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Home My WebLink AboutCM SMART Design AestheticAgenda Item No: 5.b c,rr oF� Meeting Date: February 17, 2015 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Department: CITY MANAGER Prepared by: Nancy Mackie, City Manager SUBJECT: City Council Direction Regarding Preferred Downtown SMART Station Design Aesthetic RECOMMENDATION: Provide direction to the City Council's representative on SMART (Mayor Phillips) on the preferred station design aesthetic for the Downtown San Rafael Station BACKGROUND: On August 5, 2014, Sonoma -Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) submitted 65% design plans to the City for the proposed Downtown San Rafael SMART Station. The design included a platform shelter, benches, pole mounted lights, trash receptacle, ticket vending machine and signage (Exhibit 1). Mayor Phillips asked Planning Commissioner Larry Paul and Citizens' Advisory Committee on Economic Development and Affordable Housing Member William Carney to provide input regarding the design. On September 2, the City Council provided staff with comments regarding the aesthetic of the design plans and asked staff to write a letter to SMART to convey concerns about the simple nature of the design and overall aesthetic compatibility (Exhibit 2). At that time, SMART indicated that any aesthetic betterments or enhancements to SMART's design would be at the City's cost. On September 10, the San Rafael Citizen Advisory Committee on Economic Development and Affordable Housing sent a letter to the City Council outlining their concerns about the design and possible improvements to consider (Exhibit 3). The County of Marin is handling the review of the Civic Center station's design, given its adjacency to the Civic Center itself and the particular design needs for that area. ANALYSIS: On Wednesday, February 18, 2015 the SMART Board of Directors will consider a new conceptual design aesthetic that can be utilized for the Downtown San Rafael Station. The new design attempts to address the prior City comments. This design will be available in the Agenda Packet on Friday, February 13, 2015 and incorporated into this staff report as Exhibit 4 as soon as it is available. Mayor Phillips is the representative for San Rafael on the SMART Board of Directors and is seeking direction from the City Council regarding Council preference for the original design or the new design concept. FOR CITY CLERK ONLY File No.: �2 yS Council Meeting: Disposition: .9 pbo,- SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2 FISCAL IMPACT: At this time, staff does not anticipate any additional costs to the City. OPTIONS: The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter: 1. Original Design Aesthetic (Exhibit 1) 2. New Design Aesthetic (Exhibit 4) RECOMMENDED ACTION: Provide direction to the City Council's representative on SMART. EXHIBITS: 1. Original SMART Conceptual Station Design Plans from August 2014 2. Letter dated September 5, 2014 to SMART regarding Station Design 3. Letter dated September 10, 2014 from the San Rafael Citizens' Advisory Committee on Economic Development and Affordable Housing 4. New Conceptual Design Plans for the Downtown San Rafael SMART Station ORIGINAL SMART DOWNTOWN CONCEPTUAL STATION DESIGN PLANS August 2015 Ij- Above shows proposed standard station design finishes from SMART 65% Plans Above shows Google Street View of area where platforms will be located EXHIBIT 1 CITY OF MAYOR GARY 0. PHILLIPS VICE MAYOR DA IB CONNOLY COUNCILML'MBER MARIBE"1'H DUSHEY COUNCILMEMBER KATE COLIN COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW CUYUGAN MCCULLOUGH CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE PHONE: 415-485-3070 FAX: 415-459-2242 September 5, 2014 Farhad Mansourian General Manager Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit 5401 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 200 Petaluma, CA 94954 Re: City of San Rafael 65% Design Review Comments Dear Farhad, Based on your letter of August 5, 2014, we have reviewed the referenced drawings and have included our comments on the standard SMART review form. For the ease of review, we have arranged our comments based on each planset page and numbered the comments on the attached set for reference. We have also included a copy of comments from our previous reviews associated with work in the Downtown area for your reference. Our concerns are as follows: Aesthetics The City Council has concerns about the simplicity of the station designs, especially as the Downtown station provides a gateway to our community. Based on this we are considering modifying the station designs to provide aesthetic treatments that fit the character of the Downtown. The City Council SMART Subcommittee will be reviewing these plans and returning to the full Council this later this year to determine whether San Rafael wishes to make enhancements to SMART's design, and if so, what those should be. Once that determination is complete, we will be in contact with SMART. Access The County of Marin is taking the lead to provide comments on the Civic Center plans. As noted in our letter to you on August 7, 2014 we are concerned about the limited access to the stations. SMART's right of way is narrow, especially in Downtown and we want to make sure that there is sufficient room for people to access the platforms. Modifications to the current design may be needed to better serve the general public. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to give me a call. Very truly yours, -_lvm" Nancy Mackle City Manager EXHIBIT 2 CITY OF MAYOR GARY O. PHILLIPS VICE MAYOR DAMON CONNOLLY COUNCILMEMBER MARIBETH BUSHEY Ay� COUNCILMEMBER KATE COLIN xr COUNCILMEMBER ANDREW CUYUGAN MCCULLOUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PHONE: 415-485-3383 FAX: 415-485-3175 September 10, 2014 Dear Mayor Phillips and City Council: The San Rafael Citizens Advisory Committee on Economic Development and Affordable Housing has carefully considered the current SMART station proposals (65% Design Submittal) and received comments from the public. We hope that you will find the following comments useful in your ongoing deliberations and in further discussions with SMART to improve this unfortunate situation. A. Concerns relating to both San Rafael station locations The committee finds the proposed station elements functionally deficient and aesthetically incompatible with the character and prominence of both the Downtown San Rafael and Civic Center locations. At a minimum, these possible improvements should be considered: 1. Replace the center -island transit shelters with ones designed for the side -island configuration of these two stations. 2. Deepen the shelters and locate shelter seating for adequate weather protection. Provide additional shelters on exposed parts of the platforms. 3. Individualize the shelters to fit the character and enhance the sense of place of each stop, for example with distinctive rooflines, colors and materials. 4. Integrate all guardrails with the shelter designs, for example by painting them with matching or compatible colors. 5. Provide benches the entire length of each platform, imparting a welcoming character and greater usefulness to the stations. 6. Choose light fixtures and other furnishings compatible with those of surrounding improvements. 7. Consider platform paving material and vertical wall materials compatible with surrounding improvements. EXHIBIT 3 1400 FIFTH AVENUE • PO BOX 151560 • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94915-1560 W W W.CITYOFSANRAFAEL.ORG CAC Letter to San Rafael City Council September 11, 2014 Page 2 B. Concerns relating to the Downtown San Rafael station 1. Fit the historical character of downtown San Rafael, keying off Fourth Street and other downtown urban design and building motifs. 2. Integrate the platform elements with the Whistlestop building, which will determine much of the character of the downtown station. If a new building is designed, SMART, Whistlestop and the City should assure such integration. 3. A more desirable option would be for the City, SMART and Whistlestop to find a way to retain the current Whistlestop building, which was designed as San Rafael's train station and embodies the desired historical character. The platform station elements could then be reworked to augment that character. As suggested in the Station Area Plan, the ground floor could be adapted to specialty Marin retail, in the manner of the San Francisco ferry building, with the upstairs housing transit agencies or other office uses. Though such a solution would require marshaling an entrepreneurial effort, and perhaps a philanthropic spirit, the opportunity should not be lightly lost. By applying public tools like transferable development rights and expanded parking districts, the City may be able to enhance the value of the property enough to enable Whistlestop to relocate its worthy program to a better location. 4. Maximize sidewalk clearances at train crossings between Mission and Fourth Streets, which appear very constrained by crossing apparatus. S. Improve the SMART right-of-way between Mission and Fourth Streets as a welcoming gateway to downtown in accordance with the Station Area Plan, specifically, locating the fence on the west side the same distance from the tracks as on the east side and providing irrigated landscape in right-of-way areas outside the fence. Paint SMART fencing in these two blocks. 6. Provide more bike parking, with greater security, and relocate bike parking from north of Fourth Street to the Bettini Transit Center. 1400 FIFTH AVENUE • PO Box 151560 • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94915-1560 W W W.CITYOFSANRAFAEL.ORG CAC Letter to San Rafael City Council September 11, 2014 Page 3 C. Concerns relating to the Civic Center station. 1. Fit the architectural character of the Civic Center campus. 2. Provide pedestrian and bicycle access for Rafael Meadows, for example by a path to South Merrydale along the south side of the tracks under the freeway, which will require relocating the bike parking that would block that path. 3. Consider painting or other artwork enhancement to the freeway underside that will form much of the station experience. The CAC encourages the Council to request that SMART closely consult the Downtown Station Area Plan to help guide the creation of a station that fits and revitalizes this gateway to San Rafael. Thank you for your careful consideration. On behalf of your Citizens Advisory Committee, William Carney and Phillip Abey 1400 FIFTH AVENUE • PO BOX 151560 • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94915-1560 W W W.CITYOFSANRAFAEL.ORG EXHIBIT 4 WILL BE AVAILABLE 5 P.M. ON FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 13 CITY OF SAN RAFAEL ROUTING SLIP / APPROVAL FORM INSTRUCTIONS: USE THIS FORM WITH EACH SUBMITTAL OFA CONTRACT, AGREEMENT, ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION BEFORE APPROVAL BY COUNCIL / AGENCY. SRRA / SRCC AGENDA ITEM NO. DATE OF MEETING: 02/17/2015 FROM: Rebecca Woodbury DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office DATE: 02/12/2015 TITLE OF DOCUMENT: CITY COUNCIL DIRECTION REGARDING PREFERRED DOWNTOWN SMART STATION DESIGN AESTHETIC Department Head (signature) *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** (LOWER HALF OF FORM FOR APPROVALS ONLY) APPROVED AS COUNCIL / AGENCY AGENDA ITEM : l " City Manager (signature) NOT APPROVED REMARKS: APPROVED AS TO FORM: City Attorney (signature)