HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-07-02 City CouncilTO:
City of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Report
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL 2
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: POLICE
PUBLIC WORKS
DATE:JULY 2, 2001 CMR:291:01
SUBJECT:CONCEFFUAL APPROVAL TO PROCEED WITH CONCEFFUAL
DESIGN FOR EXPANSION/MODERNIZATION OF THE
CURRENT POLICE BUILDING
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1)approve in concept the current Police Department building site for a facility
expansion/modernization project and,
2)direct staff to proceed with the conceptual design for expansion and modernization of the
current site.
BACKGROUND
Since the last feasibility study for a new public safety building was completed five years ago,
staff has been working to determine space needs, costs, and potential locations for a new
facility. Considerable work has been completed regarding the amount of space needed for a
new building and the associated costs. In 1999, staff estimated space needs for the year 2020
to be about 66,820 square feet at an approximate cost of $66 million at other sites and $55.3
million at the current site. Included in those estimates was room for Fire Department
Administration and a large community room. A stand-alone police building was estimated to
be about 52,790 square feet at a projected cost between $51.8 and $66 million, of which $2.3
to $13.6 million would be the cost of land purchase. After an initial review of 10 potential sites
for a new facility, the list was narrowed down to four: 1) current location with the addition of
three stories, 2) Page Mill Road and E1 Camino Real, 3) Park Avenue and Page Mill Road, and
4) California Avenue. On October 10, 2000, staff requested Council support for staff’s
CMR:291:01 Page 1 of 6
recommendation to prepare a detailed study of the Downtown Library site as a potential location
after it became apparent that the four options were either too costly or not feasible. Due to
community opposition expressed at that meeting, Council did not take any action but requested
that the item be continued to a date uncertain.
DISCUSSION
After further analysis, staffhas concluded that the Downtown Library site should be removed
from the list of potential sites and has focused on reducing the space needs requirements to an
absolute minimum to make viable the option of expanding and modernizing the current police
facility. This report provides preliminary information regarding four potential options at the
current location, as well as cost comparisons to the original three other sites. It also summarizes
issues that will need to be resolved at a later time and provides a description of the further work
that needs to be done.
Revised Square Footage and Cost Estimates
The Police Department currently occupies 18,298 square feet in the Civic Center complex (not
including a parking garage or storage areas). If the City was to build on a vacant piece of
property, an estimated 49,000 square feet would be sufficient to meet the needs of the
Department for 20 to 30 years. This does not include parking or space needed for a
property/evidence warehouse/storage area for bikes and bulk property/evidence items (4,450
square feet) but does include an Emergency Operations Center (EOC). It is important to
emphasize that the most significant increase in space needs from the current building results not
from increases in staffing but from providing the necessary law enforcement facilities including:
interview rooms, evidence processing, storage, prisoner detention areas, etc. Staff believes that
further reduction in square footage would significantly reduce the operational functionality of
the proposed building and could result in service delivery problems or inhibit the City’s ability
to provide enough space for anticipated law enforcement changes over the next 20 to 30 years.
The City’s consultants have compared the cost estimates at the other three sites using this
revised square footage.
SITE
California Avenue
E1 Carnino / Page Mill Road
Park Boulevard
Options at Current Site (~)
REVISED COSTS
2001 2004
$47.1 million $54.2 million
$44.7 million $49.5 million
$30.1 million $34.2 million
$28.7 to $35 million $30.9 million
CMR:291:01 Page 2 of 6
(The above listed estimates for the current site options do not include print shop relocation or
bidding contingency costs.)
The factors that result in higher potential costs at the current facility compared to previously
discussed estimates include the following:
¯It is more expensive to expand/modernize and seismically retrofit an existing structure than
it is to build on a vacant plot of land;
¯Potential in-lieu parking fees would exceed the costs to construct a surface parking lot.
¯The expansion/modernization of the existing building would require relocation of the Police
Department during construction resulting in the cost of two moves instead of one.
¯Building at the existing site requires the expense of a temporary Emergency 9-1-1 Dispatch
Center.
Expansion / Modernization Option
After reviewing the costs, community reaction, and feasibility, staff believes that the current
police building is the most desirable option to provide a new facility for the following reasons:
¯The City already owns the property.
¯Relatively less environmentally complex.
¯Greater community support.
¯Centrally located City services.
Staff has identified four potential options for modernization!expansion of the current site. They
include the following:
Option A - Expansion into most of A-level, remodel of existing police building envelope on the
podium level, build out of mezzanine, and addition of third floor. No expansion over existing
deck. Mushroom columns remain. Cost: $30.1 million (2001)
Option B - Expansion into most of A-level, remodel of existing police building envelope on the
podium level, build out of the mezzanine, and single story expansion over deck on podium level.
Mushroom columns remain. Cost: $28.7 million (2001)
Option C - Expansion into most of A-level, remodel of existing police building envelope on the
podium level, build out of the mezzanine, and two story expansion over deck on podium level.
Mushroom columns removed. Cost: $30 million (2001)
CMR:291:01 Page 3 of 6
Option D - Expansion into most of A-level, remodel of existing police building envelope on the
podium level, build out of the mezzanine, addition of third floor, and two story expansion over
deck on podium level. Mushroom columns removed. Cost: $35 million (2001)
Attachment A reflects the square footage and detailed costs for each option, with the inclusion
of bidding contingency and print shop relocation estimates.
