limited
hours of operation, fencing and gates.
. Park is on "migration route" to Memorial Park.
. Homeless sleeping in nearby garages and alleys.
. Recommendation that no restroom be built in the park.
Speakers commented on:
. Concern over lack of parking in the neighborhood, gang
activity, that garden space is "too controlled."
. Drug dealing, need for security and night closure of park.
. Support for garden space and need to make it a daily,
"continually-worked" garden.
. Support for lighting, foliage vs. fences, "cluttered"
design, and park is "too active."
. The need to keep the design simple, functional, and
flexible. Additional parking is not needed, as people will
Presentation of concept
design plan.
Recreation &
Parks
Commission
Meeting
March 17, 2005
Attendance: 10
Speakers: 6
Presentation of revised
concept design plan.
ATTACHMENT A
walk to the park. Consider "participatory" art and a
canopy for shade.
Commissioners discussed fencing and gates, parking, shade,
ideas for using water as a play feature, and creating "edible"
gardens, making the design more flexible and less structured,
adding more climbers and reducing the number of swings in the
playground, and designing a more "natural," flexible, and open
park. The Commission recommended that the concept design
, as proposed be revised to address concerns raised by the
I Commission and return to the Commission for review prior to
bcin rcsented to the Cit Council.
Speakers commented on: .
. Increasing the garden space to 1/3 of the park area, and
lack of parking.
. Why is the park not more of an active space?
. The park needs more definition of what kind of space it is
going to be.
. The hours of operation, night time security, and the noise
from the public meeting rooms.
. History of homeless activity at the site and the current
safety and security of the neighborhood, with a desire for
increased police monitoring, park fencing and curfew.
. Opposed to the park because of the number of homeless
in the neighborhood.
Commissioners discussed the revised design and indicated it
was an improvement that addressed many of the Commission's
earlier comments. The Commission as a whole did not support
a gated and fenced park, but did advocate for stronger Police
Department monitoring and coordination with the
neighborhood watch group, residents, and CCS Dept. staff.
The Commission recommended approval of the revised concept
design and suggested using various pathway materials (not just
concrete), activating the gardens year-round, and the design of
a creative ed e treatment to the la round for added safet .
I::l>o.
.~~
'1:1..101
lil ~
e>!!:
ti ------.---.--------~
~ ~
if!
'l!!Q/
~~
.!IlQ
0...
~.a~
~iil-~
::S.~ ,:Q
O~'I:I
d:I:~
Q/
'l!!l)
Q/ Rl
a~
'[~
tif~
~~
P..O
"
.. s::l
II) 0
11)--
.t::'l!!
I::l>~
l8~
i II) ~ Rl
j~~~
e
!
yy--J:
~
Ii!:
ATTACHMENT B
~
~
if
;
~
..,
52
a:
a
",It)
-Q
I:lt_
_N
l:'It-
CD~
U II)
a I
0_
U ~
.,.
~i
l:'It:!
'U=
o u
o j:l
1:8
OU
~~
",U
.,. 1\1
CD U
..
'Uo
.,. :l!1
-1\1
ulj
=,1
.'/,\.1
,I