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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-01-08MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE - UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO, PALM DESERT CAMPUS) Tuesday, January 8, 2002 3:30 p.m. City of Palm Desert - Civic Center Administrative Services Conference Room 1. CALL TO ORDER Present: Excused Absence: David Tschopp, Committee Chair Councilman Robert A. Spiegel Mayor Pro-Tempore Jean M. Benson Councilman Buford A. Crites arrived at 3:35 p.m. Councilman Jim Ferguson Mayor Richard S. Kelly David DeMauro, Vice President for Administration & Finance, CSUSB Peter Wilson, Dean, Palm Desert Campus, CSUSB Jack Azzaretto, Vice Chancellor for Service & International Programs, UCR Terry Green, Assistant Dean, Desert Programs, UCR Also Present: Carlos L. Ortega, City Manager/RDA Executive Director William Shum, Director of Capital Planning, Design & Construction, CSUSB Carol Adney, Director of Development, Palm Desert Campus, CSUSB Jim Baker, Desert Programs, UCR Richard J. Folkers, ACM for Development Services 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 Carolyn J. Miller, Community Arts Manager Mark Greenwood, Engineering Manager Rachelle D. Klassen, Deputy City Clerk Guests: Doug Hudson, Architect, LBL Architects Michael Kim, Architect, LBL Architects I1. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE III. NEW BUSINESS JANUARY 8, 2002 A. UPDATE ON BUILDING NO. 1. David DeMauro Vice President DeMauro reported that the campus's first building was about 90% complete. He noted that the original schedule indicated the completion date would have been in December 2001. However, even after all the plans, approvals, and funding were place, the project was lacking one thing to begin construction on time — approval with the Department of Fish & Game relative to the fringe -toed lizard. He said it slowed the process by about 10 weeks; but it was given, and he commended City of Palm Desert staff for their instrumental efforts in assisting CSUSB with the process. He noted that the California State University System really didn't fit anywhere within the rules of the Department of Fish & Game for this particular mitigation item. Currently, the completion date was set for February 19, with the building finished, all of the landscaping, and the parking lot for Phase I. He recalled for the Committee that the building consists of: - 35,000 gross square feet; - One dozen classrooms; - Two computer Tabs; - Administrative offices; - Eight faculty offices; - Student Union; - Bookstore; - 120-seat Auditorium; - 250 parking spaces. The project budget ended up being approximately $11.2 million, out of which: - $9.5 million came directly from donations; - $500,000 came from the parking program; - $300,000 from each the bookstore and student union; - $500,000' from Phases II & Ill. He noted that the funding from Phases II & III resulted from the installation of all the utility infrastructure (i.e. water, electrical, gas, and telecommunications) to serve all the initial developments that will be put in over the next several years. He offered members a personal tour of the facility. In response to question by Mayor Kelly, Dr. Wilson said once the University took possession of the building, it would spend eight to ten weeks moving in furniture, equipment, computer labs, etc., and the plan was to physically move to the site the third week of June. He added that classes would be offered there in the upcoming summer session, which begins June 20. Further 2 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 responding, he said by State policy, as long as Palm Desert was a branch campus, it would serve the upper division (Junior and Senior years and Graduate Programs), as the campus currently provided. College of the Desert would be relied upon to provide Freshman and Sophomore education until the decision is made in the future to make this an independent campus. He added that theirs was prohibited from competing with local community colleges for the Freshman and Sophomore years; the only way it can provide lower division classes is if the community college in the area does not offer what CSU requires for transfer. Mr. Shum added that City staff had been very understanding with the University's need for the Cook Street campus, moving it up on the schedule so that all the development by Measure "A" along Cook Street would be completed prior to opening of the fall quarter. He said the University was very grateful for everything the City had done in this regard. B. REVIEW OF MASTER PLAN. Peter Wilson Dr. Wilson turned his report over to Messrs. Hudson and Kim, LBL Architects. Mr. Kim reviewed the history of the project to date. He said Phase I consisted of approximately 55 acres, triangular -shaped, at which CSU worked hard to capture and preserve the natural view corridors— one from Frank Sinatra/Cook, toward the center of the campus; and one from Cook/Gerald Ford, also to the center of the campus. He noted that by Code, a certain amount of property was required to be dedicated to retention, usually about 10%. Due to the site's topography, with the highest point at Frank Sinatra/Cook and lowest at Gerald Ford, he said that was the logical location for the retention area, and per accepted planning concepts, it was their notion to preserve that area as a natural desert landscape. Mr. Kim went on to say the program consisted of three elements— the academic building program (classrooms, science labs, lecture spaces); support building program (libraries, student union, bookstore); and the last component was for the public, something unique to the Palm Desert campus. He said the public component would possibly include a museum, noting they had been very successful working with the Palm Springs Desert Museum, which was donating a good deal of artwork for Phase I. He said their team intended to continue to foster this relationship in order for the public component of the campus to serve the students as well as the community at large. 