CITY OF CARPINTERIA ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARI) Meeting of September 12,2013 Agendø ltem # D-L C OMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PROJECT REVIEW Project: 13-1673-ARB Planner: Nick Bobroff Address: Carpinteria State Beach APN: 003-5 r0-001 & 003-5 1 0-Rov/ Zoning: Recreation (REC) Applicant: CA Dept. of Parks and Recreation for Carpinteria State Beach Project Review: ! Conceptual EI Preliminary'Final n Final PROJECT DESCRIPTION This is the preliminarylfinal review of a request to repurpose the State Park's existing park office and visitor center to serve entirely as a park visitor center and then adjacent to the repurposed visitor center, construct a new building to support operational staff needs and provide additional educational space (Operations/Education building- OPED). The changes to the park visitor center/operations building(s) arc part of a larger series of public access and educational improvements proposed throughout Carpinteria State Beach funded by a Nature Education Facilities (NEF) grant and the Department of Parks and Recreation's (DRP) Interpretation Enhancement Program (IEP). In the area of the visitor center, the improvements would be competed to expand park services and visitor education, provide visual enhancement and increase accessibility for visitors. Improvements to the existing park office/visitor center are proposed as follows: The existing building would be repurposed to serve exclusively as the park's visitor center. An interior remodel would be completed to accommodate new exhibits and a living tide pool display. Exterior improvements include reconstructing the building's entry to better integrate architecturally with the existing building and to tie into the new, adjacent OPED building. A new 115 square foot equipment room would be added to the southeast corner of the building to house equipment related to the new tide pool display. A new concrete walkway, stairs and site walls would be constructed to provide access to the building's HVAC system and tide pool equipment. The resulting total square footage of the visitor center building would increase from 1,190 square feet to 1,305 square feet. The new OPED building is proposed to be sited immediately northwest of the existing visitor center building. The new modular building would measure approximately 60 feet long by 24 feet wide for a total square footage of I,440 square feet. The new building would measure 15 feet high. The interior of the new building would be built out with a classroom/meeting space, Carpinteria State Beach NEF Preliminary/Final ARB Review, September 12, 2013 Page2 office/workstation areas, restrooms, a public reception area arrd support spaces. The proposed exterior treatment is meant to be complementary to the existing visitor center building and the surrounding park context. New walkways/ramps would provide access to the building's entrance(s). A new 1,400 square foot outdoor learning area would be constructed immediately north of the visitor center building. The outdoor learning area would serve as a space for the Park's Junior Ranger Program and other interactive learning programs at the visitor center. The area would be finished in concrete or decomposed granite and may consist of amenities such as fixed tables, benches, and built-in storage cabinets and sink. Two additional parking spaces would be provided in the existing parking lot just northeast of the existing visitor center building. New accessible walkways would be constructed from the parking area to both buildings and the outdoor learning area. Landscaping around the project area would also be updated. Approximately nine existing non- native trees (comprised of a mix of pine, myoporum, olive and eucalyptus) would be removed to provide space for the new OPED building. Approximately 100 yards of frll would be placed along the existing slope west of the parking area to raise the finished grade to meet the finished floor elevation of the new building. Following construction, open areas would be hydroseeded with a native plant seed mix and a selection of native trees would be planted throughout the project area. Plans and a more detailed project description from the applicant are attached as Exhibit A. PROJECT SETTING The project site is located within Carpinteria State Beach, northwest of the main park entrance from Palm Avenue and adjacent to the eastern terminus of the Palm to Linden Trail. The existing 1,190 square foot building serves as both the park visitor center and operations building. It is set amidst a number of mature trees (pines). Immediately north of the existing building is an outdoor gathering area enclosed by a post and rail fence. The area for the proposed OPED building is presently landscaped with mature trees (pine, myoporum, olive and eucalyptus) and assorted groundcovers. The project area is bordered to the north by an existing service road, the Palm to Linden Trail and the UPRR railroad tracks. To the east is a landscape area and the main park entrance road from Palm Avenue. To the south and