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

Monday,  March 16, 2020
2:30 p.m.
401 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 125

 

Draft Minutes

Commissioner Stryker called the meeting to order at 2:35 p.m.

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present
   Kimberlee Stryker, Chair
   Dorka Keehn (virtual)
   Linda Parker Pennington (virtual)
   Abby Sadin Schnair (virtual)
   Debra Walker (virtual)
   
   Commissioners Absent
   Paul Woolford
   
   Staff Present
   Joanne Lee, Deputy Director of Programs
   Luna Izpisua Rodriguez, Program Associate, Civic Design & Special Initiatives
2. Public Comment
   There was no public comment.
3. Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse: Phase 1
   Eoanna Goodwin and Paul De Freitas, Project Designers, Department of Public Works
   Noah Levy, Project Manager, SF Rec and Park
   Paul De Fretias, Architect, Department of Public Works
   Lizzy Hirsch, Landscape Architect, Department of Public Works
   
   The project team introduced themselves and prefaced their presentation with the urgency that their project faces to meet their construction deadlines. Due to the October and November cancellation of the meeting of the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Civic Design Review Committee, the project was experiencing a significant delay in their timeline. They requested that the Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse be reviewed simultaneously for Phase 1 and 2. The project team then described the location of the proposed Clubhouse. The Clubhouse will be situated in the western area of Golden Gate Park, surrounded by the Beach Chalet Fields, the Murphy Windmill, the Golden Gate Park Archery Range, the North Lake, and the Bercat Equitation Field. The neighborhoods on either side of the Golf Course are the Outer Richmond District and the Outer Sunset District. The team described the conditions of the previous clubhouse building that burned down. It was 1893 square feet and included a pro Shop, snack bar, Storage and Utility area, and public restroom. The proposed building would be smaller in size at 1650 square feet, and would include a pro shop, commercial kitchen, dining area, administrative office, storage, trash, and utility areas, and public all-gender restrooms. The main focuses for the new clubhouse are accessibility, visibility, safety, and programability. Improvements include native grasses, accessible parking, accessible entries, maintenance accessibility, a new accessible ramp, and outdoor furniture. For the roof of the clubhouse, the team decided to use a butterfly roof that effectively breaks wind while increasing the opening heights to the golf course and the main entry. The cantilevered overhang is three feet all around. The landscape architect then shared that the proposed palette of the clubhouse is a mix of sedges, rushes and grasses, with the addition of a Sargent’s cypress. The concept and placement of the landscaping is intended to frame the circulation of the site, to soften the parking lot, as well as to collect stormwater. There are opportunities on all sides of the building for the collection of stormwater.
   
   The Commissioners shared their concern regarding the outdoor furniture that will be placed in the patio area. They asked that it use the same vocabulary as the building’s material palette. The team responded that they will be working with the client to determine outdoor pieces that will be flexible enough to move and to lock, and that will be in alignment with the overall project aesthetics. The Commissioners also expressed their concern regarding the landscape edging. The team responded that the edging will disappear into the landscape with the exception of the boulders that are meant to discourage people to cross-cut the site. Overall, the Commissioners appreciated the modern design of the structure, its fit with the site and with the outdoor, nature-dense environment.
   
   Motion to approve Phase 1 and 2 of Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse Project with the following contingencies 1) that there be some indication as to the furnishings and their quality at the Phase 3 meeting and 2) that there be a better description of the edging and plantings, including elevations and other descriptors, so that the Commissioners may have a better sense of the landscape.
4. McLaren Park Group Picnic Area Restroom Project: Phase 3
   Erica Ruiz, Project Designer, Department of Public Works
   Alexis Ward, Project Manager, SF Recreation and Park
   Will Kwan, Architect, Department of Public Works
   Bill Bulkley, Landscape Architect, Department of Public Works
   
   The project team summarized the project as a replacement restroom for the temporary restroom that is currently installed in the picnic area at McLaren Park. They referred to the Phase 1 contingency that prompted them to use a pre-approved restroom facility. The project team also addressed their improvements based on the project’s Phase 2 contingencies. The team will use a square ceramic tile of a pumpkin color and gray stucco walls. It will be a single-user, all-gender restroom.
   
   The motion was approved unanimously as follows.
   