3 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 The gentlemen then called attention to the ring road, with the ingress from Cook Street, and the phasing elements of the campus. Mr. Kim said that In terms of global master planning concepts, it was the objective to create some street frontage along Cook Street, one of the reasons for locating all of the academic buildings along that roadway. The other goal for the academic buildings was to cluster them into "academic villages" — a concept to be continued as the campus grows— with the clustering possibly being tied to the respective disciplines. The other component was the public element, and he described the notion of creating somewhat of an esplanade along the natural edge near the Library/Administration building. He went on to say that the other important part of the master plan was the need to mitigate different types of circulation, automobiles, etc., with public transportation being a major component, bringing the SunLine bus system onto Berger Circle Drive and finding a home for a transfer station. Two issues presented somewhat of a struggle to the architects; they were trying to keep an open campus with as little surface parking as possible; deck parking was a bit more expensive. The number of cars estimated was 2,000+ to support the students; the program did not currently include any dormitory or residence facilities, meaning it was a truly a commuter campus. Upon inquiry by Councilman Ferguson, Mr. Kim answered the retention area was probably not going to have strongly defined edges; it would have a natural edge that would take advantage of the slope. Mayor Kelly asked how the public transit buses would be circulated on the campus. Mr. Kim replied that as part of the street improvements for Phase I, there was a proposed bus stop with a pedestrian connection along Cook Street, one for each direction of travel. Dr. Wilson added that it was CSUSB's hope that as UCR starts to build the Heckmann Center, the ring road that fronts UCR's 20 acres could be completed and connected to Frank Sinatra. Once there is a loop that goes off Frank Sinatra into the ring road and that could come back out onto Cook, the buses could travel that route. He reiterated that it was fully their intention to bring public transit onto the campus on the ring road as soon as it was accessible. Mr. Kim stated that the ring road could become functional for the bus system even if the entire circle was not complete. He estimated that if a third of the road was complete, a partial loop could be utilized. 4 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Responding to Councilman Ferguson, Mr. Green said continuation of the ring road at Frank Sinatra was submitted as part of UCR's plan; however, no answer had been received either way from the Office of the President as to whether the expense would be allowable. He said it was not, technically, on UCR's property, but there was some leeway they were trying to work with to obtain approval. Further responding, he said they expected to break ground on the Heckmann Center in March. Mr. Hudson likened the "academic village" concept to the manner in which the Civic Center was configured— with covered outdoor walkways, smaller courtyard spaces, shady pots in the summer. In answer to Mayor Kelly, Dr. Wilson said the process by which the campus would become eligible to provide both lower and upper division courses was complex. Certain standards had to be met (i.e. area population, numbers of students enrolled, and growth), and once the marks were met, then it would be a political decision for the Legislature. He said the enrollment needed to reach about 3,000 students when the first three buildings were built out, with service area potential of about one million and service area extending from the Beaumont/Banning pass to Blythe, and all the way from Joshua Tree to the Imperial Valley. Mayor Pro Tem Benson cautioned the design team that the subsequent phases of the campus buildings should not deviate too greatly from that established by Phase I. Mr. Hudson agreed, stating that the team had viewed the first three phases of the campus as one architectural idea. He described some of the defining features of the first building that would be carried on throughout the phases, the placement of Phase I's buildings in relation to one another, the design elements that would identify student components from public components, etc. C. REVIEW OF BUILDING NO. 2 SCHEMATICS. Bill Shum Mr. Shum explained that throughout the master planning process, the designers had learned the real essence that Cook Street was a main entrance to the City, and they wanted the buildings fronting onto Cook Street to be as welcome and open as possible— the buildings would really have no rear side. He said that was why they wanted to create portals that would be inviting to those traveling by. They also wanted to take advantage of the site's topography, developing the parking spaces so that they would not really be visible from Cook Street. He said they understood the City's concept that the campus should be a showcase, the entrance to the City. 5 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Mr. Hudson reviewed the floor plans of the Phase II building, with three-story academic building, lobby, and theater. He said the upper floors of the building were very simple repetitions of the Phase I building. The theater and ancillary components consisted of about 10,000 square feet; the overall building square footage for Phase II is about 33,000 gross square feet. He noted that the second building was roughly the same square footage size as Phase I, it was the same height, some of the same articulations of materials (e.g. split -faced concrete block, exterior plaster, glazing systems). Further, he noted