South Beach Restroom Area Master Plan
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South Beach Restroom Area Master Plan South Haven, MI December 18, 2020 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREPARED FOR: SOUTH HAVEN CITY COMMISSION: Mayor Scott Smith Letitia Wilkins, Ward 1 The City of South Haven Joe Reeser, Ward 1 1199 8th Avenue Jeff Arnold, Ward 2 South Haven, MI 49090 Chris Campbell, Ward 2 Steve Schlack, Ward 3 George Sleeper, Ward 3 PREPARED BY: STAFF: Bill Hunter, Director of Public Works Edgewater Resources, LLC Ron Dotson, Parks & Recreation Operations Manager 518 Broad Street, Suite 200 Todd Brand, Facilities & Grounds St. Joseph, MI 49085 PARKS COMMISSION: Bob Sherman Jim Ellis John Mellein Laura Jager Sandy Fenske Wendi Onuki SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CONCEPT ALTERNATIVES Project Location 04 Proposed Concepts 12 Plan Purpose 05 Concept A 14 Related Planning Efforts 05 Concept B 16 Goals & Objectives 06 Concept C 18 Plan Process 06 CONSENSUS PLAN PROJECT INVENTORY Plan Narrative 20 Site Visits 07 Final Plan 21 Study Models 22 Supporting Imagery 24 PUBLIC INPUT Public Meetings 10 Stakeholder Outreach 11 APPENDICES Online Survey 11 Site Assessment Report Public Visioning Survey Concept Plan Survey SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 3 INTRODUCTION PROJECT LOCATION VanBuren County City of South Haven BLACK RIVER LAKE MICHIGAN Study Area WATER STREET BLACK RIVER SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 4 INTRODUCTION PLAN PURPOSE This Plan for the City of South Haven includes concept master planning of the South Beach restroom and concession area. The scope of work includes an area of approximately one acre immediately surrounding the restroom and concessions area between the parking drop-off loop to the west and the newly completed splash park to the east. The purpose of the planning study is to assess current site constraints and user needs, and to then develop proposed site improvements to meet these needs. The planning and design firm of Edgewater Resources of St. Joseph, Michigan, was tasked with Master Planning services to determine the best use of this public space - to both understand the existing site features and use patterns and to meet the recreation needs of the community into the future. Proposed plans aim to improve site accessibility and to update design standards to meet the high levels of the rest of the City of South Haven’s waterfront. Concession Stand prior to 2009 RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS In 2009, the former concession stand building at South Beach was removed to permit construction of the new water filtration plant. The South Beach concessions are operated by a private vendor under a lease agreement with the City. Since the removal of the former building, the concessionaire has operated out of temporary facilities located near the restroom and pavilion, near the Black River waterfront. In 2015, the City developed a master plan for redevelopment of the restroom and pavilion area to accommodate the concessionaire in a new building. They also considered alternatives for improving and enlarging the restroom building. A Plan included a donor plaza to recognize fundraising efforts for the South Pierhead Lighthouse. The City Commission supported these efforts, but planning did not extend past the schematic design phase. Existing Site, 2020 SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 5 INTRODUCTION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES PLAN PROCESS The main goal of the Plan is that the final design blend seamlessly with The planning process involved the following steps: adjacent South Beach Park and recent splash park improvements. Other • Continuous Community Involvement broad goals for consideration include improving public access, addressing • Site Assessment safety and accessibility challenges, addressing the impacts of constantly • Community Visioning changing lake levels at the channel edge, and enhancing visitor amenities. • Development of Concept Alternatives • Refinement of Alternatives to Consensus Plan Community involvement is a critical component of any planning process. Recognizing the ongoing concerns with Covid 19, large social gatherings, and social distancing requirements, the process for this Plan involved a flexible strategy that incorporated online presentations and two web- based community surveys to obtain accurate community feedback across all demographics. Early in the design process, specific objectives were established by the project Steering Committee. These include: • Improve circulation through site moving east/west. • Renovate restrooms both aesthetically and to meet user needs, reducing wait times and allowing quick access. • Reconsider location and layout of trailer structures, but maintain or improve concession uses while maximizing allowable space (1,200 