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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-05-09MINUTES 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, PALM DESERT CAMPUS) Tuesday, May 9, 2006 -- 2:00 p.m. Administrative Conference Room - Palm Desert Civic Center 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Tschopp convened the meeting at 2: 04 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Excused Absences: Councilmember Jean M. Benson Councilman Buford A. Crites Councilman Robert A. Spiegel Mayor Jim Ferguson Mayor Pro Tem Richard S. Kelly David DeMauro, Vice President for Administration & Finance, CSUSB Pamela Langford, Director, Alumni Affairs, CSUSB Fred Jandt, Dean, Palm Desert Campus, CSUSB Al Diaz, Vice Chancellor, Administration, UCR Terry Green, Assistant Dean, Desert Programs, UCR David Tschopp, Committee Chairman Also Present: Carlos Ortega, City Manager Hamid Azhand, Director, Capital Planning, Design and Construction, CSUSB Carolyn Stark, Assistant Provost, UCR Jerry R. Patton, Vice President, Administrative Services, College of the Desert Justin McCarthy, Asst. City Manager for Redevelopment Homer Croy, Asst. City Manager for Development Services Stephen Y. Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager Amir Hamidzadeh, Director of Building & Safety Phil Drell, Director of Community Development David Yrigoyen, Director of Redevelopment & Housing Martin Alvarez, Senior Management Analyst Bill Kroonen, Riverside County Board of Education Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk 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 May 6, 2005. MAY 9, 2006 Upon motion by Spiegel, second by DeMauro, and unanimous vote of the Committee, the Minutes were approved as presented. V. NEW BUSINESS A. UPDATE FROM CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO, PALM DESERT CAMPUS. 1. Palm Desert Health Sciences Building Schematic Drawings F. Jandt Dean Jandt reviewed renderings of the Campus's Phase III - the Palm Desert Health Sciences Complex, with Biology, Chemistry Labs, and Nursing Labs. He noted that the project was still in the conceptual stage, but once built, it would complete a typical college campus development concept known as a "quad," along with the existing Mary Stuart Rogers Building, the Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence and Theater. He outlined the project schedule: — Final presentation to the Board of Trustees on May 16; — Working Drawings to be complete by October; — Groundbreaking in mid -November or early December; — Construction start early 2007; — Completion late 2007. He went on to detail the building's footprint and layout; it will be triangular -shaped and will complement the flow of traffic to existing facilities. It will consist of biology and chemistry labs, an information resource library, science classrooms and computer rooms, with an entire wing dedicated to nursing education. Because of the site's radical elevation change and the architect's careful consideration to building mass, the facility will appear to be the same height as the other two buildings on Campus. He noted that the next critical date for this project will be presentation to the Board of Trustees on May 16. Upon question about the building's appearance from Cook Street, Mr. Azhand answered that although they had inadvertently omitted such a view from the presentation here, there was a great deal of emphasis placed on the elevation from Cook Street to ensure it made a prestigious statement. 2 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 Dean Jandt and Vice President DeMauro both provided assurance that the Health Sciences Building's Cook Street elevation would be attractive; and with some additional design development yet to be completed, CSU officials would provide final details to the City for its review. In response to question about the total square footage of the Health Sciences Building, CSU officials said it was between 23,000 and 24,000. Although they had hoped to construct a two-story building, due to escalating construction costs, a smaller one-story version was now being planned. Later in the meeting, Vice President DeMauro asked the Committee to provide a formal recommendation to the President of California State University, San Bernardino, for acceptance of the Phase III Schematic Design. On a motion by DeMauro, second by Kelly, and unanimous vote of the University Planning Committee, the Schematic Design for Phase III - Palm Desert Health Sciences Building of the California State University, San Bernardino - Palm Desert Campus was accepted and recommended for presentation to the California State University Board of Trustees. 