HomeMy WebLinkAboutLR New Library Facilities Planning Study____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
Council Meeting: 10/07/2019
Disposition: Accepted Report and Provided Direction to Staff to Research Funding Strategies,
Create a Reuse Plan for the Carnegie Building, Review Past Group 4 work Completed for the
Existing Downtown Location, and Present a Proposal for the Creation of a Conceptual Design for
the Joint Library and Community Center at Albert Park.
Agenda Item No: 5.b
Meeting Date: October 7, 2019
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: LIBRARY AND RECREATION
Prepared by: Susan Andrade-Wax,
Library and Recreation Director
City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: NEW LIBRARY FACILITIES PLANNING STUDY
SUBJECT: INFORMATIONAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE SAN RAFAEL
PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITIES PLANNING STUDY
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept report and provide direction on staff recommendations for follow-up actions.
BACKGROUND:
The original Downtown Library opened at its current location on January 9, 1909. As early as 1915, the
Library Trustees reported that “The Library has outgrown its book space, and further accommodation is
required,” (“Library Trustees Report to Council.” Marin Journal, Volume 53, Number 33. August 19, 1915.)
In the late 1950s, local architect Gordon A. Phillips was hired to design a 6,000 square foot addition that
would more than double the library’s size. The expanded library was dedicated on February 28, 1960.
San Rafael quickly outgrew the first library expansion and the next step was to enclose the parking area
under the 1960s addition. When the new space opened in 1976, library director Vivian R. Smith called it
a “short-term solution to a long-growing need for more library space.” The Pickleweed Library branch
opened as part of the Albert J. Boro Community Center in July 2006, providing an additional 2,000 square
feet of library space to serve East San Rafael.
Service and Facilities Vision Report by Group 4
The most recent evaluation of library space and service needs in San Rafael was conducted by Group 4
Architects in 2017. The needs assessment, titled “San Rafael Public Library Service and Facilities Vision”
(Facilities Vision Report), collected information and community input about existing library services and
facilities, gathered community projections and priorities and completed an analysis of space needs and
site requirements to plan for the future.
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The Facilities Vision Report found that the Downtown Library facility had substantial weaknesses in the
areas of safety and access, building systems, architectural issues and functionality. The primary
challenge identified for the Pickleweed Library facility was its insufficient size.
At the time of the Facilities Vision Report, the San Rafael libraries provided 14,500 square feet of library
service space. According to library industry standards presented in the report and based on San Rafael’s
population today, the City should have 40,000-45,000 square feet of library service space. Looking twenty
(20) years into the future, Group 4 recommended 45,000-50,000 square feet, assuming an 8-percent
population growth rate for the City. Graph 11 shows the amount of library space in square feet per person
for a selection of California cities of comparable size to San Rafael.
The Facilities Vision Report also included a community survey, funded by the San Rafael Public Library
Foundation. This survey revealed citywide demand for an expanded Downtown Library, value in the idea
of a Terra Linda Branch Library, strong local support for the Pickleweed Branch Library, a need for parking
to accommodate a mobile population, a general demand for technology access, demand for collaborative
spaces and resources and an interest in the preservation/reuse of the existing Downtown Library building
for another civic purpose.
As a result of the Facilities Vision Report, the City commissioned two additional studies, which were both
conducted by Noll & Tam Architects.
Existing Facilities Report by Noll & Tam
One of the studies evaluated the current state of the Carnegie Library and provided a cost estimate of
addressing the identified weaknesses in the areas of safety and access, building systems, architectural
issues and functionality. The “Existing Facilities Report” identified the scope of work necessary for the
downtown facility to remain operational and code compliant for at least five years. The report identified
five (5) primary scopes of work that would need to be addressed. These included waterproofing the
1 Adapted from Noll & Tam’s “San Rafael Public Library Facilities Planning Study”.
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
Mill Valley Burlingame Palo Alto Watsonville Mountain
View
Alameda Free
Library
South SF
Public Library
Daly City San Rafael
Graph 1: Square Foot of Library Space Per Person
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building, electrical life safety updates, plumbing and ADA compliance, carpentry code upgrades and
additional remedial construction. The report estimates that, if all construction was done in a single phase,
the total cost would be approximately $1.77 million to make the current downtown facility operational and
code compliant. If the construction is completed in phases, the cost would be approximately $2.39 million.