   Motion to approve Phase 3 of the McLaren Park Group Picnic Area Restroom Project.
5. Castro Station Accessibility Improvements: Phase 3
   Tess Kavanagh, Project Manager, SF MTA
   Jane Chan, Architect, Department of Public Works
   
   The project team described their project as a three-stop elevator on the south side of the Castro Muni Metro Station. The project team’s overall goal is to improve accessibility and usability of the station and to provide a non interrupted elevator service for patrons of Muni. The team has been working on this project for several years. There is currently one street elevator that services the north side of the Castro Station. The new proposed elevator on the south side will carry passengers between the street level, concourse level, and the inbound-train platform. The team addressed the contingencies that had been recommended by the Commissioners at Phase 2 of their project. They have implemented a cleaning program in which SF MTA will be providing quarterly inspection and cleaning, in addition to as-needed maintenance, of the exterior and interior of the elevator. The glass will be hand-cleaned, while the stainless steel framing and elevator cap may be hosed down. Vandal resistant measures will be added to the glass and steel. The plants inside of the fenced terrace on the concourse level will be maintained by the Castro CBD. SF Public Works will maintain the public right of way.  The team also referred to the fritting that they had been asked by the Commissioners to study after their Phase 2 presentation. In order to combine opacity to allow light-capturing at night with transparency to absorb light throughout the day, the team chose to incorporate a two and a half inch glass fritting.  The thickness of the frit pattern will decrease from its thickest width at the top of the hoist way to a thinner width at the bottom of the hoist way. The material of the frit will be a translucent simulated acid etch. The team intends for this elevator to become a beacon of light for the Castro neighborhood. The majority of the elevator’s light fixtures will be implemented at the top of the elevator. Site improvements at the street level include widening the Market Street sidewalk, adding a new curb ramp at the intersection of Market Street and Collingwood Street, replacing existing pole top light fixtures with “Torres” fixtures by the lighting firm “Landscape Forms,” and replacing the existing brick plaza paving with the sparkle grain integral color concrete to match the Castro Streetscape paving. Concourse level improvements include replanting the terraces and concourse, providing new paving to be a non-slip terrazzo style aggregate concrete, replacing and realigning existing fencing to improve station security, re-fabricating existing interpretive signage, and replacing the existing and damaged commemorative bench with a new metal bench. The plant palette for the project consists of plants that are soft and swaying, including different types of grasses, as well as sculptural succulents and vertical and colored accents.
   
   The Commissioners asked if the project team had looked into the architectural glass firm “Carvart” as per their request in Phase 2.  The project team did not recall this request and was not familiar with Carvart’s services. The Commissioners also wondered if the project was in coordination with the adjacent Harvey Milk Plaza project.  The project team answered that they have been coordinating with the Harvey Milk Plaza team to ensure that the proposed elevator has the capability to include a fourth stop. However, the team suggested that the Harvey Milk Plaza is on a significantly slower timeline and is currently restricted by a lack of funds. The Commissioners enjoyed the light of the elevator and agreed that it will be a beacon for the station. The Commissioners asked about the pink wall on the concourse level, to which the team responded that this plywood wall would be replaced with a clear glass system that allows passengers to view the trains on the lower level. The Commissioners stated that the planting color palette is critical, and that the accents of color that are currently incorporated must remain, regardless of project changes. For instance, if the team is not able to find a particular plant, the Commissioners advised that they find a replacement plant that has the same accented color.
   
   The motion was approved unanimously as follows.
   
   Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Castro Station Accessibility Improvements Project .
6. Visual Arts Committee Report
   
   N/A
7. Staff Report
   
   N/A
8. New Business and Announcements
   Joanne Lee, Deputy Director of Programs at the San Francisco Arts Commission, announced that the Civic Design Review Committee has an agreement with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to have one of the Civic Design Commissioners participate in the architect selection process on their affordable housing developments. The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development has an upcoming architect selection panel for the Affordable Housing Development located at 730 Stanyan Street in San Francisco. Joanne Lee and Commissioner Stryker would like one of the Civic Design Review Commissioners to volunteer to be appointed to be this liaison.
   
   Commissioner Stryker announced that, due to transitions within the SF Arts Commission, the Committee’s proposed event for designers and public managers of SF Public Works that have presented exemplary projects to the Committee will no longer take place in May, but rather later in the summer.
9. Adjournment 
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:10 p.m.
   
   
   posted 3/25/20, 11:30 a.m., LIR
    

Language Accessibility

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Associate Luna Izpisua Rodriguez, 415-252-2252, luna.izpisua@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，Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Associate Luna Izpisua Rodriguez, 415-252-2252, luna.izpisua@sfgov.org.

Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Associate Luna Izpisua Rodriguez, 415-252-2252, luna.izpisua@sfgov.org.

Ang mga materyales na nakasalin sa ibang wika at ang mga serbisyong tagapagsalin sa wika ay walang bayad. Para sa tulong, maaring i-contact si Special Projects and Civic Design Review Program Associate Luna Izpisua Rodriguez, 415-252-2252, luna.izpisua@sfgov.org.