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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-04-23MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO, PALM DESERT CAMPUS) (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE) Tuesday, April 23, 2002 — 9:30 a.m. City of Palm Desert - Civic Center Administrative Services Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Committee Chair Tschopp convened the meeting at 9:35 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Excused Absence: Mayor Pro-Tempore Jean M. Benson Councilman Buford A. Crites Councilman Jim Ferguson Councilman Robert A. Spiegel Mayor Richard S. Kelly David DeMauro, Vice President for Administration & Finance, CSUSB Peter Wilson, Dean, Palm Desert Campus, CSUSB C. Michael Webster, Vice Chancellor, Administration, UCR Terry Green, Assistant Dean, Desert Programs, UCR David Tschopp, Committee Chair Also Present: Carlos L. Ortega, City Manager/RDA Executive Director arrived at 9:39 a.m. Justin McCarthy, ACM for Redevelopment Philip Drell, Director of Community Development Joseph S. Gaugush, Director of Public Works/City Engineer David Yrigoyen, Director of Redevelopment Mark Greenwood, Engineering Manager Carol Adney, Director of Development, Palm Desert Campus, CSUSB Jim Baker, Desert Programs, UCR Rachelle D. Klassen, Deputy City Clerk Guests: Ignatius Chau, Rossetti Architects Thomas Andreoli, Rossetti Architects Mike Homme III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. MINUTES of the Meeting of January 8, 2002. APRIL 23, 2002 On a motion by Mayor Pro-Tempore Benson, second by Vice President DeMauro, and 8-0-1 vote of the Committee, with Councilman Spiegel ABSTAINING due to his absence from the January 8 Meeting, the Minutes were approved as presented. IV. NEW BUSINESS Note: Items A and B were considered jointly. A. UPDATE ON FINAL SCHEMATICS FOR PHASE II. (CSUSB) Dr. Wilson commented that he'd been meeting with Time Warner already this morning, and an agreement had been reached for CATV service to the campus and also two-way connectivity into their system, which will provide the capability of broadcasting out of the facility into Time Warner's network. He said this will enable the campus to get to every home in the Valley with Time Warner service and also to the school districts. With regard to the Master Plan for the 55 acres, he reported that the first building was completed, and they anticipated breaking ground for the second building in September with a 12-month construction. He said the third building would be more towards Frank Sinatra, planned as a one-story structure, which will provide a level roof line across the property. He noted also that the design would afford a plaza effect all the way from the first to the third buildings. He said the Master Plan for the first three phases (buildings) was an expansion of Phase I, which was now done —furniture, telecommunications and Smart Classroom equipment were being installed, and final details were being addressed. He said the second phase had the academic wing, facing onto Cook Street —a three-story building containing classrooms, some offices, and the first science lab; it was connected into the theater, a 300-seat auditorium/lecture hall/theater facility, a round building but not theater in the round. He said schematics for the third building were very preliminary. Responding to question, Dr. Wilson said there was money for the second building; there were no cash gifts yet for the third. He went on to report that schematics for the second building went to the Trustees and were approved in March, working plans were now in progress. He said the first floor academic wing included teacher education offices; it was the credentialing building where most of the students would go to pursue teaching credentials and master's degrees in education. He said the science lab would provide the opportunity to host some upper division courses; previously, they were only able to conduct a geology lab through College of the Desert (COD). The 300-seat theater -auditorium will have an apron, stage, and some storage areas, fly space in the back —to be expanded in the future with additional funds —there will be a green room, dressing area, make-up, restrooms, and a lobby area. In answer to Councilman Ferguson's question at the last meeting, Dr. Wilson said a theater was desirable at this time —first, because it was a combination facility; large classes would be conducted here, and even though it wasn't like the McCallum Theatre, it would provide 2 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 capacity to stage performances, adding that the State does not build theaters. At the main campus, the largest theater is 150 seats; they have plans for a major theater facility of about 500 seats, but it is sometime in the future. It was felt that building the theater at this time would be beneficial in order to put on community events, College of Extended Learning programs, and mini -caucuses that would otherwise be prohibited without such a facility. Further responding, he said that since some classes would be conducted in the facility, the State would fund some of the operating expenses. He affirmed that the facility would be available to community -based