SR-11-25-2014-3GCity Council Report
City of
Santa monled
City Council Meeting: November 25, 2014
Agenda Item: I _61
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Andy Agle, Director of Housing and Economic Development
Subject: Bergamot Station Arts Center Advisory Committee and Guiding Principles
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Approve the creation of an advisory committee for the Bergamot Station Arts
Center, consisting of one member designated by each of the following groups:
Santa Monica Arts Commission, Santa Monica Planning Commission, Santa
Monica Neighborhood Council, Bergamot Station Gallery and Cultural
Association, and Santa Monica Museum of Art; and
2. Approve guiding principles for the project.
Executive Summary
On September 9 2014, Council authorized an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with
the Worthe Real Estate Group to implement the City's vision for the City -owned property
located at 2525 Michigan Avenue ( "Site "), home to the Bergamot Station Arts Center.
Council also directed staff to recommend the composition and role of an advisory
committee ( "Advisory Committee ") to provide input regarding the proposed revitalization
of the Site. Staff recommends that the Advisory Committee be comprised of five
members representing a variety of community groups. Members would serve a term of
approximately six to nine months to review and comment on the project elements in
advance of Council's conceptual review and prior to submittal of a Development
Agreement application. In addition, staff recommends that Council approve guiding
principles for the project to inform and facilitate the participation of the Advisory
Committee and the public.
Background
On March 20, 2012, Council endorsed the Bergamot Station Arts Center Preferred
Concept and authorized staff to prepare and release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
to solicit qualifications from potential partners to design and implement the Preferred
Concept for the City -owned Arts Center. Five development teams responded to the
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RFQ in July 2012. On November 27, 2012, Council directed staff to issue a Request for
Proposals (RFP) to the top three teams that were selected through the RFQ process.
On Feb� 2014 Council reviewed the three proposals submitted in response to
the RFP and directed staff to gather feedback from the Arts Commission and arts
community regarding the proposals. After completing a six -month outreach effort,
including public meetings with the Bergamot Station Gallery and Culture Association
and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, staff presented the feedback gathered through
those efforts to Council on September 9 2014. At that meeting, Council selected the
Worthe Real Estate Group ( "Development Team ") to implement the revitalization of the
Site and directed staff to return with a recommended structure and criteria of a
stakeholder advisory body.
Discussion
Advisory Committee
To assist the City and Development Team in defining the conceptual plan for the Site,
Council directed staff to recommend parameters for the formation of an advisory group
to provide input and feedback to staff and the Development Team and
recommendations to Council regarding the project's conceptual plan, including the
overall mix of uses, tenant retention efforts, construction phasing, parking management,
and arts center management and programming for the Site. Staff has evaluated the
structure and role of various advisory bodies, including the Santa Monica Civic Working
Group, and recommends Council approve the establishment of a limited -term,
five - member Advisory Committee, with each of the following organizations selecting one
member to serve on the committee:
• Santa Monica Arts Commission,
• Santa Monica Planning Commission,
• Santa Monica Neighborhood Council,
• Bergamot Station Gallery and Cultural Association, and
• Santa Monica Museum of Art.
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Members selected by each body need not be sitting members of a commission or
board.
The Advisory Committee will work with an interdepartmental staff team consisting of
representatives from Housing and Economic Development, Community and Cultural
Services, Planning and Community Development, Public Works and Big Blue Bus,
along with representatives of the Development Team. The charge of the Advisory
Committee will be to review and provide feedback to staff and the Development Team,
as well as recommendations to the City Council, regarding:
• The appropriate mix of uses for the Site, including the mix of cultural uses;
• The appropriate amount and location of parking, as well as parking management
strategies;
• Construction phasing of improvements; and
• The elements of an arts center management plan, including tenant retention and
recruitment efforts, marketing, and strategies to incorporate additional cultural
uses and activities.
Staff recommends that the Advisory Committee meetings focus on discrete elements of
the conceptual plan as the elements are prepared by the Development Team. As a
result, the meetings would be held for approximately six to nine months in advance of
Council's conceptual review and prior to submittal of a Development Agreement
application. The Advisory Committee would be subject to the Brown Act requirements.
Guiding Principles
In addition to the formation of the Advisory Committee, staff is seeking Council's
approval of guiding principles for the project, in order to advise the Development Team
and Advisory Committee regarding key elements that the project must address.
The proposed Guiding Principles contain elements of the initial Bergamot Station Arts
Center Preferred Concept, which was endorsed by Council on March 20, 2012 to serve
as the overarching vision for the Site's request for proposals process, while reflecting
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the findings of the stakeholder and community input process conducted over the last six
months. The proposed Guiding Principles are as follows:
1. The Site has customarily generated $622,000 of annual ground rent to support
Big Blue Bus operations. The project shall maintain and increase that ground
rent amount over time.
2. The project shall generate additional municipal revenues that could be used to
supplement Big Blue Bus funding.
3. The project shall minimize displacement and disruption to the fine art galleries
and other creative businesses on the Site.
4. The project shall support the Expo Station through amenities and services, such
as public restrooms and directional signage.
5. The project shall incorporate a permanent home for the Santa Monica Museum
of Art.
6. The project shall incorporate space for additional non - profit cultural uses.
7. The project shall offer below- market rents for all cultural uses, with deeply
discounted rents for non - profit cultural uses.
Alternatives
Council could reject the staff recommendation regarding the structure and charge of the
Advisory Committee and directly appoint applicants, or alter the number of Advisory
Committee representatives or groups to be involved. Alternatively, Council could ask
staff to develop a multi -step process to solicit a larger pool of applicants based on their
technical skills or other selection criteria for potential applicants to be considered.
Either of these actions would cause further delay to the project and development
process. Council could also select a larger or more formal committee, though such an
approach would cause more significant delays as there are not currently sufficient
resources to support an on- going, formal committee. In regards to the Guiding
Principles, Council could modify the elements or reject the concept, though it could lead
to confusion regarding the scope and purpose of the upcoming process.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the
recommended action. Staff will return to Council if specific budget actions are required
in the future.
Prepared by: Jason Harris, Economic Development Manager
Approved:
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Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager