The “preferred design” of a new city hall, selected by the Citrus Heights city council at its April 10 study session.
A final community meeting to discuss the potential relocation and construction of a new city hall for Citrus Heights has been scheduled for April 30.
The meeting is the last in a series of City-hosted community discussions, following a proposal by Dignity Health last year to build a 66,000 square feet medical office building in place of the existing hall on Fountain Square Drive.
Although a final decision is not expected until July, the city council selected a preliminary “preferred design” and site for the proposal at an April 10 study session, choosing 7625 Antelope Rd. as the best location to move city hall.
While council members in favor of the site selection mentioned economic reasons as a primary motivator, Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins was the only one to vote against the Antelope Road site, commenting that a city hall “doesn’t fit” the residential-zoned area. Several residents also spoke out against the Antelope Road location in their public comments.
In an update posted on CitrusHeights.net, the City is encouraging community members to attend the April 30 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Center at 6300 Fountain Square Dr. Attendees are also invited to come at 6 p.m. for an opportunity to review plans for the medical office building and city hall.
At a special meeting tonight, the Citrus Heights city council will decide on a location for the proposal to build a new city hall.
“We encourage community involvement and hope you can attend this session of the City Council when the City Council discusses and selects the site for a proposed new City Hall,” read an email alert sent out by the City.
An economic and fiscal report was released last month comparing two scenarios of re-building the new hall at its current location on Fountain Square Dr. or moving the site to a location on Antelope Rd near Old Auburn Blvd. The report, issued by A. Plescia & Co, found that the Antelope Rd. location would result in a greater general fund account balance for the City in a 15-year projection.
The full report is available here on the City’s website.
According to a timeline released by the City, additional community input related to the project will be sought at an April 30 workshop, followed by an environmental review and a Planning Commission review. A final decision on the proposal to build a new city hall is estimated to be in June or July.
Tonight’s meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. in the city council chambers at 7117 Greenback Ln.
One of the preliminary City Hall designs presented at a community workshop held on March 19.
Citrus Heights is continuing its effort to gather community input as it considers a proposal to replace –and possibly move– its existing city hall.
Three community workshops have been hosted this year by the City in order to gather input on design ideas and preferred location for a new hall. More workshops have been scheduled as well.
Upcoming meetings to discuss aspects of the new city hall proposal will be held on:
April 10, 2014 5:00 p.m. – City Council Study Session on City Hall Site (meeting location: Citrus Heights Council Chambers, 7117 Greenback Lane)
April 30, 2014 6:30 p.m. – Community Meeting on Medical Office Building and City Hall Project (meeting location: Citrus Heights Community Center, 6300 Fountain Square Drive)
Planning Commission and City Council Hearings will likely follow in June and July, according to the City website.
Residents gather to brainstorm design ideas for new City Hall
About 80 residents gathered around tables Wednesday night with pens out and drawing pads handy, ready to give their input on design ideas for the proposal to build a new City Hall in Citrus Heights.
“This was a tremendous success,” said Facility Manager Chris Myers. “With all of the conversation going on, and the dialogue, and everybody having input… this is a phenomenal start for us to be able to pull this together.”
Wendy Hoyt, a facilitator for the event, explained the limited purpose of the meeting: to plan, envision, collaborate, share design ideas with fellow citizens, and give the architects a feel for what image the community would like to have reflected in their City Hall. Myers also added an emphasis on looking 50-100 years ahead, considering the image the building would convey to future children and grandchildren.
“There’s no decisions being made tonight,” clarified Hoyt, in her introduction. “The council hasn’t made a decision on whether or not to move forward with the City Hall.”
Following a slide show presentation of design ideas by WLC Architects – the City’s newly hired architect group – residents discussed ideas in groups, organized by tables titled “Grapefruit,” “Seville Orange,” and other citrus tree names – apparently reflecting that aspect of the city’s name and history.
After collaborating for about 30 minutes, each table shared their ideas with the other groups, and several areas of agreement were heard.
Residents tended to favor a transitional style, rather than a classical or fully modern style for the building. There was also agreement on maximizing energy efficiency through solar panels, avoiding steps to aid accessibility for the elderly, and a general agreement on some kind of outdoor water features like a pond or fountain, although the drought was a concern. There also appeared to be agreement on the need for a portion of the building to be two-story.
Discussion regarding location of the new building was considered off topic for the meeting, although one comment slipped through from a resident who said the location for City Hall should not be moved. His comment was met with a brief applause.
Plans for building a new City Hall were first discussed last year, when Dignity Health proposed plans to construct a massive 66,000 square ft. medical office complex in the current hall’s location, generating discussion about demolishing the existing City Hall complex and building another to replace it at one of several proposed locations.
Hoyt explained that when the City first incorporated in 1997, they had to “scramble” without public involvement at all – resulting in the current location on Fountain Dr. She said the Dignity Health proposal has given the City a unique opportunity to do it better this time, and build a new hall with proper planning and input from residents to reflect the nature of the community.
The event Wednesday night was the third in a series of workshops put on by the City. The first was held in August of last year, and the second workshop was held last month, each with a focus on a different aspect.
During the first meeting, residents were presented with a preliminary design for City Hall, but residents disliked the look, calling it “just a box,” according to Hoyt. The second meeting, packed with about 180 people, discussed the aspect of location.
Noticeably absent from the room were the voices of residents under 30 years of age, a fact brought up by several comments that addressed walkway accessibility and long-term planning for the building’s appearance. A concern about sidewalks and steps was mentioned by an elderly gentleman from the “Grapefruit” table who commented, “We don’t walk, we shuffle.” His remark was met by understanding chuckles from other attendees.
Asked about the reason for the generation gap in those present at the meeting, Hoyt replied, “I don’t know.” Although she added that couples with younger children typically have less available time than those who are retired.
The meeting closed with a short session of questions and answers, the majority of which revolved around site selection and costs – both of which the City says will be addressed during future meetings.
A summary of the community input will be presented to the council on February 27, and a follow-up community workshop will be held on April 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Citrus Heights Community Center.