groups. Vice President DeMauro added that CSUSB was working with the Chancellor's Office to provide justification that the building is part of the academic program to qualify it for funding. Responding to the question on cost, he said the theater would be about one-half of the project cost, approximately $4.5 million - $5 million. Dr. Wilson said the second floor of the academic wing will consist of a behavioral sciences lab and classrooms, which was another group of courses that would now be available in the Desert. On the third floor there will be two classrooms, a full-scale computer lab, and another science lab. Responding to question, he said this building would be about the same square footage; the academic wing was three stories, same as the portion of the first building that faces I-10. He said the third building, in this preliminary stage, would consist of classrooms, two more science labs, computer labs, general graduate research labs, visual arts lab, a practice room for the vocal studies program, and faculty offices. Additionally, he said one of the programs being proposed is a BSN completion degree for nursing to build upon COD's program, and one of the things needed in the third building will be a nursing lab. Responding to question, he said the cost for the third building will be the same as for the second, $9 million, noting that there was an inflation factor involved and that the science labs to be included required more expensive facilities than standard classrooms. He pointed out that the Trustees had not yet seen anything on the third building, staff was still working with the architects on defining and scoping. Vice President DeMauro reiterated that the budget for Building No. 2 was $9.4 million. Of that, almost $5.7 million in cash was on hand with other agreements in place to provide the balance. He said most of those funds would be coming in June and July; however, one $1 million gift was not due until July 2003. He said officials were working to expedite delivery of that gift so it would be on hand in September, as the Trustees' policy prohibited beginning construction of a building until all the cash was on hand. It was assumed that early delivery of that gift could be accomplished by the September groundbreaking. He further noted that it was actually a 14-month construction period, completion would then be November 2003. B. REVIEW OF MASTER PLAN FOR FIRST THREE PHASES. (CSUSB) Please see the discussion under New Business Item A. 3 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 C. REVIEW OF SCHEMATIC DESIGN FOR UCR'S PHASES 1 & II BUILDINGS (UCR) Chair Tschopp introduced UCR Vice Chancellor Webster, who said that as of January 1, he had taken over development of Phases 1 and II of the Heckmann Project. He said they expected to break ground on Phase I in June, with completion in August 2003; Phase II was scheduled to break ground in January 2003, with completion in Spring 2004. Mr. Baker reported that value engineering on Mr. Heckmann's donor -built Phase 1 (on Frank Sinatra, closest to Cook Street) has been completed, with Mike Homme heading the construction effort. Therefore, they were currently in the process of developing the construction and working drawings in order to apply for permits and break ground within 45-60 days. He stated that substantial effort had gone into review of the building, recalling for the Committee that it was a two-story semicircular building with administrative offices and two 50-seat classroom areas, and he noted that all of the engineering that has taken place has not changed the structure, use, or programmatic aspects. They had permission and expected to move forward with the final drawings to be used for actual construction. He felt the Committee would be interested in the Phase II presentation and the way the two facilities are being brought together to create an educational institution that flows and ties itself together. Responding to Councilman Ferguson, Mr. Baker answered that there would be 11 faculty offices and the appropriate number of administrative offices for a director, assistant director of program, and there will be two offices for the use of ongoing UCR staff, i.e., Mr. Green and Mr. Baker. He affirmed that Mr. Heckmann planned to have a 1,500 square foot office on the second floor, including conference room, restroom facilities, and his private office. Further responding, Assistant Dean Green added Mr. Heckmann is chairing the advisory committee for the AGSM Entrepreneurial Management Program, as well as serving as an adjunct faculty in the program. Mr. Ignatius Chau of Rossetti Architects said his firm was proud to be selected as the architect for the Heckmann Center Phase II, noting that it was a fun project with a very tight schedule. He said schematics were finished about two weeks ago, and they were about halfway into design development, with a finish date of May 3. He introduced Tom Andreoli, Senior Designer. Mr. Tom Andreoli, Rossetti Architects, went on to explain that their process began with analysis of the program, site, and the special needs of the desert location. He referred to schematics on display, noting that there was a 20-30 foot grade change on the site from the southern boundary to River Circle Drive on