sf) • Maintain donor bricks or reconfigure. • Maximize shade, keep as many trees as possible. • Improve drainage and eliminate low, wet spots. • Manage sand movement through site. • Provide additional seating with improved views. • Address potential safety considerations and traffic conflicts. • Enhance community amenities such as seating, signage, and/or litter/recycling receptacles. • Consider design improvements that enable the City to be eligible for State and Federal Grants. SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 6 INVENTORY SITE VISITS Multiple visits were made to the project site between June and September of 2020. The site photos following indicate existing site conditions. A full Site Assessment Report is included in the Appendix of this document. Restroom Building Picnic Pavilion Beach Shop and Donor Pavers Concession Shop SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 7 INVENTORY Drinking fountain Men’s sinks and fixtures Women’s entry and fixtures Picnic tables Women’s stalls Women’s fixtures SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 8 INVENTORY Various conditions were noted on site or near the beach that require consideration. Portable toilets currently needed Items stored in back of concession building Grade change from site to street Low areas collect storm water Sand movement partially controlled by dune grass and walls Erosion control structures on beach SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 9 PUBLIC INPUT PUBLIC MEETINGS A key factor in the development of this Master Plan was public discussion and feedback. A series of public meetings were held throughout the project, and the community was encouraged to provide input on the concept alternative plans. Meetings were advertised on the City webiste, through an email mailing list, and on Facebook. The initial project meetings were held concurrently with meetings for renovations to Kids’ Corner Playground. • Kick-off Meeting: July 1, 2020. The public was invited to join the Parks Commission Meeting to share project goals. • Visioning Session: August 5, 2020. Multiple images were shown via Zoom meeting and feedback was gathered on which program elements were desired for this site, and which were undesirable. This meeting was followed by an online survey presenting the same images to allow those who missed the meeting to provide feedback. • Presentation of Concept Alternatives: October 9-26, 2020. Due to Covid-related meeting restrictions, the team decided to present three concept alternatives in a second online survey for review. The public was invited to leave comments on each concept and then vote for their favorite. • Presentation of Consensus Plan: December 8,2020. A final plan, based on all public and stakeholder feedback, was presented at an online Parks Commission meeting, open to the public. The Plan was then posted online. SOUTH BEACH RESTROOM AREA MASTER PLAN Page 10 PUBLIC INPUT STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH To gain targeted feedback for planning purposes, key stakeholder groups Based on survey response and stakeholder input, the top requests for were identified early in the planning process. These groups included this site are updated, clean restroom facilities with more space. All of the community organizations, neighborhood groups, public schools, any proposed site amenities received a positive response. The community group that was determined to have a unique and valuable point of view expressed a desire to keep concessions and plenty of shaded seating that might provide insight on park management and opportunities. Note options, but in a layout that allows for better pedestrian flow and that these groups were contacted for both this project and the Kids’ maintain water views. Corner Playground Redevelopment project. Groups that were targeted with meeting invites and survey links include: The open-ended comments on the beach survey are summarized below (the larger the word, the more times that topic was mentioned). The • Multiple South Haven Senior Centers and Assisted Living Centers top priority is updated restrooms (and more of them!) with changing • South Haven Public Schools, St. Basil Catholic School, St. Paul stations and family restrooms to free up the restrooms that are available. Lutheran School People want beach showers, foot wash stations, bike racks and drinking • Peelers & Peaches Vintage Baseball fountains, and for these amenities to be accessible. People enjoy the • Community Facebook Groups existing concessions but would like more seating options, preferably • Southwest Michigan Disability Network shaded, for enjoyment of snacks and ice cream. • Harbor Master and South Beach Concessions Manager ONLINE SURVEY An online public visioning survey was available to the public through the month of August, 2020. Residents were asked to complete the survey with five general demographic questions,