the details: - Portal from Cook Street, providing a glimpse of the stallion sculpture, into the central quadrangle and inner ring of the campus. - More glazing facing the east side. - More windows from the upper level corridors, looking into the quadrangle space. - Elevator lobby and stair being enclosed with windows. Mr. Shum added the design had resulted from a long discussion with Planning Committee Members about what type of architecture should be built in the desert environment to reflect the character of the site. He said they visited many facilities in the City and adjacent cities, learning how the desert environment should be expressed in contemporary terms. Therefore, the building would have mass protruding out and protruding in, creating a layering effect. Further, he said it would take full advantage of the shadows to create shadow lines, and more importantly, it would have a balance between grass and solid areas, which is how the Phase I Building was designed and turned out quite pleasing. He explained that Phase II continued that architectural theme, creating layers in the facade instead of just one blank wall; there are windows recessed into the wall with the roof projecting out, expressions of contemporary desert architecture. He said the team planned for continued use of split -faced block, the metal panels, so that all three phases would be consistent. Councilman Ferguson asked if the university actually meant large classroom when it talked about the "theater." Dr. Wilson responded that in the first building, the 124-seat lecture hall/theater was really a lecture hall. In the subject case, the 300-seat facility is a theater with flying space for scenery, storage space, etc., and it would be used as a theater. Actually, he said one of their concerns was how they would pay for its maintenance since they didn't feel it would qualify as an instructional facility, which the State wouldn't cover. Further responding, he said there weren't drama programs at Palm Desert's branch campus at this time. However, there was a long-range plan that called for a theater arts program before the campus 6 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 ceased being a branch, but the facility would be used by the main campus theater arts and music departments. He stated the chairs of those departments were involved with the team in designing the space. It was anticipated that programs would be put together in San Bernardino and run several weeks, then they would be brought to Palm Desert. In addition, it would be used for other types of things. Mr. Shum added that both the theater and music department chairs were very excited about the opportunities to be provided, since the main campus had only a 150-seat theater for that department. It was possible that programs would be staged in Palm Desert first and then move to the main campus. Dr. Wilson commented that even though the discussion wasn't very far along, it was also a facility that UCR might find useful for events associated with the Heckmann Center, as well as for College of the Desert. It would be a multi -organization, multi -use facility, but probably would not meet the standards for being declared as an instructional facility. Councilman Ferguson commented that although very nice, he was concerned that it was being placed ahead of Phase III classrooms, which he believed constituents would also be concerned about. Dr. Wilson referred to the previous statements made by the architects, that the University had an academic mission, a support mission, and a community service mission. He said that was the one thing being put into the first three phases that could be pointed to as community service. Mr. Shum added that special attention was paid to the details, in how the theater was designed in relationship to the academic areas. He said enough separation was included so that the academic building could be closed down during holiday periods, yet the theater could have all the functionality to be operational at those times. Mr. Hudson also noted the adjacent parking to the facility, over proposing an automobile drop-off next to the theater entrance so that there would be direct access to both functions of the building. He reviewed details of the facility, with the breezeway between the two buildings (the academic and the theater), noting that the theater would be expressed as the ceremonial drum/cylinder shape with a special cornice line, and the lobby piece would be fan -shaped with glass opening out into the courtyard. Finally, he said in the back, the fly space, dressing rooms, storage spaces for the theater component would be at the lower elevation. He said they saw the theater as a focal point or community hub for the academic buildings to play off of. 7 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Councilman Crites noted there wasn't a rendering of the theater from the east. He commented that one of the problems with the McCallum was that its northern facade was not particularly pleasing. Mr. Hudson showed an elevation of the theater, pointing out that they would be working with CSU's drama department to work out some of the details of the fly space for necessary size, etc. However, he said it was not their intent to have that massive, tombstone effect for the fly space. He said it would be a matter of budget, the program, and balancing the extent of the theater program. Dr. Wilson clarified that the theater wouldn't be hosting Broadway shows; it would be for student and community productions. Councilman Crites said once the campus becomes more fully built out, he didn't want the fly space to predominate the interior. He hoped it would have some architectural detail or comfort to it. Mr. Hudson reiterated Mr. Shum's comments that there was really no back side to the building, and from his own perspective, every side was visible from a great distance. Mr. Shum addressed the issue of the massing of Phase III, stressing that they always take into account the University's neighbor beyond its property lines. For instance, he said along Frank Sinatra they were really getting into residential scales, and in an effort to be a good neighbor and fit within that context, they were proposing low, single -story structures in Phase III. He said there were some interesting roof structures that could reflect the themes of Phases I & II, and he went on to say they would want to reform the courtyard with some personal space. Mayor Pro Tem Benson remarked that in response to the comment that the theater would be very, very prominent, she hoped that its materials/coloring would blend into the mountainside rather than standing out against the horizon. Mr. Hudson responded it had been their general goal to blend the coloration and textures of the building with the surrounding landscape. Mr. DeMauro explained the process from this point; there was a proposed schematic design from the architect, and CSU would not proceed in developing it any further unless the Committee had a substantial level of comfort with it. He noted that he'd taken down the Committee Member 8 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 comments in order that those concerns would be addressed in the plan's further development. He said through the CSU system, assuming that the Committee made a recommendation to the President of California State University, San Bernardino, they would then instruct the architects to complete the schematic designs, which would be brought before the CSU Board of Trustees for its approval. Once the CSU Board approved the schematic designs, then the architects would be instructed to move ahead with the working drawings, and the financial plan was such that, by all appearances, the funds would be in place to construct Building No. 2 by the end of June 2003. He said that would result in going to bid and the follow-up processes in order for construction to begin in July 2003, with an approximate construction time of 12 months. He asked the Committee if they were comfortable with the design, adding he felt most of the recommendations he'd written down represented minor rather than major deviations. In response to Councilman Crites, Mr. Shum reported that it had become their standard practice to make a presentation to Palm Desert's Architectural Review Commission. Councilman Crites moved to, by Minute Motion, accept the schematic proposed for Building No. 2, with an acceptable level of comfort and the understanding that the design would be brought before Palm Desert's Architectural Review Commission for comment. Motion was seconded by Mayor Kelly. Chair Tschopp asked whether the theater would be eliminated or delayed if, down the road, things didn't go according to plan. Dr. Wilson doubted that it would be eliminated or delayed. CSU would have to figure out a way to make it happen. He said the gift from the City of Indian Wells was for the naming on the second building and on the theater, with 300 seats being part of that agreement. In response to question by Ms. Adney whether the theater issue was of significant concern, Councilman Ferguson said he reminded himself that the purpose of the University Planning Committee was "brick and mortar," looking at paint and texture, architectural and layout issues, while the University representatives were charged with developing the educational components. However, as the City had just invested $5 million in community theater and was also trying to help CSU raise the money to put students into classrooms, he wondered if it would be best to first build classrooms and place the theater element in a later phase. He felt it was a reasonable question, and if asked, he would refer constituents to the City of Indian Wells since they were funding it. MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE Answering Mayor Kelly's question about funding maintenance of the theater once details were being worked out. Chair Tschopp called for the vote on the motion Building No 2, and it carried unanimously. JANUARY 8, 2002 an earlier comment with regard to constructed, Dr. Wilson said those to approve the proposed design of D. UPDATE ON ARENA. David DeMauro Mr. DeMauro said CSU had received an unsolicited proposal from a developer interested in possibly building a sports arena on the Palm Desert site. He said a potential location for it would be on the northwest corner of the 55 acres; it was a rather large facility with 155,000 gross square feet, designed for multi- purpose use —cultural, sports, performing arts, recreational, trade show, and consumer -related types of events. He added that it could be used for indoor hockey, soccer, indoor football, amateur basketball, and in those sorts of configurations, it would seat approximately 7,000. He said it could also be set up with a center stage configuration where some of the floor would also be used for seating, and in that capacity, the seating went up to over 9,000. He said the proposal as submitted called for a theme that would give it a construction motif very much like the old west, and he wasn't so sure that the University would be interested in pursuing that theme. He went on to say there had been a formal feasibility study completed, the University was looking at it, including sharing it with their legal counsel at CSU's central office in Long Beach, and CSU's bond counsel was also looking at the financial plan. Therefore, he said CSU was just looking into the feasibility to determine whether it would be a project of interest to the University. He stated that careful review was being made over the concern for the potential recourse on bond indebtedness, that there would be no opportunity for the land to be impacted in any way. As it had been presented, if there was a default on the project, he said the only recourse was that the bondholders could take over operation of the facility, which would, obviously, have to be tightly controlled by the University under prescribed conditions. He said those among many other items were presently being reviewed by the University, with a decision expected to be made within 45-60 days. He went on to say if the University decided to proceed, then the project would be brought back to the City Council. Responding to Mayor Kelly, Mr. DeMauro said there had been nothing signed. At this point, it had strictly been the verbal acceptance of the proposal to just review the project. 