the north. He explained that UCR's continuing phases would develop linearly from west to east, pointing out that they were cognizant of concerns for views and wind direction. He highlighted the significant plaza/open area on Phase I that would be extended into Phase 11, working with the levels — Phase 1 had a grade change of approximately 10 feet between the low and high points, and Phase II's plaza area would drop down another 4 feet. He said the two buildings would be integrated with a second floor connection from Phase II to the main level of Phase 1 for ease of circulation, and they would be introducing a water element that works off of the 4 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 existing water element in Phase I, extending it from west to east. He said the future parking to the north would hold about 100 cars. There would be a major landscape element running from the southwest to the northeast, adjacent to the view corridor, and major entries would be to the south and the north. He noted the circular element would be continued with a curvature into the pedestrian linkages to the east. He said the ground level consisted primarily of a large lobby space with a two-story element that would act as focal point for all functions to work from; entry from both north and south. Functions on the first floor would include an assembly space of approximately 300 seats, assembly service and conferencing space consisting of two large rooms that could be divided into two with a capacity of about 50 persons each. He noted support spaces for the building, elevator to the second floor information desk off the main lobby, and also a major stairway going to the second floor. The design would always allow a person to see how to get from one place to another in an effort to increase interaction and communication with the students and faculty. On the second level, there would be the elevated walkway to Phase I; an administrative wing on the west end would include administrative offices, four faculty offices, two post -doctorate offices, and some support spaces. There would be two self - instructional computer labs that could be used as classrooms, the toilet core that stacks above the first floor; there would be a "Scholarly Activity Room" (tiered classroom for about 75 students) on the east end; and to the north, there would be open class labs and a student work room for group -type projects. There would be circulation around the open space in the middle, leading back to the lower level lobby. He described the south and north elevations; with large overhangs on the south to prevent sun penetration on the glass, use of a natural desert -colored stone tile, with minor accents using metal for the eyebrows that protect the glass. He said light colors would be utilized along with high energy efficient glass, a low-e glass with transparency that will allow for interaction between Phases I and II. The northern face will have a little more glass area for some of the occupied space --for the offices, open class Tabs for the students, and/or the conferencing and assembly service on the first floor. He noted that these were schematic drawings, and there were some issues yet to be resolved. It was hoped to get a lot of trees in the courtyard to soften the space and make it inviting for students to gather. He pointed out that they had conducted sun studies for all seasons to determine if/where any problems might be with the glass, with the autumnal equinox being the most problematic, and they were working to mitigate that issue. Upon question, Mr. Andreoli believed that since the site had a significant slope, it would offer quite a nice view of the building rather than the parking lot along Frank Sinatra. Mr. Baker added that when Phase I was reviewed by both the Architectural Review and Planning Commissions, heavy landscaping was required along the parking. Mr. Drell recalled at least 30 feet or more of landscaping was required plus some berming along the sidewalk on Frank Sinatra. Regarding Mayor Pro Tem Benson's question about the courtyards, Mr. Andreoli responded there would be the water element, some fixed seating probably under the trees to encourage student activity in that area — the courtyards were meant to be utilized. In answer to Vice President DeMauro, Mr. Andreoli said there was some smooth metal siding on the north side of the building as an accent to the stone. Vice President DeMauro 5 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 offered that with the very Tight- or white -colored metal siding, they found that the smallest amount of moisture would attract dirt to that area, and it was almost impossible to clean. Mr. Andreoli said they would take that into account. Councilman Spiegel was concerned whether the view corridor had been addressed; he felt it was an important aspect. Mr. Andreoli said it had not been part of the scope of their project. Dr. Wilson noted that when the Governor put the State's allocation into the budget, it was presented as a shared allocation with CaI State, which subsequently changed over time. He and Assistant Dean Green had previously discussed trying to use a portion of that allocation for either the view corridor or the road system. Assistant Dean Green affirmed