Loading...
sr-012412-3lCity of City Council Report Santa Monica City Council Meeting: January 24, 2012 Agenda Item: To: Mayor and City Council From: Kathryn Vernez, Deputy City Manager — Special Projects Karen Ginsberg, Director, Community and Cultural Services David Martin, Director, Planning and Community Development Martin Pastucha, Director, Public Works Subject: Expo Maintenance Facility Buffer Zone Update Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council: 1) Support the community's preferred use of the buffer site as open space /park; 2) Direct staff to issue a request for proposals for design services for the buffer as open space /park; 3) Direct staff to continue working with the community on buffer zone design; 4) Direct staff to continue to work with the Expo Construction Authority, Metro, and their consultant teams on the design and construction of the Maintenance Facility to be a "good neighbor" to the community. Executive Summary Since receiving direction from Council on November 23 2010, staff has been collaborating with the community on the creation of a buffer area adjacent to the Expo Maintenance Facility. Simultaneously, the Expo Construction Authority (Expo) and their consultant team Maintenance Design Group (MDG) have been working with the community on the design of the Maintenance Facility. Significant progress has been made on the Maintenance Facility design, as staff reported to Council on October 25 2011. Design Scenario 2 was selected as the preferred Maintenance Facility design and MDG is further refining the design, with continued community input. Progress on the Maintenance Facility allowed staff to advance discussions with the community on the adjacent buffer zone. At a community workshop held on November 29, 2011, the neighborhood solidified its preference for open space /park as the preferred use of the buffer. Staff is seeking Council direction to support the community's preferred use and move forward with next steps to design the open space /park, including preparing a request for proposals to hire a design team. The community will continue to be integrally involved in the project throughout its design, and staff will continue to work with Expo and MDG on design and construction of the Maintenance Facility so that it is a good neighbor. Background On November 23, 2010, Council directed staff to work with the community to create a buffer area facing the residential neighborhood along Exposition Boulevard,at Stewart, adjacent to the Expo Maintenance Facility. Staff proceeded with a City and community run process to define potential uses of the buffer zone. Staff proposed a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) for the buffer, and $2 million was requested through the FY 20011 -2013 budget process for that purpose. The first community workshop, hosted by City staff and the Pico Neighborhood Association, on the buffer zone was held on April 28, 2011 to solicit feedback on potential uses for the buffer. The community outlined several goals for the buffer, focusing on community involvement in a high quality design, noise mitigation, integration with the neighborhood, environmental sustainability, and local control. Initial use preferences were dominated by open space and park uses, with some discussion of community uses such as a community center, day care center, or collaborative reuse /recycling center. The neighborhood also expressed desired constraints on use, including that the buffer not be a destination point but that it primarily serve nearby residents; that parking be limited as to not increase traffic to the site; and that no new development of housing or retail occur. It was determined that further visioning for the buffer prior to more information being made available about the maintenance facility design would be premature. Expo and MDG held community workshops on the Maintenance Facility design on June 30, 2011 and September 6, 2011. The design team solicited community input regarding concerns and issues that they wanted addressed in the design. Primary concerns 2 included traffic mitigation, sound mitigation, and protection of community views. A design charrette held by MDG with Expo, Metro, and City staff in July 2011 incorporated community feedback and Metro's operational needs into site plans for the Facility. Two site concepts were developed that both improved upon the concept plan in the Final EIR. At the September 6t" community meeting, MDG presented the two site plan scenarios, which incorporated community feedback from the first workshop. The community preferred Scenario 2, and Council supported the community's preference for Scenario 2 on October 25, 2011. Progress on the Maintenance Facility Design, which is now being further refined by MDG, has achieved the following, largely in response to community input: • The buffer zone stretches along Exposition to Stewart rather than in front of the Verizon site only, meaning that the corner of Stewart/Exposition is included in the buffer. • The building massing further envelops sound