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For several years, the Town of Portola
Valley has been evaluating options for location of its "Town
Center". The Town was incorporated in 1964, and Town Hall was
originally located in the stone building formerly known as the Mangini
tavern and picnic grounds, at the Alpine Hills Swim & Tennis
Club. In 1975, Town operations moved to their present location at
765 Portola Road -- the site of the former elementary school.
This page describes the major efforts
to understand the Town Center issues and determine our best course
over the years. It is presented under three headings, but this
sometimes means that the chronological order can be confusing.
Please pay attention to the dates associated with certain actions.
In general, starting about a decade ago, the Town Council began
1) looking at minimal upgrades and additions --- until we found
we couldn't do this legally or economically, and then 2) more serious
rebuilding and retrofitting --- until we again found this was difficult
or impossible because of new geologic data, and finally 3) began
looking at alternative sites, near and far, to sequentially shift
to new buildings. The process has been evolving over time, and
it can appear convoluted when looked at in hindsight, with interwoven
volunteer efforts, Council actions, and outside studies, all complicated
by occasional outside events stalling the process.
As the project progresses, related
information and links to important documents pertaining to the
new Town Center will be posted in the Town
News section of this site.
For more information on the history
of the Town Center see the Historic
Timeline and New Town Center FAQs.
The
site is an 11.2 acre parcel and previously included the following buildings
and recreational facilities:
Town Administration
Library
Multi-Use Room
Artists' Studios (Classrooms 11, 12, 13, and 14)
Community Classrooms (8 and 9)
Records Storage (Room 10)
Art Gallery
Corporation Yard/Office
Historic Schoolhouse
Russ Miller Soccer Field
Softball Field
Volleyball Court
Tennis Courts
Basketball Court
Little Peoples' Park
Both the
Woodside and Trancos Traces of the famous San Andreas Fault run
through the parcel.
The school
buildings were constructed in the 1950's and have never been renovated
or upgraded to meet current building codes and/or the disability
access requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 1997,
the Historic Schoolhouse was completely renovated, including a full
seismic upgrade to meet current Building Codes and construction
of a ramp to provide access for the disabled.
The
Portola Valley School District commissioned H.J. Degenkolb &
Associates Structural Engineers to evaluate the seismic safety of
the school buildings. In their report, Degenkolb & Associates
concluded: "reinforcement or alteration of the present buildings
to reduce hazard substantially is not practical or feasible."
The School District subsequently
abandoned the site.
Letter
from Degenkolb & Associates, June 1972 (pdf)
Bill Cotton, Town Geologist, prepared a memorandum to then Councilmember
John Wilson in which Mr. Cotton stated that "the entire school
property is within what is considered by geologists to be the San
Andreas rift valley." He recommended that "...the Town
abandon its proposal to purchase the school property, unless a detailed
geologic investigation is undertaken." In 1975, against the
advice of the Town Geologist, the Town went ahead with the purchase
of the site from the School District. The original plan for the
property was to demolish the buildings (estimated demolition costs
were taken into account in the original purchase price) and use
the site for open space and recreational purposes. However, shortly
after purchase of the property, Town staff located in the Administration
Building. Over time, uses expanded into other buildings on the campus.
Memo
from Bill Cotton, dated June 1974 (pdf)
The Town hired Degenkolb & Associates
to further study the Town Center site. As a consequence of this
evaluation, the Town decided to limit occupancy in the Artists'
Studios (classrooms 11, 12, 13, and 14), to create a flexible wall
between rooms 8 & 10, and to restrict room 10 for storage only.
Letter
from Degenkolb & Associates, November 1976 (pdf)
Woodward-Clyde Consultants conducted two other geologic studies
in 1976 and 1977. The first study confirmed the location of the
Woodside Trace of the San Andreas Fault close to where surface fault
rupture was documented to have crossed Portola Road in 1906. The
second study identified 3 possible scenarios of faulting that could
occur at the Town Center site. Woodward-Clyde placed the highest
level of confidence on scenario #1: based on the 1906 earthquake,
fault displacement along the Woodside and Trancos fault traces could
be at least 3 feet, and conceivably larger.
The Town Council initially decided
to look at renovating the current Town Center buildings,
with some expansion
to accommodate more storage and space for staff, and to make the
Administration Building accessible for the disabled, as now required
by State and Federal laws. Due to the close proximity of proposed
Town Center improvements to the mapped
traces of the San Andreas Fault, the Town sought a preliminary
Fault Investigation Analysis reviewing preexisting studies of
the Town Center site. Geomatrix Consultants, Inc.
was
hired to conduct this review.
