SR-01-27-2015-8E - 500-006/911-000City Council Meeting: January 27, 2015
Agenda Item:
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works
Subject: City Yards Master Plan
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Approve the final City Yards Master Plan in concept.
2. Direct staff to issue a request for bids for a design -build team for the initial
phases of the City Yards Master Plan.
3. Direct staff to prepare a financing plan for the initial phases of the City Yards
Master Plan and return to Council to award a contract to a design -build team.
Executive Summary
The City Yards Master Plan is a conceptual plan to guide the redevelopment of the
14.7 -acre City Yards property located at 2500 Michigan Avenue. The plan is designed
as a phased rollout to minimize disruption and allow for incremental funding. Staff
recommends that Council review and approve the City Yards Master Plan (Exhibit 1) in
concept and direct staff to issue a request for bids for a design -build team and prepare
a financing plan for the initial phases of the City Yards Master Plan.
Background
The City Yards is a 14.7 -acre site owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica and
located at 2500 Michigan Avenue, near the intersection of 24th Street and Michigan
Avenue. The City took ownership of the site in the late 1940s. The property has been
used as a base for the City's maintenance operations, storage facilities, and other
industrial uses. Currently, a majority of the City's field maintenance operations are
located at the City Yards spread out across the site in sixteen buildings and structures
of various ages and conditions. These operations include:
® Facilities Maintenance
® Custodial Services
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• Street Maintenance
• Fleet Maintenance
• Traffic Operations
• Resource Recovery and Recycling
• Water and Wastewater Operations
• Hazardous Waste Storage (City usage only)
• Fire Department Training Area
Operations and uses for the City Yards were adapted as- needed for various City
functions, resulting in an expedient but inefficient utilization of space. Changing
populations, growth, updates in technology, and differing service requirements resulted
in a series of haphazard updates throughout the site. Today, the City Yards operates
seven days a week and currently houses more functions and employees than it was
designed to accommodate. The scope and breadth of the operating divisions has
evolved over time. Functional needs and space are no longer met by the facilities for
any of the operations housed at the City Yards. Deficiencies include: maintenance shop
space, vehicles hoists, covered maintenance area for heavy duty vehicles, employee
restroom /locker facilities, parking for City, employee, and visitor vehicles, storage, traffic
circulation constraints within and around the City Yards for city vehicles, and customer
service facilities to adequately serve members of the public at the various City Yards
offices. In addition, a private recycling facility of rudimentary design utilizes a
substantial portion of the site.
The City Yards has been designated by the City as an "Essential Services Facility," and
therefore must remain operational after a major earthquake event as the Department
Operations Center for Public Works first responders. This designation adds constraints
on the design and raises greater concerns regarding the condition of these aging
structures.
To address these problems, on October 8 1996, Council authorized a Professional
Services Agreement with RNL Interplan, Inc. (RNL) for consulting services to prepare a
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Master Plan for the City Yards that would address the physical reorganization,
renovation and rehabilitation needs of the City Yards. On October 24, 2000, Council
approved the two proposed City Yards Master Plan alternatives in concept. One
concept included the continued operation of a City designed and constructed transfer
station, while the second concept assumed contracted transfer station services with a
third -party provider.
On November 12 2002, Council awarded a new professional services agreement with
RNL for architectural and engineering services for the City Yards expansion project.
Also on November 12, 2002, Council directed staff to proceed with the design of a new
municipal transfer station. On December 10, 2002, Council approved only a limited
schematic design for a new transfer station.
The City Yards Master Plan continued to evolve. On January 20, 2004, Council directed
staff to explore different approaches for updating the transfer station located at the City
Yards including a public - private partnership and reconstruction of the transfer station.
On June 28, 2005, Council authorized the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee consisting
of Council Members Ken Genser and Herb Katz to participate with staff in the
identification and analysis of a range of solid waste management options for Council's
consideration. On October 25, 2005, Council authorized a contract with Gershman,
Brickner & Bratton, Inc. (GBB) to assist staff with this effort. On March 14, 2006, GBB
presented the results of the evaluation of Solid Waste operations to Council.