Facilities Planning Study by Noll & Tam
The initial goal of the other study conducted by Noll & Tam was to establish a range and prioritization of
options for the City to consider when establishing goals for new library facilities. The process and results
of this study are the focus of the remainder of this staff report.
The “Facilities Planning Study” conducted a top view building plan (a bird’s eye view of what a footprint
would look like for building, grounds, parking) with land acquisition, capital and cost estimates for the
following:
• Three potential sites for the Downtown Library
• An expanded Pickleweed branch
• Three potential sites for a new Terra Linda branch library
In January 2018, City Council authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement with Noll & Tam to
conduct this study. After initial meetings between City staff and Noll & Tam, an expanded New Library
subcommittee was formed. The subcommittee was comprised of Vice Mayor McCullough and
Councilmember Bushey, as well as representatives from the Library Board, the Library Foundation and
City staff. This subcommittee met to review the preliminary findings from Noll & Tam and continued to
meet throughout the study period to discuss the ongoing process. In December 2018, during Noll & Tam’s
community outreach process, the Library opened a pop-up location at the Northgate Mall that added
3,000 square feet of library space.
Between June 2018 and May 2019, Noll & Tam hosted three sets of public meetings to solicit community
input on the location options and building plans. The below table summarizes the locations, dates and
participation at the public meetings.
Dates Locations Total Participants
First Set of Community Meetings
June 26, 2018
June 28, 2018
June 30, 2018
Terra Linda Community Center
City Council Chambers
Albert J. Boro Community Center
>50
Second Set of Community Meetings
October 16, 2018
October 18, 2018
October 20, 2018
Terra Linda Community Center
San Rafael Community Center
Albert J. Boro Community Center
>60
Third Set of Community Meetings
April 27, 2019
April 30, 2019
May 2, 2019
Albert J. Boro Community Center
Terra Linda Community Center
City Council Chambers
<40
Based on the community input, Noll & Tam developed building plans and cost models for a Pickleweed
expansion, three (3) location options for North San Rafael/Terra Linda and three (3) locations for
downtown San Rafael.
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ANALYSIS:
As this report is informational, there is no staff recommendation for formal action. However, staff has
developed a series of initial recommended actions based on the findings from the “Facilities Planning
Study” for the City Council to review, consider and provide direction. The findings of the study and staff
recommendations for each of the three sites are provided below.
Pickleweed Expansion Findings
Through the public meetings, Noll & Tam identified significant support for the largest possible expansion
of the Pickleweed Branch, without encroaching on the existing playground and recreational features.
Community members highlighted the need for senior programming space, a children’s area, a teen space
and emphasized the importance of flexible spaces. The option recommended by Noll & Tam included
adding 5,000 square feet of new library space and thirty-six (36) new parking spaces for an estimated
cost of $7.4 million and a total of 7,000 square feet of library space.
Initial Staff Recommendation:
While the expansion recommended by Noll & Tam provides the greatest square footage of the options
explored in the study, it requires building over the current barbeque and picnic area. This area was
highlighted by community members as an important resource that should be retained. Additionally, at the
time of the study, the Library and Community Services departments had not yet merged. With the merger
of the new Library and Recreation department, there may be possibilities of greater collaboration and
expansion within the adjacent Albert J. Boro Community Center. This shared use is particularly
appropriate as the Albert J. Boro Community Center programming is largely free or low cost in a way that
aligns with Library offerings. Staff recommends that the City explore options for expanding the
Pickleweed Library within the existing Community Center/Library footprint, rather than expanding the
building footprint.
Terra Linda Branch Findings
In North San Rafael/Terra Linda, Noll & Tam focused on three potential sites: the Northgate Mall, Miller
Creek School District and the Terra Linda Community Center. In December 2018, the Library opened a
pop-up location at the Northgate Mall. The pop-up library has added 3,000 square feet of library space
without increased staffing costs and almost no additional monthly costs due to a partnership with the
Marin County Free Library. Additionally, the pop-up has been popular and received positive feedback
from the community.
As a result of the pop-up experience, Noll & Tam recommended pursing opportunities to secure a larger
site within the Northgate Mall as the most cost-effective option. They predict that the City could increase
their square footage by up to 11,000 for an estimated $1-5 million.
Initial Staff Recommendation:
As the Northgate Mall pop-up has successfully expanded library services to the Terra Linda community
with minimal cost, staff recommends that the City continue to operate the Northgate Mall as an ongoing
branch location. Staff will also continue to explore cost effective expansion options within the Northgate
Mall.