This Fault Investigation Analysis
was submitted to Bill Cotton, Town Geologist, for geologic peer
review.
He concluded the report, based on preexisting studies only, was
inadequate, and he recommended further geologic evaluation of the
site.
William
Lettis & Associates was hired to perform a new, more thorough
evaluation, with new field investigations. Phases I & II of
their investigation included trenching in the softball field north
of the Historic Schoolhouse. These trenches indicated a more complex
faulting pattern than expected, apparently underlying the
town center facilities. Phase III of their investigation included
trenching between the tennis courts and Little Peoples'
Park, and parallel to the volleyball court. The Phase III findings
indicate that active secondary faults do not cross the northwestern
portion (tennis courts) of the Town Center site, making it a potentially
viable location in which to place newly constructed Town Center
buildings.
Memo
from William Lettis & Associates dated August 12, 2002, (pdf
I, Text)
Memo
from William Lettis & Associates dated August 12, 2002, (pdf
II, Figures)
Letter
from William Lettis & Associates dated December 11, 2002
(pdf)
In response to citizen concerns about the current understanding of the geology underlying the Town Center site, the Town Geologist prepared a memorandum summarizing the various studies performed and the most up-to-date conclusions regarding what parts of the Town Center site are threatened by faulting and deformation, and what parts of the site have been demonstrated to be free of these hazards.
Memo
from Cotton Shires & Associates, Inc. dated May 28, 2004 (pdf)
An Ad Hoc Town Center Facilities Committee
met to study the Town Center facilities and to make recommendations
to the Town Council concerning space allocation and improvements,
as well as addressing disability access issues.
An
Ad Hoc Town Center Facilitation Committee developed a Mission
Statement for Town Center. The committee also reviewed four conceptual
schemes, with preliminary ballpark costs, for the renovation of
existing Town Center facilities. Of these, as mentioned above,
the
Town Council expressed a preference for Option "D".
CJW
No. 9630, Town Center Mission Statement, Draft
(pdf)
Town
Center Master Plan Design Summary
(pdf)
An Ad Hoc Town Center Location Committee
was formed. Its charge was to identify and evaluate alternative
sites for possible location of Town Center buildings. The Committee
also looked at Town Center functions to determine which, if any,
could be physically separated from others, in case more than one
site would be needed for facility location.
Summary
of Ad-Hoc Town Center Committee Deliberations (pdf)
A Town Center Citizens Advisory Committee began
meeting. The Committee's goals included: 1) establishing whether
it was feasible to renovate existing buildings; 2) identifying
and evaluating alternative locations for Town Center; and 3) identifying
funding mechanisms for a new Town Center. At its August 28, 2003
meeting,
the Council received site reports and various process recommendations
from the Committee (see below). Please note that these are informal reports
prepared by the volunteer TCCAC committee.
The committee's
activities have been suspended pending potential further work that the Council
may request of it.
Memo
from Barbara Powell dated September 9, 2003 (pdf)
TC CAC Report on Existing Site (332KB)
TC CAC Report on Alternate TC Site (516KB)
TC CAC Report on Ford Field Site (545KB)
TC CAC Report on Mirador Site (1451 KB)
TC CAC Report on Nathhorst Site (279KB)
TC CAC Finance Sub-Comm Report (17KB)
TC CAC Questionnaire Results (46KB)
Dr. Dwight Crowder, a Geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey,
(USGS) Town resident, and member of the Town's Conservation Committee,
recommended geologic mapping and adoption of development regulations
to limit exposure to hazards.
Also
in 1967, a Geologic Hazards Committee was established in
the Town, including geologists with worldwide reputations, including
Professor Ben Page (Stanford) and Dr. Robert Wallace (USGS) among
others.
An Ad Hoc Geologic Committee was formed.
One outcome of the committee’s work was adoption by the Town Council
of an ordinance establishing fault setback requirements for the
Town.
The Town Council approved and adopted the Town's "Geologic
Map" and "Movement Potential of Undisturbed Ground"
and established land use policies for lands shown on the maps. Also
in 1974, the Town Council adopted Geologic Criteria for all development
in Town.
The Town Council adopted the Seismic Safety Element of the Town's
General Plan.
An Ad Hoc Fault Setback
Committee recommended revisions to fault setbacks. In general
the committee found the Town's earlier setback regulations were
effective and recommended minor revisions and updates. These recommendations
have been sent to the Planning Commission for review and future
adoption by the Town.