10 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Councilman Ferguson commented that he believed the developer had spoken with each member of the City Council, and it had been the collective conclusion some time ago that if the University wanted to go ahead, the City would be willing to look at it. But until that decision was made, the City Council didn't want its comments to influence the University's decision either way. Mr. DeMauro recalled that there was an arena included on the original master plan. Although it was located on a different site, the Environmental Impact Report that was done for the entire parcel included such a facility. Mayor Kelly noted the proposed arena appeared to be quite close to the roadway for its overall size and visual impact. Councilman Crites remarked that if the success of the proposal was dependent upon the location shown, he would vigorously oppose it. Speaking for himself, he said he would be appalled if something like it was at the prime location of the City's entrance. Further, it would be about as far out of keeping as it could get from his concept of what a university should be. Mayor Kelly concurred. Dr. Wilson said while he was unable to speak on behalf of the University, he personally felt the project would only be brought back to the City Council if it was felt to be truly an advantage to the University. He couldn't imagine proposing anything if the City did not agree with it. He said the University wanted the City to know where it was in the process, as developers were typically very positive in their approach, but the University was questioning it. Upon inquiry by Chair Tschopp, Mr. DeMauro answered that it was proposed as an enclosed facility, so it would roughly be an oval or domed shape with large roof structure. Dr. Wilson added he'd not seen anything proposed in the way of football. Councilman Ferguson noted Councilman Spiegel was unable to be at today's meeting, but he'd previously mentioned things in relation to CSU's basketball program and some other things that Councilman Ferguson hadn't thought about. At this time, his reaction would be similar to Councilman Crites'. But in fairness, he thought that if CSU truly felt the project had merit, he would take the time to consider it. Dr. Wilson gave assurance that only if it was found to have merit would it be brought back before the Council. 11 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Mr. DeMauro added that the reason CSU was taking time to look at it was the fact that as universities grew, it was usually a long time before they would be able to have such a facility. For instance, he said the main campus in San Bernardino was 37 years old, and the 5,000-seat arena only came about four years ago. So for that reason and with the potential uses of so many different programs in the midterm and at the time the University might eventually own it, those were the reasons for looking at it. E. PRESENTATION OF UPDATE ON GENERAL PLAN. Carlos Ortega Mr. Ortega reported to the Committee that the City was currently going through a General Plan Update process. He said the current area of focus was the land around the University site, noting that Dr. Wilson had made a presentation to the City's General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) where he discussed the University's growth and other related uses that weren't part of the current master plan. Therefore, Mr. Ortega asked Mr. Drell to point out the current zoning and plans for land surrounding the University and suggested that the University Planning Committee review some of the alternatives that GPAC was looking at changing around the University. Mr. Drell said approximately 10 years ago, before the Palm Desert Campus became a reality, the City approved a 650-unit resort country club/golf course on the property across the street from it, with a hotel at the corner. He said the presumption at that time was that the area would be predominantly built out with more of what has been successfully developed throughout the City over the last 20 years (i.e., resort -oriented, very low -density housing). He explained that along Monterey Avenue it was thought there would be various forms of regional commercial uses, with commercial also around the Cook Street interchange. He provided additional statistics on the remainder of the area, noting that the City had purchased 120 acres adjacent to the Marriott Shadow Ridge project for potential development of a third Desert Willow Golf Course. Planning, development, and actual construction of a university in the City became a reality at the same time it needed to develop a new General Plan, and it changed the focus of that area. He said in that same period of time, the property across the street had some interest off and on, the entitlements almost expired, were renewed, but the property never was developed with what was planned. With development of the University, it was suggested that land uses related to it be explored, in addition to thinking about the housing requirements of the staff, students, and for the previously approved commercial development. He said there were various levels of intensity for the calculated housing requirements, and he showed a preliminary schematic that would reduce the size of the previously approved golf course in order to develop the area around the University to provide housing compatible with the 12 