Downtown Library Findings
Through the planning process, Noll & Tam identified three (3) potential downtown sites: expansion of the
current Carnegie facility, a new facility at Boyd Park and a renovated joint community center and library
at Albert Park (the current San Rafael Community Center facility on B Street). Critical components of the
downtown library include the need for a central location that is approachable by car, transit, bicycle or on
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foot. Additionally, Noll & Tam identified a strong community desire to maintain the Carnegie building,
whether used as a library or for another civic purpose.
In addition to the public meetings conducted by Noll & Tam, the San Rafael Public Library Foundation
funded a community survey conducted by the OSR Group to elicit feedback on the three downtown
library options. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish from May 8 to 21, 2019 and elicited
1,057 responses. The results of the survey are summarized below and also available on the San Rafael
Public Library Foundation’s website at: http://srplf.org/surveyresults.pdf.
Carnegie Remodel (Current location): The proposed Carnegie remodel would result in 27,000
square feet of library facility for an estimated cost of $34 million. This would preserve the original
1909 Carnegie and would include a three-story addition and a parking deck over existing City Hall
parking. The OSR Group survey found that 51% of respondents preferred an expansion of the
existing facility.
Boyd Park: The new facility at Boyd Park would result in 20,000 square feet of library space for
an estimated cost of $23 million. This facility would include some underground parking and would
require demolition of the existing tennis court. Potential challenges to this site include limits to the
size (adjacent historic building and heritage trees) as well as traffic issues and safe pedestrian
access. The OSR Group survey found that 13% of respondents preferred the Boyd Park location.
Albert Park: The renovated facility at Albert Park would result in 26,000 square feet of library
space, 17,700 square feet of community center space and would cost an estimated $43 million.
The Albert Park option would maintain the same amount of community meeting space as the
current San Rafael Community Center while preserving the existing ornamental garden,
increasing parking in the area and improving outdoor space for the Parkside Children’s Center. It
would also provide a unique opportunity for collaborative recreational and library programming.
The primary community concerns related to the Albert Park option include safety and
inconvenience. The OSR Group survey found that 24% of respondents preferred the Albert Park
location.
Other Considerations: If either the Boyd Park or Albert Park location were selected, the City would need
to create a re-use plan for the existing Carnegie site. If the Carnegie location is selected, the City would
need to create a displacement plan for the Downtown Library.
Initial Staff Recommendation:
While community support for the current location is high, staff believes that the Albert Park option provides
a greater benefit to the community and greater opportunities for innovative and forward-looking services.
The City’s ability to maintain multiple community-serving buildings in many separate locations is limited.
Selecting a site other than the current location does not indicate a lack of desire to retain the Carnegie
building. Staff suggests creating a re-use plan for the Carnegie that focuses on community/civic use so
that it continues to serve the San Rafael community.
Staff is recommending that the City further explore the Albert Park option by using funds from the
Measure C Parcel Tax Capital Set-Aside Fund Balance to create a conceptual design for a joint library
and community center at Albert Park.
In addition, staff would begin to identify and evaluate funding strategies, not just for the Albert Park site
but for possible costs at Pickleweed or Terra Linda as well. The following chart summarizes what the
future square footages could be given the above recommendations.
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Facility Current Square Footage Possible Future Sq.Ft
Downtown Library 12,500 (Carnegie) 26,000 (Albert Park)
Northgate Mall Branch 3,000 3,000-11,000
Pickleweed Branch 2,000 3,000-7,000
TOTAL 17,500 32,000-44,000
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is an informational report, which has no direct fiscal impact on the City. The fiscal impact of
subsequent projects or studies resulting from this discussion will be assessed and determined on a case-
by-case basis.
OPTIONS:
The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter:
1. Accept report and provide feedback and direction to staff as listed below:
a. Explore options for expanding the Pickleweed Library within the existing Community
Center/Library footprint.
b. Continue to operate the Northgate Mall as an ongoing branch location and explore cost
effective expansion options within the Northgate Mall.
c. Create a conceptual design for a joint library and community center at Albert Park for the
Downtown Library.
d. Begin to identify and evaluate funding strategies.
2. Do not accept the report.
3. Provide alternative direction and direct staff to return with more information.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Accept report and provide direction on initial staff recommendations for follow-up actions.