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City Of City ~®~7 Y6/'' Rep®~
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: December 14, 2010
Agenda Item: 3- M
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Director of Planning and Community Development
Andy Agle, Director of Housing and Economic Development
Subject: Visioning Process for City-Owned Downtown Property
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
Approve a set of Guiding Principles that should be considered in creating a vision
for the future use of the City-owned property located on Fourth and Fifth Streets,
south of Arizona Avenue.
2. Approve the proposed process for seeking community participation in creating a
vision for the City-owned property.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Second Modification to
Contract #9113 with Allan D. Kotin and Associates for additional economic
consulting services in the amount of $35,000.
4. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a First Modification to
Contract #9062 with Nelson Nygaard for additional transportation and parking
consulting services in the amount of $20,000.
Executive Summary
As part of the implementation of the Downtown Parking Program, the City has
assembled 120,000 sq. ft. of property on Fourth and Fifth Streets, south of Arizona
Avenue, in Downtown Santa Monica (the Site, see Attachment 1). Staff proposes an
outreach effort, including four community workshops beginning in January 2011 to
solicit community participation in developing a vision for future use of the Site, which
would include parking within a mixed use site, in accordance with the goals of the LUCE
and Downtown Parking program. Concurrently, the Planning and Community
Development Department (PCD) is initiating a Specific Plan for the downtown, and the
proposed effort will provide valuable community feedback for the first steps of the
process. Draft guiding principles are proposed as a basis for formulating a vision for the
Site. Staff recommends contract amendments with Allan D. Kotin and Associates to
provide financial and marketing analysis, and with Nelson Nygaard to provide
transportation/planning analysis of the alternatives that arise from the community
process. Additional economic consulting services by Allan D. Kotin and Associates will
cost $35,000. Additional parking consulting services by Nelson Nygaard will cost
$20, 000.
Background
Since 2007, the City has been assembling property in accordance with the Downtown
Parking Program. The most recent acquisition, authorized on May 11 2010, was a
52,500-square foot property at 1301-1333 Fourth Street. Escrow on this acquisition
closed on November 1, 2010. The City now owns 120,000 square feet in the area south
of Arizona Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets in Downtown Santa Monica, as
shown on Attachment 1.
Discussion
With its recent acquisition of 1301-1333 Fourth Street, the City is well positioned to
begin planning for the future. use of the entire Site. Establishing key decisions which
provide a vision for the re-use of the Site will inform both the public and private projects
in Downtown Santa Monica that are in early concept phases, including the planned
reconstruction of Parking Structure 6 (1431 Second Street) and the proposed
replacement of Parking Structure 3 (1320 Fourth Street) with a contemporary cinema.
The recently adopted Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) anticipates the
preparation of an updated Downtown Specific Plan, which is underway. Preparing a
community vision for the Site will provide valuable community feedback. and input to
support the first steps of the Downtown Specific Plan process
Staff anticipates that the community planning process will result in a vision for re-use of
the Site to be considered by the City Council. Rather than developing a detailed plan
for the Site, staff recommends that a broad vision be developed which identifies the
general types of uses and key public benefits desired for the Site. Once approved by
Council, the vision could then be used as the basis for a request for qualifications,
request for proposals, or similar process to select a development team to implement the
community's vision for the Site. This process for developing a vision will allow the
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eventual designers and developers of the Site to use broad creativity in implementing
the community's vision.
Guiding Principles
In facilitating community participation regarding the reuse of the Site, direction from the
City Council regarding key parameters is helpful in guiding the discussions. Staff
recommends that Council endorse the following Guiding Principles as a basis for
formulating a vision for the Site:
Re-use of the Site should exemplify the principles, policies, and
recommendations set forth in the LUCE.
• Re-use of the Site should provide a model of sustainable development.
• Re-use of the Site should help animate Fourth Street, Fifth Street, and Arizona
Avenue with pedestrian-oriented ground floor urban design.