On May 22 2008, Council conceptually approved the partnership with Southern
California Disposal (SCD) and Allan Company. Under this partnership, SCD would
provide transfer services and Allan would provide recycling services in the area of the
City Yards currently occupied by the City's Transfer Station, the current Allan site, the
Hanson Aggregate site and SCD land. On November 25 2008, Council approved
service agreements with SCD and Allan Company. On December 6 2011, Council
approved staff's recommendation to cancel the design and construction of the Resource
Recovery Center and the Self -Haul Facility at the City Yards due to costly construction
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estimates, rate impacts and operational issues, and directed staff to develop a new
materials processing plan in conjunction with Allan Company and Southern California
Disposal.
On October 13, 2009, Council authorized a professional services agreement with RNL
to update the City Yards Master Plan approved in 2002. The update was substantially
completed in July 2010 (Exhibit 2); however, the plan was not presented to Council due
to additional required updates addressed through four subsequent modifications on
September 13 2011, February 14 2.012 September 11, 2012 and June 25, 2013.
On September 13, 2011, Council approved a first modification to complete the City
Yards Master Plan with additional scope to include revisions to the configuration of the
plan area, finalizing a program for the new components, and identifying and adding
additional operations on the site:
The Resource Recovery Center site located at the City Yards would become
available once the Resource Recovery and Recycling operation was moved off
site. The inclusion of this area would allow for additional programming
components.
The planned relocation of the Santa Monica Fire Department's training center
within the City Yard and the addition of the public safety storage facility into the
City Yards program.
On February 14, 2012, Council approved a second modification to conduct a study,
focusing on the best and most practical approach to build on the areas above the
landfill. The scope of work included performing additional borings to the site and
analysis of three possible approaches:
• Utilize structural slabs on piles at the buildings and vehicular circulation areas
• Remove the landfill and import engineered fill
• Amend the landfill to stabilize the area for construction and circulation
On September 11, 2012, Council approved a third modification to conduct further
assessment of the landfill outside the boundary of the City Yards site. Previous
geotechnical studies were limited to the City Yards site. Additional geotechnical borings
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were completed in the adjacent Stewart Park to provide details on the extent and depth
of the fill that was previously insufficiently documented.
On June 25 2013, Council approved a fourth modification to facilitate a phased
approach to construction to accommodate budget constraints by breaking the
reconfiguration of the City Yards site into smaller increments that would be completed
overtime as funding becomes available.
Discussion
The Master Plan was developed from the several schemes presented to the City
through an interactive and exhaustive process. Input from user groups, management
and consultants informed a plan to address functional and operational needs of the
operating divisions while incorporating the long term planning needs of the City. Staff
reviewed and commented on eighteen different schemes and draft plans in order to
solicit comments and feedback from stakeholders and experts.
The updated plan was substantially completed in February 2013. The plan was not
presented to Council due to uncertainty around the availability of funds. The plan is
designed for implementation in 15 phases so that the City Yards can continue to
operate during construction and funding can be identified by phases.
The following key drivers informed the site plan:
• Optimization of site access
• Separating the more active functions on the Site from each other to relieve
vehicular congestion and provide a more efficient circulation system
• Placement of buildings to minimize disruption and negate the need for off -site
moves during construction
• Maximizing the use of available land by stacking functions where feasible
• Building orientation and placement for environmental considerations (natural
day lighting and ventilation)
• Exploration of shared uses of site parking where possible
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• Improve public image of the facility, in particular along Michigan Avenue as
the primary access to the City Yards and Bergamot Station and at Stewart
Park and residential agencies
• Mitigation of the impact of the existing landfill which assumes pile foundations
for buildings and driving surfaces.
In addition to the planning issues, the team emphasized phasing implementation and
budgetary issues. The Master Plan prioritizes construction phases to allow for
incremental construction as funding becomes available.
