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City Council Meeting: February 22, 2011
Agenda Item: ~ -
To: Mayor and City Council
From: .Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works
Greg Mullen, City Librarian
Subject: Concept Design for the Pico Branch Library Project
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Review and provide input on the proposed design concepts for the Pico Branch
Library Project.
2) Approve the recommended design direction.
3) Direct staff to move forward with schematic design.
Executive Summary
In May 2009, Council approved and allocated $12.8M in Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
Funds for a new branch library at Virginia Avenue Park. Following the selection of design
consultant Koning Eizenberg Architects in February 2010, the City held multiple workshops
and meetings to engage the community in envisioning important elements of the new Pico
Branch Library.
The proposed concept design is t
community workshops and meetings.
square foot building, adjacent to th
plan has been configured to maintain
minimize the impact on the existin
required as existing surface parking
and the new branch library visitors.
he result of the input and feedback received from
The proposed design consists of a single-story 8,300
e existing Thelma Terry Building. The proposed site
the existing number of Farmers Market stalls, and to
g park green space. Additional parking will not be
meets the requirement of both Virginia Avenue Park
Offsite overflow parking on Farmers Market and
special events days. is being considered. 7
teen, and children's collections, study rooms,
Background
ie proposed library programs include adult,
story areas, and a community meeting room.
The Pico Neighborhood Community Plan (February 15, 1983) speaks of the desire for a
branch library and suggests consideration of combining existing private sector commercial
activities with public uses to include a library and a post office. Branch library service has
been available at a number of locations in the Pico/Sunset Park area of the City since
1931, including the existing Fairview Branch Library at 2101 Ocean Park Boulevard that
opened for service in 1956. As Virginia Avenue Park was being planned, the inclusion of a
library was discussed by the community. Between 2001 and 2005, the City focused on
improvements to its branch libraries and the construction of the new Main Library.
In 2008, the idea of a library in the Pico neighborhood gained support as the community
considered the reconstruction of the Edison Language Academy. City staff met with Santa
Monica/Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) officials- to discuss ashared-use
opportunity at the Edison Language Academy to construct a library that would be open to
the public after school hours. As talks proceeded with SMMUSD, it became apparent that
there were barriers to developing a joint use project and discussions moved towards
identifying alternative sites.
The Pico community continued to express the desire for a neighborhood library. The
advantages of using a site .within Virginia Avenue Park became apparent due to
expediency and a synergy of uses and programs. Staff worked with community
stakeholders, the Virginia Avenue Park Advisory Bo ard, the Recreation and Parks
Commission, and the Library Board to explore library service priorities at the Virginia
Avenue Park location.
On May 12, 2009, Council allocated $12.8 million in Redevelopment Agency funds for the
construction of a branch library at the Virginia Avenue Park location. Following Council's
action, staff prepared and published a Request for Proposals for design services of the
new Pico Branch Library in Virginia Avenue Park. On February 23, 2010, the design
contract was awarded to Koning Eizenberg Architects. The firm was selected based on
their familiarity with the Pico neighborhood, their broad experience in working with the
community, and the quality of their built projects which includes Virginia Avenue Park.
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Discussion
Community Engagement Program
The project team has developed a comprehensive community engagement program to
encourage community participation and input on the location, programming, and design of
this new branch library. To date, the project team has organized over 70 public outreach
efforts, meetings and presentations, ranging in size from personal one-on-one meetings to
four large public workshops held at the Thelma Terry Building in Virginia Avenue Park.
Ongoing Communications - A project website (http://www.smpl.org/Pico/library.htm) was
launched in spring 2010 to provide the community with information about the project,
including upcoming community workshops and online surveys. To further encourage
participation in the planning and design process, bilingual materials and surveys were
published on the project website, with hard copies made available to the community
through the Park Center, Camp Santa Monica, Afro-American Outreach Committee, and at
all libraries. Staff continues to inform the public about the project at community and city-
wide events, including the Unity Resource Festival, Cinco de Mayo, and Juneteenth
celebrations. Surveys and notices were also hand delivered to the Edison Language
Academy, St. Anne's and Cavalry Baptist Churches, and Grant School.
Community Workshops -During 2010, community workshops were held at the Thelma
Terry Building on September 11th, October 9th, November 6th, .and December 4t" to
involve the community in the planning and design process to ensure that their concerns
and expectations were consistently understood and considered. The initial workshop in
September focused on the trends in branch libraries. At the end of the workshop,
participants were asked to complete a survey on the possibilities for this new branch
library, including design, services, and programs. The survey was also available online for
those who were unable to attend the workshop, and handed out at schools, the Park
Center and at the libraries. The City received 466 completed surveys in English and
Spanish. The results of the survey were discussed at the October workshop, including
preferences for the building location in Virginia Avenue Park. The November and
December workshops focused on the conceptual building form and programs desired by
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the community. A final public workshop is scheduled for spring of 2011 to present the
schematic design of the facility. Prior to every public workshop, notices were posted online
and published in the Santa Monica Daily Press, The Lookout (Surf Santa Monica), and
Santa Monica Mirror. Notices announcing each workshop were sent to those who had
indicated an interest and had provided email addresses. Furthermore, at the request of
the community, workshop notices were also hand delivered to businesses and residents of
the Pico neighborhood.
