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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1 - 2850 Dublin Historic Park Master Plan Page 1 of 4 STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL DATE: October 1, 2019 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Christopher L. Foss, City Manager SUBJECT: Revisions to the Capital Improvement Program - Dublin Historic Park Master Plan Improvements and Establishing a New Memorial Program at the Current Historic Cemetery Prepared by: La Shawn Butler, Parks and Community Services Director EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will review the future Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) outlined in the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan and consider eliminating Phases 2 through 4 and Approve a Memorial Program at the current Historic Cemetery, as recommended by the Parks and Community Services Commission and the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Eliminate Phases 2 through 4 from the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan ; Remove Phases 2 through 4 from the Capital Improvement Program; and Approve a Memorial Program for the current Historic Cemetery. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The City Council has a General Fund Committed Reserve of $3,779,138 for the cemetery expansion. If the City Council were to take action to remove Phases 2-4 of the Heritage Park, the Committed Reserve for the cemetery expansion would be appropriated to other Reserve funds – undesignated or assigned - at a later date with City Council action. Should the City Council approve a Memorial Program, fees would be established and included in the next Master Fee Schedule update, and the budget would be amended to reflect estimated costs and fee revenue. There is no net impact anticipated to any City fund. DESCRIPTION: Background On July 18, 2017, the City Council directed Staff to bring back for discussion a report Page 2 of 4 outlining the progress of the improvements identified as a r esult of the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan. At the August 15, 2017 City Council meeting, Staff provided an overview of the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan, its phasing of improvements and related costs. As shown in the Plan (and table below), there are four future phases to the Park with costs totaling nearly $17 million, of which approximately $15.5 million falls outside of the current five - year Capital Improvement Program and remains without a funding source. The only funding in the General Fund Reserve is for a portion of improvements for Phase 4 - Cemetery Expansion of $3,779,138. Phase # Improvement Type Estimated Cost Phase 2 Orchard Garden $6,040,000 Phase 3 Freshwater Corner $2,930,000 Phase 4 Cemetery Expansion $6,554,000 Phase 5 Cemetery Renovation $1,475,000 At that meeting, the City Council directed Staff to review the current Dublin Historic Park Master Plan last updated by Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey (RHAA) in June 2008, have a consultant do preliminary work to gauge feasibi lity of expanding the cemetery, and present the findings to the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission for discussion. In 2018, RHAA, was contracted to update the economic analysis of expanding the cemetery. Their analysis indicated that the original bus iness model, using a partner to operate the cemetery, was no longer feasible. They estimated it would take more than 15 years of operation to break even on the initial capital outlay, more than 30 years to be profitable and more than 50 years to raise enou gh endowment funds to provide perpetual care for the grounds. The Parks and Community Services Commission considered this item at their June 17, 2019 meeting and voted unanimously to recommend the elimination of Phases 2, 3 and 4. During the July 11, 2019, Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission meeting, Staff reviewed the Capital Improvement Program for the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan. The Commission voted 5-0, with Commissioner Bennett absent and alternate Commissioner Wolski voting, to recommend the elimination of Phases 2 and 3, but wished to continue the discussion on Phase 4. At the September 12, 2019 Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission meeting, the Commission discussed the cemetery expansion, and Staff presented the Commission with a proposed memorial program without expanding the cemetery’s footprint. Following that discussion, the Commission voted 7-0 to recommend elimination of Phase 4 and recommend to the City Council the establishment of a Memorial Program to include benches, boulders, and trees. Memorial Program The following is a summary of the information presented to the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission on September 12 and comprises Staff’s recommendation to the City Page 3 of 4 Council for adoption. It should be noted that this Memorial Program deviates, in part, from the items mentioned by Parks and Community Services Commission but is consistent with the intent of providing opportunities to honor loved ones with a tribute through plantings and engraved remembrances without disrupting t he current aesthetics of the Cemetery. Staff researched the use of cremation monuments to be placed in designated areas around the cemetery. The cremation monuments presented were benches, boulders, or the planting of a tree with a memorial plaque. Benches Staff recommends the use of benches that could include cremated remains. Benches range in cost from $1,000-$3,000 (exclusive of shipping and handling or installation) and all costs would be borne by the applicant . In March 2018, the City Council approved the installation of a singular memorial bench for Edy Coleman at the cemetery. Boulders Staff recommends the inclusion of memorial boulders as they are designed to blend into the natural surroundings. The boulders would be hollowed for containment of cremation ashes or a cremation urn. This option would allow more flexibility on the placement of the memorial in the cemetery. Boulders range from $700-$2,500 (exclusive of shipping and handling or installation) and all costs would be borne by the customer. Trees Staff recommends the use of planting of trees alongside a memorial plaque. This option would not include a burial or storage of ashes or a cremation urn. Staff recommends hawthorn trees to assist in replacement of hawthorn trees at the cemetery that have been lost or are nearing the end of their life. The cost of the hawthorn tree, memorial plaque and installation will be borne by the customer. Staff has identified locations at the cemetery suitable to accommodate the Memorial Program. • Locations A and B show potential areas that could be graded and landscaped to become sitting spaces with great views of the park and cemetery. Location A could accommodate five benches and location B could accommodate three benches. • Location C illustrates the possible location of memorial boulders. This is the open space that is currently between the cemetery plots and Dublin Creek. The natural look of the boulders would blend in nicely to the environment without disrupting the current aesthetics of the cemetery. Staff estimates that 10 memorial boulders could be added to this location. • Location D is ideal for the tree and plaque options. This pathway is known as Hawthorn Way because it is lined with hawthorn trees. The Memorial Program would consist of the City specifying pre-approved designs for the chosen amenity (tree/ plaque, bench, and/or boulder). The cost of the purchase and Page 4 of 4 installation of the memorial monument would then be paid by the customer for placement in designated spaces. Given the support of both the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission and the Parks Commission, Staff recommends eliminating Phases 2 through 4 of the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan and to approve a Memorial Program for the Cemetery. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: N/A STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE: N/A NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: The report was sent to the Parks and Community Services and Heritage and Cultural Arts Commissions as a courtesy. ATTACHMENTS: 1. August 15, 2017 City Council Staff Report 2. Memorial Program Examples and Locations OF UL STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL DATE: August 15, 2017 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Christopher L. Foss, City Manager SUBJECT: Review of Capital Improvement Program for the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan Prepared by: James M Rodems, Parks and Community Services Director EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will receive a report on future Capital Improvement Projects outlined in the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Receive the Report and provide direction to Staff on the proposed recommendations to the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan. FINANCIAL IMPACT: This report is for discussion and direction purposes, and as such, there is no financial impact associated with this item. However, based on City Council direction, future items on this topic may include financial impacts. DESCRIPTION: During the July 18, 2017 meeting, City Council directed Staff to bring back the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan for discussion and direction. History In May of 2005, in response to a City Council Strategic Goal to "Expand and enhance Dublin Historic Park", the City contracted Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey (RHAA) to develop a site master plan for an expanded park that would commemorate the history of the site and complement the parks need in the City. The Dublin Square Shopping Center and land owned by the Dublin Historic Preservation Association adjacent to the existing Dublin Heritage Center was to be considered as potential expansion areas for the park. Page 1 of 3 The Dublin Historic Park Master Plan was subsequently adopted by the City Council in August 2006. The Master Plan contemplated that the park would be developed as funding becomes available over five phases. In summer of 2007, RHAA was retained to explore the possible relocation of the Kolb family properties to the Dublin Historic Park. The house and its associated buildings, were centered some 1,500 feet southwest of Dublin Historic Park across Interstate 580, and were the last remnant of the historic Kalb Ranch. To date, the development of the park, including the relocation of the Kolb House and streetscape improvements, have been accomplished through Phase 1 of the Master Plan, The remainder of the plan includes: Dublin Heritage Park and Museums — Phases 2 and 3 Design and construction of these two phases were included in the future projects section of the 2016-2021 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The phases include the Orchard Garden Phase and Freshwater Corner Phase, as identified in the Master Plan. At that time, the funding estimates were $5,099,000 and $2,474,000 respectively, for a total improvement cost of $7,573,000. With cost increases in construction and the current bidding climate for labor costs, Staff estimates that these two phases would cost an estimated $8,970,000. • Phase 2: Orchard Garden Improvements $6,040,000 • Phase 3: Freshwater Corner Improvements and Lawns $2,930,000 Total: $8,970,000 Phase 2: This phase includes: ■ Demolish portion of temporary turf area. Adjust temporary irrigation in remaining turf area as necessary. ■ Re -grade Orchard Garden area and install drainage systems. • Construct Pavilion structure. • Install Orchard Garden landscape features, including: walls, paving systems, small fountain, picnic tables, trees and grates, planting area, benches, playground equipment. Phase 3: This phase includes: ■ Demolish remaining temporary turf area and temporary irrigation. • Re -grade for lawns, fountain area and corner entry plaza. ■ Install new drains for lawns and tie to existing system. • Install interactive fountain, steps, entry monument walls and pergola structu re. • Construct stage. ■ Install irrigation system, lawn, trees and other plantings. • Re -pave west parking lot to repair wear and tear during Phases 1-3. For the two additional phases at Dublin Heritage Park and Museums, Staff would recommend that the City Council consider modifying the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan to exclude these elements from the Park. If the City Council were interested in that option, Staff could complete the update to the Master Plan in the next six months. Page 2 of 3 Dublin Heritage Park and Museums Cemetery Improvements and Expansion - Phases 4 and 5 This consists of two projects, future expansion of the Cemetery (Phase 4) and renovation of the existing Pioneer Cemetery (Phase 5). The renovation project (Phase 5) is included in the current five-year CIP and is scheduled to begin this Fiscal Year with project budget of approximately $1.5 million. This funding is set aside in a General Fund reserve. The Cemetery expansion (Phase 4) is outside of the five-year CIP timeframe, and includes the acquisition of land and the placement of in ground burial plots (34) and cremation vaults (200), low columbarium niches (375), and 1,860 high columbarium niches. In the 2016-2021 CIP, the Phase 4 estimates were approximately $5.5 million. A portion of these funds, approximately $4 million, has been set aside in a General Fund reserve. With adjustments to cost estimates including the current bidding climate and labor costs, Staff estimates that the cost for Phase 4 (Cemetery Expansion) is approximately $6.5 million, bringing the total costs for Phase 4 and 5 to approximately $8 million. • Phase 4: Cemetery Expansion $6,554,000 • Phase 5: Pioneer Cemetery Improvements $1,475,000 Total: $8,029,000 Staff believes that additional feasibility analysis would be necessary to determine whether it makes economic sense for the City to fully enter into the cemetery business. Based on Staff's review of some initial feasibility analysis from some years back, the focus was on the capital cost of acquisition, construction and the market for these services. Staff believes more review is necessary on the financial viability of the City expanding cemetery operations given the City's 10-year forecast of deficit spending. Staff believes that review could be completed within the next 12 months. The cost of acquisition and development of Heritage Park to its current state is $15,161,000. The addition of these future phases would bring the capital cost of this park to approximately $32 million. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: NIA ATTACHMENTS: 1. Dublin Historic Park Master Plan Dated June 2008 hris Foss, City Manager 8/4/2017 - - Page 3 of 3 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT Prepared for the City of Dublin, California June 2008 R 0 Y 5 T 0 N H A N A M 0 T 0 A L L E Y & A B E Y ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CITY COUNCIL Janet Lockhart, Mayor Tim Sbranti, Vice Mayor Kasie Hildenbrand Tony Oravetz Kate Ann Scholz PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION Sue Flores, Chairperson Steve Jones, Vice -Chairperson Alan Elias Rich Guarienti Angela Muetterties Gaby Lorenzo, Student Representative HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION Eric Swalwell, Chairperson Anita Carr, Vice -Chairperson Mary Beth Acuff Kim Halket Judy Lussie Connie Mack Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold PARTICIPATING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CITY STAFF Richard C. Ambrose, City Manager Diane Lowart, Parks and Community Services Director Herma Lichtenstein, Project Manager Elizabeth Isles, Heritage Center Director John Hartnett, Heritage and Cultural Arts Supervisor Tim Eisler, GIS Coordinator CONSULTING TEAM Aditya Advani, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Doug Nelson, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Cordy Hill, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Nathan Lozier, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Blaine Merker, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Steve Spickard, Economic Research Associates Linda Cheu, Economic Research Associates Christopher VerPlanck, Page & Turnbull Randall Heiken, BKF Engineering Frederic Knapp, Architect DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary Introduction Background.........................................................II Vision.............................................................12 History............................................................15 Kolb Ranch historic relevance , ... , . , . 16 ................................. Landscape typologies ..................................................16 Needs assessment...................................................19 Key questions ....................................................... 21 Summary of public process ............................................. 21 4 r. Existing Conditions Urban context ....................................... ................27 Site conditions.......................................................28 • Current uses........................................................34 Potential development areas considered ...................................35 Opportunities and constraints ........................................... 37 Master Plan ................................................ Master Plan concept . .43 Freshwater Corner...................................................44 Orchard Garden. - . ....... ....... ........... .................. 51 Kolb Ranch relocation ................................................. 61 Parking and streetscape improvements .......... I ........ I . I ..... . ........ 63 Pioneer Cemetery expansion ........................................... 65 GreenStore........................................................70 Utilities and infrastructure ........... ....... 1 ..71 Cost Estimate and Phasing Plan Acquisition and development cost summary ........................... . ....75 Phasing plan and development cost detail..................................76 Operations cost estimate...............................................79 Appendix r Meeting flyers Public comment summaries Memoranda Executive Summary One of the _City Council 5trat�!Zic Goals is to "Expand and enhance Dublin_E lisrta6c Park", -In order to_accomplish-this goal, in May 2005 the City contracted with Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey to develop a site master _plan for an expanded park that would_ commemorate the history of the site and also fulf II the parks need in the City. The Dublin Square Shop ip_ng Center and land owned by the Dublin Historic Preservation Association adjacent to the existing Dublin Heritage Center was to be considered as potential expansion areas for the park. The design process included two public meetings, two joint meetings of the Parks and Community Services Commission and Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission and two C4Council presentations, one being, a special financing workshop. Recommendations from these meetings were incorporated into a preferred option which was approved by the City Council in February 2006. The Dublin Historic Park Master Plan was subsequently adopted by the City Council in August 2006. The Master Plan contemplates that the park will be developed in phases as funding becomes available: five phases of development are included. In summer 2007, Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey was retained in order to explore the possible relocation of the Kolb properties to the Dublin Historic Park, The house and its associated buildings, centered some 1,500 feet southwest of Dublin Historic Park across Interstate 580, are the last remnant of the historic Kolb Ranch, a typical "home ranch' of rural Amador Valley. The ranch was once contiguous with the Historic Park site and directly connected to old Dublin Village before the freeway divided the area. The study concluded that it is feasible to honor the program, oalg s and design of the 2006 Dublin Historic Park Master Plan while integrating as many of the ranch structures as necessary to recreate a historically acceptable core ranch layout. In March 2008, the City Council received the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan Addendum, Kolb Ranch relocation, which included three options for relocation of Kolb Ranch structures to the Dublin Historic Park, The Council approved Option C which provided for relocation of the Old House. the Main House, the Sunday School Barn, the Hay Barn and the Pumphouse. The tune 2008 Amendment to the Dublin Historic Park Master Plan incorporates the Kolb Ranch structures into the Dublin Historic Park bX revising the overall site plan, phasing plan and cost estimates. R '1*-��A,J-A .... l n+ rrn A i r+ i rn p PF . 1 Project background For several years, the City Council has been considering how to take a more proactive approach to building the historic Dublin Village settlement area around Donlon Way into a cohesive district to better highlight Dublin's historic resources. In March 2001 , the Council requested the Staff to develop plans for a historical district designation for the Donlon Way area. In August 200 1, the City Council authorized Staff to prepare a Specific Plan for the area, and work has been done over the past several years to achieve this goal. In 2004, the Council revised the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The 2004 Parks and Recreation Master Plan includes Guiding Policy I.13 ("Select sites for parkland acquisition in order to provide for the anticipated deficit of 5.3+/- acres") and suggests that changes in land uses in the City's primary planning area may provide land that is suitable for park development. It also provides that the City should designate sites for new parks to alleviate the 5.3-acre park deficiency by amending the Park and Recreation Master Plan to show the location of future park sites. (Action Program I k.) It also indicates the City should pursue opportunities to expand its historic holdings in the Donlon Way area (Action Program I j). Finally, it includes standards for a historical park. The Dublin Square property was one of the six sites identified by the Council as a potential location for future parks in Dublin in order to correct the City's anticipated 5.3 +1- acre parkland deficit as detailed in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey FIGURE 1-1 Ohlone people were the first inhabitants along Dublin Creek AJ ....R�-I+.A-IA DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK was hired to produce a master plan for a park that would commemorate the history of the site and also fulfil the parks need in the City. In Fiscal Year 2004/2005 the City had commissioned RBF Consultants to craft Design Guidelines for the Dublin Village Historic Area. The intent of the Design Guidelines is to ensure that future development in the area recaptures elements of the historic character and image that once defined Dublin Village. The Design Guidelines were adopted by the City Council in January 2005. Lastly the City Council adopted a Historic Overlay Zoning District that will serve to implement the Dublin Village Historic Area Design Guidelines. This was also done in 2005, 1.2 A Vision for a Historic Park The City of Dublin of 2006 bears little resemblance to "Dublin Village" — the small crossroads settlement that existed for a century before the postwar suburban boom of the 1950s and 64stransformed the Amador Valley into the sprawling urban area of today. The remnants of Mexican and early California settlements are now rare, most of the traces having been wiped out in the 1970s by fire or neglect. A short stretch of Dublin Creek and the remnant of Alamilla Spring are the few reminders of what life was like in the Amador Valley before the arrival of Europeans. Several notable historic buildings have, however, been preserved and assembled on City -owned property known as the Heritage Center. FIGURE 1-2 1 Components of the proposed Historic Park A s .. PROPOSED HISTORIC PARK SITE (PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY BERKELEY LAND COMPANY) EXISTING HERITAGE CENTER AND PIONEER CEMETERY (OWNED BY THE CITY OF DUBLIN) PROPOSED CEMETERY EXPANSION (OWNED BY DUBLIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION) �J 0 100 200 400 600 feet MASTER PLAN FIGURE 1-3 This nucleus of historical artifacts, combined with the cemetery where valley's early European settlers are buried, has helped residents stay connected to the stories and cultures of the area's past. With the City still growing rapidly though, the development of the present threatens to eclipse the past. The creation of the Dublin Historic Park is a chance to re-establish the City's historic heart. Sited near the crossroads and springs that were Dublin's reason for existence, the park will become an icon for the City. The park's design is an opportunity to shape the City's identity and to share its collective memory — but it will also serve the everyday needs of the community by providing a place to rest and relax. A successful design will tap into the well of local symbolism and meaning, using the language of the landscape to tell the history of the site and the City. The Historic Park will complement and add to the existing Heritage Center by providing additional program facilities. The park will be designed as a sustainable feature of the City — economically, ecologically and culturally — and promote a sustainable Dublin by using best urban design practices, "smart growth" principles, creating a walkable neighborhood, and being accessible by diverse forms of transit. The San Raman Valley in 1961 low �Ifl�iu,l �; .I•, � �r...�. DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 1-4 I Historic photos of Dublin Village Y -A Clockwise from the top: Dublin Boulevard looking west, about 1930; Meyer's Amador Garage about 1930; students at Murray school 1n 1891; Dublin Village, looking east, 1913. ..,.R I 114,.,A.1.p 1.3 Site histo The Ohlone people inhabited the Amador Valley beginning in about AD 500 and trapped and hunted migratory birds in Willow Marsh, a large wetland that began near the edge of the site. They led a hunting 1 gathering life until the arrival of Europeans, marked by the exploratory visit of Spanish soldiers en route from San Pablo Bay to Monterey in 1772. Before long Spanish missionaries began relocating the Ohione to Mission San Jose. After Mexico won independence from Spain, Jose Maria Amador, the former civilian administrator of Mission San Jose, lobbied the Mexican government and won sixteen thousand acres of land in the valley — some of the best in California. In 1835 he built his adobe next to Alamilla Spring, 1,000 feet to the northeast of the Historic Park site, and employed about 150 Mexican and local Indian workers to run cattle on his ranch. It is rumored that Amador buried his workers next to Dublin Creek on the park site. The Amador Ranch and its spring became the principle stopping point for travelers on two trails, one from San Francisco Bay to the San Joaquin Valley and the other from the Carquinez Straight to Mission San Jose. After the United States annexed California in 1846, Amador was forced to sell off most ofhis land holdings to Irish immigrants who were beginning to settle the valley. Like Amador, the new immigrants ran cattle, but soon began growing crops of fruit and nut trees, especially after the arrival of the railroad in 1869 made these lucrative exports. By 1866 the immigrants had built a school (Murray Schoolhouse, later moved closer to the site), church (St. Raymond's), store (Green's Store), hotels (Amador Hotel and Dougherty Station) and a handful of other buildings around the crossroads which would later become the intersection of Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way. In 1859 they started a cemetery on land that had probably also been used by the Ohlone to bury their dead. The trails became stagecoach lines (Stockton -Oakland and Martinez - San Jose) and the collection of buildings came to be known as "Dublin Village". The availability of fresh water, accommodations for the traveler, and prosperous agriculture created a small, thriving community. As the automobile replaced the stagecoach, Dublin Village became a stopping place for cars. Garages, lunch counters and other businesses oriented themselves to the "Lincoln Highway" (Route 50), Dublin Boulevard. Even into the 1950s, though, Dublin Village was a compact settlement surrounded by pastures and walnut groves. By the 1960s and the arrival of Interstate 580, however, the population of the area exploded as subdivisions carpeted the valley. New landowners, eager to subdivide and develop the area, removed many of the traces of the historic settlement. In a backlash against the wholesale destruction of Dublin's physical history, preservationists saved several important structures in the 1970s and early 1980s and established the Heritage Center. --RfFt-��A,J-A .... I -) 1.4 Kolb Ranch historic relevance At the time of this writing Kolb Ranch exists as a time capsule of a landscape and lifest,Xle that is�idly vanishing from Dublin and the Amador Valley. It is somewhat remarkable that the ranch has remained intact _for as Long as it _has. Its existence as a working farm was severely impacted with the construction of Highway 50 Low Interstate 580) but the Kolb family managed to continue ranching operations until recent ears. George Kolb was born in Germany in 1867 and immigrated to San Francisco. He moved to Pleasanton to work in his older brother's general merchandise store on Main Street, In the 1890s, George Kolb bought the John Green Merchandise store in Dublin. Around 1904, Kolb purchased a ranch of about 350 acres from Charles Dougherty. He ran the store until 1910 when he moved his family to the ranch. George Kolb farmed until his death in 1933. His sons, and later grandchildren, operated and lived on the ranch until 2006. In the early years of the farm, grains and hay were produced. Later, vegetables, particularly tomatoes, were grown, In general, the Kolb Ranch and farm produced a wide variety of products including ems, chickens, sheep, cattle, milk cows, and apricot orchards, In 1952 the ranch was cut offfrom Dublin Village with the construction of Highway 50 (later to become Interstate 580) and lost its outlying land incrementally, Now, the remaining core of the ranch is becoming a redevelopment site. The Kolb familyon�nal owners and occupants of the ranch, no longer operate it agriculturally and have offered to donate buildings to_t_he City of Dublin for relocation to Dublin Historic _Park. _The _ City Council accepted the donation in March 2008. 1.5 Landscape typologies In the history of Dublin's human settlement, several types of landscape have existed —some created by nature, some shaped by people, These "landscape typologies" became the starting point for the Historic Park design described in Section 3. Because they are the palette from which the community and the consulting Landscape Architect shaped the design, it is worth introducing them. '4 1.5.1 Marsh A large wetland known as Willow Marsh once occupied the low-lying area between Dublin and Pleasanton. Until it was drained in the late 1800s, it likely was the defining feature of the valley bottom. Dublin Creek, now channelized, was once the primary tributary to this marsh. Marsh NATPF. FLAN Springs Creek Rancho This type of habitat was often called a "sausal" on Spanish land grant maps. Once a defining landscape feature dotting the hay area, these willow marshes are now almost totally gone. The historical record indicates they were likely populated by arroyo willow (Salix laseolepis), cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), box elder (Ater negundo califomicum), Oregon ash (Fraxiunus oregona), blackberry (Rubus vitifolius), ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus) and Rosa Californica. +21.5.2 Spring Alamilla Spring provided water and refreshment to the Native residents of the Dublin area and was likely a much -needed stopping place for anyone traveling overland through the area. Spanish soldiers probably stopped at the spring on an exploration of the area in 1772. and as a stage crossroads developed at what would become the comer of San Ramon Road and Dublin Boulevard, Alamilla Spring became an important area landmark. Rancho San Ramon depended on the spring for fresh water. Although the spring still exists just west of San Ramon Road, it is a remnant of its original form and has been encroached upon by development. Nevertheless, it is an important piece of Dublin's heritage that is a hidden treasure amid recent development that has turned its back on the past. , 43 1.5.3 Creek Spanish explorers had been impressed by the creeks in the valley that was to become Dublin. These streams cut deep, wooded ravines through the hills of the Coast Range and spilled into grassy woodlands and finally marshes at the valley floor. Dublin Creek, a perennial stream, fed the large Willow Marsh and provided cover for game and shelter for the Native American residents who lived along it. Although most of Dublin Creek is channelized today, a small remnant of its historic character is left intact, along the southern edge of the Heritage Center, next to 1-580, Here, bay laurel, live oak and riparian plants overhang the cut banks, and even in the summer a steady trickle of water covers the smooth rocks in the streambed, belying deeper waters flowing hidden underground. +:+41.5.4 Rancho Jose Maria Amado , the former administrator of Mission San Jose, founded a ranch on lands that later became Dublin and built his home next to Alamilla Spring, at the crossroads of two Native American trails. The Rancho San Ramon was a two-story Monterey -style adobe surrounded by orchards, a vineyard, a large garden, weaving shops, a tannery, a blacksmith shop, ovens for baking and a smaller garden for the kitchen. The house itself was a series of L-shaped buildings enclosing a rectangular courtyard, typical of the rancho style. ­­R fl*-��A,j -A .... DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK The interior of the rancho was domestic, but the outlying areas of the Amador home were given over to f elds of grain and corn that stretched down to Dublin Creek. Beyond the fields, Amador ran 14,000 cattle, 4,000 sheep and 400 horses on the 25 square miles of land granted to him by Mexican government with the help of hired Native American and Mexican vaqueros. The landscape of the range lands was a mixture of perennial grasslands and oak savannah, but grazing transformed the species composition of the grasslands and development has all but erased them from the urban area. However, a glimpse of what this landscape looked like in Amador's time may still be seen from Interstate 580 as it rises to Altamont Pass from the Livermore Valley. +4-.51.5.5 Orchard Orchards are a familiar landscape type in many parts of California today, and they used to be even more numerous in the Dublin area. Amador's ranch raised an orchard next to the house, and by