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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/06/2003 Meeting Minutes October 6, 2003 Town of Los Altos Hills City Council and Planning Commission Special Meeting Monday October 6, 2003 7:00 pm. Council Chambers 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilmember Kerr called the Special Meeting of the City Council to order at 7:05 p.m. in Council Chambers. Present: Mayor Pro Tem O'Malley, Councilmember Kerr, Councilmember Warshawsky,Planning Commissioners Kerns, Cottrell, and Mordo and Committee Members Downey, Oldberg and Whaley Absent: Committee Member John Radford Staff: City Manager Maureen Cassingham, City Clerk Karen Jost Guests: Peter Duxbury,AIA, Bill McIntosh, Duxbury Architects and Anthony Mirenda, Toeniskoetter&Breeding, Inc. Press: Kaye Ross, San Jose Mercury News and Tim Seyfert, Los Altos • Town Crier 2. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Warshawsky, seconded by Cottrell and passed unanimously to approve the Meeting Minutes of the September 15, 2003 Special City Council and Planning Commission meeting. 3. NEW BUSINESS 3.1 Presentation of Design Renderings of the New Town Hall - Peter Duxbury,Duxbury Architects Councilmember Kerr welcomed the Town residents in attendance. He noted that all neighbors within 500 feet of Town Hall had been invited to tonight's presentation. This is the final iteration of the design and will be forwarded to Council for their consideration at their next meeting. Kerr noted that the renderings have been enhanced by the conceptual landscape plans of Landscape Architect Tom Klope. Peter Duxbury, Duxbury Architects, architect for the New Town Hall introduced himself. He presented a brief overview of the schematic designs and renderings of the proposed New Town Hall that were displayed on'the walls of Council Chambers. Duxbury explained that his design was sympathetic to the rural style that had been selected in the • spring poll by Town residents. The building has gabled roofs, a wood exterior and large City Council/Planning Commission Special Meeting October 6,2003 windows. It will be in three sections/parts that surround the Heritage Oak and a courtyard. One section is comprised of the lobby, staff offices and.small meeting areas; • the second section will house the public restrooms, staff break room with kitchenette; and the third section is the Council Chambers that will be connected by a breezeway and will finish the wing. Duxbury called his design inviting, very functional with numerous meeting areas, energy efficient and a sophisticated adaptation of the rural design. He noted that the Heritage House will remain and is proposed to serve as the location of the historical Town archives and emergency services. Duxbury previewed the donor wall that will help to fund photovoltaic cells for the new building. Tiles will be designed by residents and placed on a low serpentine seating wall. Duxbury envisions tiles with children's handprints,pet paws or hand script. Resident questions included: • Will the Water District building remain? At,this time, the plans of the District are unknown, however, this will have no impact. on the New Town Hall project. • Will the present driveway entrance to Town Hall be closed prior to construction? The present layout maybe required to facilitate construction trucks. The entrance will be changed as shown in the site plan for the new Town Hall facility. • Where will the mechanical equipment be located? Is noise being considered? The mechanicals are slated to be situated on the roof. If needed special enclosures can be used to mitigate noise, however, modern equipment is very efficient and quiet. • Duxbury concluded his presentation by explaining that the landscaping shown in the renderings is not included nor budgeted as part of the project but represent landscaping design and elements that he would like to eventually see incorporated on the site. He introduced Tom Klope, Landscape Architect, who described his vision for landscaping of the New Town Hall. Klope made a brief presentation including descriptions of the proposed "Town green" and "history walk and native garden" .planned for a path to and around the Heritage House. Kerr announced that to move to the next phase of the project, Peter Duxbury has suggested that Subcommittees be formed to assist with the project. The following Subcommittees and membership were established: • Green Energy Program Members: Councilmember Kerr, Planning Commissioner Mordo, and Jim Downey-photovoltaics, PG&E, day lighting, energy consumption • The Donor Seat Wall Members: Mayor Cheng, Councilmember Warshawsky, Planning Commissioner Mordo, Duffy Price -Seat wall with tiles,total approximately 600-650 (8 x 8 ceramic tiles, creative design, kids, signature,block letters,pet paw prints) Bricks with names in hardscape; organize program flyer, advertise, sign up and collect. Decide costs, price, fees, etc. • City Council/Planning Commission Special Meeting October 6,2003 • Council Chamber Design Members: Planning Commissioner Cottrell,Al Whaley, and John Hartpootlian- Help design the layout and configuration of Council Chambers, AV system, lighting, display/artwork, furniture and dais. Research other Town Halls • The Project Budget Members: Mayor Pro Tem O'Malley and Jim Downey-Make decisions on how to allocate the project budget: furniture/equipment, soft costs/professional fees, office equipment, IT, landscape, Staff/office relocation. • Information Technology(IT) Members: Al Whaley and John Harpootlian-Review all Information Technology requirements,needs and future goals. Package information to be useful to the Design Team. Coordinate with IT Committee and Staff. • Staff Offices Requirements Members: Planning Commissioner Mordo and Vicki Oldberg Planning Director Carl Cahill will assist with planning and operation needs. Furniture/equipment selections and purchases. • Heritage House Program/Use Members Elayne Dauber and Al Whaley-Sheriffs Office, Emergency Operations Committee, History room, facility upgrades. Interface with New Town Hall.. PASSED BY CONSENSUS: The New Town Hall Committee would like to see the Council Chambers design widened "as much as is practical". The present longer, narrower design was considered less friendly and they directed the Architect to incorporate the changes to the Council Chambers into the final design to be presented to • Council Councilmember Kerr thanked Peter Duxbury for all of his efforts. He noted that Peter had designed a building that fits the style criteria the residents had selected and taken their input and translated an idea into a real building very successfully. 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 4.1 Status Report on the Pricing of the New Town Hall Project Anthony Mirenda, Toeniskoetter & Breeding, Inc., addressed the Committee. He distributed spreadsheets with the latest cost projections for the New Town Hall project. Soft and hard costs, including the relocation of staff, were included in the total estimated project cost. Changes that had been made to the original estimate to reduce the overall project cost included: changes in building materials where appropriate from wood to steel; a reduction in the furnishings budget; and reduction in the sound and video budgets. Mirenda said he was confident that the numbers were an accurate representation of the project costs and would be viable for a year. • City Council/Planning Commission Special Meeting October 6,2003 4.2 Consideration of Recommendation to the Finance and Investment Committee and the City Council to approve the Town Hall Project Budget and for the City Council to Forward the Project to the Planning Commission for Site Development Approval Motion Seconded and Carried: Moved by Mayor Pro Tem O'Malley, seconded by Whaley and passed unanimously to forward with a recommendation for approval the New Town Hall proposed project budget and design by Architect Peter Duxbury to the Finance and Investment Committee and the City Council for consideration of approval. . 5. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR 6. ADJOURNMENT The next City Council and Planning Commission Special Meeting of the New Town Hall Committee was scheduled for November 10, 2003. There being no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Karen Jost City Clerk The minutes of the October 6, 2003 Special City Council and Planning Commission Meeting were approved at the November 10, 2003 Meeting. City Council/Planning Commission Special Meeting October 6,2003