Community Groups Meetings -The project team continues to meet with local community
groups- and organizations, including the Pico Improvement Organization, the Pico
Neighborhood Association, and the Friends of Sunset Park to present project updates and
seek feedback from the groups. Special workshops were also held with the Youth
Dialogue Cooperative, Semillas College Students, and Pico Youth Family Center Students
to elicit input from younger members of the community.
Boards and Commissions Presentations -Presentations were made to the Library and
Virginia Avenue Park Boards and the Recreation and Parks Commission at critical
milestones during the planning and programming phases of the project. Project updates
were also provided by the City Librarian at the monthly Library Board meetings.
Proposed Concept Design
Opinions voiced by the community resulted in an extensive list of preferences for library
programs and the physical form of the facility. The proposed concept design package
represents a blending of these ideas.
Building Location -Location of the facility within the park was primary issue discussed.
Limiting the impact to park green space and to the Farmers Market was also of paramount
importance. During the fall 2010 workshops, it was determined that a location within the
Farmers Market area was preferred over all other sites within the park (see Attachment A):
Given that direction, Koning Eizenberg Architects presented three options within that
"zone." The community shared a clear preference for the option adjacent to the Thelma
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Terry Building. Factors in the decision include the ability to reconfigure the Farmers
Market to maintain its current size and to limit the library's intrusion into existing park
space. A site plan of the proposed location is included in Attachment A.
Building Massing -The preference for a single story or mezzanine layout engendered
considerable discussion. The impact of increasing the building mass in response to the
additional story, stairs and elevators created an obstruction to visibility within the park in
addition to creating operational difficulties. The building floor area is generally allocated to
the collections, popular materials, children's area, public computers, reading areas, group
study rooms, and customer and support services. A detached community room is
provided, and will allow access outside of library hours. An area summary and floor plan is
included in Attachment A.
Concept Design -The concept design is based on a one-story building which presents a
dramatic presence on Pico Boulevard (see Attachment A). Its major entry point is from the
Farmers Market Plaza. To preserve park space to the east, the community meeting room
is located in a separate building across the fire access drive. A sculptural roof form
connects the two facilities and creates a high breezeway. Expanses of exterior glass on
the south and east walls visually connect the Farmers Market forecourt and the children's
play areas, further emphasizing the connection between park and library.
Parking -Parking was a major concern for the community. By code, astand-alone facility
of this size would require 34 parking spaces. A parking occupancy study conducted.. in
November 2010 concluded that both park and library parking demand could. be
accommodated by utilizing the existing surface parking lots. The exception would be
during Farmers Market hours and special events. Staff will be negotiating with local
business owners to provide offsite parking during hours of peak demand, which typically.
occurs every Saturday between 10:OOam and 2:OOpm for the Farmers Market.
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Next Steps
Following Council's approval of the recommended design direction, Koning Eizenberg
Architects will further develop the concept plans. The next steps are to:
• Present the proposed concept design to the Library and Virginia Avenue Park
Boards and the Recreation and Parks Commission. (March 2011)
• Submit an application for a Development Review Permit. (April 2011).
• Present schematic design to the community at a public workshop. (spring 2011)
• Submit the design development package to the Architecture Review Board.
(summer 2011)
• Return to Council for design development review. (fall 2011)
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no budget/financial impact associated with this action. The Pico Branch Library
Project budget is $12.8 million and is funded by the Redevelopment Agency. Annual
operating costs are currently estimated at $922,359.
Prepared by: Michael Collins, Architect
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
Martin Pastucha Rod Gould
Director of Public Works City Manager
Approved:
/ ~-"'
G " g Mullen
City Librarian
Attachment A -Koning Eizenberg Conceptual Plans
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PICO BRANCH LIBRARY
AT VIRGINIAAVENUE PARK
CONCEPT REVIEW
EXISTING
CONDITIONS ~
PICO BRANCH LIBRARY
AT VIRGINIAAVENUE PARK
CONCEPT REVIEW
O SITE PLAN: PARK
PICO BRANCH LIBRARY
AT VIRGMIAAVENUE pARK
CONCEPT REVIEW
N
(~ SITE PLAN
scale. t 13Y = T-0"
Pico Branch Library.- Concept Design
Attachment A
PICO BRANCH LIBRARY
A7 VIRGINIAAVENUEPARK
CONCEPT REVIEW
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