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 economic needs of both the employees of the commercial and of the University. He said it still included a golf component. Once there were real neighborhoods, labor was needed for shopping centers, schools were needed, parks— the area was currently in the Palm Springs School District, which immediately determined a high school would be in order for the area, possibly a magnet high school and developing as much association with the University as possible. He said there was debate over the extent of the resort use in relation to the University use, etc. Dr. Wilson commented that the City of San Bernardino was also undergoing a general plan revision, and the main campus had been in conversation with it about the development of more of a university theme around that campus. Although the main campus was much farther along, the Palm Desert campus would have the same types of issues. Mr. DeMauro added that the City of San Bernardino was currently looking at an area that would set the university in the middle, with an area around it that would be classified as a "university district." He said it was really being modeled after what several other cities have done before— it was usually easier to do in newer cities that were undeveloped rather than trying to go in and redevelop. He said probably one of the most recent models in Southern California would be the University of California, Irvine. As you approach UCI, you notice that between the street signage, the landscaping, boulevards, etc., that they have adopted certain standards that are noticeable and distinctive. Dr. Wilson said that state university campuses typically plan to house no more than 10% of their students on campus. The master plan for the 200 acres had identified housing, but it was a small part of the overall plan, and there is not sufficient room on the site to get into large-scale residential housing. Therefore, the campus would be dependent upon the surrounding region to provide permanent or temporary housing. He said one concern any university person has is how to maintain a college atmosphere and level of activity on campus over time in order to develop a "university experience," which meant keeping people there or nearby. To that end, he told GPAC that he believed the University would like to see the availability of housing and services as close to the campus as possible, noting that the City could decide to pursue whatever direction it desired. Mr. Shum added that from his own experience, one of the issues to contend with is retention of students. He said what a university town offers is the type of social interaction that is unique in its fostering of an informal, relaxed atmosphere. He believed careful consideration of zoning around the campus 13 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 should be given in order to offer that type of environment. Another critical element, he felt, was that for people coming to the Coachella Valley, everything was sensed in a macro scale— the mountains, the speed of the cars driving, the straightness of the roadway, which is somewhat contrary to the social experience. For the University to become a true amenity to the community, there needed to be a strong link between it and the school. He felt that people would tend to go across the street if there were some commercial activities there. He thought that UCR did a good thing when it expanded across the freeway and really developed some commercial activity that was within an easy and safe walking distance from the campus. Of all the campuses he'd been on, he saw three stages —Palm Desert's was in the first — development of the major fabric, the infrastructure. The second stage was to approach the State to build as much capacity as was needed to serve the student population, and the third was to Zink the campus to the community — the reason CSU was placing emphasis on developing a relationship with the museum, was looking at development of an arena, and was trying to get the public onto the campus. The goal now was to develop the social fabric on the campus so the student was able to experience the human encounter among the campus communities. In looking at the General Plan in the University area, he suggested consideration be given to the social fabric. Responding to Councilman Crites, City staff affirmed that Cook Street would eventually include six lanes of traffic. He believed that another thing that should be considered is pedestrian access— possibly a pedestrian bridge that would also serve as a gateway. Further, he suggested that since the two State University systems were working together, perhaps the two school districts could jointly build a secondary school system that could serve the Valley. Mayor Kelly offered that perhaps the high school could be built in Rancho Mirage, since Palm Desert already had one. Dr. Wilson liked Councilman Crites' suggestion, adding that he was really surprised when he learned that the site of the University was in the Palm Springs School District. He went on to say that Dr. Dietrich had already been in touch, requesting a meeting to discuss future partnerships for a middle and a high school that the Palm Springs District was considering for this part of the Valley. He said he would do what he could to follow up with the notion of a joint school district relationship, possibly even including College of the Desert. Mayor Kelly added that there was also proposed a future public transit express route at Dinah Shore. Additionally, he noted that they were working with Dr. Wilson to develop a plan that every University student would have a pass 14 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 for public transit. He said the program had been done at other State Universities previously with great success; both students and faculty used it, which eliminated the need for some parking spaces. In answer to Dr. Wilson, Mr. Drell