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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-07-08 City CouncilTO: City of Palo Alto C ty Manager’s Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL ATTENTION:POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE FROM: AGENDA DATE: CITY MANAGER .JULY 8, 1997 DEPARTMENT: Community Services CMR:311:97 SUBJECT:APPROACHES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA This report responds to the City Council’s request for information concerning the development of a comprehensive approach to downtown needs (Attachment 1). This report gives Council an update on staff’s efforts to explore public restroom options in the downtown area and provides a review of the programs developed to address the issues surrounding employment and shelter, for the homeless. The report also updates staff activity as it relates to many items addressed in the August 1, 1996, Report of the Homelessness Task Force of Palo Alto (Attachment 2). RECOMMENDATION8 This report is informational only, This report does not represent any change to existing City policies. BACKGROUND On January 15, 1997, Council requested the development of policy direction in areas that provided for improved quality of life in the downtown locality, including: Providing restroom facilities in the downtown area. Providing training and short-term, transitional employment opportunities to the homeless population. Working with other agencies to provide additional housing and shelter opportunities for those who are homeless. CMR:311:97 Page 1 of 7 Restrooms Staff is exploring various alternatives to provide public restroom facilities in the downtown area. These include the rental of portable restrooms, use of restrooms in downtown City- owned facilities, constructing a wood-framed permanent restroom facility, installing a prefabricated restroom facility, purchasing/leasing automatic public toilets, and including permanent public restrooms in the design of new downtown development and parking structures. Staff has not yet completed a detailed examination of the alternatives. After fully investigating all options, including exploring how other cities have found solutions and completing a full cost analysis, staff will return to Council with a funding and implementation plan in fall of 1997. The following is a brief review of the alternatives being considered: Portable toilets (Exterior finish: Fiberglass. Disposal: 250 gallon holding tank): Although an inexpensive way to provide this service, these units can be aesthetically unpleasing, difficult to keep sanitary, present odor issues, and can be an attractive nuisance for vandalism. The approximate annual rental cost is $480 per unit, with an annual maintenance cost of $960 per unit. Total cost for three years would be approximately $17,280 for four units. This option could be implemented in a 2- to 3-week period. Modular trailer units (Exterior finish: wood siding. Disposal: sewer): These are larger portable units that are on wheels. They axe seismically braced and leveled on asphalt, concrete Or dirt. The disadvantage of these units is that they require a large footprint due to the requirement of a disabled access ramp, which makes finding a suitable location difficult. They are also an unattractive design, would need frequent repairs at City cost, are an attractive nuisance for vandalism, and would require connection of sanitary sewer, water utility, electrical, and special paving. The approximate unit cost is $16,500 for installation plus $21,000 in annual rental and maintenance. The total cost for three years will be approximately $80,000 per unit. Total time required to implement this option would be 2 to 3 months. Use of downtown City facilities: Presently, the Civic Center and Downtown Library restroom facilities experience frequent daytime use by the downtown population. The Teen Center and Senior Center have been considered as possible alternatives, but CMR:311:97 Page 2 of 7 these options create security and safety issues that may not be possible to remedy. Approximate cost to expand this option is dependent on the hours of operation, maintenance levels and staffing requirements. Prefabricated permanent restrooms: (Exterior finish: Choice of exterior finishes and roofing. Disposal: sewer): These are prefabricated, permanent, outdoor buildings that have separate men’s and women’s restrooms with one toilet and sink in each. These facilities are ADA-approved and can be customized to blend into the physical environment. (For instance, if in Cogswell Park, the exterior could be customized with adobe style architecture to match the Senior Center.) This is a low-cost solution that would add a permanent structure to the downtown area. The disadvantages could include increased maintenance issues associated with an unmonitored facility, limited hours of use, depending on whether the facility is locked during evening and night hours, and the structure could provide an attractive nuisance for vandalism. The approximate, one-time cost for purchase, construction and installation is $65,000, and $10,600 for annual maintenance consisting of one service per day. The time re- quired to implement this option is approximately 8 to 12 months. Wood-framed permanent restrooms: (Exterior finish: Plywood/Paint/Stucco. Disposal: Sewer.) This option entails construction of a permanent wood-l~amed restroom facility in the downtown area. The City of Mountain View has recently hired a contractor to build such a facility in a park. The facility contains a men’s and women’s room with a total of six toilet fixtures and two sinks. This option has considerably higher construction costs than the prefabricated unit mentioned above, but can be designed and customized to visually fit into a physical setting. This option may also have a larger footprint than other alternatives, making a suitable site more difficult to find. Additionally, a permanent structure could require a high level of maintenance to ensure sanitary conditions, and it may present an attractive nuisance for vandalism. The approximate cost to construct a permanent restroom facility is $150,000 for design and construction and $10,600 for annual maintenance consisting of one service per day. This option could be implemented in 12 to 18 months. Automatic Public Toilets (APT): (Exterior finish: Choice of exterior finishes that can include murals, maps, artwork, etc. Disposal: sewer): These are the systems that were popularized in Europe and have now been adopted in some U.S. cities, including