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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-10-10 City Council (8)TO: FROM: City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL t CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: POLICE DATE:OCTOBER 10, 2000 CMR:381:00 SUBJECT:PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY SITE SUITABILITY FOR A PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING AND APPROVAL TO PROCEED WITH THE MORE DETAILED STUDY RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council re-confLrm its direction to staff to prepare a detailed study of the Downtown library site as a potential location for a new public safety building, along with the other four potential sites. BACKGROUND On July 17, 2000, Council approved a Budget Amendment Ordinance and a contract amendment between the City and Ross/Drulis Architects and Planners, in order that additional work associated with the continuation of Phase 1 of the Public Safety Building CIP Project Number 19820 could be completed. Specifically, the additional work included an evaluation of the Downtown library site.for size, circulation, neighborhood compatibility, traffic impacts, geo- technical/seismic conditions and other criteria. However, at the time that Council approved the BAO and the contract amendment, it indicated that consideration of the Downtown library site would be given on the condition that usage of the site would not be intensified and that the neighborhood would not be impacted. Based upon the preliminary analysis, staff believes that it is feasible to build a public safety building on the library site that would substantially comply with Council direction. Prior to proceeding with more detailed work, staff believes it is important for the Council and the public to be provided with the initial information to ensure that completion of the more detailed analysis is in conformance with Council’s direction. Due to the significant potential cost savings and the mitigation measures which could be used to reduce neighborhood impact staff believes it is important to continue consideration of the site and complete the detailed analysis. CMR:381:00 Page 1 of 6 DISCUSSION The consultant and Public Works, Planning, and Police Department staff have completed the preliminary analysis of the suitability of the Downtown library site for use as a public safety building. The following are the results of that analysis. Size and Configuration - The current library facility, including the building and patios, is approximately 18,800 square feet. In order to accommodate space requirements for a new public safety building, two stories of about 18,500 square feet per story above ground and one level of approximately 28,000 square feet below ground would be required. The below ground level would consist of 35 parking spaces for marked and unmarked police vehicles and prisoner drop-off and pick-up, prisoner detention, a sally port, and building mechanical spaces. The first floor would include the public lobby area, confidential victim/wimess interview rooms, patrol, locker rooms, and records. The second floor would provide space for the 911 Emergency Communications Center; the Traffic, Administration, and Investigations Divisions; and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The current police facility’s level ’A’ would continue to house the property/evidence warehouse, parking for police vehicles and space for canine kennels. In order to minimize both costs and potential impacts, staff has continued to review and refine the architectural program. In October 1999, when the first draft of the architectural program for the new facility was developed, approximately 67,000 square feet was identified for the main facility, 4,900 square feet for the property/evidence warehouse, and 118,000 square feet for parking and exterior areas. The consultants and staff have been able to reduce the space needs to 43,000 square feet for the main facility and 24,700 for parking, based upon preliminary analysis of the Downtown Library site and due to the proximity of the existing facility. This represents a reduction of about 24,000 square feet for the core facility. The 7,000 square feet needed for the property/evidence warehouse would be remodeled and housed in the current facility. Ross/Drulis Architects and staffbelieve that the building could be designed in such a manner that the new facility and grounds would be aesthetically be compatible with the adjacent neighborhood. While Council members had requested that a community room be included as part of a new public safety building, staff believes that the space at the library site would not allow for it. However, a community room could be included in the remodel of the Roth Building or be included as part of a remodel of the current police building. CMR:381:00 Page 2 of 6 Due to the condition of the existing facility, building code regulations associated with essential facility standards, and logistical and operational considerations, staffbelieves that it is important for all of the above listed functions to be co-located in a modem essential services facility. The new facility would be designed to remain operational after a significant earthquake. Co-location of the City’s law enforcement, 911 emergency communications and EOC functions would allow the sharing of costly specialized structural and foundation systems, redundant power and utility systems and critical building spaces. This approach is logical and cost effective for several reasons, especially when consideration is given to the fact that this facility will serve the community for the next 20 to 30 years. Centralizing these functions in the most "survivable" building in the City decreases the potential for interrupted emergency operations resulting from facility failure during and after a large earthquake. Sharing systems in one building is less costly from an initial and long-term operational cost standpoint than constructing and maintaining multiple essential facilities. Investing in one specifically designed "green building" can reduce the use of materials and conserve natural resources, maximize the use of recycled materials and enable the use of highly energy efficient building systems. Change in Use - Currently, the library is open Mondays through Saturdays between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and closed on Sundays and holidays. A maximum of eight library employees provide services to an average daily number of 326 users. The average daily number of customers for the Police Department is only about 60 per day. While the Police Department’s total staffing complement is higher, coverage is spread out over 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additionally, about 40 percent of the employees are not in the facility much of