that had gone by the wayside. The interpretation he'd been given was that all the money had to go towards the site; he had not heard any other interpretation to date. He agreed that the view corridor required attention, it was a significant gap, and neither UCR nor CaI State currently had resources to put toward it. Dr. Wilson said it had also been hoped to put in an entry off of Frank Sinatra Drive, completing the portion of Berger Circle bordering UCR's property and creating a little bit of an internal roadway. It appears that will not be possible. Responding to Mayor Kelly, Dr. Wilson said he'd met with SunLine, and they were scheduling bus service to the campus effective in September. He said SunLine had concerns that the street work and cut -across with the stoplight would not be in, but he referred them to Mr. Folkers, who had reassured them that the work would be completed in time to start their service in the fall. He was still going to talk with Cal State Sacramento to find out how they worked out a student fee with the transit district. Additionally, he said they were also talking with Cardiff and SunLine about scheduled service between the new site and the current location to help students with classes at both, including disabled students' access. Mayor Kelly said he would provide Dr. Wilson a copy of last month's California Public Transit magazine that was dedicated to the transit program where every student has a bus pass. Dr. Wilson said UC Santa Cruz had been a leader in this program in the late '60s, and currently, UCLA and a couple of other UC campuses were working out a system where students paid a transit fee when they registered --then they could show their ID card and ride anywhere on the transit system for free. They would like to implement a similar program in Palm Desert. Further, he said they'd also talked with SunLine about creating a transit center on the campus --due to its central location and easy freeway access, it could enable riders to make transfers between bus routes throughout the Valley. Councilman Spiegel asked about the status of the widening of Cook Street and the stoplight for Cal State. Mr. Gaugush responded award of the construction contract was on this week's City Council Meeting Agenda. He said the project would commence in about three weeks and be completed by late August or early September. 6 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 Dr. Wilson thanked City staff for the cooperation shown all of Cal State's representatives in this process. Chair Tschopp expressed concern for the issues of the view corridor and connecting roads, and their being addressed in the near future. Vice President DeMauro agreed that planning needed to be done, pointing out that the challenge for the CSU system was that both of the view corridors were on the current 55 acres. He acknowledged that they had not been successful in receiving funds from the State; whereas, the funds they've been using to build and develop the site so far were the result of fund-raising efforts. In answer to Councilman Ferguson's question about UCR's plans for funding the balance of its acreage, Assistant Dean Green said they would pursue the same type of process that CSU would —building by building based on the programmatic need of that building, holding fund raising initiatives for each. He noted that this Thursday they were participating in a Technology Transfer forum at City Hall, relating to discussions they've had with UCR's College of Engineering and Environmental Sciences about offices for tech transfer, i.e., business incubator space or an emerging technology center. He's also been talking to Dr. Wilson about such issues. Further responding to the issue regarding view corridor and connecting roads, he said with State funding, they would be limited to spending only on their property. Vice Chancellor Webster remarked that it wouldn't necessarily be the case with gift funding. He felt they needed to work with their colleagues from Cal State to look at the view corridor and ring road issues and make them a high priority. When they're looking to develop further building projects, they should look to donations and other sources of funds other than the State, which will not provide funding to complete those elements. He strongly agreed that development of the view corridor and ring road were component parts of the two campuses and how they come together, and UCR would vigorously pursue private funds for this purpose. Councilman Ferguson noted that he raised the issue because the City had made CSU pull its own way in developing site infrastructure; whereas, Mr. Heckmann had previously pleaded with the City to fund infrastructure on the UCR site, i.e., sewer to Gerald Ford and part of the ring road. Additionally, he said Councilman Kelly obtained CVAG funding for widening Frank Sinatra Drive and some improvements on Cook Street. He wondered at what point the UC system would step in and pull up the rest of the infrastructure to complete the ring road and bear their fair share. Assistant Dean Green responded that it was an incredibly complex project with all the agencies involved, and their efforts to date had been totally focused on getting the first phase "out of the ground." He acknowledged