west, the project area is bordered by existing campground loops. An existing building housing a sanitary lift station is also located just to the northwest of the proposed OPED building site. The visitor center remodel and new OPED building are part of larger project meant to improve accessibility throughout the park and provide additional interpretive opportunities. Some of these additional improvements include a dune restoration project, building new boardwalks through the beach dunes to provide formalized beach access points as well as a lateral trail Carpinteria State Beach NEF Preliminary/Final ARB Review, September 12, 2013 Page 3 through the state park to Linden Avenue, expanding upon the native plant restoration project around the mouth of Carpinteria Creek, formalizing a trail from the parking area to Tarpits Beach, creating a scale display model of a Chumash tomol near the visitor center, and creating new gathering areas for interpretive presentations and/or viewing of the ocean. DPR previously undertook and completed a remodel of the park's day use area which included replacing the bathroom buildings and shade structures with updated versions to meet current accessibility requirements. State Parks also completed a reconfiguration of their main entry to the park including new signage and landscaping. The site is zoned Recreation (REC) and has an Open Space/Recreation (OSR) land use designation. The project site is subject to the City's Coastal Appeals (CA) and Flood Hazard, (FH) overlays. PROJECT ANALYSß The proposed visitor center remodel and new OPED building are partof a larger series of improvements proposed for Carpinteria State Beach. The California Coastal Commission has retained permit jurisdiction over the entire project; thus the project is not subject to the City's zoningregulations or planning review process. Pursuant to an agreement between DPR staff, Coastal Commission staff and the City's Community Development Department however, the City is being given the opportunity to review the proposed improvements to the Visitor Center/Operations complex through the City's Architectural Review process. Desisn Review As described previously, the existing visitor center/park office would be repurposed to exclusively serve as the park's visitor center. Exterior changes to the existing building are limited to replacing the existing main entry with a new entry to better match the architecture of the existing building and that of the proposed OPED building, replacing existing windows/doors and constructing the new equipment room/equipment enclosure for the tide pool exhibit equipment and HVAC equipment. The exterior treatmentlarchitecture for the new equipment room would be complimentary to the (existing) visitor center building and the new OPED building. The new OPED building would be of modular construction and be set in place onsite. The building would feature a shed roof that is set askew. The high point of the building would be located at the southeastern corner of the building and the roof would slope downward toward the northwest corner of the building. Building plate heights would range from 13 feet at the highest point to nine feet three inches at the lowest corner. A decorative trellis is proposed for the Óppl building's main entry facing the parking area and railroad tracks. High windows and transom windows are proposed along most building elevations to take advantage of the tall building plates and natural light. Carpinteria State Beach NEF Preliminary/Final ARB Review, September 12, 2013 Page 4 A color/material board and legend is attached to this staff report and will also be made available atthe hearing for the Board's review. The locations of proposed exterior light fixtures are shown on the respective building floor plans and elevation drawings. A cut sheet for the proposed fixtures is included with this report for the Board's review. Proposed landscape materials in the project area include native trees (western sycamore and holly leaf cherry), native shrubs/groundcover (purple sage, deer grass, lemonade berry) and a native plant hydroseed mix. New walkways would be finished in natural concrete or colored concrete (in front of the new OPED building). The new outdoor learning area would be finished in concrete or decomposed granite. The Board's comments on the proposed architectural style and detailing of the remodeled visitor center and new OPED building would be appreciated. General Plan/Coastal Plan Neiehborhood Policies The project site has a General PlarVlocal Coastal Plan designation of Open Space/Recreation (OSR), and is zoned Recreation (REC). The City's Community Design Element of the General Plan contains both general over-arching policies and specific sub-area policies. The project site is in Design Sub-area 1 (Downtown Beach Neighborhood). CITY\ilIDE COMMUNITY DESIGN OBJECTIVES Objective CD-l: The size, scale andþrm of buildings and their placement on a parcel should be compatible with adjacent and nearby properties, and with the dominant neighborhood or di s tr i ct dev el opment p att ern.