Circulation
Michigan Avenue would continue to serve as primary access to the City Yards with
secondary access at Delaware Avenue. The employee parking facility would have
separate access on Michigan Avenue, alleviating some of the traffic congestion. The
existing east entry/exit at Stewart Park would be closed off to reduce traffic impacts to
Stewart Park and the neighborhood. An emergency gate can still be considered next to
the water /wastewater facility to provide alternate egress access to Stewart Street.
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for Plan Components / Operations
The major plan components include nine primary operating areas and general facilities
(fuel and wash station and parking structure) required at the City Yards.
Fuel and Wash
The fuel and wash island would be centrally located to provide space for large vehicles
to queue up to re -fuel or circulate. The majority of the buildings would be set at the edge
of the property lines, which would provide some sound insulation and reduce noise
levels for surrounding residents and businesses.
Street Maintenance
The Street Maintenance building would be a two -story structure at the western edge of
the site close to Fleet Maintenance. There are several spaces for vehicle staging for
Fleet next to the Streets building. Fleet and Streets could potentially share office space.
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Fleet Maintenance
The Fleet Maintenance building would be located in the north -west corner to isolate the
bays from heavier circulation and relieve a primary cause of congestion in the current
layout (vehicles are regularly moved into and out of bays, blocking traffic). The
proposed Fleet Maintenance roof could be used to provide additional parking and
should be considered in the design phases.
Facilities Maintenance and Custodial Services
Facilities Maintenance and Custodial Services buildings would be located along the
south end of the site in a two -story structure designed to accommodate shops and
storage on the first level with offices and locker facilities on the second floor.
Parking Garage
The proposed garage would provide 350 parking spaces for employee vehicles.
Subsequent to the master plan development, staff is considering the possibility of
shared use of this parking garage with local businesses as discussed below.
Resource Recovery and Recycling (RRR)
RRR operations (including offices, dispatch and locker rooms) would be located at the
center of the site. A small visitor lot would provide parking for resident pick -up of orders
and is immediately accessible from Delaware Avenue. This lot would isolate public
traffic from operations at the City Yards. Additionally, an RRR dedicated wash facility
would be constructed adjacent to the fuel and wash station due to the specific needs of
trash trucks. Slow -fill compressed natural gas (CNG) parking stalls would be located
within the center of site and in close proximity to the RRR building. Trucks would be
parked and fueled overnight in these spaces.
Traffic and Water/Wastewater
The Traffic and Water/Wastewater Facility would remain at the eastern end of the site.
Staff determined that the water and wastewater buildings did not need to be demolished
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completely and re- constructed as a cost saving measure. Staff is evaluating upgrading
the existing WaterANastewater offices.
Fire Department Training and Public Safety Storage Facility
The Fire Department Training and Public Safety Storage Facility would be located in the
southwest portion of the site with separate access to Delaware Avenue. This would
enable fire apparatus to enter and exit the site without interfering with daily operations of
the City Yards.
Phasing Details
In order to maintain continuous operations and allow for incremental funding
opportunities, the Master Plan was developed for a phased rollout. This plan
commences with the design of the initial phases as presented below; components in
greatest need of repair are prioritized by funding availability. The design -build team
would further examine the proposed phasing and make recommendations as to the
construction sequence to minimize project costs while allowing for continuous
department operations and city services. Funding availability will influence the work
performed within the initial phase and staff will continue to work to identify additional
funds. A preliminary phasing implementation plan that illustrates each phase is attached
as Chapter 8 of the final City Yards master Plan.