from maintenance activities, effectively creating a triple sound buffer for residents with the buildings, sound wall, and buffer area. There are no trains in between the building and sound wall. This building configuration also minimizes light intrusion to the residential area. • The facility will be accessed from Stewart Street, rather than Exposition Blvd. • The greatest portion of the maintenance yard is blocked from view by maintenance buildings. • The design is configured for the fewest train vehicle movements possible. • The facility will be LEED rated. • There will not be a vehicle paint shop at the facility. Achieving this progress on the Maintenance Facility design made it possible for staff to advance discussions with the community about the use of the buffer zone. Discussion On November 29, the City of Santa Monica and the Pico Neighborhood Association jointly hosted the second community workshop on the buffer zone. This workshop incorporated feedback from the first buffer zone workshop held on April 28, 2011, as 0 described above. Attendees heard a brief update from MDG on the Maintenance Facility design, including how the design has been further refined to reflect community feedback. The Traction Power Substation (TPSS) building was moved further away from the residential neighborhood, and MDG committed that the facility would be LEED silver or better. MDG will continue to solicit community input on the design, and will host its next community workshop in early 2012. City staff reviewed parameters and constraints about the City -owned buffer with workshop participants, including its 2.35 -acre size and the $2 million budget that has been allocated to date. City staff assured the community that the City would assume maintenance responsibilities for the buffer if it were a park or open space, and that it would continue to be City- owned. Workshop participants then broke out into small discussion groups where they reviewed previously identified goals for the buffer zone, and confirmed a preference for open space /park as use of the buffer zone. Discussion groups also defined desired characteristics of open space /park, including: passive, active, or mixed uses; site connectivity to the neighborhood; trees and landscaping; and amenities. Participants wanted to ensure that the sound wall from the Maintenance Facility have vegetation for screening, possibly large trees lining the wall. They were interested in a "tree bank," and expressed willingness to take trees being relocated from other, areas in the City. Participants felt that landscaping should feel natural, and native plants should be used. Pedestrian lighting should also be present. All groups were interested in community garden space on the buffer. In addition, several activity- specific amenities were suggested by participants, including a jogging /walking path, lawn bowling, a pickle ball game court, a skate park, a bike and/or rollerblading lane, dog walking or a dog run (not an off -leash Dog Park), a BBQ /picnic area, a free -cycle area, exercise stations and a toddler play area. 2 Finally, participants discussed project phasing and timing. The construction timeframe would be reduced from approximately 36 months to 24 months if Expo were able to use the buffer site during Maintenance Facility construction. Some participants were hesitant about having to wait for the completion of the Maintenance Facility for the buffer zone to be turned into open space. Other participants saw the benefit of a shorter construction period, and were amenable to waiting until after the Maintenance Facility is largely constructed to construct the buffer improvements. Construction mitigation measurements will be required of Expo in any case. At the close of the workshop, the community expressed satisfaction with the collaborative process being used to plan the buffer zone. All documents relevant to the buffer zone, including past staff reports, community workshop notes and presentations, are available online at www.smconstructs.org/ExpoYard. Next Steps If Council concurs with the community's preference for open space /park as the buffer zone use, next steps will include preparation and issuance of a request for proposal for design services for the buffer. The community will continue to be integrally involved during the design phase of the project. Timing and phasing of the project will also be refined in conjunction with construction of the Maintenance Facility. 5 Financial Impacts & Budget Actions If Council directs staff to proceed with an RFP for design services, staff will return to Council with a recommended contract to be funded from previously budgeted funds for the buffer in account number C200397.589090. Prepared by: Sarah Johnson, Community Relations Coordinator Approved: OL" � Kathryn Vernez Deputy City Manager — Special Projects Karen Ginsberg Director, Community and Cul I Services k David Martin Director, Planning and Community Development — Lk J \— � � —Gle, U Martin Pastucha Director, Public Works A Forwarded to Council: Rod Gould City Manager