the late 1800s and early 1900s fruit crops had become an important part of the area's economy. The signs of industry were picturesquely married to the rhythms of nature as the dependable pattern of {lower, leaf and fruit bore out each year in rows and ranks that carpeted the landscape. Common orchard crops for this area included walnuts, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples and apricots. +.4-.6 1.5.6 Crossroads Orchard Long before the Spanish arrived in the Amador Valley, Native Americans had been using two trails that crossed near Alamilla Spring. The trail that ran north -south connected the South Bay and the Sacramento Crossroads Delta; the trail running east west connected the Central Valley to the San Francisco Bay As groups of settlers populated the valley after 1835. the crossroads became even more important in defining the growth of the area. Until the automobile, the crossroads was the meeting point of the San Jose - Martinez and Oakland -Stockton stage lines. Photos from this era show the Amador Hotel (which, along with Dougherty's Station, served travelers on the stage line) and its large front parch —dearly a good spot for watching the world pass by. A water trough painted with the words "fresh water" sits next to the porch, a testament to the continued importance of water to the weary traveler. The crossroads languished temporarily between 1869 and 1891 when the Transcontinental Railroad bypassed the Dublin crossroads by several miles. But it reappeared when state highways replaced the stage roads, and by the 1920s it was a nexus of automobile culture, sporting service stations, garages and eateries. Today, the largest regional crossroads is the interchange of Interstates 580 and 680. Although the freeway has 18 .e...R 1.1111+., A.J.A .... become the physical crossroads for the area, it is there for the same reasons that compelled the trails to cross near Alamilla Spring: the need to go east, west, north and south, and to find refreshment along the way. �5 1.6 Needs assessment Priorto beginning design work on the Historic Park, RHAAand Economic Research Associates (ERA) performed an analysis of unmet the program needs that the Dublin Historic Park could fulfill. The current uses of the Heritage Center were also part of this needs assessment. Current programs operating at the Heritage Center include: • Permanent exhibits • Temporary exhibits • Workshops • School tour programs • Concerts • Music jams • Event rentals in Saint Raymond's Church ERA identified other programs that could also be incorporated into the Historic Park, based on local and regional "markets" for such programs. These included: • Black box theater • Expanded rental event space, used in conjunction with St. Raymond's, for weddings and conferences • Visual arts 1 ceramics studio • Exhibit space for showcasing art by local and regional artists Early design options for the Historic Park included facilities for all of these programs, and RHAA provided the City Council with estimates of the costs associated with building and operating the facilities. After considering these costs and weighing the potential market for the facilities in a special workshop, the Council decided to only provide a multi -purpose classroom space in the Historic Park. (See Section 1.5.7, Summary of public process and Section 2, Master plan,) Existing programs — exhibits, classes, music jams and event rentals —would continue to happen in St. Raymond's Church and the Murray Schoolhouse, but new indoor and outdoor facilities in the Historic Park would expand capacity of the Heritage Center. +-;r+ 1,6,1 Park needs Although many new parks have been built recently in Dublin, these are mainly in the newer, eastern half of the city. The City is underserved by parks an its older, western end (see Section 2.11). The City has also invested heavily in tightly -programmed parks that specialize in R -11*-��A,J-A.... 19 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK athletics, but according to RHAAs analysis, lacks sufficient "passive use" parks that allow a variety of functions and serve a broad age range and demographic. Typical activities in a passive use park include: • Strolling and jogging • Festivals and concerts • Picnicking • Family gatherings • Sunbathing, reading and resting • Informal sports and pickup games, such as frisbee and catch Passive use parks are characterized by lawns, groves and flexible paved outdoor spaces that can be used for multiple activities, sometimes occurring simultaneously. Some passive use parks serve mainly the surrounding neighborhood, but a larger park like the Historic Park can serve as a City-wide draw for passive uses. 4-.5-4 1.6.2 Heritage Center needs The Heritage Center includes St. Raymond's Church, the Murray Schoolhouse, and the Pioneer Cemetery, The Murray Schoolhouse contains a permanent collection of historic artifacts from Dublin's settlement from the early 1880s to the present. St. Raymond's Church contains a main meeting area that is used for weddings and event rentals. The Pioneer Cemetery is small, at less than two acres, and expected to reach capacity within the near future, The Heritage Center needs expanded facilities in two areas: • Classroom space • Cemetery facilities Because of the historic character of the existing buildings and lack of room on which to build immediately adjacent to them, it is necessary to build any additional facilities within the Historic Park itself, The City Council has recognized cemetery expansion as a civic goal because it would allow residents who would like to be buried in Dublin to do so, rather than having to choose cemetery plots outside the City. The Dublin Historic Preservation Association now owns the parcel south of Dublin Creek, which provides room for the cemetery to expand with the addition of a bridge over the creek. 4-.-5-.3 1.6.3 Community needs Community members have identified a need in Dublin for more program spaces for: • Community theater 1 performance space • Art classrooms and gallery space --Rfl+-��A,J-A .... +� 1.7 Key questions Before the design process, RHAA established a set of key questions to guide the community's visioning of a new Historic Park. These included: • What are the criteria for a successful historic park? • What is the critical mass of program activity required to make the park feel lively? • What is the maximum program capacity of the site? • What defines historic "authenticity"? • How should contemporary Dublin be reflected in the historic park? How can the park design make the Heritage Center more visible to the surrounding community? At each stage of presentation, RHAA and community participants returned to answer these questions to help evaluate the progress of the design effort. +J 1.8 Summary of public process Community input was a critical driver for this project, especially since at the outset of design, a program had not yet been developed. Because the notion of history is intertwined with feelings of civic pride, it was especially important that residents of Dublin be the primary voice in the design of their Historic Park. To that end, RHAA organized a series of community meetings to learn the community's priorities, and to get feedback on whether the design solutions it proposed met community goals and expectations. The public process for the design was as follows (also see Appendix A.2. I - A.2.3): R .-11*-.A.J.A... 21 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK cn w U O C Z LI7 L1J r Meeting I: Kick-off Partcipants: Heritage and Cultural Arts, Parks and Community Services, RHAA, ERA Purpose: Establish project goals, scope and introduce consultants. Meeting II: Listening to the public Participants: Members of the community, Heritage and Cutural Arts, Parks and Community Services, RHAA, ERA Purpose: Introduce the project to the community, consultant listening, gathering ideas, identify issues. Consultants develop initial design alternatives Meeting III: Present initial park design concepts Participants: Members of the community, Heritage and Cultural Arts, Parks and Community Services, RHAA, ERA Purpose: Consultants present design alternatives based on Meeting II. Identify a preferred option and gather feedback to refine design. Consultants refine preferred option based on community input _ I T T Preferred Option Full site version Half site version One-third site version Full site version Half site version One-third site version Meeting IW-. Present Meeting IVb: Present Preferred Option to joint Preferred Option to City Commissions Council Participants: Heritage and Participants: City Council, Cultural Arts Commission, RHAA, ERA Parks and Community Seances Commission, RHAA, ERA Purpose: Commissions and Council direct consultant team to pursue Full, Half, or One-third site version. (continued) MA-;TFR FLAN (continued from previous page) f Consultants develop Full site l version of Preferred Option Meeting Va. Present revised Full site Preferred Option to Joint Meeting Vb. Present Commissions revised Full site Preferred Participants: Heritage and Option to City Council Cultural Arts Commission, Parficiparm; City Council, Parks and Community Services RHAA Commission, RHAA Purpose: Consultants incorporate direction from Commissions and Council, receive feedback for Master Plan I Develop Draft Master Plan Draft Master Plan Meeting Via: Present Draft Master Plan to Meeting Vlb: Present Joint Commissions Draft Master Plan to Pai t aparrts: Heritage and City Council Cultural Arts Commission, Participants: City Council, Parks and Community Services RHAA Commission, RHAA Purpose: Identify Master Plan refinements. Develop Final Master Plan Final Master Plan Meeting VII: Present Final Master Plan to City Council Participants: City Council, RHAA Purpose; Present Final Master Plan SIR LLW arm . �' ' + a �.. ". � tiz 1. r P y � or !�'�� it rR � F •.a. - ■.. +,�lr�a' � r - Vs rr �r -� shy •��` � � � A'a� rr, i All iL ! r V- A: -0• .i PTmjlv, . - ' - XV r � -•sue_ _ - �rllr.rs.r :-ddr.�- ? A16—jot - 3 i ! FIGURE 2-1 I Urban context 2.1 Urban context I inch = Z000 feet. I inch = 1000 feet. FIGURE 2-2 Map of Dublin ■ 0 3/4 1 II2 2 1/4 miles Dublin is situated in Alameda County, California at the crossroads of Interstate 580 and Interstate 680. As an urban area, it is relatively new, having seen most of its growth since 1950. Consequently, the texture of the urban fabric surrounding the Dublin Historic Park is typical of post - World War II suburban development, typified by single family homes on open lots, automobile -oriented commercial areas and generous street widths. The defining features of the park's context on the older, west end of Dublin are Interstate 580 (located directly south), Dublin Boulevard (to the north of the site), Dublin Creek (which flows next to the freeway), and the mixture of mostly office park commercial buildings on the east and west sides of the park. Interstate 580 is perhaps the dominant feature of the site and imposes several important conditions: • Noticeable automobile noise and louder sounds of trucks braking and cars accelerating • A physical barrier to access of the park from the south • Views of cars passing The most convenient connections to the site are via automobile. Pedestrian connections are mainly along Dublin Boulevard. t Downtown , --- AP Civ�nty��. (proposed) IF ....R f Kf ,A,I,A ... 27 2.2 Site conditions The existing Heritage Center sits at the end of Donlon Way and is not highly visible from Dublin Boulevard, which is the main thoroughfare through town. Between the Heritage Center and Dublin Boulevard is the future site of the Historic Park. The site presents a unique opportunity to expand the visual presence of the Heritage Center and announce the Historic District on Dublin Boulevard. However, currently the Historic Park site contains an aging shopping center and a bank surrounded by a large, parking lot that blocks views to the large trees, historic buildings and creek at the Heritage Center. Occupying the center of the 4.22-acre Historic Park site is the Dublin Square Shopping Center, constructed in 1963. The shopping center was acquired by the City in May 2007. This complex of buildings sits at the center of a large parking lot and is made up of a main pavilion with two wings to the east and west. The south side of the complex is a loading area that abuts the edge of the Pioneer Cemetery. A mass of mature live oak trees just inside the cemetery lines the fence that separates the Dublin Square parcel from the cemetery. In the northwest corner of the parking lot is a building constructed in 1999, now leased to US Bank. There are few trees on the site, and those that are present are located on the perimeter and are generally young. There are three historic structures within the park area: . Old St. Raymond's Church, constructed in 1859 by the Diocese of Oakland, is adjacent to Donlon Way about halfway between Dublin Boulevard and Dublin Creek. FIGURE 2-3 Historic structures within park area R f1+-JA- I -A .... MASTER PLAN • The Old Murray Schoolhouse, constructed in 1856 on James Dougherty's land and moved to its present site, at the south end of Donlon Way, about 100 feet from St. Raymond's Church, According to its historic evaluation it is "of overriding significance as the oldest surviving school in eastern Alameda County and one of a handful of surviving structures from the pioneer settlement of Dublin." • The Green Store, constructed in 1860, is on the southeast corner of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard, It served as a general store FIGURE 2-4 1 Interstate 580 and Donlon Way .....R..H,..&I-A ... DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 2-5 1 Cemetery and Dublin Boulevard edge conditions for seventy-five years in the late 1$00s and early 1900s, and is a prime example of early California vernacular construction. In addition to these buildings, the main historic feature of the area is the Pioneer Cemetery, which occupies the west portion of the Heritage Center site. The cemetery has a feeling of being tucked away from the road. Currently there is a parking lot between it and Donlon Way. MASTER PLAN FIGURE 2-6 Site conditions Grave sites are grouped together in areas bounded by curbs. Large oak and walnut trees dating from early European settlement tower over the cemetery, giving it a shady, forested feeling. At the back (west) end, small bushes and trees have become overgrown and blend in with the wooded area across the fence on the Hexcel property. DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 2-7 1 Kalb Ranch location Though the physical connection to the old Dublin Village was severed in 1952 with the construction of the modern Highway 50 (now 580), the historic connections of the Kolb Ranch remain. The freeway and municipal boundaries are artificial divisions; historically, the ranch was linked to the center of Dublin physically, structurally, and socially When the ranch was built, Dublin and Pleasanton were separate places, not yet municipalities. Technically the Kolb Ranch is now located inside the Pleasanton City line, however, originally the ranch was more physically related to Dublin Village than to the more distant town of Pleasanton. Its farm fields originally extended north, right to the edge of Dublin village, directly connected by Dublin Canyon Road. Additionally, the Kolb family was socially tied to the "old village" having owned the Green Store for a period of time. The dominant natural feature of the site is Dublin Creek. It is in roughly its natural condition here and is unique in this — in the rest of the urban area it has been channelized or culverted. Its banks are steep and the stream is not easy to access from above. It is heavily wooded with oak, bay laurel and walnut trees, which provide significant visual screening from the freeway. MASTER FLAN Alamilla Spring is another significant natural feature in the area, although it is located across Dublin Boulevard near San Ramon Road. The spring, and its proximity to the crossroads, is the historical reason for the founding of Dublin. The spring is in a depression about 75' long by 12' wide, with its sides lushly vegetated with redwoods, walnuts, oaks and willows. At its eastern end, the spring flows into a box culvert which diverts water across San Ramon Road, FIGURE 2-7a I Alamilla spring and Dublin Creek .- ' -sUBLIN HISTORIC PAPk? ' 2.3 Current uses The three sites within the Historic Park plaster Plan (see Figure 1-2) contain a variety of uses, both public and private: 2,3.1 Site A: Dublin Square Shopping Center The building complex contains a mix of commercial uses, including a bank, catering business, computer repair shop, barber shop and an auto parts store. With the exception of the bank, all of the other uses have moved and the buildings are vacant. FIGURE 2-8 1 Current Heritage Center programming 0 i 3 R.�.�.1.,�.p ..,. MASTER PLAN 2.3.2 Site B: Heritage Center The Heritage Center houses cultural and civic programming as well as private functions held in rented facilities. In the two buildings (St. Raymond's Church and the Murray Schoolhouse) and cemetery, uses include: • Musical concerts and jams • Weddings, baptisms and other private ceremonies Lectures, conferences and recitals of less than 100 people Historic and cultural tours • Classes for school -age children Permanent and temporary museum collections of artifacts from Dublin's settlement 2.3.3 Site C: Proposed cemetery expansion A temporary trailer currently occupies the eastern portion of the site: otherwise, the site is vacant of structures, The site has a meadow - woodland character. The area around Dublin Creek is known to have had Ohlone settlements, so this site may contain archeological remains. 