Initial phases would include:
• Site clearing
• Demolition of non - essential site structures
• Demolition of the existing Street Maintenance building (a temporary building
would be constructed to allow for continuing service of these departments)
• Demolition of the existing RRR building (a temporary building would be
constructed to allow for continuing service of these departments)
• Soil remediation
• Relocation of the existing fire classrooms
• Construction of new Street Maintenance building
• Construction of new Fleet Maintenance building
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• Construction of new fuel island and canopy and fuel tank farm
• Demolition of the existing Fleet Maintenance building and fueling area /tank farm
• Construction of new chassis wash and vehicle wash building
• Construction of new RRR exterior storage and new slow -fill CNG stations /parking
spaces
Subsequent Phases would include:
• Construction of a new Facilities Maintenance building
• Construction of a new Custodial Services building
• Construction of a new multi -level parking garage,
• Construction of a new Traffic and RRR buildings
• Construction of a Fire Department training tower
• Construction of a new Public Safety Storage Facility
Design -Build
Staff has determined that a design -build process would best serve this multi- faceted
project. The design -build approach increases efficient project delivery, diverse expertise
(design and construction), team member continuity and accountability. The City has
benefited from a number of design -build projects in recent years including: the Big Blue
Bus Facility Expansion, the Main Library Construction, Parking Structure 6 and the
Tongva Park and Ken Genser Square project.
Upon Council approval, a design -build team would be solicited. A team of builders,
designers and specialty consultants would provide expertise at this critical phase of
initial concept design, feasibility and cost estimating. Members of this integrated project
team would likely include construction specialists, architects, engineers and cost
estimators. This team would deliver both the initial project design and cost estimates. If
the initial design is approved by Council, the design -build team could move into the
design phase based upon a guaranteed maximum price for design. If the final design is
approved by Council, the same design -build team could provide construction services
based upon the guaranteed maximum construction price provided at the completion of
design. Design -build project delivery generally has a contractor as the prime consultant
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and the single point of responsibility for the City throughout the project lifecycle,
although a contract with a design -build team would not obligate the City beyond the
segment of work approved by Council
The expert continuity provided in a design -build approach is important given the
challenges of the site landfill conditions, the specialized nature of the facilities and the
continuous operation required. Additionally, team continuity increases the reliability of
the estimates, ensures consistent responsibility for the work and eliminates delays
resulting from separate design and construction bidding cycles.
Other Site Considerations and Characteristics
A portion of the project site is located within the former landfill known as the City of
Santa Monica Landfill No. 2. This landfill operated as a municipal solid waste and
incinerator ash landfill from late 1940's until 1970 and was located within an abandoned
clay pit at the former Simons Brick Company Plant No. 4. Approximately 6.7 acres of
the landfill site lies within the City Yards with another 3.9 acres within the Stewart Street
Park site.
A geotechnical engineering firm conducted borings in the fill area and undertook soils
analysis and mapping with assistance from a structural engineering firm. The firms
made a joint recommendation as to the best way to work with this below grade material
(Appendix A and B of the attached final City Yards Master Plan).
The landfill site contains zones of fill materials ranging in depth between five feet and 58
feet. This area is not compacted and therefore not structurally suited for buildings and
site improvements in its current state. Over the years the settling and shifting of the fill
material compromised the structural integrity of some of the buildings on the site and
the adjacent pavement has shifted and buckled. This issue is inherent, long term, and
will influence decisions made by the future planning team.
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The geotechnical engineering consultant reviewed the feasibility of a variety of
mitigation solutions on this site including (not all strategies are suitable):
• Excavation and compaction
• Deep Dynamic Compaction (DDC)
• Jet Grouting
• Wet Soil Mixing
• Deep Foundations, either Cast in Drilled Holds (CIDH) Piles or Driven Steel Pipe
Piles (pile foundation)
Site constraints include sensitivity to adjacent residential development, businesses and
infrastructure. The review concluded that pile foundations and jet grouting are the most
suitable mitigation strategies for this site. These recommendations were assumed in the
development of the various plans and construction cost estimates for the City Yards
Master Plan.
Other Potential Related Development
The following developments were not included in the Master Plan document but are
nevertheless important to consider and may impact the long term development and
needs of the site.
