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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-08-05 City Council (42)C ty City of Palo Alto Manager’s Report TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGENDA DATE: AUGUST 5, 1996 CMR:335:96 SUBJECT:PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CUBBERLEY MASTER PLAN TO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY OF POTENTIAL USES IN FOUR BUILDING WINGS REQUEST This report requests Council approval of an amendment to the Cubberley Master Plan to provide more flexibility for potential uses in four wings at the site. RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that Council authorize staffto amend the Cubbedey Master Plan in order to provide for additional uses in four wings at the site and apply for an amended conditional use permit to allow the additional uses identified. POLICY IMPLICATIONS The report recommends implementation of a revised policy regarding applicable uses for wings A, K, L and V at the Cubberley Community Center. This proposal to provide a more flexible alternative of uses in the A, K, L and V wings will not significantly affect the "neighborhood concept". In keeping with the neighborhood concept, the proposed expansion of uses still maintains a grouping of users and tenants based upon similarity of use and required facilities. BACKGROUND In 1991, Council approved the adoption of the Cubberley Master Plan (CMR:249:91). The Master Plan is divided into two parts: the Implementation Plan, which focuses on the improvements planned for the first three to five years; and the Master Plan, which focuses onthe future potential of the site for the remainder of the City’s lease. Following adoption of the Master Plan, staff obtained a Conditional Use Permit in accordance with the layout of uses in the Implementation Plan portion of the Master Plan. The Implementation Plan was CMR:335:96 Page 1 of 4 developed to prioritize a phased implementation of the Master Plan as funding became available from public and private sources. The Master Plan was designed to create a community center: at an existing high school site through appropriate space allocation, campus organization, renovation and construction of facilities and aesthetic improvements. The space allocation and campus organization were designed to accommodate the needs of the public and create a feeling of community. During the public input process, numerous requests were received for space rental at Cubberley on both an hourly and long-term basis. A unifying concept, "neighborhoods," was developed to meet those requests. Proposed users were grouped into neighborhoods according to similarity of use and similarity of required facilities. It was further proposed and accepted by the public that the facilities required by a neighborhood should be adjacent to one another and be architecturally unified. This organization would promote the development of small communities of users within Cubberley, and provide for a more logically organized campus. It would also enable visitors to locate facilities with greater ease. The identified neighborhoods and their related users are identified on the Implementation Plan Tenant Location Map, attached as Exhibit A. DISCUSSION The uses identified in the Implementation Plan were proposed to meet the needs of the groups interested in obtaining space, in meeting the needs of existing users and tenants, and in maintaining the neighborhood concept of the Master Plan. To date, all of the uses identified in the Implementation and Master Plans have been allocated to users and long-term tenants in accordance with the Master Plan neighborhood concept. However, due to the lack of sufficient demand for certain Master Plan-designated uses, staff is proposing to amend the uses in the following areas: AREA CURRENT MASTER PLAN DESIGNATED USES PROPOSED EXPANSION OF USES A wing Hourly/Admin. Offices Hourly/Admin. Offices/Education K wing Education Education/Childcare/Nonprofit & Community Organizations Rooms Music/Theater/Dance Music/Theater/Dance/Education/Arts/ L1/L2 Nonprofit & Community Organizations L3 to L5 Dance Dance/Theater/Arts/Music V bldg Music/Tl~eater Music/Theater/Education/Childcare/Nonprofit & Community Organizations CMR:335:96 Page 2 of 4 By expanding the uses in these areas, staff is anticipating that the current demand for space from day care providers, educational providers and nonprofit/community organizations can be met in areas such as the A,, K, V wings and rooms L1 and L2. The remaining L wing room uses will be expanded to maintain the wing as a dance/theater/arts/music center instead of solely a dance center. All of the L wing rooms are currently leased by dance organizations, with the exception of room L 1. Staff has received a proposal to lease room L1 from an existing educational/nonprofit tenant, who is willing to make all of the necessary improvements at its expense and is proposing to pay the minimum nonprofit rental amount of $.77/square foot/month. Room L1 has been vacant for two years, since the Black Box Theater vacated the space. There have been two Requests for Proposals soliciting dance or theater-related tenants; however, there were no responses received. Parking is a consideration in evaluating the expansion of uses identified. In the current Master Plan, a survey of tenant use indicated that week nights (Monday to Thursday) between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. were the periods of heaviest use. The majority of this use, over 90 percent, was determined to be by persons attending night classes at Foothill College. Staff does not anticipate that the uses identified will significantly impact the Week night periods of heavy use. However, an evaluation of the parking impacts of expanding the possibility of uses in these four wings will be conducted during the conditional use permit process. Staff has discussed this proposed amendment to provide more flexibility of uses with both existing Cubberley tenants, and with the Cubberley Advisory Committee at their meeting on June 11, 1996. Responses from both have been supportive. FISCAL IMPACT The proposal received from the educational/nonprofit organization to sublease room L1 would increase the amount of rental revenue by approximately $32,000 per year. Any additional increases in rental revenue have not yet been estimated; however, expanding the uses in these a~eas provides additional assurance that space will not remain vacant due to lack of interest from prospective tenants. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT The lease of an existing facility is categorically exempt under Class I - (Existing Facility) requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). ATTACHMENTS Exhibit 1 - Cubberley Implementation Plan site map. CMR:335:96 Page 3 of 4 PREPARED BY: Martha Miller, Financial Analyst EmlTy Harrison Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: CC:Cubberley Advisory Committee Sue Low Children’s International School g Manager CMR:335:96 Page 4 of 4 EXHIBIT 1 0 0 0 C r-I 0 I:] .U 0 0 > 0 0 m 0 OO