2. Potential Clock Tower - Nextel Partnership F. Jandt Dean Jandt explained that every college campus had a distinctive feature; it was typically a clock tower, and they'd been trying to come up with a way to get such a feature for the Palm Desert Campus. Including it with construction of the Health Sciences Building would be cost prohibitive. However, there is an opportunity to obtain such a signature element with Nextel constructing a tower on the Campus, according to a design that CSU approves, in exchange for locating electronic equipment in the tower. The equipment would be totally hidden. Mr. Azhand referred to a preliminary rendering, adding that CSU is currently working closely with Nextel in the negotiation process and with the architect to finalize a design. Dean Jandt stated that the clock tower would be an added feature; the building has been designed. Therefore, if the clock tower doesn't materialize, the building will still have its own identity. Conversely, if it works out, the Campus will obtain a distinguishing attribute. In response to question about Nextel paying rent for the feature, Vice President DeMauro said it was unlikely. Cost of the improvements Nextel would make, converting their standard tower equipment into a clock tower, would be at considerable expense to them. However, they would cover all of the operating and annual expenses associated with it. 3 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 Upon inquiry about the height of the clock tower, Mr. Azhand responded it would be 75 feet, slightly taller than the adjacent three-story building. Councilmember Benson noted that oftentimes, a clock tower was located in the center of a university campus. She wondered if that would be the case; as the proposal today appeared to be right at the corner of Cook Street. Dean Jandt responded that if the clock tower was to be placed at the center of the Palm Desert Campus, it would be in a low spot, due to the radical grade change of the site, and wouldn't be seen. For that reason, it is being proposed for the highest point to be a prominent feature for the Campus. Mr. Drell offered that the City's height limit for cell phone towers is 75 feet. Responding to question, he said the McCallum Theater is 80 feet, and the view from the rear of the Marriott is approximately 100 feet; most cell towers range from 55 to 75 feet. Later in the meeting, Vice President DeMauro related that the schematic design for the clock tower would also be presented for acceptance at the California State University Board of Trustees Meeting next week, with the understanding that it was a potential element subject to funding availability. 3. County of Riverside Schools Building - Programmatic Uses F. Jandt Dean Jandt observed that according to surveys it has done, the Palm Desert Campus currently has a critical need for on -campus child care in order to build its enrollment; however, programmatic funding for such a need is directly based on enrollment. Therefore, this paradox led officials to begin looking for innovative solutions in order to grow the Campus. The more that offerings, such as the Autism Program (currently located in the Workforce Development Building) where teachers -in -training are utilized, are available on campus, the more enrollment would grow, resulting in a community of students during the daytime. He said the Chancellor of California State University endorses campuses looking at cooperative projects with other educational institutions. CSUSB-PD has looked at one with the Riverside County Superintendent's Office to locate an on -campus facility that would be shared by both agencies. Current proposed location for it would be across the parking lot from the existing four buildings, directly across from the Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence. A growing list of cooperative activities is being developed, ranging from child care to educational resource rooms for teachers, the new Immersion Presents Program and REALMS Project to health services, teacher preparation services, credentialing programs, vocational education, migrant programs, extended learning courses, 4 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 science and math fairs, summer camps, psych/counseling programs, school district job fairs, innovative grant programs, best practices programs for Riverside County Schools, community classes, collaboration for induction and clear course work, advanced technology courses, and CSUSB's Autism Program. He said this was a unique opportunity to take several steps and solve several barriers to increasing enrollment. Dr. Kroonen added that as the Riverside County Board of Education representative for this area, he was in attendance today to offer enthusiastic support for this project on behalf of the Board. He agreed it would do many good things for students served by the County Office of Education (RCOE), among them being that the proposed would provide a more central location for many of the programs currently sponsored in the Coachella Valley. He went on to say that preliminary architectural work was being done by the same architects involved in planning of the Campus, and the Board was very sensitive to community concerns, including height. To him, it was a natural relationship —to provide traditional post -secondary education laboratory experience, which was lacking on many California State University Campuses now but formerly a mainstay over the history of teacher training institutions. He reiterated his firm and wholehearted endorsement for the endeavor, with benefits to both CaI State and the overall cause of post -secondary education, as well as to education in the Coachella Valley. Responding to question about the opportunity for joint use arrangements with UCR, he affirmed that the idea for the centrally located facility would be to further enable whatever partnerships are appropriate. He further confirmed that the facility would be managed by RCOE, and it would give CaI State a fourth building to enhance the cause of increased student enrollment without costing the University System anything. He related that RCOE had funding for the facility available through a variety of sources. Vice Chancellor Diaz commended the foresight shown here with regard to child development, because it was something UCR found to be an absolutely crucial issue. While UCR's population is small, it wishes to be able to take advantage of such an opportunity; he hoped it was an area in which they could participate. Dean Jandt agreed, noting it was a barrier for both systems and would help solve it. Dr. Kroonen added that the barrier became more obvious as CSUSB's operation left College of the Desert's (COD) Campus, where a child care/development center was available. 