San Francisco. These coin/token operated systems are completely self-contained, providing the user with a sanitary environment at each use, 24 hours-per-day. The CMR:311:97 Page 3 of 7 units must be maintained daily by technicians provided by the manufacturer and present ADA-approved facilities, that can visually blend into the physical street environment. Other than cost, which is higher than other alternatives, this option has very few disadvantages. A major advantage is that the City would be minimally responsible for repair and maintenance. The units do require City utilities in the form of water, sewer, electricity, and telephone. The approximate, annual per unit cost is $70-80,000 for lease and maintenance, or $250,000 for per unit purchase with no maintenance or repair included. There would also be a one-time installation cost of approximately $40,000 per unit. The time required to implement this option would be 8 to 14 months. The City of San Jose has recently advertised a request for proposal and has received proposals from three vendors to supply APT units in their downtown area. San Jose has proposed that Palo Alto and others cities make use of the San Jose research, and, if mutually beneficial, partner with San Jose in the purchase, lease and!or maintenance of these systems. Staff will continue to work with San Jose to ascertain the benefits of such an arrangement. Potential opportunities with downtown development~ Staff has also considered exploring the potential opportunities that new downtown development represents. Planning staff has strongly encouraged developers of downtown zone projects to provide public restrooms as a public benefit. A possible scenario is providing incentives for developers to design exterior restroom facilities into new or renovated buildings as a public/private partnership. Staff will continue to explore this option and will return to Council with additional information, if the idea seems plausible. Inclusion of restrooms in proposed parking structures: The newly proposed parking structures in the downtown area can be designed to include permanent restroom facilities or be adapted to contain the Automatic Public Toilets discussed above. This may be an ideal long-term solution to this issue. The only disadvantages could be an increased cost for maintenance. Cost is unknown at this time, and implementation time would be approximately 3 years. Possible sites for the location of restroom facilities have been detailed in the draft Master Plan for Downtown Urban Design Improvements. The document suggests locations including Parking Lot H at Cowper and Hamilton, Parking Lot T at Lytton and Kipling, City Hall Plaza, Lytton Plaza and Cogswell Plaza. CMR:311:97 Page 4 of 7 Employment Opportunities for the Homeless During FY 1996/97, the City employed eight homeless persons through the Seasonal Jobs for the Homeless Program, and is planning to hire an additional ten homeless or at-risk of homeless persons during FY 1997-98. Six homeless persons are employed through the City’s and Urban Ministry’s collaborative "The Homeless Garden Project." The Urban Ministry’s Lawn Service Project employs an additional four to six people. Through these sources, 28 to 30 local homeless persons have gained employment within the.last two years. Future expansion or enhancements of the programs could occur by developing partnerships with corporations, businesses, public entities and nonprofit institutions in the mid-peninsula region. Outside agencies could fired either additional slots for the employment and training program, or place graduated program participants into their operations. Other examples of long-term program enhancements could include developing partnerships with Opportunities Industrialization Center West of East Menlo Park and the Veterans Workshop Employment Program in Menlo Park, which could assist in training and placement needs of program participants. Staffwill continue to examine these alternatives and return as additional recommendations develop, as the second phase of the Seasonal Jobs for the Homeless Program is implemented. Housing and Shelter for the Homeless: -~ The City is engaged in providing housing and shelter opportunities for the homeless and at- risk of homeless population. The current inventory of available shelter that is funded through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) funding is: ]zlgflg, l_dg_~,j~: Provides 15 to 20 beds, depending upon size of participating rotating churches, at no cost to the user. ]~u~a~:to2gl: 26 rooms from $350 to $433 monthly Additional subsidies available for eligible participants Housing Corporation through Palo Alto Future City-funded or partially City-funded shelter opportunities include: The CLARA/MATEO Alliance (CMR:251-97): This is a community shelter on the Menlo Park Veterans Administration grounds. Forty beds will be available for up to a 90-day stay and five beds for up to 24 months. A series of program offerings will be CMR:311:97 Page 5 of 7 made available to shelter occupants, including but not limited to: holistic case management service; psychiatric counseling and mental health service; alcohol and drug treatment services; vocational rehabilitation employment training and placement; and general health care services. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9, 1997. ~: 106 rooms will be provided at an average of $375 per month..Some additional subsidies will be available for eligible participants who partake in the Shelter Plus Care Program. (Planned Opening: January 1998) Additional private shelter opportunities include: , ~: 63 rooms from $30.80 (w/out bath) to $51.70 (w/bath) daily ¯~ 59 rooms from $28 (w/out bath) to $34 (w/bath) daily FISCAL IMPACT In fall of 1997, when all restroom options have been fully explored, staff will return to Council with an implementation and funding request. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMEI~T_ ’ An environmental assessment may be necessary once direction for installation of restroom facilities has been determined. 1.January 15, 1997, Memorandum to Council 2.Report.,ofthe Homelessness Task Force of Palo Alto PREPARED BY: Richard James, Administrator, Community Services Department PAUL THILTGEN Director of Community Services CMR:311:97 Page 6 of 7 CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:/FLEMING ~ Manager CO:Human Relations Commission Planning Commission Chamber of Commerce Downtown Marketing Committee Downtown Urban Design Committee Palo Alto Housing Corporation Urban Ministry CMR:311:97 Page 7 of 7