the time, but are actually out in the community. Parking - The current parking needs of the Police Department are met within the secured police garage and the Civic Center parking garage. The secured police garage houses 25 police vehicles, while an additional 35 police vehicles are parked in the shared Civic Center garage. About 60 parking spaces in the Civic Center garage are in use at any point in time for Police Department employee’s personal vehicles. Based upon projections for the year 2020, a total of about 140 parking spaces for police, employee and visitor parking would be needed. The preliminary architectural program prepared for a public safety building on the library site tt~refore includes one below-grade parking level that would house 35 police vehicles. In order to adequately provide for future police vehicle and employee parking needs, most of the parking for the new public safety building would need to continue to be located in the secured police garage and the Civic Center garage. This would involve the retention of existing Civic Center spaces utilized by the police Depa .r~rnent. Allowing the Police Department to continue to use Civic Center parking spaces would CMR:381:00 Page 3 of 6 significantly reduce the consh-uction costs of the facility. Planning and Transportation staff have reviewed the preliminary architectural program and agree that this is a reasonable approach to the provision of parking, given the constraints of the library site and the existing use of Civic Center garage parking by the Police Department. Use of Current Police Facili _ty: The relocation of the majority of Police Department operations to the Downtown Library site would free up approximately 11,000 square feet for use by the City for other space needs. Possible alternative uses including a community room mentioned earlier, include the Development Center and Fire Department Administration. Neighborhood Concerns Concerns expressed by neighbors of the Downtown Library site have primarily focused on three areas: 1.Loss of the Downtown Library_ or a reduction in library_ services - This is a misconception. Consideration of the library site for a new public safety building would be contingent upon the relocation of the library about two blocks away to a renovated, modern facility at the Roth Building. Staff believes that library service to the downtown community would be enhanced. 2: Neighborhood Privacy- The design of a public safety building on the library site would be completed with the privacy of the residential neighbors as a primary concern. Design features could be incorporated to insure that visual access into adjacent residences would not occur. Design elements would also be used to insure an aesthetically appealing fagades on all sides of the building. 3. Loss of Buffer Area - The design of a new public safety building would be done with neighborhood compatibility in mind. Resident input would be sought in the building design phase to insure this compatibility. The impact to the neighborhood would be absolutely minimal. As an example, mechanical equipment such as air conditioners, etc., could be placed in the underground level instead of on the roof. 4. Increased Traffic - It is important to note that the existing police facility is only 60 feet north of the library site. Current ingress and egress to the police garage would continue off of Bryant and Ramona Streets. There would be minimal traffic entering/exiting the underground level at the new facility. Traffic impact to the neighborhood would remain essentially unchanged from current conditions. NEXT STEPS CMR:381:00 Page 4 of 6 If Council confirms previous direction to staff to explore the feasibility of the Downtown Library site as a police building, Ross/Drulis will finalize the conceptual design and site analysis, preliminary environmental analysis, and a comparative cost analysis to the previously studied sites. RESOURCE IMPACT Ross/Drulis has estimated that the costs of building a public safety building at the Downtown Library site that would include the essential operational components of the Police Department, 911 Emergency Communications, and EOC would be approximately $36 million. It is important to note that this is a preliminary cost estimate and would need to be further studied during the more detailed analysis. Following completion of that work, a more thorough comparative analysis between the sites will be prepared for consideration and the decision making process. This represents approximate savings of between $16 and $30 million compared to the other four site alternatives. The preliminary cost estimates and associated savings do not include dollars for the remodel of the current police facility for other uses, or for the remodel of the Roth Building as a library. Those costs would be determined at a later time and would be included as part of the total project costs. 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. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A:Preliminary Project Cost Estimates for Library Site PREPARED BY: Lynne Johnson, Assistant Police Chief CMR:381:00 Page 5 of 6 DEPARTMENT HEAD: Patrick CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~.:~ Emily HarrisOn, Assistant City Manager CMR:381:00 Page 6 of 6 September 25, 2000 Palo Alto Public.Safety Building Preliminary Project Cost Estimate Library Site, Palo Alto, CA Program Component Total Area 30,000 SFDemolition of Existing Library and Site New Two Story Public Safety Building (Inclusive of all site work and landscape)42,301 SF Property Evidence and Crime Lab Renovation of Existing P.D. Space 6708 SF 4876 SFWarehouse Renovation of Existing Basement Parking Level Area (35 spaces), ramp and Mech. Spaces 25,300 SF Cost/SF $6.00 $300 $175 $45 $150 Total Cost $180,000 $12,690,300 $1,173,900 $219,420 $3,795,000 Connecting Tunnel Area 120 LF $2000/LF Relocation of Existing Forrest Ave Utilities Mlowance Allowance Repaving and Street Restoration Allowance Allowance Sub Total Construction and Site Costs Green Building and Art Allowance (7.5% combined) Subtotal Escalation 4% per year for 4 years Subtotal Construction Costs Mid Point of Construction Year 2004 Soft Costs Architecture and Engineering Specialty Consultants Construction Management Administration, printing and testing 911 Communications Equipment Furniture Fixtures and Equipment Change Order Allowance Sub Total Project Costs Project Contingency $240,000 $250,000 $360,000 $18,908,620 $1,418,146 $20,326,766 $3,452,675 $23,779,441 $2,377,941 $475,588 $951,177 $445,588 $65O,000 $1,664,560 $2,377,944 $32,722,239 $3,272,223 Estimated Project Costs Library Site Comparative Costs to Park Blvd. Site Estimated Project Costs Park Blvd Site Estimated Cost Savings to City of Palo Alto From Use of Library Site Over next most expensive site $35,994,462 $52,444,546 $16,450,084