The notion of a downtown plaza as a unique open space feature in Sunnyvale was first identified in the Downtown Specific Plan, adopted in 1993. On February 28, 2001 the City Council approved a contract with Amphion Environmental, Inc. for the conceptual design for the downtown plaza and bus facilities along Frances Street. Amphion Environmental, Inc. recently completed the conceptual plan for public hearing review.

Based on community input, and available budget, staff is recommending that the city council:

• approve a conceptual plaza design for a 1.6 acre plaza
• establish a budget for design and construction
• direct staff to explore techniques to compress the design and construction schedule.

The general location for a plaza was first identified in the Downtown Specific Plan in 1993. In 2000, as part of the sale of land to Mozart, a specific site was identified for a downtown plaza. Staff conducted a consultant selection process and Council awarded a contract to Amphion Environmental, Inc. of Oakland, California for the preparation of the Conceptual Phase of the City Plaza in February 2001. The conceptual plans are the central subject for this report. A more detailed history is provided in the discussion section of this report.

Goal: Urban Design-2

Policy: Urban Design-2

Goal: Open Space- 1

This section of the report is organized under 4 topics:

1. History
2. Conceptual Design Features and Budget
3. Plaza Size
4. Design and Construction Schedule

In February of 2001, Amphion Environmental, Inc. was selected as the plaza conceptual design consultants. In July 2001, staff reviewed preliminary concepts for the plaza design. Following the staff’s review, the conceptual design phase was placed on hold while the Downtown Design Plan Study took place. During this period, city staff and the design consultants continued to study plazas by visiting over ten Bay Area plazas. Design techniques, materials, design constraints and plaza maintenance practices where considered with each bay area plaza site.

In February of 2002, staff reviewed three plaza design concept options. Each design took into account the six essential design elements identified by the 2000 Community Design Charrette and the City Council. The six essential design elements are:

1. Water Feature
2. Edge Treatments
3. Heritage Reference
4. Flexible Use of Space
5. Hard & Soft Surface Treatment
6. Views In and Out of the Plaza

The three options for design were:

• Concept C: Informal organic design, park-like in nature

In March and April of 2002, the three plaza conceptual designs where presented to the following boards and commissions for review and discussion.

• Arts Commission
• Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
• Heritage Preservation Commission
• Parks and Recreation Commission (twice)
• Planning Commission

On March 23, 2002, a community workshop was held to review the three plaza design concepts. Members of the community, including residents, business owners, and property owners participated and provided opinions and suggestions regarding the plaza design concepts.

The feedback from both community outreach and the boards/commissions regarding the preferred plaza design option was overwhelmingly in favor of the design features and layout of Design Concept A (the combination design) with added design features taken from parts of the Concept B & C designs. Additional comments from the outreach included:

• Pedestrian access along the Evelyn (northern) plaza edge
• Mix of paved and planting areas in curvilinear forms
• Planting areas with rich seasonal planting
• Permanent performance area
• Labyrinth maze incorporated into paving

In April of 2002, the design consultants prepared a conceptual plaza design based on community input. The new design was reviewed by staff and presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission for review.

Several design options affecting the budget required for construction and operation were evaluated. Attachment A includes 3 conceptual design plans, all based on Concept A.

• Basic (good quality materials)
• Enhanced (Basic plan plus higher quality materials and additional features)
• Minimal (grass/basic pavement, and other features that do not raise the cost above $2.7M)
• 1.6 Acre (eliminates 42 surface parking spaces)
• 1.2 Acre (retains 42 surface parking spaces)

The overall plaza conceptual design incorporates curvilinear lines of green space and hardscape to create a combination of active and passive spaces within the plaza.

A mixture of both paved surfaces and rich seasonal planting areas create a flexible plaza space for a wide range of activities. Entrances to and from the plaza are highlighted at the corner of Evelyn and Frances, and there is a gradual transition between the private Mozart plaza and the public plaza along the west-side of the site. Planting areas and planting mounds provide physical separation from the plaza edges and surrounding streets. Access is provided all the way around the plaza through the use of paved pathways and accessible planting areas.

Central Shade Structure (Arbor): A circular architectural shade structure is set around the central amphitheater providing an enclosed feeling to the central plaza while creating views in and out of the plaza from Evelyn, Frances and the Multi-Modal Transit Station.

Sun Terrace: The main sun-terrace is raised and has flowing serpentine steps for sitting and plaza watching. The sun-terrace provides a sunny meeting and gathering place.

Performance Stage: The central paved "amphitheater" area provides a large open space for informal and formal gatherings. The amphitheater focuses on the permanent raised performance stage located at the center of the plaza. Visibility is provided to the central stage from the sun terrace, from under the shade structure, from the arbor main plaza and from the "orchard" area located to the south of the stage.

Orchard Planting and Seating: The "orchard" area located in the southern portion of the plaza provides historic reference to Sunnyvale’s rich orchard history. The "orchard" creates a mini-orchard with flowering trees planted in traditional rows. At the base of each tree, a seat wall is provided for seating. The flowering trees will provide shade and canopy.

Raised Planting: A raised planting area covers the garage ramp off of Taaffe. The planting area includes pedestrian ramps over the planting area, which will provide a raised overlook of the plaza.

Fountain Courtyard: A bubbling decorative self-contained fountain is located in an intimate contemplative courtyard near the private Mozart plaza entrance. The water feature will provide the relaxing sound of water.

Plaza Lighting: The plaza will be lighted by standard acorn lighting, matching the downtown standard streetlighting.