2.4 Potential development areas considered The City of Dublin directed the consultants to study three development area options during the public process of the Master Plan, These were: Scheme A: Full site At 4.22 acres, this scheme included acquisition of the entire parcel currently occupied by the Dublin Square Shopping Center, The entire parcel would be developed as the Historic Park. Scheme B: Half site At I.80 acres, this scheme split the Dublin Square parcel in roughly half, Half would be developed as the Historic Park and half would be turned back over to private development. Scheme Q One-third site At 1.40 acres, this scheme would acquire the eastern section of the Dublin Square parcel. one-third of the parcel would be developed as the Historic Park and two-thirds would be turned back over to private development. During the public process, RHAA developed three design alternatives and presented them at public meetings (see Section 1.7). For each alternative a "full site," "half site" and "one-third" site version were presented. The public attending the presentations, the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission, the Parks and Community Services Commission and the City Council favored the full site scheme (A), and R -1*-��A,J-A .... DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 2-9 Site development options E , . JT Ir�IN � ' ' T_F_- r�r r` I 1 Option A Full -site development: 4.22-acre Historic Park Option B Half -site development: 1.80-acre Historic Park Option C One-third site development: 1.40-acre Historic Park 0 25 50 100 150 feet R.,1 A.I A MAST PIP. PLArA NOTES HISTORIC DUBLIN BOUNDARY Area of city developed between 1850-1950: Contains California Points of Historical Interest: St. Raymond's Church, Murray School and the Green Store Dublin Pioneer Cemetery located in District Original site of "Dublin Village" 21 PERIPHERAL HISTORIC AREA Contains Bonde House, Ponderosa House, Alamilla Spring and Amador Adobe site, historic walnut grove, historic walnut trees at office complex and mature valley oaks 1 NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORIC SITE Settlement near AlamiIla Spring contained Ohlone burial grounds with moderate to high possibility of archeological resources at Historic Park site. High possibility of historic -period resources at Historic Park site. n EXISTING HERITAGE CENTER Hidden, but charming creekside character; potential expansion; Parking lot divides center of existing site; Potential to expar d cemetery; Potential to reduce freeway noise with soundwall. DUBLIN CREEK Remnant of historic creek is not in a culvert; Primary tributary to W Ilow Marsh; Riparian woodland area contains native and inb-oduced species. HISTORIC CROSSROADS Historic crossing of the Oakland - Stockton Road (Dublin Boulevard) and the Martinez -Mission San Jose Road (San Ramon Road) DUBLIN SQUARE SHOPPING n CENTER Buildings block connection to Dublin Boulevard; Bank is on long-term lease SURROUNDING n V NEIGHBORHOODS Post-war suburban, commercial and office and light industrial; Daycare center currently in Bonde House RHAA was directed by Council to pursue this design scheme. The full site scheme (A) requires acquisition of the entire Dublin Square Shopping Center parcel. 2.5 0000rtunities and constraints Although Dublin's pre-19b0 history has largely been erased, a good deal of what is left lies within the boundaries of the newly -created Dublin Village Historic District. In January 2004 the City Council adopted design guidelines for the District. Following are some of the sites opportunities and constraints: 2.5.1 Opportunities Several key historic features are within the Historic Park area. These are: • The Pioneer Cemetery • The Green Store • The Murray Schoolhouse • Remnants of Hawthorn Lane • St. Raymond's Church These buildings are important assets, and integrating them into the Historic Park presents many opportunities. Other opportunities include: • Dublin Creek's presence can be enhanced and celebrated, since it is a unique stretch of natural creek within the urban area • Large walnut trees and live oaks exist on the site, especially between the existing Heritage Center and Dublin Square Shopping Center. Opening up views ofthese trees will significantly enhance the site. • If the existing Dublin Square Shopping Center buildings are removed, the site will become very open on the north end, creating good views to the historic buildings and large trees in the Heritage Center area. • The parcel across Dublin Creek from the Pioneer Cemetery is a good site on which to expand the cemetery. • A freeway soundwall, if installed, can be integrated into the cemetery expansion columbarium. • The "back gate" to the Pioneer Cemetery at the northwest corner can be integrated with a vehicle drop-off from Dublin Boulevard, reducing the walking distance to reach that part of the cemetery. • The comer of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard can be celebrated for its historic significance by creating a focus here. • Donlon Way is a quiet, dead-end street that will be amenable to pedestrian enhancements. ­­R fl*-��A,j -A .... DUBLIN I-I1;1 {��1r- 1` FIGURE 2-10 1 Opportunities and constraints '�■J l z ❑ 7oNDE HO E — DOUGHERTYS STATION HOTEL 517E HrsTOR ci fl15TR! �BOU�p�Y aft am 0 75 150 300 450 feet Ir�Ir7:3x.7�Mq 38 . A 1-If I A I A MASTER PLAN • The Bonde House, directly across Dublin Boulevard from the site, could be integrated into the history of the park through interpretive signage, even if the building remains in private hands. • Archeological remains, from both Native American and post - contact settlement, probably exist throughout the site. While this also imposes a constraint on building, it provides an opportunity to protect these assets by developing the site as a park. 2.5.2 Constraints Interstate 580 imposes some of the most severe constraints on the site. These include: • Noise • A physical barrier that reduces accessibility visibility to the site • Visual qualities that conflict with the peaceful and natural setting of the cemetery Other, general constraints on the site include: • Lack of visibility from more populated parts of Dublin • Although site is close to BART,, pedestrian connection is not direct or pleasant (pedestrians must cross San Ramon Road and walk through auto -dominated streetscapes) • Dublin Boulevard is currently wide and not pedestrian -friendly at the Historic Park frontage • Cu rrently th e re is little dense residential development immediately surrounding the site. More residential nearby would increase general, everyday use of the park. Note that of all the constraints the freeway is the only one that cannot be changed in the near term. R I H I A,J,A .... 39 4 i WIP 2" Ole 4b too - '40 a ps 46 jar @Mo 16. Lf� Orchard Garder Kolb Ranch relo Eno* ��71t C: K-J IL 3.0 Master Plan oonce The Historic Park is organized by several "landscape 'typologies' that are native to Dublin. These typologies are the language with which the stories of Dublin's past are constructed: Orchard, Springs. Crossroads. fUnch, Creek These features of the park are not reconstructions of the past, but landscape allegories that resonate deep within the cultural memory of Dublin. The intent of the design is to create a contemporary landscape that connects the past and the future of the City by engaging visitors' own stories and interpretations of what they see. Above all, the Historic Park's attitude is that history is a tactile, living thing that is subject to as many interpretations as there are people who visit the park. Dublin's history is not just in the past: it will live and evolve with the people who make up the City, as will the meanings inherent in their park. Additionally the Historic Park recreates a historically acceptable core ranch layout with the relocation of ranch structures from the Kolb Ranch. The two three main features of the design are the Orchard Garden, and the Freshwater Corner, and the Kolb Ranch relocation. The Freshwater Corner evokes both the Springs and the Crossroads, the sources of Dublin's growth. By combining these typologies into a new, hybrid metaphor within the tracery of the old Amador Hotel, a new gateway to the Historic District is created. At the center of the Freshwater Comer is a playful reminder to the child in all of us that summer days were made for refreshing play in the water. The Orchard Garden is arranged according to the grid of an orchard, once common and still seen in the Amador Valley. The grid is also a tapestry of paths, woven at right angles, which investigate both the ways in which our many cultures are similar, and how they are different. This system of paths is called the Culture Walks and the Diversity Streams. In this fabric (warp and weft), the history of Dublin and its residents can be discovered, explored and celebrated. The Orchard Garden also provides, with its orderly rows of trees, an almost -architectural space in which various programmatic elements picnic, play, learning are arranged. It also provides a place for Dublin's current and future residents to impart their own identity to the park, to become a part of "history". The Kolb Ranch relocation creates an "ensemble" that reproduces the historic relationships among buildings that characterized the home ranch of rural California. Five ranch structures will be relocated to the Historic Park. The Main House is refurbished to include two period museum rooms in the dining room and living room, three discoverX --Rfl*-��A,J-A .... 43 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK rooms in two of the bedrooms and the back porch, a public room in the entry area, a catering/teaching kitchen and archival storage space in the upstairs. Park restrooms are provided in the refurbished Old House and the Sunday School Barn is retrofitted as a mufti -use classroom space, with the capacity to serve as a Black Box Theater as well. The Hay Barn is used as a shelter to the Ranch Play Area and the Pump House is placed adjacent to the Past Time Pool. Functional elements include a perimeter path, a stroll down which takes in all Features of the park and makes a satisfying route for joggers and strollers, parking which is distributed about the park's perimeter for convenient access everywhere; large, flexible lawn spaces that can accommodate many different programs; and a robust interface with the streetscape that respects and enhances Dublin's emerging, walkable urban environment. Most vital to the park's success, though, are its existing assets: large trees, the creek, views of the hills, historic buildings and cemetery, and a sense that the ground is filled with stories. Wherever possible, this scheme highlights and protects these assets. 3.1 Freshwater Garner The Freshwater Corner combines elements of the historic springs and the historic crossroads into a signature contemporary landscape feature that offers refreshment, sociability and play in the most visible part of the Historic Park, It draws on the essential aspects of the spring: Cool, running water Sylvan enclosure And the essential traits of the crossroads: A sheltered, privileged vantage point to view the action • A sense of arrival... and the intrigue of possible destinations Refreshment, respite and relaxation The Freshwater Comer is composed of several elements, each drawing from a historic feature of the area. They are combined to create a district within the park, a place of greater activation, a special gateway that interfaces with the City. The elements of the Freshwater Comer are: 3.1.1 The interactive fountain The central feature of the Freshwater Comer is an elliptical fountain, recalling the oval shape of Alamilla Spring, in which approximately two dozen in -grade nozzles shoot water into the airto a height of two to ten feet. There is no curb or separate basin —only a couple inches of water collect in a low spot on the ground, which is paved with a resilient, A sign advertising "fresh Water" marks a trough in Front of the Amador Hotel in 1900. LIMA: V-11" ILLUSTRATIVE PLAN I I x 17 foldout MASTER ELAN NOTES GRASS BERMS 2 INTERACTIVE FOUNTAIN AMADOR INN 'PORCH" DISTRICT ENTRY MONUMENTS CROSSROADS PLAZA DONLON WAY SPECIAL PAVING GREEN STORE gripping surface. Children can walk right onto one of the bubbling jets on a hot summer day, or surprise themselves by being caught in one as they try to make it across without getting wet. Fountain jets can be programmed to flow constantly or activate in random sequence. In the summer, this fountain is the place to be for kids! Parents can watch from two lawn berms to either side of the fountain or benches on the sidewalk. Similar water features have been successfully built and maintained in such communities as Stockton, San Jose and Los Angeles, FIGURE 3-2 1 Freshwater Corner - detail plan DONLON WAT I W 'A A i5: Z ....R f W -A-I- , ... 47 DURLIN HISTORIC PARR FIGURE 3-3 II {Concept diagram z,+ x ue F x N z I N FIGURE 3-4 Landscape typologies represented in the park design Rancho Crossroads orchard -:iW"[_7 MASTER PLAN 3.1.2 Amador Inn "Porch" Framing the fountain is a pergola that echoes the footprint of the porch of the Amador Inn, which once served as stopping place for stages, and later cars, passing the crossroads here. The front porch of the Amador Inn was a place where people could recline and watch the action on the road. Historic photos of the Amador Inn show a watering trough with the words "Fresh Water" painted on it. The "porch" takes advantage of the existing grade change at the corner of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard with a couple of long steps that help separate the interior of the park from the "crossroads plaza" area next to the street. At the top of these steps are rows of chairs which could swivel to allow visitors to face either into or out of the park, and face whichever direction the action is, or rock to recall the rocking chairs that might have once sat out on the porch. The structure of the pergola itself should be designed to echo, but not necessarily mimic, the front porch of the old Amador Hotel. The posts, for example, could be set at the same interval as the hotel's — about ten feet apart — but other members could be updated to reflect a more contemporary look. In any case, the structure should be designed to impose roughly the same volume as the original front porch, but offer a permeable facade to the park that announces the comer without blocking views into the park itself. 3.1 .3 Crossroads Plaza The Crossroads Plaza is the area of sidewalk between the base of the steps and the street, including special paving on Donlon Way. The feel of this plaza should be urban, embracing Dublin's modern identity as a metropolitan area. Street trees are placed in alignment with the rest of Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way, helping to tie the north and east frontages of the park together. Trees should be set in deep wells in the sidewalk and have grates. Pedestrian street lighting should be consistent with the rest of Dublin Boulevard. (All streetscape elements should be coordinated with the Dublin Streets ape Master Plan, adopted June 2005 and Dublin Village Design Guidelines, adopted January 2004.) Inlaid in the sidewalk at the comers of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard are the words Stockton, Martinez, Oakland and San Jose. These represent the destinations of the historic stage lines that used to cross near the park. See Figure 3-2, note 5. These in -ground signs can be made of steel or bronze, and type should be no smaller than 12" high. Some work on this area will occur in advance of actual park construction in order to take advantage of early funding opportunities specifically for streetscape improvements on Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way. (See Section 3.3 for streetscape improvements and Section 4.5 for phasing details.) R .-1*-.A.J.A ... 