Except
for the Historic Schoolhouse (located on a narrow strip of "safe" land), the Town
Council unanimously decided to abandon the current complex of Town Center offices, deeming the current
buildings as presenting an "unacceptable risk." The
Council approved relocating these facilities to the back of the Town Center
property in an area currently occupied by the tennis courts, playground,
volleyball area and soccer field. These displaced playing fields will be
rebuilt where the current buildings are now located. The Council also reiterated
its commitment to utilize a charrette
process to maximize community involvement
in the design process of the new Town Center complex.
Feb 2, 2004 Memo Summarizing Town Center Planning Efforts(pdf)
William Lettis & Associates' Fault Map of Town Center (gif)
Portola Valley residents collaborated with planners, engineers, staff and other consultants in a design charrette to create a variety of possible site designs for the new Town Center.
Digital Images of Sessions 1-3 of Town Center Charrette
On June 30th the Town Council held a special session to
review the draft
designs. In addition, two documents presenting results from Session
3 were presented:
PORTOLA VALLEY VALUES – TOWN CENTER PROJECT GUIDELINES (pdf) and
Lessons
Learned (pdf)
After a series of autumn meetings with residents, staff, consultants and council members, Siegel & Strain presented the Final Master Plan to the Town Council, which the Council accepted on November 20, 2005. The Master Plan includes the location of buildings, fields, tennis courts and other site features.
In response to an expression on the part of some residents to preserve existing Town Center buildings through renovation, the Town Council requested information about whether these renovations would be possible under the Alquist-Priolo Act. The Act states that buildings situated on earthquake faults can only be retrofitted and reoccupied if the cost of the retrofit is less than 50% of the value of the structure. The Town Council retained Hulberg & Associates Inc. to provide an appraisal of the property structures at Town Center in order to determine the present value of the buildings. Hulberg's report was presented to the Council in January 2005, with a finding of zero valuation for the Town Center structures. Therefore, it would not be possible under the Alquist-Priolo Act to renovate the existing buildings.
After accepting the Final Town Center Master Plan, Council retained the ongoing services of Siegel & Strain to provide schematic design services.
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Town's own ordinances, implementation of the proposed Town Center Project will require the preparation of an environmental analysis, called an "Expanded Initial Study." In order to prepare the study, Council retained the services of David J. Powers & Associates. The purpose of the study is to identify any significant environmental impacts that could potentially arise from the planned project. If these environmental impacts can be mitigated so they are "less than significant," then the Town will be eligible to file a Mitigated Negative Declaration.
San Mateo County performed an independent Structural Assessment of the building that houses Portola Valley's library. The findings of this report indicated that the library building was not safe for long-term use. Therefore, after discussions with library personnel, San Mateo County decided they would no longer use the current building after June 1, 2005. The Town Council immediately formed a Library Task Force to find alternatives in order to provide as many services as possible until the new library is completed.
Memo from Victoria Johnson, Director of San Mateo County Libraries (April 11, 2005)
Independent Structural Analysis by San Mateo County (April 6, 2005)
The Town Center Draft Schematic Design was presented to the Council and Planning Commission at a special meeting on April 20. In the Draft Schematic Design phase, the architects provided updates to the site plan, preliminary information about building elevations, draft site and buildings models, and samples of some possible exterior building materials. In addition, the architects discussed proposed phasing of the project.
Progress Report by Siegel & Strain on Schematic Design (April 14, 2005)
The Town Council approved a Joint Use Agreement between the Town and the Portola Valley School District to locate an Interim Library building at Corte Madera School. The term of the agreement is June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2007, with an option to extend the agreement for a period of one year.
Joint Use Agreement for Interim Library Location (May 20, 2005)
On June 22, 2005, the Siegel & Strain/Goring and Straja Design Team presented updates to the Town Center schematic design and project cost estimates to the Town Council.
Schematic Design of Town Center (June 17, 2005) (3746 KB)
On June 22, 2005, the Portola Valley Community Fund, an independent, non-profit fund, was established to raise private funds for the development of community facilities at Town Center.
Portola Valley Community Fund press release
The Town Council approved a professional services agreement with HazMat Doc to perform Asbestos and Lead inspection services in the existing buildings on the Town Center property, except the Historic Schoolhouse and the temporary modular Town Administration buildings. These inspections are required by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District prior to demolition of any of the existing buildings.
TC Project: Hazardous Materials Assessment for Town Center (August 3, 2005)
The Town Council reviewed and approved the Conceptual Site Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Town Center project.
Approval of Final EIR for TC Buildings including the Conceptual Site Plan (September 20, 2005) (3822 KB)
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