5 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 In response to Councilmember Benson's comment that the City had identified a spot near the Campuses where it was planning to build a childcare center, Dean Jandt said he was aware and very sensitive to that fact, but student -parents are asking to have their kids as close by as possible. Upon inquiry by Councilman Spiegel about whether or not COD desired a program like that being discussed, Vice President Patton believed it was something that belonged more with the baccalaureate area and would work well for both of those institutions. Councilman Spiegel felt it would be premature for the City Council to make such a Campus decision today, with only three Councilmembers in attendance. Mayor Pro Tem Kelly agreed. Assistant Dean Green believed that it was the desire of both Universities to listen very carefully for feedback when ideas came forward to the City Council. He felt the entire 200-acre campus was created with the City Council's vision, and checking the consistency of these project ideas with the key partners was important at every step. Responding to question, Mr. Ortega noted the University Planning Committee's role was advisory to CSU. This Committee would send its recommendation to CSU, followed by CSU communicating with the City Council about allowing such a venture pursuant to the agreement; then the City Council would vote on it. Further responding to another question, Dean Jandt answered that the project with RCOE was exactly what CSU's Chancellor wanted to see on campuses --it was joint use to maximize realization of the University's objectives. There was no immediate way to solve the child care barrier or educational resource needs for either CSU or UCR, but the RCOE proposal was a solution, and they had currently identified about 23 items for program use. Dr. Kroonen added that while there would be a certain level of administrative functions carried out at the facility, there would be a number of educational programs housed, where he believed it would serve as a practical laboratory for the students in the teacher training program at Cal State. Vice President DeMauro acknowledged the City Council's reservations about a County Superintendent of Schools' Office operating on the CSU Campus, but noted that if the entire Cal State System Mission was taken into account, it produces 60%+ of the K-12 schoolteachers in the State. 6 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 Additionally, Cal State has all the credential programs considered —from counseling to special science credentials, administration, etc. While San Bernardino's Campus is considered medium-sized within the System, it is one of the giants in teacher preparation, running between the second and third largest producers of credential programs in the State. He said they work with both San Bernardino and Riverside Counties' Superintendents of Schools, including collaborative programs on the San Bernardino Campus in order to produce the type of K-12 teachers needed today. He felt this would be an advantage with the RCOE Program on the CSUSB-PD Campus. Further, he encouraged not only considering how much of the building is used administratively compared to classroom programs, but that the majority of attendance on the Palm Desert Campus was in the evenings. This presented a challenge, with many of the facilities being under-utilized during the day and then insufficient after 6:00 p.m. in order to teach all of the students demanding those classes at that time; the subject proposal would probably be an advantage to the Campus for two or three decades to come. Vice President Patton related that one of College of the Desert's (COD) missions was to provide transfer opportunities to students; subsequently, COD works with both institutions to ensure interchangeability of programs. A good number of students pursue teaching and educational careers. For this reason, the subject proposal would be an indirect benefit to COD and a direct benefit to students, enabling them to complete their baccalaureate degrees in the Coachella Valley. Assistant Provost Stark commented that she, too, felt the idea came with a great deal of foresight —with UCR in Riverside struggling with needs for growth in the Child Development Center, planning for it in advance here was terrific. She noted that their students have the same issues; UCR would like to be able to accommodate them, appreciating the willingness that the RCOE facility would also serve their campus. Councilman Spiegel moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the California State University System pursue the proposal of the Riverside County Office of Education Facility as a joint use educational and child care facility on the Palm Desert Campus of the California State University, San Bernardino, to be considered pursuant to the Agreement between the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency and the Trustees of the California State University. Motion died for lack of a second. Mayor Pro Tem Kelly reiterated his concern that only three of the five City Councilmembers were in attendance, and he wasn't comfortable making a significant site development decision when it was the entire Council that designated the 200 acres specifically for a four-year university. 