Olympic Water Treatment System
The City supplies water to more than 89,000 residents. The water is supplied from both
local and imported sources. The local source is the groundwater produced from three
well fields including the Olympic well field. The groundwater produced from the Olympic
well has been impacted by industrial chemicals that exceed regulatory thresholds. The
exceedance of regulatory thresholds has impaired the City's use of the groundwater
produced from the Olympic field. The City is investigating the development of a water
treatment system near the Olympic well field to restore the groundwater resource to its
full beneficial use. A potential water treatment facility would require an approximate 100
foot by 170 foot treatment facility and additional underground water storage tanks. The
overall footprint would be approximately one acre. One of the possible locations studies
for such a facility would be in the eastern portion the City Yards site with the
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underground storage tank below Stewart Park. This approach would include the
reconstruction of a park above the reservoir. This facility was not included in the current
Master Plan document as it is only in the study phase and its impacts to the City Yards
Master Plan program have not been evaluated.
Shared Parking
The parking structure is proposed to be four stories and to include 350 parking spaces
with an estimated budget of $16 million. A parking structure is not included in the initial
phasing of project; however, staff is evaluating the financial impact and feasibility of
both City employee uses and various shared parking scenarios. The parking structure is
scheduled in future phases of the Master Plan, and is not part of the proposed initial
phases; however, there is a potential that this structure could supplement the parking
needs of the adjacent Bergamot Station Arts Center and the Expo Light Rail Bergamot
Station. Staff anticipates that the proposed City Yards parking structure could
accommodate shared parking during off -peak operating hours (e.g. evenings and
weekends).
On December 15, 2014, Council authorized consulting services to review the financing
options, economics, demand and viability of a shared parking solution. Additionally, the
consultant will determine the potential to maximize utilization by scaling the parking
inventory to approximately 500 spaces. A final report is not expected until mid -2015.
Cost
A preliminary estimate of the probable construction cost for the phased implementation
including design, construction and direct owner costs:
• Initial Phases: $38.1 million
• Subsequent Phases combined: $77.4 million
Staff will work with the Finance Department staff to develop funding alternatives
including use of reserves and potential bond financing.
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Anticipated Timeline and Next Steps
Upon Council approval and direction, staff anticipates the following project timeline:
• February 2015 — Initiate the competitive process for the selection of a design -
build team in accordance with City Charter and Municipal Code provisions.
• July 2015 — Return to Council with a recommendation for the design -build team
and authorization to award an agreement for preliminary analysis to conduct the
initial design and cost estimates, including approval to negotiate a Guaranteed
Maximum Price (GMP) for design.
• Early 2016 - Return to Council for approval of a Guaranteed Maximum Price
(GMP) and financing plan for the design of the initial phases.
• Mid 2017 — Return to Council with proposed design, phases, cost estimates and
the proposed financing strategy for construction, including a GMP amendment for
construction.
• Fiscal Year 2017 -18 — If funded, additional phases could commence.
Staff will periodically return to Council with findings and reports. Staff will seek Council
authorization of any budget actions determined by the findings of this initial phase of the
City Yards Master Plan project as well as subsequent design phases and construction.
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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. Funds in the amount of $455,795 are available in the FY 2014 -15
Capital Improvement Program budget in account C014028.589000 for any necessary
consulting services resulting from the recommended action. Staff will return to Council if
additional budget is needed to award a contract to a design -build team, and will provide
Council with a financing plan for the initial phases of the City Yards Master Plan once
the design -build analysis and cost estimates have been completed.
Prepared by: Tom Afschar, Architect
Approved:
Forwarded to Council:
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Martin Pastucha Rod Gould
Director of Public Works City Manager
Attachments:
Exhibit 1 — Final City Yards Master Plan, 2013
Exhibit 2 — Draft City Yards Master Plan, 2010
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Reference:
Exhibit 1 & Exhibit 2
Is available at the City Clerk's Office
Filed with Staff Report 01/27/2015, Item 8E
Within Legislative File
500 -006