that there were many infrastructure elements on the whole 200-acre site that will need to be included in a development strategy over time. He believed that CSU representatives would agree that once construction begins, it provides a reality that lends itself to successful fund raising. He provided assurance that UCR intended to be a full partner in development of the ring road, especially since it's the 7 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 ultimate Tong -range access point to the rest of the property and to Phase I. It was their preferred access, and they had hoped to use part of the $10 million for that purpose, putting in a specific request for the view corridor and ring road. But the System made the decision that the money could only be applied to the building and its immediate adjacent site. He said both CSU and UCR recognized the importance of the view corridor and a strategy for completion. Chair Tschopp suggested that due to the technicalities of the land ownership and State funding, perhaps thought should be given to allocating long-term leases or additional lands to the campuses in order to develop a budget. Vice Chancellor Webster responded that one of the issues was the type of money that came with the $10 million, it was a revenue bond, and there were limitations on expenditures. He reiterated that through its capital process, the campus would continue to approach ways to address the land ownership issue and the type of money it hoped to be available for assistance. He said it was definitely on the top of their list for capital planning. Responding to Dr. Wilson, Vice Chancellor Webster said Don Dye's potential departure would not affect the program at the Heckmann Center nor the two campuses' relationship. He assured the Committee that UCR had made a full commitment to this program, and even if Dean Dye leaves, there will be the same type of leadership. He said the real continuity was with Director of Desert Programs Terry Green, who would continue to play a major programmatic role and provide leadership in working with all UCR's deans to develop and deliver programs in the Desert. The Center was not just designated for the Graduate School of Management; they expected all their academic programs, schools, and colleges would be represented. Dr. Wilson quickly returned that his concern was not for UCR's commitment but specifically for the MOU with the Anderson School on program coordination and faculty, and he looked forward to continuing that relationship. Answering Councilman Spiegel, Vice President DeMauro stated Cal State San Bernardino had entered into an agreement of exclusive negotiation with the arena development company, and they were currently working out the terms and conditions of such an agreement. They'd also been reviewing physical development of the site and uses for the Palm Desert Campus as well as other community and local entity uses. He said up to this point, any and all issues had been resolved; therefore, they were moving forward with the proposal. Further responding to question, he said the proposed arena would be located outside the present 55 acres, with a good portion of the building proposed to be sunken into the ground, a common practice to conserve energy and also to mitigate height concerns. He added that as they were required to do, the matter would be brought before the University Planning Committee at the appropriate time. He said it was a 180-day exclusive agreement. Dr. Wilson commented that CSU was also working with the Palm Springs Desert Museum (PSDM), which was siting about 12 of its artworks on the new campus. He said they were 8 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 23, 2002 working on an agreement for PSDM to assist the campus with setting artistic themes and selecting artwork. He felt a Tong -term partnership with the Museum offered multiple, exciting possibilities, adding that the Committee would be asked to consider the actual agreement. D. UPDATE ON STATUS OF AGREEMENTS. (UCR) Vice Chancellor Webster reiterated the complexities of all the various organizations and agencies working together and that creating the documents to achieve the desired goals was a time-consuming process. He said due to the fact that Phase I and Phase II properties were being joined under Regents' ownership, they were redeveloping the First Amendment to the DDA, which was nearly complete and anticipated to be ready for signature in the next couple of weeks. He said the campus was prepared and had approved a Regents' item for their May 16 agenda to make a positive finding pursuant to Section 33445. He and the Chancellor would present the item at the Regents Meeting; they didn't foresee any problems. Further, he said because of the Regents' ownership of Phase I, they were also nearly done developing a right -of -entry license agreement for Mr. Heckmann to construct Phase I, which he hoped to present to Mr. Heckmann this Thursday. V. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Councilman Spiegel, second by Dr. Wilson, and unanimous vote of the Committee, Chair Tschopp adjourned the meeting at 10:40 a.m. ATTEST: RAC EL E D. KLASSEN, C7EPUTY CITY CLERK CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA DAVID TSCHOPP, CHAIR 9