49 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 3-5 Freshwater Corner interactive fountain �� ...fir �� � i �•■ y FIGURE 3-5 I Intersection of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard, looking west MASTER PLAN 3.1.4 District entry monuments On either side of Donlon Way at the northeast corner of the park will be district entry monuments to announce the park to Dublin Boulevard and provide a gateway into the Historic District Core (for monument locations see Figure 3-2, note 4; see Figure 3-6 for design intent rendering). The monuments should be designed as low walls that do not block views into the park or Donlon Way, but rather accentuate the intersection as the Historic District Core's primary entrance. The walls should be located so as to be obviously visible from Dublin Boulevard. The wall west of Donlon Way may intersect the stairs and provide a feature on which to climb or sit. As the main piece of identity signage for the park and Historic District Cone, the walls should use quality durable materials, such as stone and metal, and be detailed to project an image of civic permanence. As with all new built elements in the Historic District, the style of the walls should be distinctly different from the style of historic structures while still maintaining sensitivity to their context. (Also refer to Dublin Village Design Guidelines, Section 6.14, which calls for "gateway entry signs at Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard.) 3.1.5 Donlon Way paving Donlon Way will receive a special paving treatment from the edge of Dublin Boulevard to the southern edge of Crossroads Plaza, The design of the paving may incorporate crosswalk striping as well. See Section 3.2.2, 3.2 Orchard Garden The Orchard Garden is the physical heart of the park. It is defined by a grid of walnut trees, spaced 30' apart, as in orchards typical of the area before urbanization. A grid of paths straddle the spaces between the trees. The squares of the grid created on the groundp[an e are filled with decomposed granite. The orchard Garden is defined by two systems of pathways: • Culture Walks (Section 3.2.4) • Diversity Streams (Section 3.2.4) This gridded system of two kinds of walks organizes the Orchard Garden and conveys the history of Dublin through text imprinted in the groundplane of the paths. The Culture Walks describe the various cultures that have settled Dublin, while the Diversity Streams describe the many traditions and ways of life that each of these cultures expresses uniquely. .....R-.l*.. A.J. ... DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 3-7 1 Orchard Garden - detail plan 52 4 - - _ - - - L j 4 '� tv aj Q 25 50 75 feet R -1,1+ -1 A { A MASTER PLAN NOTES DROP-OFF PLAZA n LANDSCAPES OF MEMORYwALLS n RANCHO PLAYGROUND & HAY BARN r� PICNIC AREA DIVERSITY BORDER GARDEN n ARTIFACT CUBES V OLD HOUSE PUMP HOUSE V n PAST -TIME POOL n MAIN HOUSE ,v n SUNDRY SCHOOL BARN 12 RECEPTION AREA n FARM IMPLEMENTS n HISTORIC LOCATOR Within the Orchard Garden are also distinct sub -spaces: • The Rancho Playground (see Section 3.2.2 and Figure 3-7, note 3) • The Diversity Border Garden (Section 3.2.6 and Figure 3-7, note 5) • The Picnic area (Section 3.2.8 and Figure 3-7, note 4) And there are other, vertical features, or "garden objects" which add interest and help convey the history of the area. These are: • The Past -time Pool (Section 3.2.1 and Figure 3-7, note 9) • Landscape Memory walls (Section 3.2.3 and Figure 3-7, note 2) • Artifact Cubes (Section 3.2.5 and Figure 3-7, note 6) The 30' grid of the Orchard Garden lends itself to accommodating booths or stalls for festivals. Each 30' square can accommodate four I O'x 10' tents, with the orchard tree in the center. Tents can be placed so that their open sides face outwards, towards the paths. This modular setup can be configured in many ways, depending on the fair or festival using the park. The Orchard Garden is a metaphor for the history of Dublin, taking its form from a type of landscape with deep roots in the area. Visitors to the park will likely spend time strolling through the orchard, investigating the objects along the paths and reading inscriptions in the groundplane. R H. A,J,A .... 53 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK 3.2.1 Past -time Pool The Past -time Pool is designed to draw children into the past and give them a glimpse of the previous residents of Dublin. The design consists of a reflecting pool lined with a base of large granite slabs. Portraits of past residents are etched into the slabs. Interspersed along the edge (where children can easily look into them) are small, oval mirrors that capture the reflection of Dublin's current (and future?) residents. FIGURE 3-8 1 Past -time Pool t- 54 ..­111 ]-14 -�-A- I A MASTER PLAN 3.2.2 Rancho Playground The Rancho Playground occupies the center of the Orchard Garden (see Figure 3-7, note 3). The playground's design is themed loosely on the Rancho San Ramon (Figure 3-9). It contains some traditional play equipment, such as slides and swings, but the majority of the play structures are custom -designed in the vernacular of a ranch in the 1880s. The features allow kids to experience the feel of the materials of that era (such as wood, adobe, sand and iron), but also to play at some typical activities of a ranch, like: • Fetching water • Saddling a horse • Weaving and spinning • Blacksmithing • Planting and harvesting crops The Hay Ram from the Kolb Ranch will be integrated into the Rancho Playground and will serve as a shelter for play beneath. On the west end of the playground is the drop-off plaza (see Section 3.3.2). This is a main area from which parents may want to watch their children play, if they are parking in the west parking lot. It should provide ample comfortable seating. FIGURE 3-9 Conjectural layout of Rancho San Ramon (Hamel) '� 7 � r t1nRn •■ � r.�.A.��ti r••e�re� s �� a 4� 4 sHrn f � ra�arwls � f �4 s a, II It -111*-��A,J-A: DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK FIGURE 3-10 1 Diversity streams FIGURE 3-1 1 1 Artifact cubes C �ti ti ti. ■ r JilL ..,,.R_1.1111{.. A.1 A .... MASTER FLAN 3.2.3 Landscape Memory walls FIGURE 3-12 1 Landscape Memory walls Within the Orchard Garden will be several walls approximately 30 feet long with scenes on both sides depicting the area landscape at various points in history. These scenes roughly correspond to the landscape typologies mentioned in Section 1.4. The walls serve to transport visitors in time and place. They should be designed, at a minimum, to include a bench or seatwall on at least one side. If the concrete is left exposed, it should be cast or finished in a way to provide interesting aesthetic texture (e.g., sandblasted, board -formed, etc.). A. 57 DUBLll�,j HIST:7RIC PARK 3.2.4 Culture Walks and Diversity Streams (The Grid of Knowledge) The north -south walkways in the Orchard Garden are assigned diverse aspects of everyday life that each culture represented in Dublin has expressed in a different way. For example, all cultures have language — but each sounds different. The Diversity Streams show how each culture lives differently. These streams are: Language, food, clothing, shelter, art, play, beliefs On the other hand, the east -west Culture Walks in the Orchard Garden are each assigned to the waves of immigrant cultures that have settled in Dublin. They are: Ohlone and Miwok, Spanish and Mexican, Irish, Scandinavian and German, Multicultural contemporary Dublin The Walks are the circulation system of the Orchard Garden, but also serve as a way to discover the cultures and lifeways that have shaped Dublin. The discoveries one makes depend on which route one takes. If a park visitor decides to trace the "food" Diversity Stream, she might learn about howthe Ohlone villagers, Mexican ranchers, Irish immigrants and modern urban Dubliners all cook their dinners. If she decided to stroll just the Ohlone Culture Walk, she would learn all about how the Native Americans here cooked food, played games, built shelters, and so on. Information is conveyed primarily within the paving of the walkways themselves. Figure 3.1 U suggests how paving stones might be engraved to record the many names that have been given to children in different cultures. The names in the paving would change depending on which Culture Walk was nearby. Alternately, objects might be imbedded in the paving or narrative text stamped into it, 3.2.5 Artifact Cubes Artifact Cubes are stationed at the intersections of the Culture Walks and the Diversity Streams in the Diversity Border Garden. They are granite blocks onto which cast bronze "artifacts" have been affixed. Some of the artifacts are historical —same are contemporary. Examples of the artifacts could include: • Ohlone baskets • Dinner plates from a pioneer family • Corn, stalks of grain and fruits from a Mexican rancho • An Pod or Gameboy belonging to a Dublin kid's bedroom Example of text engraved in stone paths. Example of cast bronze objects set on a stone pedestal. LA"r-lore MASTER PLAN The artifact on each block corresponds to its position within the Diversity Streams. For example, if it is in line with the "play" path, then the cast artifact might be a game. If it is in line with the "food" path, then it might be a utensil or dish. The purpose the Artifact Cubes is to put tactile, everyday objects from different periods within the grasp of young visitors. They are placed to be touched and investigated within easy reach of 3- to I 0-year-olds. They should be constructed and designed to withstand heavy use, climbing, etc. Local artists might also be engaged to produce the cast objects for each Artifact Cube. 3.2.6 Diversity Border Garden Thetwo northern Culture Walks are dedicatedto Dublin's contemporary multicultural makeup. In this garden, each of the cultures contributing to today's multicultural population will be represented. The garden will need to be designed in detail through a public process that engages the current community. It is also a suitable location for other, specific artist - designed installations. r• -- - - - o- - -- -- - - --- - -- - - - •ra -- - - - - 3-.2-- 8 3.2.7 Picnic area The picnic area within the orchard Garden accommodates 50 people at 12 picnic tables. Metal barbecue stands should be built in. 3-4-.9 3.2.8 Sculpture benches Wthin the Orchard Garden, benches should be amply provided next to the pathways. They may be grouped in twos or threes, especially at the busier areas. All benches in the park should be of consistent design and materials. select benches within the orchard Garden can have special sculptural elements attached to them, such as seated human figures from various periods of Dublin's history. This popular type of sculpture has been tried out in many cities, and is a playful way for adults and children to interact with life-sized pieces of history. 3� 10 329 North Lawn and stage Example of a sculptural element on a bench. The North Lawn provides the Historic Park with a large, flexible passive use space. It is pastoral in appearance and highly visible from Dublin Boulevard. It is open in the center, allowing for picnicking or informal games. It can be programmed for large-scale gatherings, such as concerts or fairs. Trees will be clustered near the edges of the main lawn space to provide areas of shade, but the main area will be clear and planted only in lawn. At the northwest corner of the North Lawn is an outdoor stage. The stage is a simple, ADA accessible concrete platform that can also be accessed from a loading area at the northwest driveway. The concrete platform may be outfitted with inset sleeves to accommodate pillars for a removable shade structure. rMWO . ���• �tlylv!l Elm Elm L.Aft-4i 3�1 3.2.10 South Lawn and outdoor classroom The South Lawn and outdoor classroom replace the existing parking lot at the Heritage Center. This lawn will become a woodsy, contemplative space for educational activities connected with programs in St. Raymond's Church and the Murray Schoolhouse. Generally, this is a quieter space than either the East or North Lawns. It is close to the creek and adjacent to the Pioneer Cemetery. .e...R fl+-� A.J.A .... MASTER PLAN 3.3 to the Cemetery Annex flanks the west edge of the South Lawn. Next to the Murray Schoolhouse, the outdoor classroom — a circular seating area — provides a place for groups of children and adults outside. The seats can be made of cast -in -place concrete and special paving used atthe walkway here. The outdoor classroom should be oriented so that the seats take in views of Dublin Creek and the cemetery. Several trees that are in planters within the existing parking lot may need to be taken out or relocated to create this lawn area, Kolb Ranch relocation The ensemble of Kolb Ranch buildings "apical typical instance of a broader "type" of historic California landscape ---the "home ranch." To the extent that the look and feel of the home ranch can be evoked within the Historic Park and not compete with the ensemble of other historic structures (Green Store, Murray Schoolhouse, St. Raymond's Church), its presence in the park can help serve the park's mission by adding another layer of regional historical interpretation. The most promising buildings for relocation, based cn their significance, the role they play in the current ranch grouping, and their potential for reuse, are the Main House (which could be used as a house museum, archival storage, or small classrooms), Sunday School Bam (which could serve as space for multi -use classrooms and a black box theater}, and the Old House (which could provide toilet rooms for the park). These buildings should be sited so that the essentials of their historical interrelationships are apparent. This would require. • setting them back from the curb and apart from each other appropriately • or-2anizing them into alignments and functional groupings that resemble the grid orientation of the original ranch • surrounding and orienting them logically to landscape zones congruent with the buildings' character The treatment of the landscape around the relocated ranch buildings will also be important for conveying the story of the ranch. Simple treatments such as granular surfaces will look and feel like a ranch landscape. Placement of selected farm implements from the ranch can also add to the ranch story. Orchard trees and the common locust trees can also help recreate the ranch setting. Around the Main House, pathways lined with diagonal brick and proper historic plant material will tell the story of what it was like to live on the ranch. .....R..l*.. A.j.A ... DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK 3.3.1 Main House The Main House is refurbished to include two oeriod museum rooms in the dining room and living room, three discovery rooms in two of the bedrooms and the back porch, a public room in the entry area, a minimally refurbished staff kitchen and archival storage space upstairs, The Front Field could be used as an outdoor event venue. 33.2 Sunday School Barn The Sunday School Barn is retrofitted as a multi -use classroom space, with the capacity to serve as a Black Box Theater. The Sunday Schooi Bam also provides a facility for receptions in conjunction with events at St. Rumond's which can spill onto the Front Held area. FIGURE 3-13 Kalb Ranch - Detail Plan L � I Hay BJrn I Shelter for play ared MASTER PUILD Sunday School Barn --------- Multi -use c€gsroom space Reception & event area Old House Potential Black Box The er Restroom Optional dressing room add' n _ - ___________ __ -- -- - - tocust ables WXIW � Farm impiernents, Historic "locator",- Distance and direct?.n gmal ranch site t Field "Fence" Posts_ 1 Suggests fields but pass-thcaL gh l The Front Saint Raymond's Chur ; Field , -1... 4 _ ------ ' --- --w- - Pumphouse Main House north a20 40 so 160 R J-1114-1-A-1-A MASTER PLAN 3.3.3 Old House The old House will be refurbished to serve as park restrooms. 3.3.4 Hay Barn The Hay Barn is integrated into the Rancho Play Area and serves as a shelter for play beneath. 3,3,5 Pumphouse The Pumphouse is relocated adjacent to the Past Time Pool to augment the water theme there. 34 3.4 Parking and streetscape imuravements Parking and streetscape improvements around the Historic Park have the potential to enhance the historic character of the District, improve pedestrian comfort and safety, unify the appearance of the park, service parking requirements and create a memorable public amenity. Relevant planning documents should be consulted when designing these features: • Dublin Village Design Guidelines • Dublin Streetscape Master Plan The Historic Park Master Plan calls for 98 total parking spaces on Donlon Way, off Donlon Way within the Heritage Center area, and in a new parking lot in the northwest comer of the park. The current Heritage Center contains 34 parking spaces. 34 3.4.1 Dublin Boulevard streetscape improvements Consistent with the Dublin Village Design Guidelines, Section 6, adopted January 2004, Dublin Boulevard should be modified along its frontage with the Historic Park to improve the pedestrian experience and create a more memorable impression in the historic area. The goals of these improvements, and some measures to be taken are as follows: • Goal: Calm traffic on Dublin Boulevard Measures: Add median to Dublin Boulevard, expand sidewalks to 12', add street trees to median and sidewalk • Goal: Create more pleasant, safer pedestrian experience Measures: Add "pedestrian safe zone" to Dublin Boulevard median, use special paving materials at all pedestrian crossings, avoid placing vertical streetscape amenities within vehicle turning R .1f. A, J,A .... 63 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK sightlines at intersections, add 5' bike lane to Dublin Boulevard Goal: Make Dublin Boulevard more memorable and express the historic character of the District Measures: Add streetscape amenities (street trees, tree grates, wayfinding signage, pedestrian lighting), add district gateway signs (see Section 3.1.4) Parts of the Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way streetscapes in the public right-of-way may be eligible for improvement in advance of actual park construction through a Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTq Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) Planning Grant. See Section 4.5 for phasing details. Overall, Dublin Boulevard should be redesigned along the Historic Park to create a more urban feel, consistent with both the historic character of the District and the rest of the boulevard in other parts of Dublin. 3--13.4.2 Donlon Way treatment Thirty-two diagonal parking spaces will be added on Donlon Way. An eight foot sidewalk should run along this parking area adjacent to the East Lawn and connect to the entrance plaza at the Heritage Center. The entire vehicle travel area of Donlon Way should be 28' wide, not including the diagonal parking. FIGURE 3- l4 North Lawn and stage, viewed from the west 0 t4all W MASTER PLAN At the intersection of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard, the vehicle travel area of Donlon Way should be paved with unit pavers, stamped concrete, or other distinctive and detailed paving. Contrasting colored bands of concrete or unit pavers should be used to indicate the crosswalk across Donlon Way. All paving should be designed to withstand heavy vehicle use. The unit paving on Donlon Way should extend south to align with the southern edge of the pathway that passes the interactive fountain, and north to the outer edge of the southern curb on Dublin Boulevard. 