• Key amenities should include a wide range of public benefits including open
space options and public parking.
• As a large portion of the Site was purchased as part of the Downtown Parking
Program, reuse of the Site should plan for incorporation of public parking spaces
into the integrated Downtown/Civic Center shared parking program, including
special consideration as an alternative replacement parking location to replace
those proposed for demolition elsewhere in the Downtown.
In considering re-use of the Site, special consideration should be given to the
needs of tenants with long-term leases on the Site.
Community Visioning Process
Staff recommends holding a series of community workshops to solicit ideas and
recommendations that can be translated into a vision to serve as a basis for soliciting
developer interest in response to a Request for Proposal. The community process is
recommended to include two phases, a "Listening Phase" and an "Alternatives Phase."
• Listening Phase: The purpose of the Listening Phase will be to discuss the Site,
its context in Downtown Santa Monica, planned projects near the Site, guidance
provided by the LUCE, and to solicit community ideas regarding the types of
uses and public benefits that would be preferred on the Site. Following the model
that was successfully used during the LUCE process, the Planning Commission
would host a joint hearing and community listening workshop in early 2011,
,followed by listening meetings with the Bayside District Corporation Board.
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would. host a joint hearing and community listening workshop in early 2011,
followed by listening meetings with the Bayside District Corporation Board.
• Alternatives Phase: Based on review of community comments, staff and
consultants will develop alternatives, including preliminary market and financial
analysis for community review. The Planning Commission will host a second
workshop to solicit feedback and recommendations and the Bayside District
Corporation Board will also review the alternatives and provide recommendations
to the City Council.
Following the alternatives workshop and meetings, staff will return to Council to relay
the community's response to the proposed alternatives, as well as the
recommendations of the Planning Commission and Bayside Board. At that time, staff
will also seek Council authorization to solicit a development and design team to
implement the City's vision. Staff anticipates that the visioning process could be
completed by the end of April 2011.
Consulting Services
The success of the community visioning process workshops will depend in part on the
quality of information that staff can provide the public regarding re-use opportunities and
constraints. Staff recommends that assistance be provided by Allan D. Kotin and
Associates for economic analysis and Nelson Nygaard for parking analysis. Staff will
return to Council at a later hearing for authorization for design consulting services
associated with developing alternatives, and assisting staff through the process of
soliciting, selecting and negotiating with a development team.
Allan D. Kotin and Associates has assisted the City in its negotiations for most of the
properties included within the Site. The firm has extensive experience with public/private
developments and leasing, and understands market conditions and development
parameters. ih Santa Monica. The City first entered into a contract with Allan D. Kotin
and Associates in 2006 after a Request for Qualifications process. Council authorized
the First Modification to contract #9113 on September 8, 2009, increasing the total
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contract amount to $120,000. Staff recommends an additional $35,000 to allow Mr.
Kotin to assist in this project.
Nelson Nygaard has assisted the City in assessing parking options for the Civic Center,
including opportunities on the southern edge of downtown. They were one of two firms
who responded to a Request for Proposals issued in 2008 seeking consultants who
could assist the City in developing a parking assessment and strategy for the Civic
Center area., Staff recommends amending the existing contract #9062, first entered into
on May 12, 2009 for $130,876, to add an additional $20,000 to provide analysis for this
project. Nelson Nygaard will assist staff with space planning the parking for the project
on the Site.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Funds for the additional contract costs for Allan D. Kotin and Associates in the amount
of $35,000, and Nelson Nygaard in the amount of $20,000 are available in Account No.
C 172075.589000.
Prepared by: Miriam Mack, Economic Development Manager
Sarah LeJeune, Principal Planner
Approved:
Forwarded to Council:
:n Fogarty Dir for Rod-Gould
Wing and ommurli evelopment City Manager
Andy Agle, Director
Housing and Economic Development
Attachments:
1. Map of City-Owned Property
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Attachment 1
Reference Amended
Contract Nos. 9113 (CCS)
and 9062 (CCS) .