A number of plaza features and/or materials that have been identified by the community have not been included in the "Basic" design scheme due to budgetary reasons. If, however, additional funds are identified for plaza enhancements the following list provides options for potential plaza enhancements.

Attachment B provides a list of potential plaza enhancements and associated design and construction costs. The enhancements are organized by recommended priority tiers.

There are two plaza sizes to consider. In March of 2000 the Council approved the Mozart project and the Redevelopment Agency approved a Disposition and Development Agreement with Mozart. These approvals identified the plaza site, required the construction of public parking under the plaza site and required additional surface parking in the North of Washington area. The result was 1.2 acres for the plaza and a 0.4 acre area for 42 surface parking spaces south of the plaza site. The North of Washington property owners and businesses may have an expectation that these 42 surface parking spaces will be provided. Staff has considered the 42 spaces as interim parking with the area available for future expansion of the plaza. When other properties redevelop in the North of Washington area the need for the surface parking would be re-evaluated.

1.6 Acres: The larger plaza size is 1.6 acres. The 1.6 acres takes into account the total city owned land on the site and provides optimal site design possibilities. The conceptual design accommodates approximately 2,700 people and associated equipment during a large community event. Community input has been to utilize the full plaza size and maximize the open space in the downtown. The 1.6-acre plaza option would not provide surface parking on-site.

1.2 Acres: The second size is the smaller plaza size equaling 1.2 acres with 42 surface parking spaces located in the southeastern corner of the site. The retention of the planned surface parking spaces will result in smaller plaza accommodating approximately 1,900 people and associated equipment during a large community event

If the City Council is interested in the larger plaza size, the reduction in surface parking needs to be addressed with Mozart and the North of Washington property owners. Staff recommends that the Council direct staff to discuss alternatives with these parties and return to Council with any appropriate modifications to agreements.

The plaza capital project was established in 1995 for the 1996-1997 budget year. Park Dedication funds were "set aside revenues for contributions to downtown plaza and park development and may include activities from design to construction as included in the downtown specific plan." A specific site and size for the plaza had not been identified. During negotiations with Mozart the size of a potential plaza was increased. Later, as part of the land sale agreement a portion of the proceeds from the sale were reserved for the plaza. The original concepts for funding the park were that park in-lieu fees collected city-wide (including anticipated Downtown residential development) could incrementally contribute to this city-wide open space resource and that other sources of revenue would be sought.

Conceptual plans are now available for a specific plaza site. These designs have allowed the consultant and staff an opportunity to review what design features are possible with various budgets. Based on the feedback from the City Council and the community, staff believes that a slightly larger plaza with basic plaza elements, best meets the needs of the community. If additional funding is identified during the design staff, staff recommends that some of the enhancement features be incorporated into the design and construction. Staff would return to council for a budget modification for any funds that are identified.

Amphion Environmental, Inc. has completed the conceptual design phase of the plaza and developed a budget of probable costs for design and construction. Staff has evaluated various funding sources against the conceptual plans and is recommending an overall budget for design and construction of $5,122,000. If Council approves this budget, staff intends to return with a budget modification and an amendment to the contract with Amphion Environmental to prepare the construction documents. Staff has identified potential funding sources from uncommitted park in-lieu fees, Proposition 40 proceeds and 2 years rent from the Fair Oaks Industrial Park (by deferring design and construction of this potential park site for 2 years).

Under normal conditions it would take a consultant approximately 6 months to prepare construction documents. Bidding typically takes about 3 months, and construction would be six to twelve months from the start of construction. Under this schedule the plaza would be ready for public use no sooner than August 2003. Comments from Councilmembers and members of the public indicate a desire to accelerate the schedule, if possible.

Staff has identified a preliminary list of techniques to shorten the schedule, however, none of the techniques has been fully evaluated. Legal requirements, staff priorities on other projects, and construction climate will affect the schedule. Staff is recommending that techniques including, but not limited to, the following items be more fully explored. Staff would return to Council with the pros and cons of the various items. Some of the items may have a shorter time, but be more costly; others may have both time and financial benefits.

• Pre-qualifying bidders
• Using the existing developer’s contractor who is already familiar with the subsurface construction and deck materials and the site.
• Bidding the project prior to design completion.

If the staff recommended alternative is adopted, the design and construction of the plaza will total approximately $5.1 million dollars. Operating/maintenance expenses for the plaza are estimated at $90,000 per year. A budget modification proposal that includes design, construction and project administration will be prepared for Council consideration. Generally, the following funds have been identified as potential sources for design and construction.

Extensive public outreach has been included as part of the project conceptual design phase. Details of this outreach are included in the body of the report.

On April 24, 2002 the Parks and Recreation Commission made the following recommendation to the City Council:

• Approve a $5.1 million dollar construction and design budget for the Downtown Plaza.
• Support the larger plaza size, if appropriate arrangements can be made for the parking.
• Approve the concept plans for the "Basic" plaza plan design, and if additional funds are found, add plaza enhancements.

On May 21, 2002, City Council continued the item to June 4, 2002 due to the heavy volume of scheduled public hearing items.

This report was included in the publication and posting of the Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin board, the City’s web page and the San Jose Mercury News. This report is also available at the Sunnyvale Public Library and the City Clerk’s Office.

Staff recommends Alternatives 1, 2, 3 and 4. If no satisfactory alternative is found for the surface parking, staff recommends the smaller plaza (1.2 acres), with enhanced features from Tier 1 (Attachment B)