3-3-4 3.4.3 Drop-off plaza The drop-off plaza is located at the south end of the main parking lot. The semi -circular curbside drop is a safe place for drivers to quickly drop children near the Rancho playground without requiring pedestrians to cross any additional parking or traffic areas. The plaza provides a spot to linger while waiting for rides or entering into the park, and is one of the gateways into the park. Since there is an expanse of paving here, paving materials should be warm and interesting. Unit pavers or concrete with varying bands or color should be used. Trees should be set in wells with tree grates, similar to the treatment along Dublin Boulevard. There should be an ample supply of seating, Directional signage, consistent with the rest of the Historic District, is also appropriate here. 34 3.5 Pioneer Cemetery expansion_ According to the Dublin Village Design Guidelines, "the City should consider expanding the Dublin Heritage Center Cemetery to the southwest, across from ❑ublin Creek." In order to provide continuing opportunities for Dublin residents to be buried within the City, if they choose, this Master Plan outlines how the cemetery expansion should be carried out and integrated with existing historic Features and the proposed Historic Park. These improvements include the cemetery expansion itself, enhancements to Dublin Creek, a restoration and re -emphasis of historic Hawthorn Lane, the addition of a pedestrian bridge connecting the cemetery expansion with the existing Pioneer Cemetery, groundplane treatments consistent with the character of the area, a col umbarium wall, and a soundwalI to protect the area from the intrusion of noise from Interstate 580. 3-4 -r 33.1 Expansion south of Dublin Creek The .94-acre parcel owned by the Dublin Historic Preservation Association, immediately south of Dublin Creek from the existing Pioneer Cemetery, provides an excellent area on which to expand the cemetery. Although it is highly impacted by the noise from Interstate 580, the setting is visually pleasant despite its proximity to the roadway. R I H IA+A.... U 1 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK It is set on a bench of land next to the creek and has the character of a woodland meadow. The two major infrastructural requirements for expansion are a new pedestrian bridge across Dublin Creek (see Section 3#.3 3.S.3) connecting this parcel to the existing cemetery and a new soundwall (see Section 3#5 3.S.5) to mitigate noise from the freeway. Considering that the Pioneer Cemetery is the only cemetery within the City, the design of the cemetery expansion should maximize the limited amount of land available. RHAA and Economics Research Associates investigated both the economic and the spatial implications of various traditional gravesite and columbarium burial designs (see Appendix). Economic considerations included: • Demand for columbarium interment has increased in recent years as the general availability of land has decreased and cost of traditional burial plots has increased. . In the Bay Area, approximately half of all families choose cremation over full burials. . The usual problem of convincing the surrounding community to accept a cemetery is not as large an issue here, since the existing and historic cemetery use is already established. . The most profitable design would be a mixture of columbarium and traditional burial interment sites. Design considerations included: • The existing cemetery has a rich historical heritage that can also be bestowed on the expansion, if it is appropriately integrated through design, aesthetic treatments and visual connections. • Automobile access will be needed to within 120-140 feet of the expansion. • The soundwall can be integrated with the design of the columbarium wall. Given these factors, a design was selected that maximized the limited amount of land available, responded to market demands, mitigated freeway noise and conferred the historic character of the old cemetery on the new. The cemeteryexpansion, asshown in Figure 3-15, containsapproximately 1 15 traditional burial plots (Note 1) and 2,100 columbarium niches (Note 4). The site is accessed via a footbridge over Dublin Creek that aligns with the central axial path of the cemetery expansion (Note 3). On its southern end, this path terminates in a small courtyard at the columbarium (Note 2). To the north, the path connects with a path in the existing cemetery and continues into the Orchard Garden. Vehicles may access the north end of the pedestrian bridge from the existing cemetery, but may not cross the bridge itself. A vehicle turnaround can be created at the easternmost path in the existing cemetery (Note S). Access to the cemetery expansion for digging equipment needed NOTES TRADITIONAL BURIAL PLOTS n COLUMBARILIM COURTYARD PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE �l COLUMBARIIUM NICHES T VEHICLE TURN -AROUND FREEWAY SOUNDWALL (Extends past Ponderosa House) 66 MASTER PLAN FIGURE 3-15 1 Cemetery expansion - detail plan �yl so fee 6 DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK for graves, such as a Bobcat, must be obtained via an access route to Donlon Way south of Dublin Creek. The columbarium wall will be stacked six niches high, to a height of 7'. It can be designed so that it and the soundwall are a common structure. It should have a small roof extending from the top of the wall that provides architectural definition and protects visitors from rain when they are standing in front of the columbarium. Nine shorter walls may extend at right angles from the main wall, these create alcoves that increase the area of the wall available for niches. These walls should be given a similar roof treatment. Roof - �l{ should coordinated aestheticallrwv h the Pavilion b ). The in -ground grave plots occupy the area between the columbarium and the creek, In order to preserve the "meadow" character of the site, headstones should be of the flush, in -ground type and groundcover over the plots should be lawn. The profile of the ground should be kept level, without curbs or other obstructions, with the objective of maintaining the visual dominance of the creek and trees. Benches and 1 or planters should be provided within each of the columbarium wall alcoves and in clubbed arrangements where views into the creek are best. Plantings in the cemetery expansion should be sympathetic to the riparian character of the site and its natural setting. FIGURE 3-1 b Columharium wall, elevation and section MASTER PLAN 3-4-.-2 3.5.2 Dublin Creek enhancements The Heritage Center has one of the few remaining reaches of Dublin Creek left in a semi -natural state; the rest of the creek within the City has been channelized or culverted. The creek is an educational and ecological opportunity. School and community groups could be engaged in removing invasive vegetation and trash, planting and creating habitat for fish and other wildlife. Physical improvements in and around the creek must be coordinated with the regulating bodies, including: • California Department of Fish and Game • US Army Corps of Engineers • Regional Water Quality Control Board While it is desirable to provide greater physical access to the creek, this goal should be balanced against the need to protect and enhance riparian habitat, which increased access may damage. The pedestrian bridge (see Section 3-.43 3.5.3) will enhance visibility into the creek. Picnic tables, currently located at the top of the north bank of the creek, can be arranged to take advantage of views into the creek. Invasive vegetation, especially ivy and blackberries, can also be cleared to improve views into the creek. R { FF J' A .A b `� DUBLIN HISTORIC PARK 3-4-3 3.5.3 Pedestrian bridge The bridge connecting the existing cemetery (Note 3) to the cemetery expansion should meet ADA requirements for accessible path of travel, complemerrt its surroundings through its design, and be feasible to position into location using a crane. For cost estimating purposes, RHAA used a pre -fabricated Cor-Ten steel structure, 88' in length and 12' wide. This is wide enough to drive a small earthmoving vehicle, such as a bobcat, across. Concrete footings should be designed to minimally impact the riparian area. Although the siting of the bridge as shown in this Master Plan avoids known trees, bridge placement may need to be adjusted to protect significant trees if necessary. 1+4 3.5.4 Paths and ground treatment Paths in the cemetery expansion may be made of stabilized decomposed granite, which, when level, provides an ADA compliant surface, is low maintenance and will blend in with the natural surroundings. In front of the columbarium walls, it may be necessary to provide a harder surface for increased use. Paving materials should be coordinated to match or complement the paving used at the corner of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard. 3-A-5 3.5.5 1-580 soundwall The soundwall should extend beyond the columbarium area to include the Ponderosa House. The section beyond the columbarium may be a cinder block structure. (See Figure 3-15, note b.) 34-6 3.5.6 Hawthorn Lane Hawthorn Lane is a historic roadway that was planted with hawthorn trees and likely contains artifacts from the period 1830-1950. It once ran along the west side of the Heritage Center and Historic Park sites. Some hawthorn trees remain, although the area is mostly overgrown. It should be paved and planted with hawthorn trees to match those growing along the main path through the Pioneer Cemetery. (See Figure 3-1, note 10.) 3� 3.6 Green Store The Green Store is currently under private ownership. However, because it is one of the few historically significant, intact structures in the Historic District, the City should eventually acquire this property and integrate it into programming for the Historic Park. Few changes would need to be made to the area around the building, except as noted in the streetscape section of this plan (see Section =-3.1 3.3.2 3.4.1-3.4.2); parking configuration and driveway locations could most likely remain the same. R111114. A I A MA5TER PLAN Landscaping around the proposed district entry monument (see Section 3.1.4) next to the Green Store should be coordinated with the rest of the Historic Park, If possible, the City should help the building's current owner to do this before the Green Store is acquired, and possibly provide funding or incentives to coordinate the Green Store's physical appearances with the Historic Park. 3-.6 3.7 Utilities and infrastructure Figure 3.17 shows sections of the park needing utility connections. FIGURE 3-17 1 Utilities and infrastructure connections SWFI-CHGEAR BUILDING PICNIC SHELTER BANK PARKING LOT Reconfigure swkhgear, Water service Water service Provide adequate lighting etc. Electrical service Electrical service X � " OUTDQOR STAGE } - p Amplified Sound r► l .... - i , BUILDING Water service Electrical seance Sanitary sewer SMALL FOUNTAIN Water service + ?� Electrical service Sanitary sewer r LARGE FOUNTAIN A-' Water service z — -Vmm — Electrical service 16 Sanitary sewer - ILLUMINATED PATHWAY BUILDING Electrical service required Water service •• • • • • • . - SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE Electrical service Natural gas Sanitary sewer R..1,},..A-I A —I 1111111111P Cost Estimate and 410 Phasing Plan Acquisition and development cost summary Phasing plan and development cost detail Operations cost estimate MASTER PLAN 4.1 Acquisition and development cost sum m KEY PROJECT INFORMATION Land area for acquisition (acres) ........................ 4.22 Land area for acquisition (square feet) ................ 183.823 Land cost per square foot ...................... $36.48 48.27 Building cost pe. S4t'a' - foot (includes soft costs) .......... $435 Parking spaces in northwest lot ...........................45 Parking spaces along Donlon Way .........................32 Parking spaces at Heritage Center (parking lot and overflow). . . 21 COST SUMMARY Site acquisition cost ................... $6,705,900 $8,874,516 Streetscape improvement costs ..................... $684,500 Structure relocation costs . $209,000 ........................ Structure refurbishing costs ....................... $1,498,600 ................. > 600 Historic Park development costs ......... $5,679,500 $9,455,300 Pioneer Cemetery improvements and expansion ...... $3,495,600 TOTAL ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT COST $19,1 52,F09 $24,217.516 4.2 Phasing plan and development cost detail Phase SS Streetszape improvements Demolish existing sidewalk along Dublin Boulevard and north end of Donlon Way (to St. Raymond's Church), asphalt in median on Dublin Boulevard, asphalt on Donlon Way adjacent to Green Store. Relocate storm drains. 2) Construct new sidewalk and median on Dublin Boulevard, v Construct new sidewalk along Donlon Way, to St. Raymond's Church. [: 3) Install asphalt for diagonal parking along Donlon Way, Install unit paving and special crosswalk paving on Donlon Way. 5 f Install trees b sidewalk and median on Dublin Boulevard Install tree grate for trees in sidewalk. Phase Interim Kolb Ranch relocation (g ) Acquire Dublin Square site (not included in cost estimate for acquisition costs, see Section 4.1). 9 ; Demolish existing Dublin Square shopping center, parking lots and bank building. (Hazardous material removal and archeological resource monitoring not included in cost estimate.) Recycle building waste, asphalt and aggregate base. {'ib) Maintain existing drainage infrastructure. Cap, extend and y add risers as necessary. (i Obtainadd it; onaIfiIIlocal] yfrom otherparks projects, -if available. Re -grade site to drain to existing catch basins and drains. Test top 6" of subgrade for herbicide residue. i] Construct west parking lot with temporary paving (to be Install pedestrian lighting and site furnishings along Donlon '� paved over in Phase 3). Way and Dublin Boulevard. + 7 + Restripe street, add bike lanes, Install turf and temporary rotor irrigation system on rest of site, r F4] Relocate and refurbish Kolb Ranch structures and rely ed andsca e imi2rovemerds. DerncAti $ 45,4WQ De'rt6.. i $ 704H90 D dim 1009 h'j­r $ 1 6 -.900 Paving�WO Drama 3.0 Planting- 36,,6WB Raving (parking lot6 �1-690 StreeNi �ng $ 3+5-, WB Pd}vbifizaticm°r.-administ at,�n & cuntirgerree 2&� �4Q Lighting (parkin +2-,000 I' r iizatiorrT-av�; i�;istratiarrS n6ngenc—$9401809 Phase SS total 5 6(114,500 Phase 1 tatall st438,600 Relocate structures $ 0 Relocate structures $ 209,040 Refurbish structures $ 0 Refurbish structures $ 1,392,600 Landscape improvements $ 396,800 Landscape improvements $ 2,208,300 Mobilization administration & contingency $ 287 700 Mobilization, administration & contingency A I 601 ,QWO Phase SS total $ 684,500 Phase I total $5.41MOO MASTER PLAN I Ix17 foldout PLACEHOLDER ..-IR.-K-.,A,J,A .... 77 MASER PLAB! 4.3 Operations cast estimate PHASE I buildout Turf and irrigation maintenance ...................... $42,400 Parking lot maintenance ............................. $2,000 Phase I annual total ............................... $44,400 IaINO161 WAWIrem Turf maintenance ................................. $16,600 Irrigation repair and maintenance .................... $1 1,000 Planting and tree care .............................. $3,800 Sweeping, general inspection, event preparation ........ $28,300 Building maintenance ............................... $6,400 Fountain maintenance .............................. $39700 Phase 2 annual total ............................... $69,800 PHASE 3 buildout Turf maintenance ................................. $11,700 Irrigation repair and maintenance ..................... $7,200 Planting and tree care .............................. $7,600 Sweeping, general inspection, stage & event preparation . $45,000 Building maintenance ............................... $6,400 Fountain maintenance ............................. $29,200 Phase 3 annual total .............................. $107,100 Estimate assumes an hourly rate of $70 for maintenance staff. All subtotals rounded to the next highest $100. Exclusions: trash receptacle pickup, Iighting/lamp replacement, City equipment replacement and maintenance materials costs. Disclaimer: This is a preliminary estimate of cost. Actual cost may vary significantly. This estimate should be used as a guide only. Appendix Raw _SP .�, -Wft1 or . _�- �P �N R IC • {t i++r .4 _ a �.s if - •i� _ Ji- . P^ L ' aaie- i HELP US ENVISION THE FUTURE OF DUBLIN HERITAGE CENTER The City of ❑ublin invites you to attend a Public Workshop to discuss options for expansion of the ❑ublin Heritage Center. Meeting will focus on community feedback and response to the presentation. J U N E 28, 2005 6:30 pm SITE WALK 7:00-9:00 pm MEETING OLD ST. RAYMOND'S CHURCH 6600 DON LO N WAY For more information call Diane Lowart, Parks and Community Services ❑irector- (925) 833-6645 r rR 7` 1 HELP US DESIGN THE FUTURE OF DUBLIN HERITAGE CENTER The City of ❑ublin invites you t❑ attend a Public Meeting to dis- cuss conceptual design options and inspirational themes for the expansion of the Dublin Heritage Center. Public participation will be encouraged in small -group, idea -generating workshops. J U LY 26, 2005 7:00-9:00 pm MEETING REGIONAL MEETING ROOM DUBLIN CIVIC CENTER 100 CIVIC PLAZA For more information call Diane Lowart. Parks and Community Services ❑irector: (925) 833-6645 A.2.1 Kick-off meeti JUNE 1, 2005 DUBLIN CITY HALL ATTENDEES Diane Lowart, Parks & Community Services Director City of Dublin John Hartnett, Heritage and Cultural Arts Supervisor, City of Dublin Elizabeth Isles, Heritage Center Director, City of Dublin Steven Spickard, Economics Research Associates Linda Cheu, Economics Research Associates Aditya Advani, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Doug Nelson, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Nathan Lozier, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Aditya inquired about what background resources the City could provide, Aerial photos, parcel maps, GIS data, survey, etc. Diane will forward RHAA any information, including digital files on CD. Diane will check with the Dublin Square property owner about surveying the private property. 