City and County of San FranciscoSan Francisco Arts Commission

September 16, 2013

Civic Design Review Committee - September 16, 2013

MEETING OF THE CIVIC DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE
OF THE SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION

Monday, September 16, 2013
3:00 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70

Minutes
 

Committee Chair Cass Calder Smith called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m.
 

  1. Roll Call
    Commissioners Present
    Cass Calder Smith
    Roberto Ordeñana
    Kimberlee Stryker

    Commissioners Absent
    Leo Chow
    Dorka Keehn

    Staff Present
    Jill Manton, Director of Public Art Trust and Special Initiatives
    Sharon Page Ritchie, Commission Secretary
    Matt Pearson, Civic Design Review Intern
     

  2. Alameda Creek Watershed Center: Phase 1
    Brian Dessaure, Project Manager for San Francisco Public Utilities Council, introduced Paul De Freitas, the Project Architect from the Department of Public Works (“DPW”) and Martha Ketterer, the Landscape Architect from DPW.

    Mr. De Freitas explained that Alameda Creek is the largest watershed in San Francisco, including more than 700 square miles. He gave the background of the site, including the distinctive features of the creek and surrounding landscape that inspired the design for the Watershed Center. He also mentioned the existing building on the site, the Sunol Water Temple. He explained that the goal of the design is to tell the story of how the water arrived at this site, how people have used the water throughout history, and how it will be used in the future. He described how the linear path of a stream inspired the design for the building.

    Ms. Ketterer presented components of the landscape design, including runnels of water, a pond, meadows and an amphitheater.

    Mr. De Freitas explained that the linear design of the building mimics the linear flow of the creek on the site.

    Ms. Ketterer presented the site plan, including the approach by car, the flow through the building, gardens, and temple grounds.

    Mr. Dessaure laid out goals for the project schedule. He pointed to early 2015 as a tentative time to begin construction.

    Commissioner Stryker complimented the integration of the landscape into the design. She questioned whether the “postage stamp” biomes would be big enough to be read, particularly with the size of oak trees taking up large pieces of territory. She also wondered how people would know to wander the gardens. She recommended some sort of entrance or foyer to the gardens that sets them up in the same way that the building gets a foyer. Finally, she brought up concerns about maintenance of the native meadows. She recommended that certain meadows have paths, while others remain entirely wild, and that the drawings for future phases include the paths.

    Commissioner Ordeñana asked the project team how they are engaging with the community, both in the Sunol area and the Bay Area at large. Tim Ramirez, the Project Manager from SFPUC, explained that there have been three years of community engagement. He reported that there is already a sustainable agriculture education program happening on the site. He intended to build on that foundation and develop a more extensive curriculum. He added that the Sunol community is excited to have access to a new facility for certain community functions, and that community members have committed to help with site maintenance once the construction is complete.

    Commissioner Smith recommended that the building design be made more distinctive and the landscape drawings be further developed before the Phase 2 review.

    Commissioner Stryker raised concerns about the riparian pond. She said the water source doesn’t fit with the rest of the building and landscape design. She suggested that the modernist design of the pond did not fit with the rest of the design. Mr. Dessaure and Ms. Ketterer explained that the pond was required by the educational element of the watershed center, for children to interact with native flora and fauna. The pond will be designed to match other ponds in the nearby environment. The Committee directed the project team to refine the drawings of the pond to better reflect its intended use and construction.

    There was no public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows.

    Motion to approve Phase 1 of the Alameda Creek Watershed Center:
    Motion: Commissioner Smith
    Second: Commissioner Ordeñana
     

  3. Moccasin Control and Server Room: Phase 3
    Steve Thomazin, Lead Project Engineer, introduced the project. He reviewed Phases 1 and 2 of the project, and told the Committee that construction documents are being completed with hopes of putting out construction bids in one to two months. The building will be a secure facility, not open to the public. It will be a control room that operates the powerhouse at Moccasin and other powerhouses nearby. It also will house all the servers for the Moccasin power facility with the possibility of some backup servers for the City in the future.

    Mr. Thomazin pointed out three changes to the plan since the Phase 2 review. One is a change of placement for the emergency generator. The second was a switch from HVAC water compressors to a cooling water tower of 50-degree Farenheit Hetch Hetchy water to keep energy demands low and meet LEED certification standards. Finally, entrances and pathways were adjusted to improve ADA accessibility, including a longer ramp that required modification of a courtyard, garden and seating area.

    There was no public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows.

    Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Moccasin Control and Server Room:
    Motion: Commissioner Smith
    Second: Commissioner Stryker
     

  4. Staff Report
    Ms. Manton announced the institution of monthly informal review sessions for projects on the docket for future Civic Design reviews. The Commissioners gather before monthly Civic Design Review public meetings to review and prepare projects for the following months.

    Ms. Manton also suggested that certain Commissioners become leads on certain projects. This will allow each Commissioner to spend more time on projects that lie in their area of expertise. Commissioners Smith and Stryker agreed that project leads would allow them to be most effective in furthering the mission and work of Civic Design Review.

    There was no public comment.
     

  5. Public Comment
    There was no further public comment.
     
  6. New Business and Announcements
    There was no new business or announcements.
     
  7. Adjournment
    There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:59 p.m.
     

    spr 1/3/14

    Language Accessibility

    Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Director of Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Manager Jill Manton, 415-252-2585, jill.manton@sfgov.org.

    我們將為閣下提供免費的書面翻譯資料和口譯服務。如需協助，Director of Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Manager Jill Manton, 415-252-2585, jill.manton@sfgov.org.

    Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Director of Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Manager Jill Manton, 415-252-2585, jill.manton@sfgov.org.