responded that the City's GPAC was in the middle stages of discussing the aforementioned alternatives. They would probably be recommending a preferred alternative at the next meeting. Following, they would go through the traffic circulation analysis in order to refine the development. It was anticipated the General Plan document would be done by summer, but he said it all depended upon property owner interest. Once the main concept was approved, a specific plan would be done in order to develop much more detail of an urban design —one that would, hopefully, coincide with the next economic cycle. Dr. Wilson offered that if there was a need to have any more input from Cal State, they would be glad to provide it. Mr. Green agreed that UCR would also be interested. Ms. Adney cited that some of the highest priced residential property in Chicago was located adjacent to Northwestern University. She added that the University of Colorado, Boulder, was an example of an integrated community, as was UC Berkeley. She believed that involved pedestrian use, coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants —places were people bumped into other people, places where the community could get together and talk. She felt that meant not a lot of seasonal living, people were needed who were there and committed to this City. She said if everyone left in the summer, there wouldn't be any sense of ownership; the subject process offered a wonderful opportunity to highlight what will become a heartbeat in Palm Desert, much as El Paseo was a heartbeat for shoppers. The University area would provide a relaxed, cultural experience. Councilman Ferguson noted that he wasn't on GPAC, he hadn't before seen the map shown today, the General Plan hadn't yet gotten out of GPAC, and it hadn't been to the Council, yet he's heard many opinions about land use. From his own perspective, he felt a university village has retail and incidental services to a college use. He's unsure that the 200 acres set aside for a college merits taking 750 acres and turning it into housing. He expected the corridor along Cook Street, the corner of Cook/Gerald Ford ought to have coffee places, bookstores, and the types of things that were very comfortable. However, Palm Desert had been very successful financially by balancing the types of development that cost the City money versus the types that bring in revenue; therefore, in the end, he hoped there would be an economic balance 15 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 so as not to create a huge drain on services with no new net revenues to the City. Mayor Kelly reiterated the need to, with careful planning, generate revenues that would service the University and surrounding area. F. GERALD FORD DRIVE TRAFFIC SIGNAL LOCATIONS. Richard Folkers Mr. Folkers reported that the City was working on the signals, working with the University and the private sector to ensure compatibility. G. STATUS REPORT ON WIDENING OF COOK STREET/ FRANK SINATRA DRIVE. Richard Folkers Mr. Gaugush said engineering design for the improvements was currently being completed. It was expected the project would be out to bid for construction of the improvements by the end of January or early February, with construction estimated to start mid -March. The construction period was anticipated to take three months for completion mid -June. Responding to Councilman Crites, he said part of the construction activity included a traffic signal on Cook Street at the University's central entry, as well as a signal on the Frank Sinatra frontage. The signals were also scheduled to be completed by mid -June. Informational Report Carlos Ortega Mr. Ortega reported for the Committee that Chancellor Ray Orbach had been called to Washington, DC, by President Bush. He said acting appointments had been made to fill his position. He said one of the things that the agreement with UCR called for, with the concurrence of CSU, was that the Committee be expanded to include UCR representatives. He provided a copy of a letter from UCR that named the representatives, explained the continued commitment to the Heckmann Center, and for working with the City to carry through with the rest of the project. It is attached hereto and made a part of these Minutes as Exhibit "A." H. CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY USE OF UNIVERSITY SITE FOR SPORTS FIELDS. Richard Folkers Mr. Folkers stated that the City had done a great deal to provide the maximum amount of recreational facilities; however, there was more and more demand. The City had been approached by a group that was involved with Pop Warner 16 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Football, asking for additional fields. He said on the east side of the 200 acres, the City currently stored some asphalt grindings, which could be moved around to provide a parking area, and there was some area that could be turned into temporary turf. He said it was possible that the area could be used for part of the athletic facilities of the University in the future; therefore, the City wanted to explore the Committee's feeling for pursuing the activity for a private group. He said it was possible that landscapers and other contractors working with the City could provide facilities that would offer daytime play fields, there would be no lights, and the water and maintenance issues could be sorted out in the future. Mr. DeMauro replied that part of the master planning process undertaken by the Master Planning Committee, comprised of community members and members of the University, recommended looking at interim uses on the 200 acres, where some of the site might be developed and used for a period of years and then turned over to the University. He said certainly recreational facilities was one of those items, even one time suggesting a City park site. Therefore, it seemed to be something compatible with what the master planning of the site