2. Aditya asked whether there were any stakeholders concerned with the Cemetery who should be included in discussions of the Cemetery. Diane did not believe there were any stakeholders at this point. Diane will send a map of the Cemetery to RHAA. 3. Diane explained that the Dublin Square property is owned by Berkeley Land Company (Mike Mikulich). Berkeley Land Company has been interested in developing the property and proposed a office development 3-4 years ago, which was blocked by the City Council. She has heard that Berkeley Land Company has also proposed housing for the site, which would require rezoning. The City Council is interested in preserving the site. RHAA and ERA asked the City what potential uses they had envisioned for the site. a. John noted that a 250 seat community theater has been discussed. There are two community theater groups in Dublin, "Imagine Performing Arts" (formerly "Dublin Theater Group") and "Valley Shakespeare Company." b. The Historical Society envisions a green park with some form of historical re-creation or interpretation. C. Members of the Heritage and Cultural Arts commissions have discussed "gateway" features and sculpture as well as re -creations of historic features. d. John also noted interest in space for community art classes and gallery space. e. The Old St. Raymond's Church is often rented for weddings. There is a potential to develop the site to better accommodate weddings, including space for receptions. The issue of freeway noise would need to be mitigated. f. Elizabeth noted that the primary users of the existing Heritage Center are school groups. Additional classroom space at the Heritage Center would be useful. g. Additionally, the existing Heritage Center has been used for small band practice and performances. h. There is a possibility to move Mtone Schoolhouse from Tassajara Road to the Dublin site, however, Dublin already has one school house at the Heritage Center. i. Specific precedents mentioned to refer to include Ghiradelli Square (San Francisco), Jack London Square (Oakland), Todos Santo Plaza (Concord), and Hap - McGee Park (Danville), Ardenwood Farm (Fremont), and Danville Community Theater (converted Grange Hall). Elizabeth and Doug, both urged that site should not create a false history. j. Overall, city staff is looking for a program that provides a unique asset and cultural heart to the community. No particular revenue goals were identified. S. The first Public Community Meeting will be June 28 at Old St. Raymond's Church. There will be a site walk at 6:30pm and the meeting will be 7-9pm. RHAA will create an announcement flier for the City to distribute. RHAA will develop and agenda and presentation boards for the meeting. b. Costs for different options will be discussed at the second community meeting along with an expanded presentation of project alternatives. *** END*** A.2.2 Public meeti JUNE 28, 2005 DUBLIN CITY HALL ATTENDEES Diane Lowart, Parks & Community Services Director City of Dublin John Hartnett, Heritage and Cultural Arts Supervisor, City of Dublin Elizabeth Isles, Heritage Center Director, City of Dublin Steven Spickard, Economics Research Associates Linda Cheu, Economics Research Associates Aditya Advani, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Doug Nelson, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Nathan Lozier, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey (Members of the Public, see sign in list) Summary The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the project to the community and to begin a public visioning process to gather community ideas and feedback. The meeting began with a site walk of the Dublin Heritage Center and Donlon Way to the Dublin Square property. Background information on the project and the public process, including the history of Dublin and project opportunities were presented. The floor was then open for discussion, and a variety comments and suggestions from the community were recorded. Diane Lowart introduced project team, explained the public process for the project, and presented background information and rationale for the project. Diane explained that the City has identified a def cit of parkland at build out of the City, is interested in studying expansion potential for the Pioneer Cemetery, and is interested in expanding the current Heritage Center, Diane explained that the City has already commissioned a historical resources inventory report, and has subsequently adopted design guidelines for new development in the historic district. Elizabeth Isles described current uses of the Dublin Heritage Center (permanent & temporary exhibits, workshops, school tour program, concerts, music jams, and facility rentals) 2. Aditya asked that everyone in the room introduce themselves to the group and briefly speak about their background and interests in attending the meeting. 3. Aditya presented the agenda and asked for any questions or additions to the agenda. No changes were suggested and the follow agenda was agreed upon: a. Project Information b. Overview of Dublin History c. Park Design d. Development Economics for Cultural Facilities e. Case Studies f. Public Input g. Next Steps - next meeting : July 26 - development options 4. Elizabeth Isles presented a brief history of the City of Dublin. a. A number of Ohlone and Bay Miwok tribes utilized Willow Marsh and Alamilla Springs since 500AD b. 1772 Spanish expedition through San Ramon Valley, stopping at AlamiIla Springs C. 1834 Rancho San Ramon established d. 1850 Fallon, Dougherty and Murray purchase 246 acres from Amador e. 1856 Murray Schoolhouse built f. 1860 Green Store opens g. Dublin remains small in the 1940s h. Suburban growth in the 1960s i. Historic preservation efforts in the 1970s Aditya presented the opportunities for the project as creating a resource for the future, commemorating Dublin's cultural and natural history and its contemporary community, and revitalizing the historic core of Dublin. Aditya asked the community to consider the following key questions: a. What is the criteria for a successful historic park? b. What is the minimum program activity required? C. What is the maximum capacity of the site (building size and parking constraints)? d. What defines historic authenticity? e. How do we reflect the contemporary Dublin community? f. How do we increase visibility of the Heritage Center? 6. Steve Spickard of ERA discussed potential financial implications for the City in purchasing and developing the proposed expansion site. Steve asked the community to consider the following: a. Livability and the need for park land b. Needed community facilities (museums, galleries, art classrooms, community theater, event and festival space) C. Acquisition and operating costs, revenue potential d. Historic authenticity (places with heart and soul, not contrived false history) e. Potential for site to be a visible public resource, create value for neighbors, and encourage new adjacent uses 7. Aditya presented the following site development options: a. Park on entire site b. Park on half of the site, private development on the other half C. Park on 1 /3 of the site, private development on the remaining 2/3 of the site d. City cultural facility with parking on half the site, private development on the other half of the site 8. Doug Nelson of RHAA noted the unique character of the Dublin Heritage Center expansion project. Doug presented a variety of case studies to consider; that though different in scale and context could serve as a starting point for discussion. The case studies included:a. Historic parks and Plazas (Healdsburg Plaza, Saint James Square, Sonoma Plaza, and Todos Santos Plaza) b. Historic preservation parks (Ardenwood Historic Farm, Old Town San Diego, Hap McGee Ranch Park, Pio Pico State Historic Park) C. Adaptive Reuse (UC Santa Cruz Bann Theater, Fort Mason Center, Plaza Park/Carnegie Library Oxnard.) PUBLIC DISCUSSION ITEMS Following the Crty and consultant team presentation, the public was encouraged to comment and discuss ideas for the Dublin Heritage Center expansion. Ideas from the public discussion are summarized below. PARK USES & ACQUISITION Many comments encouraged the idea of a performing arts center 1 theater as an appropriate community use for the site. It was noted that some coordination work has already begun to determine regional theater needs and that the region needs a community incubator theater of 150 seats. It was also mentioned that Dublin High may build a new theater space for 800-1000 seats. Willows Theater in Concord, Aurora Theater in Berkeley, and the Danville Community Theater were all mentioned as examples of small community theaters. Journey Church, located on the site being considered for City acquisition was also identified as housing a number of non -church related community uses. 2. Potential revenue -generating uses for the site were discussed. One person suggested the idea of developing some kind of senior or affordable housing on a portion of the site, possibly in conjunction with a culturallarts facility as a way to bring activity to the site. Other revenue generating ideas included some type of commercial or retail development such as a boutique hotel or restaurants. Albuquerque and Todos Santo Plaza in Concord were noted as vibrant plazas surrounded by retail / restaurants, though their surrounding land uses are more commercial. Others questioned the need to generate revenue on the site and asked whether the City could find a way to afford acquisition of the entire 4.2 acre site for public use. One person commented that new development in east Dublin could pay for the development of the park. A number of speakers noted the need for more open spaces and community gathering spaces in west Dublin. If the ultimate desired development of the site is not affordable at once, it was suggested that the project could be phased creating temporary but usable outdoor spaces prior to the construction of a building. 4. Other potential park elements suggested included play areas for children, water play features, a dog park, an outdoor amphitheater, picnic areas, and space for biking and skateboarding, wedding reception space, and a quiet passive -use park. Creating a variety of spaces for all ages was recommended by one speaker. 5. City acquisition of the Green Store and Alamilla Springs was encouraged as a high priority by a few people. 6. One person asked whether there was any potential in investigating whether Nexel might be interested in selling or swapping their property with the City. PARK DESIGN One person encouraged highlighting Dublin's Irish heritage. Another person suggested depicting the areas agricultural heritage with farming equipment. Others asked what contemporary residents could contribute to the park and how to make the history relevant to new residents with a variety of backgrounds. Ethnic diversity and Dublin's changes over time and into the present were noted as important. One person questioned the authenticity of creating a new building to look historic and urged that the historic architectural guidelines to be relaxed to allow for more contemporary possibilities. 2. A number of comments focused on restoring and enhancingthe historic natural character of the site, including the creek, springs, historic marsh, and native trees and vegetation, and historically significant orchard trees. Natural features were suggested as inspiration for design. A creek walk and restoration of the creek was suggested, as was some way to recreate or represent the importance of Alamilla Springs, 3. It was noted that the existing Heritage Center is nearly invisible from Donlon Way. Views into the site from Dublin Boulevard and views from the freeway were suggested as important considerations for site design. A view of St. Raymond's Church from Dublin Boulevard was encouraged. A building at the corner of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard and gateway elements were suggested as a way to announce the presence of the Heritage Center from Dublin Boulevard. Another person wanted to see a peaceful, beautiful space at the corner of Dublin Blvd. and Donlon, without buildings. Consideration of views from the site to the hills was also mentioned. 4. The potential of bringing historic buildings to the sites was mentioned as a possibility. One person noted that a Protestant Church was once located adjacent to St. Raymond's Church. The Antone Schoolhouse on Tassajara Road was identified as a building available to move to the site, though the Heritage Center already has a historic schoolhouse. S. Parking and transportation were discussed. The idea of a trolley bringing people to the site from other parts of the city was suggested. Another idea is to lease parking space in the evenings and weekends from the Heritage Center Office Complex. Modifications such as the narrowing, or removal of Donlon Way was suggested, as was the creation of diagonal parking on Donlon Way was also noted as a way to decrease the need for parking on the site. The City was asked to consider trail system connections including connections from the West Dublin BART station and transit oriented development. Consideration of the character of Dublin Boulevard was suggested as well as the restoration of the old stage road. Following the discussion, Aditya asked the participants whether they wanted to vote on any of the community comments and ideas recorded on the poster boards during the discussion. The community consensus was not to vote on anything at this time, but for the City and consultant team to consider the community input and develop these ideas into their work for the next community meeting. A.2.3 Public meeti JULY 26, 2005 ❑UBLIN CITY HALL ATTENDEES Diane Lowart, Parks & Community Services Director, City of Dublin John Hartnett, Heritage & Cultural Arts Supervisor, City of Dublin Elizabeth Isles, Heritage Center Director, City of Dublin Linda Cheu, Economics Research Associates Aditya Advani, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Doug Nelson, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey Blaine Merker, Royston Hanamoto Alley + Abey (Members of the public, see sign in list) SUMMARY The purpose of this meeting was to get community feedback on six alternative concepts developed by RHAA for the Dublin Historic Park: three for a whole site acquisition, two for a half site acquisition and one for a one-third site acquisition. The meeting began with a recap of the public meeting of June 28, 2005 by AdityaAdvani. It included a summary of the historical landscape typologies of this site used as basis for the design, a summary of the visioning meeting (6/28/05) and a summary of the project goals and key issues. Then he presented three conceptual alternatives for the design of the park: 1) "Historic Palimpsest," 2) "Crossroads Plaza Park" and 3) "Garden Rooms & Creek Walk" and a reduced -site version of each of these three. After these alternatives were presented, Linda Cheu discussed the park's programming options investigated by Economics Research Associates and outlined their various costs, revenue -generation potential, and spatial requirements. The floor was opened for discussion, and members of the community were invited to ask questions about the alternatives, express which option they preferred and identify elements in any of the proposals that should be brought forward as design work continued. MINUTES Diane Lowart introduced the project team and explained the public process for the project. She explained that the City had been directed by the Council to commission the exploration of three park designs, with each alternative to include a reduced site size option in case the Council decided not to acquire the entire block for the Park. Several community members expressed the view that the Council should acquire the entire block for the Park regardless, and Diane reiterated that the City and its consultants had been charged to explore reduced -site options as well, and these would be presented to the Council. 2, Aditya Advani asked that everyone present introduce themselves, say how long they had lived in Dublin, and what their interest in the Park was. 3. Aditya presented the historical landscape typologies local to the site that had been used to develop the three design alternatives. 