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City
Council Report |
City Council Meeting: September 27,
2011
Agenda Item: 8-B
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works
Greg
Mullen, City Librarian
Subject: Design Development Plans for Pico Branch
Library
Recommended Action
Staff
recommends that the City Council:
1. Approve
design development plans for the Pico Branch Library Project.
2. Direct
staff to move forward with construction documents.
Executive Summary
In May 2009, Council approved Pico Branch Library as one of the Redevelopment
Agency’s priority projects, and
in May 2011, Council allocated $10.8 million of Redevelopment Agency funds for the
Pico Branch Library Project.
The proposed design development
review is the result of further development of the concept and schematic design
phases. The proposed design consists of a single-story 8,690 square foot
building, directly adjacent to the existing Thelma Terry Building. The proposed
site plan has been configured to maintain the existing number of Farmers’ Market
stalls and vendors, and to minimize the impact on the existing park green space. The proposed library programs include adult,
teen, and children’s collections, study rooms, seating and story areas, and a
community meeting room.
Background
On May 12, 2009, Council approved construction of a branch
library at the Virginia Avenue Park location as one of the Redevelopment
Agency’s priority projects. Following Council’s
action, staff solicited firms to provide design services for the new Pico
Branch Library in Virginia Avenue Park. On
February 23, 2010, Council awarded a design contract 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. On February
22, 2011, Council reviewed the proposed design concepts for the Pico Branch
Library Project and directed staff to move forward with schematic design. On May 24, 2011,
Council approved allocation of $10.8 million of Redevelopment Agency funds for
the Pico Branch Library Project. The proposed design development
review is the result of further development of the concept and schematic design
phases which were completed by Koning
Eizenberg Architects in June 2011.
Discussion
Basis of
Design
The Pico Branch Library is to be
located within Virginia Avenue Park, which is bounded by Virginia Avenue to the
north, Pico Boulevard to the south, 21st Street to the west and Cloverfield Boulevard to the east. The new 8,690 square
foot 1-story structure would attach to the south elevation of the existing
Thelma Terry building, separated by a fire wall. This site strategy maintains
visibility into the park and causes minimal disruption to the current operation
of the Saturday Farmers Market, with no loss of stalls. During the week, in the absence of Farmers Market,
the library would help activate an area that is currently underutilized. The
footprint is broken up into two masses that are connected by a roof structure
and separated by an existing fire lane access road. The main entrance to the
library would be located on the south elevation, facing Pico Boulevard. New monument signage and additional planting
along Pico Boulevard reinforces the library’s visibility from the south. Activation and engagement with the site is a
key principle of the library design strategy. Building on the folded roofs
already found at the park center and patio buildings, the library design
incorporates a dynamic roof structure. A
large roof overhang to the east, towards the grassy side of
the park, provides shaded areas for both library and park visitors. A strong
visual connection between interior and exterior is achieved by incorporating
clear glazing at all elevations, allowing views through the length of the
building and out to the park. Reinforcing
the library’s role as part of the Virginia Avenue Park campus, the detached
community room can function independently to accommodate park and community
programs. The landscape design is intended to integrate with the park by
utilizing landscape design elements from the existing park such as plant
selections and bolder configurations with integrated seating. Site improvements include new concrete
paving, raised planters and seat walls. Several new trees would be planted for
additional shading at new patios. New concrete amphitheater seating projects
from the south elevation of the community room and would accommodate small
performances and general seating at the park.
A minimum LEED Silver Certification would be achieved for the building. For
this rating, the building would need to be energy efficient and exterior
glazing would require sun shading. The
south elevation would be shaded by a tensile fabric canopy that would also
serve as shading for relocated Farmers’ Market seating.
Community
Engagement Program
The project team 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 meetings and informational presentations,
ranging in size from personal one-on-one meetings to public workshops attended
by over 30 participants 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 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 –
Community workshops were held at the Thelma Terry Building on
September 11, October 9, November 6, December 4, 2010, and April 5, 2011 to involve
the community in the planning process and 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. 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 the community. The April
meeting presented schematic design to the community. 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. 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 met 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.
Parking – Parking was a major concern for the community. As with locating the building site, preserving the maximum amount of green space and play area was a priority. By code, a stand-alone facility of this size would require 30 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. Planning staff would present a parking variance to council for review and approval in October 2011.
Next Steps
Following Council’s review of the design development plans, Koning Eizenberg Architects would begin to develop the construction documents. The next steps are:
· Planning staff to present entitlements to Council (October 11, 2011).
· Presentation to Architecture Review Board (October 17, 2011).
· Completion of construction documents and permitting (May 2012).
· Bidding and contract negotiations (summer 2012).
· Return to Council for contract award (summer 2012).
· Groundbreaking of Pico Branch Library (summer 2012).
· Pico Branch Library completion (early 2014).
Financial
Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no budget/financial
impact associated with this action.
Prepared by:
Tom Afschar, Architect
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Approved: |
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Forwarded to Council: |
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Martin Pastucha Director of Public Works |
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Rod Gould City Manager |
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Concurrence: |
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Greg Mullen City Librarian |
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