It should be noted that because no actual building designs have been completed, costs are
approximate. For comparison purposes, costs are provided in 2001 and 2004 dollars. Further
refinement of costs will result from the completion of the next phase associated with
preliminary design. Pending Council’s approval, staff will analyze in detail the four options and
return with a recommended option.
While staff is optimistic that the current site is suitable for expansion!modernization, there are
several issues associated with this alternative that staff believes are important for the Council
to be aware of and that will need to be resolved. Additional detailed work is needed to obtain
the information that will assist in the resolution process; the. work that Ross/Drulis will be
completing in the next phase will provide that information. The issues include the following:
1)Space Shortfalls Within Existing Envelope - Any of the potential options for
expansion!modernization at the current site would either require building up at least to the
mezzanine level or out under the overhangs, the remodel of the existing police building, and
the use of the majority of A-level space. If these options cannot be considered, the current
site would not be large enough to meet the projected space needs. Each option includes the
offsite lease of approximately 4,450 square feet for property/evidence warehouse space that
would house bicycles and bulk property items. Because Option B and C are smaller in
square footage, the leased property/evidence warehouse space needs would increase to 8,450
square feet.
2)Seismic Retrofitting - In order to bring the building up to essential facility standards,
additional seismic retrofitting will need to. be completed. This will require a separation of
the Council Chamber roof from the City Hall Tower during construction. During this
period, which is estimated to take up to three to six months, the Council and other meetings
would need to be held at other facilities.
3)Parking Costs -Under the City’s Municipal Code, parking in-lieu fees would be required
to address the additional parking spaces that would result from the increased square footage.
Staff will be looking to see if there are other alternatives to address the parking issue.
CMR:291:01 Page 4 of 6
4)Temporary Relocation - The Police Department, including the 9-1-1 Emergency
Communications Center, would need to be entirely relocated to other sites during
construction. Staff will be reviewing alternatives such as trailers and use of other existing
City facilities. It should be noted that the cost estimates provided are based upon the use of
City property for trailer placement. Should private property be used for this purpose, there
would probably be significant additional costs.
5)Changes to Building.Exterior - All the range of options that have preliminarily been
discussed would require some change in the building’s current exterior. As noted above,
these changes could include everything from an additional story to a build out of the podium
level. These design options would be developed and reviewed during the conceptual design
phase.
6)Additional Staffing Costs - Because all of the potential options would require off-site
warehouse space for bicycles and bulk property and evidence storage, some additional
staffing costs associated with the operation of that facility are expected and should be
factored into the operational costs.
RESOURCE IMPACT
Funds in the amount of $400,000 are included in the FY 2002-2004 Capital Improvement
Project budget to cover the costs associated with this conceptual design phase of the project.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
This request is consistent with prior Council direction.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
A preliminary environmental assessment would be completed as part of the more detailed
analysis.
CMR:291:01 Page 5 of 6
TIMELINE
Pending Council direction, staff would intend on the following next steps for this project:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
S)
Begin conceptual design activities and evaluate range of options.
Conduct public outreach to obtain input from the community.
Present two viable options to the Council for consideration.
Begin schematic design on the selected option.
Integrate public a~t and green building concepts into the design.
Present design to ARB and Planning Commission for review.
Complete the CEQA documentation for final site selection.
Complete detailed cost estimation for funding proposal.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A:
PREPARED BY:
Square Footage and Detai~d Costs for ,Options A-D
LYNNE JOHNSON
Assistant Police Chief
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
PATRICK
Chief of Police
Director of Public Works
EMILY’I-’HARRISON
Assistant City Manager
CMR:291:01 Page 6 of 6
ATTACHMENT A
Option A
48,410 Square Feet
2001 2004
Construction Cost $13.15~ million $15.125 million
Relocation 3.420 million 3.420 million
Parking 3.700 million 3.700 million
Offsite warehouse 2.421 million 2.421 million
Green building/public art .986 million 1.134 million
Soft Costs 6.664 million 7.230 million
Subtotal $30.3 million $33 million
City Elective Options/1.716 million 1.815 million
Relocation of Print Shop
Total $32.059 million $34.845 million
Option B
42,257 Square Feet
2001 2004
Construction Cost $11.192 million $12.871 million
Relocation 3.420 million 3.420 million
....Parking 2.650 million 2.650 million
Offsite warehouse 4.597 million 4.597 million
,,Green building/public art .839 million .965 million
Soft Costs 5.870 million 6.368 million
Subtotal $28.7 million $30.9 million
City Elective Options/1.618 million 1.703 million
Relocation of Print Shop
Total $30.303 million $32.574 million
Construction
Relocation
Parking
Offsite Warehouse
Green building/public art
Soft Costs
Subtotal
City Electives/Relocation
of Print Shop
Option C
44,780 Square Feet
2001
$11.763 million
3.420 million
3.150 million
4.597 million
.882 million
6.137 million
$30 million
1.647 million
2004
$13.528 million
3.420 million
3.150 million
4.597 million
1.015 million
6.647 million
$32.4 million
1.735 million
Total $31.596 million $34. 091 million
Construction
Relocation
Parking
Offsite warehouse
Option D
56,106 Square Feet
2001
$15.232 million
3.420 million
2004
$17.517 million
3.420 million
Green Building~ublic Art
Soft Costs
Subtotal
City Electives/Relocation
of Print Shop
Total
5.250 million
2.421 million
1.142 million
7.531 million
$35 million
.761 million
5.250 million
2.421 million
1.314 million
8.190 million
$38.1 million
1.935 million
$35.757 million $40.047 million