7 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 Assistant Dean Green pointed out that he believed the University Planning Committee (UPC) was advisory to both Cal State and UCR. Mr. Ortega provided some history about the UPC, concluding by stating that even if the UPC recommended this proposal for use of the site by overwhelming majority, it would need to come as a request from CSU to the City Council, which would decide whether or not it wanted to permit the use. Councilmember Benson agreed that the aforementioned proposal was a change of use for the site, and recommending it may set a precedent for other agencies to also ask for a spot on that acreage. She recalled that an entertainment center proposed by the University was already turned down because of incompatibility with the Council's original intent. While she didn't disagree that the RCOE proposal may be appropriate, it needed to be made formally from the University to the City. Vice President DeMauro agreed and offered to make a such request from the San Bernardino Campus in order to formally solicit any concerns or inquiries for additional information. Councilman Spiegel remarked that it appeared a good deal of preparatory work had already been done for the facility, short of the formal request to City Council. Responding to question, Mr. Ortega said the agreement for granting the triangular -shaped piece of land to the University was for the purposes of building the three buildings, which will be completed with the Health Sciences Building. The agreement also says that additional land would be saved for a certain number of years —not automatically granting the rights —so that as CSU needs to expand, they could come and ask for it. He said because the initial granting of 55 acres was designated specifically for the three buildings, it would be necessary to obtain City Council concurrence that other buildings could be sited, even on the land that has been granted. He said since the University Planning Committee is advisory to CSU, it needs to vote on whether or not it thinks it is a good idea, independent of how the City Council may act on the proposal at a later meeting. With Committee concurrence, the briefing on the potential RCOE Proposal was so received. 8 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 4. Master Plan - Potential Locations D. DeMauro a) Student Housing b) County of Riverside Schools Building Vice President DeMauro recalled that the Campus Master Plan was developed in March 1997, acknowledging those in attendance today who worked on that committee for well over a year — Dr. Kroonen, Councilman Spiegel, and Chairman Tschopp — further recalling that during initial discussions for the first transfer of land to the Cal State System, it was a 40-acre site anchoring the corner of Frank Sinatra Drive and Cook Street. Later on as CSU's project came about and the UCR Project came along, the land ended up being divided in a different way, creating the aforementioned triangle. He pointed out that as each one of the buildings was planned, CaI State has referred to the Master Plan in order to ensure the Campus was being developed in a consistent manner. While difficult to visualize currently, an interior vehicular corridor was intentionally planned in a circular fashion, roughly mid -Campus, and it is meant to be a four -lane divided road when fully developed. It was difficult to see because only a small portion of what is known as "Berger Circle Drive" was developed; instead of developing it initially as a four -lane road, it's been developed two-lane, with a parking lot currently occupying half of the eventual roadway. Although, it was built consistently with utilities and the entire development of Berger Circle Drive in mind. Further, he said Cal State had an overall programmatic view of the Campus in mind as development was undertaken, with potential future development including the various Schools/Colleges — Education, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Business, Humanities, Extended Education, etc., with each one having a designated area (not necessarily a building footprint) on the Campus. He noted that the very first one was the College of Education, with the Mary Stuart Rogers Gateway Building being built first, and the majority of its use today is for the College of Education. He referred to the map showing the various locations designated for the remaining disciplines. At the time, he said there was discussion about initial development of an on -campus park, which the University would later use for athletic/playing fields. He noted that if the RCOE Proposal was approved, it would be consistent with the College of Education component of the Master Plan on the triangular area of land. He went on to say another topic was the possibility of on -campus housing, and while not proposing its development at this point, it was anticipated in the Master Plan; although, that particular element encroaches in the area where UCR is currently located and will need to be revisited. He said when the development went from the initial 40-acre to the 55-acre site, the Master Plan approved by the CaI State Board of Trustees with acceptance of the property included the three buildings; therefore, the first phase of the Master Plan will be finished with completion the third building. He remarked that his report today was for informational purposes; there was much more detail (i.e., building and 9 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MAY 9, 2006 landscape materials, other design development criteria) in the Master Plan that he was not addressing today but that is heavily utilized and valued when each one of the Campus facilities is designed. Responding to question, he said there wasn't yet a specific plan for student housing; however, it was being discussed, including performing a feasibility study in the next few months to indicate market demand. B. REPORT FROM UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE, PALM DESERT CAMPUS. 