intended. Mr. Folkers noted the idea was also going to be brought up at tomorrow morning's Parks & Recreation Commission meeting. Dr. Wilson felt the idea was an ideal way to proceed; it was a portion of property that wouldn't be used for a good number of years, would stabilize sand, and benefit the community. Mr. Shum said in the overall development of Cook Street, the one thing that would enhance the entrance to the City, should the arena project not be pursued, the corner of Cook/Gerald Ford would be play fields. He said it would be adjacent to the University property for use by students, and secondly, Cook Street was being finished, then the entire corridor would be complete. Mr. Folkers responded that it wouldn't be the type of groomed turf that he expected the corridor would include. Responding to question, he said since some of the landscapers' children were participating in the programs proposed for the site, the City was going to see how it could come up with a cooperative project. The City would grade down the grindings for parking, they could work on grading up and putting in some water canons for irrigation, with the matter of the water bill to be discussed. He said the whole thing would need to be scoped and planned first. 17 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 Mayor Kelly and the Councilmembers believed the issue first needed to be discussed by the City Council before any other discussion took place. Dr. Wilson offered that if it was something the City would like to see the University pursue, it would be pleased to do so. On a related note, Dr. Wilson commented that he and Mr. Folkers had been working closely with Caltrans to get a directional sign located on 1-10 this summer that identifies the CSUSB - Palm Desert Campus. Mr. Folkers added he'd also been in contact with Mr. Green on the matter, and he'd be providing more information to the Council on it as well. IV. ADJOURNMENT With no further discussion or action and with Committee concurrence, Chair Tschopp adjourned the meeting at 5:01 p.m. R�CFIELLE D. KLASSEN, D UTY CITY CLERK) CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA DAVID TSCHOPP, CHAIR 18 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JANUARY 8, 2002 EXHIBIT "A" 19 JHN-IO'•.)b tV�, urr1. JU J 1 U 1 . U Y UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE BISSIXTAT • DAVIS • IRVINB • T.OS MOWN • MCC • SIVESSIDS • SAN MOO • SAN FEANCISCO January 7, 2002 VIA TELECOPIER (760) 340-0574 Mr. Carlos Ortega City Manager City of Palm Desert 73510 Fred Waxing Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 SANTA SAMARA • SANTA CRUZ OFFICE OF THE SPDSCUTIVE VICE matt RIVEREADE. CALIFORNIA 92621 R E IVED JAN 0 7 2002 PALM DESERT CITY HALL CITY MANAGER Re: University of California, Riverside — Commitment to Dick Heckman Center Dear Mr. Ortega: As you may already be aware, President George W. Bush recently nominated UC Riverside Chancellor Raymond L. Orbach to head the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy. This means that he will soon resign his position as UCR Chancellor upon Senate confirmation. It is our understanding that his Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled to take place at the end of January. While the UCR Campus Community is saddened by Chancellor Orbach's departure, we are all very proud of his nomination to this prestigious position. In the interim, I wanted to take this opportunity to reaffirm UC Riverside's pledge to the City of Palm Desert to ensure that the Heckman Center becomes a thriving success. With the generous support of Dick Heckman and the Palm Desert City Council. we plan to press forward in the development of what we intend as an eventual UCR satellite campus in the Coachella Valley. In addition, 'UCR is fully committed to the significant investment that will be required to provide the support for operations and management of the Heckman Center. We are confident that the Heckman Center will be fully operational by Fall 2003. To this end, I have assigned responsibility for the Heckman Center's development to UCR's Vice Chancellor for Administration, C. Michael Webster. In this assignment, Vice Chancellor Webster will work closely with me, and I am confident that he will provide the firm foundation on which the physical infrastructure of the Center and its programmatic elements will be developed. It is my understanding that the City of Palm Desert's University Planning Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow, January 8, 2002, at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall. Thank you for including UCR in this important effort. Please be advised that I have asked Terry Green, Assistant Dean for Desert Programs, in the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCR, to serve Received Jan-OT-02 06:38am From-009 T8T 4362 To -PALM DESERT CITY CLE Page 01 TAN-07-2002 18: 38 EVC Of=F-1 Lt 7107 (0 ( IJ�G I . YJG Mr. Carlos Ortega City Manager January 7, 2002 Page 2 of 2 as one of our representatives on the Planning Committee. In addition, I have asked Jack Azzaretto, Vice Chancellor, Public Service and International Programs, and Dean, University Extension, to attend tomorrow's Planning Committee meeting on my behalf. As it is my understanding that the Committee will focus on design issues — I would like the opportunity to further consult with Vice Chancellor Webster regarding an additional UCR representative on this Committee. On behalf of the Riverside Campus, I want to thank the Palm Desert City Council, you, your staff, and your constituents for your strong support of this project, which means so much to the Coachella Valley and UCR. Sincerely, "7/1&k,_ David H. Warren Executive Vice Chancellor cc: Mr. Dick Heckman Chancellor Orbach Vice Chancellor Webster Vice Chancellor Azzaretto Interim Vice Chancellor Nava Dean Dye Assistant Dean Green TOTAL P.02 Raceived Jan-07-0Z 06:88pm From-808 T87 436Z To -PALM DESERT CITY CLE Page OZ