4. A&ya introduced the three design alternatives by explaining that, since the site had been wiped relatively clean of the traces of history, the park could be designed starting from the image that the community wanted to create. Then he explained the three alternatives. For each, he showed a plan drawing and a set of images from precedent projects that could inform the design, and a reduced -site version. a. Historic Palimpsest In this option, various landscape typologies are assembled to create a "geography of memory." The plan is a mosaic of elements that reference the historic marsh, the spring, and the crossroads inn, all organized around a quadratic plan. Options were shown for a full site design, half site, and a design that included the actual Alamilla Spring adjacent to San Ramon Road as a pocket park linked to the historic park. b. Crossroads The "Crossroads" scheme is organized around an "X"- shaped walkway plan that cross in the center of the site at an interactive water feature. The plan recalls typical American town squares, as well as the Spanish colonial layout of plazas. In this more formal plan, multipurpose lawns accept changing programs and a bandshell at one side accommodates performances. Options were shown for a full and half site design. c. Garden Rooms & Creek Walk In this option, park elements are organized along a "creek walk" that contains a narrative about the history of the site and leads one from a water feature at the corner of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard, through the Heritage Center, and toward the creek, History walls spaced across the site contain various graphics depicting the area's settlement and development. Parking is moved to the north and center of the site and a large community/cultural building occupies the center of the Park. Options for a full and a half site were presented, Linda Cheu, of Economics Research Associates, presented initial research on the spatial requirements, users, revenue generating potential, costs, and other issues associated with several types of program that might be implemented as part of the Park design. She outlined the opportunities and constraints associated with a black box theater, event space rental, arts and crafts programs and exhibit spaces. PUBLIC DISCUSSION ITEMS Following presentation by the consultant teams, Aditya opened the floor to public comment and asked for specific feedback I j which proposals) attendees favored, both for the full -site and partial -site options and 2) which elements in all any of the proposals attendees liked, regardless of which alternative was eventually brought forward to final design. SPECIFIC COMMENTS The "Garden Rooms 1 Creek Walk" option contained many elements which attendees favored, especially: history walls, an interactive water feature, and a linear walk from the corner of Donlon Way and Dublin Boulevard to the creek. 2. An interactive water feature was especially popular as a design element, and generally attendees expressed the desire to see one included in the final design. Some people were concerned with the location of the water feature, and asked that it not be placed too close to Dublin Boulevard for safety and aesthetic reasons. Some people felt it would be used more if it were located away from traffic. Several people expressed concern that any building sited at the corner of Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way would block both views and circulation from that corner toward the Heritage Center. Generally, the siting of a building on that corner was not favored, Attendees did express that this corner was important to the park, however —whatever went there needed to draw people into the park, but not block their path. 4. The "Spring" element in the "Garden Rooms 1 Creek Walk" alternative was favorably viewed by some attendees who asked that it be brought into the final design. Much of the discussion of program centered on revenue generation. Several people questioned the necessity of program elements generating revenue. They asked if it would be better if the park were designed without this constraint in mind, since it would allow for a broader consideration of options. Linda Cheu responded by noting that revenue generation could simply offset costs of park programs, which would otherwise be borne by the City, and that regardless of the program options considered she would explore revenue potentials in order to fully understand the options. b. Some attendees brought up the idea of acquiring the Green Store from its current private owner and incorporating it into the Park as a restored store. Diane Lowart said that the City currently had no plans to purchase the property. 7. Several meeting attendees suggested that the new Park should have program facilities that stood out as very unique, since Dublin is currently building many new parks and this one could easily fade into the rest without a unique attraction, The Allied Arts Guild was cited as an example of such an attraction. 8. It was suggested that existing buildings and uses around the park site could be incorporated into the design. Other commercial uses around the park could be acknowledged in the park's design in order to allow them to operate synergistically with the park. 9. Other program elements suggested were: a. A kiln that was tied to the history of Native Americans in the area b. Restrooms were needed OTHER TOPICS 10. One attendee requested that larger context -scale maps be brought in to the next community meeting, since some people were not familiar with the area and had trouble orienting themselves using the only the site plan. I I. The owner of the private property subject to acquisition by the City for the new park stated that he did not support the park in the proposed location and that any acquisition of the property would harm his business. He suggested that the site between the freeway and and the creek may be a better location for park expansion, but acknowledged that noise and access issues would need to be overcome. 12, One person suggested combining high school and private theater company users in a new theater facility, but it was concluded that there are usually too many user conflicts to allow this. 13. Low-water plantings were identified by one attendee as desirable for the long-term ecological and financial s ustai na b i I ity of the Park. She noted that large amounts of lawn were less desirable than a mix of lawn, paving and low-water trees. 14. One attendee questioned whether a "European" aesthetic was an appropriate model for the park. 15. One person expressed a desire to see the bandshell brought into the final design. 16. One person favored multi -use facilities in the Park with an eye toward long-term financial viability. It was explained that multi- use buildings were more likely to make it through financial hard times. Following the discussion, Aditya asked attendees to vote on which of the proposals and design elements they liked best. RHAA staff distributed color -coded stickers for participants to use in voting for the favorite whole -site and partial -site options. Attendees were also asked to put as many stickers as they liked on other photographs of precedents. The following are the results of those votes: DESIGN OPTIONS Garden Rooms & Creek Walk, Full Site (9) Garden Rooms & Creek Walk, Half Site (8) Historic Palimpsest, Full Site (4) Crossroads, Half Site (2) Crossroads, Full Site (1) PRECEDENT IMAGES Bronze fallen tree art piece (9) Bosque of trees on grid (8) Guadelupe River Park, history wall (7) Pool of Genes, rocks with names (7) Circular pools/fountains (6) FDR Memorial (6) Large, leafy allees (5) Caf6 tables (2) Linear rock berms (Portland) (2) Trellises (2) Abstracted river (2) Allees with opposing benches (2) Large park trees (plane) (2) Landscape type: Creek (1) Landscape type: Inn (1) Landscape type: Spring (I } Historic image of Amador Hotel [ I } Linear water entry feature [ I } Veterans Memorial [ I } Linear falling stream [ I } Gazebo [ I } Kiosk selling food [ I } Ornamental benches [ I } *** E N D.x. x. Economics Research Ausuriaty% Memorandum Date: September 2, 2005 T o : Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey (RHAA) From. Economics Research Associates (ERA) RE: Financial Analysis of Cemetery Expansion (Dublin Historical Park Project) Introduction One of the elements that has been discussed for inclusion in an expanded park is an additional cemetery area that could serve as an expansion to the existing historical cemetery at the Heritage Center. All of the space in the existing cemetery is spoken for, although members of the founding families of Dublin continue to be interred there on occasion. The consultant team conducted targeted research into the economic factors that would affect the operation of an expanded cemetery adjacent to the Heritage Center. A key issue is whether or not a private entity would be interested in developing and operating such a new cemetery. A preliminary financial analysis investigating the relative scale of the potential operation was developed to assist in answering this question. Economic Factors to Consider 0 There are many different types of operators for cemeteries including for -profit, not -for -profit, religious, and fraternal organizations, as well as government operations by cities, counties, cemetery districts and the military. 0 Private cemeteries (for -profit and not -for -profit) are regulated by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. • The existing historic cemetery is a traditional graveyard where full size caskets are buried in defined gravesites, or family plots, in the ground. There are other ways to store human remains as well. These include above -ground mausoleum buildings where full size caskets are entombed, or columbariums where urns 388 Market Street, Suite 1580 San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 956-8152 FAX (415) 956-5274 www.eronres.com Los Angeles San Francisco San Diego Chicago Washington ❑C London September 2, 2005 Page 2 containing cremated human remains are stored in pre -constructed niches. Any new expansion area for the cemetery could have a mix of these types of facilities. • A mix of gravesites and columbariums is recommended in the Bay Area market, because approximately half of all families choose cremation over full burials. • For planning purposes, typical average pricing is about $5,000 for a gravesite, and $2,500 for a niche. • The historical Dublin Cemetery is "sold out" in that no new gravesites are available for new families. This means that there is no significant revenue potential from the existing cemetery, other than fees to cover the cost of burials in the space remaining in historic family plots. • Due to the lack of revenue potential, it is unlikely that a private operator of any expansion area would be interested in assuming long-term responsibility for the existing cemetery. On the other hand, one of the most difficult problems in establishing a new cemetery is getting the surrounding population to see it as a place worthy of entrusting their loved ones remains for all eternity. The presence of the existing historic cemetery bestows a rich heritage on the site, and if the design of the expansion area were to take advantage of it (e.g., shared entrance, visual connections, etc.) it would be in the best interest of the operator of the new area to have the historic cemetery well maintained. The City does not currently own the land between the creek and 1-580 that could be used for the cemetery expansion. No appraisal of that specific acquisition has been done, but for planning purposes the appraisal for the Dublin Square Shopping Center estimated a value of $36 per square foot for that acquisition. Applying $36 per square foot to a 0.4 acre acquisition would cost approximately $627,000. • Access to the site is currently blocked; by the creek on the north and west sides, and by an existing modular home on the east side. Additional expense will be required to provide access, either by building a bridge over the creek or by acquiring a right-of-way parallel to the freeway through the site currently occupied by the residence. There are aesthetic considerations as well. A pleasant and restful environment will maximize the attractiveness of the property for cemetery uses, and thus maximize its revenue potential. A firm connection to the existing historical cemetery, requiring construction of a bridge, could create identity and lend instant "heritage" status to the expansion area. September 2, 2005 Page 3 • Freeway sound is another major aesthetic consideration. A significant sound wall seems logical at a minimum. A sound wall, however, also creates an opportunity to line the interior side of the wall with revenue producing columbariurn niches. There is a limit to how far people will walk from parked cars to participate in burial services. The rule of thumb in the industry is about 120 to 140 feet. This would require vehicular access to the expansion site, over a bridge or around to the back side of the site parallel to the freeway, or both. Once the new cemetery is "sold out," an Endowment Care Fund must be in place to ensure the perpetual maintenance of the grounds and facilities. The endowment fund will be built from the sales revenues, and must be sufficient to cover costs from interest only. Financial Analysis and Operator Interest The economic factors that affect potential for cemetery expansion have been collected into a spreadsheet in Table 1. This is a preliminary analysis, and should not be construed as a full feasibility study for cemetery development. It is sufficient, however, to advise the City on whether or not to include this component further in the park planning. The assumptions and approximations in the financial analysis are as follows: Option 1 assumes a sound wall is built along 200 lineal feet of the freeway frontage along the south side of the site. This wall would be lined with columbarium niches, approximately 12 inches wide and stacked six high, to a height of approximately seven feet. The remaining area would then be used to accommodate the maximum number of traditional burial sites. • Option 2 assumes the sound wall is augmented by 8 to 10 short walls of columbarium niches projecting perpendicularly out from the sound wall into the site creating a series of courtyards surrounded by niches in the walls. This would increase the number of niches available, and reduce the number of gravesites that could be accommodated. The gravesites are assumed to be traditional simple holes dug in the earth. These minimize the up -front development cost, but must also take up more space (assumed to be 5' by 10'). More gravesites could be created through use of pre -dug concrete vaults that would reduce required dimensions to 3' by 8', but these would cost approximately $5,000 each to produce, eliminating any profit available on a per unit basis. September 2, 2005 Page 4 • Total sales revenues from the expansion could vary with market conditions and will be collected over a number of years, but could range from $3 to $6 million under the planning assumptions. The cost items are all approximations at this point. However, they indicate that there could be some potential for this use. Most likely, an operator that already owns or manages one or more cemeteries in the East Bay could most cost- effectively run this small facility. This would reduce the overhead to be borne by just this 0.4-acre site, and provide an existing sales staff and perhaps maintenance contracts. As can be seen by the bottom line difference between the two options, the "denser" the project, the more "profit" or land value it can generate. The ultimate design might call for even more density, with no traditional in -ground burial plots at all. It could instead be composed of mausoleum crypts for full coffins and columbarium niches, but still offering nicely landscaped gardens and courtyards. • At least one operator of existing cemetery facilities contacted by the consultants expressed interest in investigating the feasibility of this small expansion area further. Table 1 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF CEMETERY EXPANSION (in Constant 2005 Dollars) Physical Capacities Potential Number of Grave Sites Potential Number of Columbarium Niches SOURCES OF FUNDS Gross Revenue Potential' Sale of Grave Sites at Sale of Niches at TOTAL SOURCES OF FUNDS USES OF FUNDS Site Acquisition Cost 0.4 Acres at Development Costs Sound Wall: 200 LF Frontage Allowance for Grave Site Area Allowance for Columbarium2 at Bridge over Creek Access Past Kennel Other Pathways and Landscaping Soft Costs at Estimation Factors $5,000 each $2,500 each $36 per sq. ft. $100 per L.F. $10 per sq. ft. $500 per niche (rough estimate) (rough estimate) $10 per sq. ft. 18% of above Operating Casts 3 Sales and Staffing for 7 to 10 Years $65,000 per year Maintenance During Sales Period $50,000 per year Endowment Care Fund, to produce $50,000 per year TOTAL USES OF FUNDS NET POTENTIAL "PROFIT/(LOSS)" Profit as a Percent of Sales Revenues ion i Option 2 149 115 1050 2100 $745,000 $2,625,000 $575,000 $5,250,000 $3,370,000 $5,825,000 $627,264 $627,264 $20,000 $20,000 $74,500 $57,500 $525,000 $1,050,000 $250,000 $250,000 $100,000 $100,000 $174,240 $174,240 $205,873 $297,313 $455,000 $650,000 $350,000 $500,000 $625,000 $625,000 $3,406,877 $4,351,317 ($36,877) $1,473,683 -1% 25% Not including fees paid at the time of burial which are assumed to essentially cover costs. 2 Including a foundation and appropriate courtyard furnishings. 3 To keep costs down and realize economies of scale, this small facility would best be run by an operator who already has one or more cemeteries in the Bay Area. Source: Economics Research Associates. L'7f 4111 Prepared by Royston Hanannoto Alley & Abey ¢��iED o� CITY OF DU BLI N Landscape Architects and Planners ` 323 Geary Street #602 o* 100 CIVIC PLAZA San Francisco,Cafifomia 94102 �`�c«,Q�Q�� DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA 94568 T • 04 ' 610 , Ab ., * {12 Pedestal style bench type 774, approved by City Council., March 2018 Samples from Bas and Mattos Monuments CUSTOM BENCH 4 PIECE PARK BENCH fr- TYPE 775 CUSTOM BENCH TYPE 774 TYPE 774 Dublin Pioneer Cemetery and Heritage Park Plots Plots Plots A = Benches c a W c Q