1. Berger Circle Drive Loop T. Green Assistant Dean Green reported that representatives of both CSU and UCR had been conducting ongoing discussions -regarding the Berger Circle Loop. He noted that the actual Master Plan Road to Frank Sinatra Drive at the signal (currently non-functional), going up to Berger Circle and connecting to CSUSB, was really outside UCR's property line, and the road would ultimately belong to CSUSB as part of its entire campus plan. However, it was a very critical access point to the UCR Campus, with current temporary access that requires people to make a u-turn. He went on to say UCR had talked with City officials about whether or not the City could be of some help in constructing the portion of the road adjacent to UCR, with the same discussions occurring between UCR and CSU before the City was approached. UCR was working diligently to solve this problem; the more active its campus becomes, with degree programs and hosting many high -profile events, the issue of hundreds of people making a u-turn to get in/out of the campus at the temporary access was becoming both a safety issue and significant logistical barrier to increasing UCR's activity. Additionally, it was confusing to those accessing the Campuses as to which area was UCR and which was CSU. Therefore, he said UCR asked the City for some help with this issue; there was no other way currently for them to build the road up to the CSU property line, pointing out that any help that may be offered from the City would be much appreciated by everyone concerned. Mr. Ortega responded that the request was part of the City Council Study Session scheduled for June 1 regarding the City's Fiscal Year 2006- 2007 Budget. Responding to question, Assistant Dean Green said the Berger Foundation had been approached about a number of things, and it was unlikely any assistance would be offered at this time. He noted that since the road was already named, it was difficult in that it didn't offer a naming opportunity for another donor. 10 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE C. STATUS OF CSUSB/UCR COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS. MAY 9, 2006 1. Landscape Plan H. Azhand Mr. Azhand displayed renderings of the joint landscaping project and explained that a prior landscape architect had designed a portion of the area. When HMC Architects was hired, they were asked and included that portion as part of their landscape design. He asked the Committee for its comments on the design, pointing out that one thing that stood out was a rigid corridor of trees that would need to be modified. Another necessary modification was providing access to UCR. Mr. Drell commented that the design presented two years ago was superior to the present, with comments provided and plans for moving forward into a generalized design at that time. He wondered what precipitated the reversal. Mr. Azhand explained that the last design didn't meet the budget, and when the new architect was hired, an even more simplified plan was requested. He agreed that it was disappointing, and the architect didn't have enough time to provide a redesign prior to the Committee Meeting; but it was felt that a status report on the project was required nonetheless. Therefore, obtaining all the comments possible to take back to the architect would be a way to help the project along. Additionally, consideration was being given to separating the landscape design from the architect's scope of work. He asked for referrals of any local landscape architects to assist with this aspect of Campus development. In answer to question, Vice President DeMauro acknowledged that the landscape design was insufficient at this time, but the UPC (University Planning Committee) had asked for a number of issues to be addressed, and it was still to be done. He said the walkway areas needed to be covered in order to provide pedestrian access between the Campuses, and the design for certain areas of both needed to blend and work well together. He noted that the message from the City's Landscape Committee was clear —the corridor should not be rigid —it should be a pleasing landscaped area with an anchor, monument -type of corner. He said they would be working on it and returning to the City. Assistant Dean Green added that UCR officials have been discussing the project with CSU; UCR was holding off on its design and would stand ready to assist in whatever way it could until CSU finalizes its plans. 11 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE VI. ADJOURNMENT MAY 9, 2006 With University Planning Committee concurrence, Chairman Tschopp adjourned the meeting at 3:05 p.m. ATTEST: �5�-- R HELLE D. SSE , CITY CLERASECRETARY CITY OF PALM DESERT/UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE Xy� DAVID 14SCHOPP, CHAIRMAN 12