HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 8.2 Recog Outstnding Dev~
CITY OF DUBLIN
AGENDA STATEMENT
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CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: May 11, 1992
5UBJECT: Report on Program for Recognition of Outstanding
Development ~~
REPORT PREPARED BY: Carol R. Cirelli, Associate Planner
EXHIBITS ATTACHED: Attachment 1: Outstanding Design Awards Study
RECOMMENDATION: q'~~ O~ Provide direction to Staff issue by issue.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENT: The cost of the program would depend on
direction from the City Council on items to be
included. The outlined program would cost
approximately $500-$800 in materials, and
require approximately 100-200 Staff hours.
DESCRTPTION:
Staff has prepared this report to meet one of the City Council's
medium priority goals. Staff has contacted a variety of cities in the
region (14 cities), including the three Tri-Valley cities of Pleasanton,
San Ramon and Livermore, to determine whether these cities implement an
outstanding design awards program. Staff found three cities with
outstanding design awards programs: 1) Concord; 2) Fairfield; 3) Cotati.
The results of this research are summarized in the attached study (see
Attachment 1).
The City of Dublin can adopt an Outstanding Design Awards Program by
establishing a design awards committee, design award categories, award
types and administrative procedures (i.e., nomination process, program
winner selection process, etc.). The intent of the program could be to
improve the quality of development in the City, to recognize those who
have made special effort to achieve outstanding design, and to encourage
others to create a more attractive environment.
ISSUE 1
Proqram Establishment: Should the City Council establish an Outstanding
Desiqn Awards Program?
Staff recommends the City Council accept the report and not
establi'sh a program at this time due to the current fiscal situation and
the number of adopted high priority planning goals. However, if the City
Council dec.ides to establish an Outstanding Design Awards Program as a
high priority goal, 5taff requests that the City Council provide Staff
direction on the following issues.
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ITEM NO. O~~ COPIES T0: Senior Planner
[ccsrawa] Project Planner
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ISSUE 2
Desiqn Review Board: Should the City establish a Design Review Board to
implement an Outstandinq Desiqn Awards Program?
1. All the cities surveyed with award programs have Design Review
Boards. In most cases, at least one member of the Design Review Board is
appointed as a member of the awards program nominating or review
committee. The City of Dublin does not have a Design Review Board.
2. For Staff level project approvals (Site Development Review),
Planning Staff reviews the design of proposed projects. Staff decisions
are appealable to the Planning Commission.
3. For Planning Commission level project approvals (combined
Conditional Use Permit and Site Development Review), the Planning
Commission reviews the design of proposed projects. Planning Commission
decisions are appealable to the City Council.
4. For City Council level project approvals (combined Planned
Development (PD) Rezoning, Site Development Review, Conditional Use
Permit), the City Council reviews the design of proposed projects. City
Council decisions are final.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
While not absolutely required, Staff would recommend the formation
of a Design Awards Committee for the purpose of selecting award program
winners.
ISSUE 3
Desiqn Guidelines: Should the City have adopted Site Development Review
Guidelines before im lementinq an Outstandinq Desiqn Awards Proqram?
All the cities surveyed with award programs have Design Guidelines.
The City of Dublin is currently in the process of adopting Site
Development Review Guidelines, which is intended to aid the development
community and the City in processing development projects. This document
will serve as a guide to establishing overall project design criteria
relative to site planning, architecture, landscape design, signage and
lighting.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt the Site Development Review Guidelines before implementing the
Outstanding Design Awards Program.
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ISSUE 4
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Proqram Frequency: How frequently should the program take place?
The program frequency of other cities range from annual to biennial,
and one city administers the program less frequently, and in a sporadic
manner.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Because implementing and administering an Outstanding Design Awards
Program could involve much time and effort, the program should initially
be impl.emented every two years. This time frame would simplify the
administrative process and maximize the number of nominations per
category. After completion and review of the initial program, the City
Council could adjust the frequency as needed.
ISSUE 5
Type of Awards: What type of awards would be appropriate?
Other cities distribute certificates, plaques, pictures and letters
from mayors or design review committees.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
A framed certificate, including colored photograph of the
development project should be sufficient, accompanied by a letter from
the Mayor.
ISSUE 6
Proqram Structure: How should the proqram be structured?
Staff recommends the following program structure:
Desiqn Awards Committee
Five (5) Committee member selection - appointed by the City Council
Committee members - 1 City Council member, 1 Planning Commissioner,
1 Planning Staff inember and 2 residents (with a design background
preferred), or 1 resident and 1 business/chamber of commerce
representative.
Desian Awards Nomination and Selection Process
Any member of the public, City Council member, Planning Commission
member or City Staff inember may nominate development projects for awards.
Development projects eligible far awards would be new construction
and remodel projects that have been completed since the City incorporated
in February of 1982.
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All nominations must be made on official nomination forms, which
would include a section for describing the reasons for nominating the
development. Each nomination must include 35mm colored slides of the
development for presentation purposes. Colored prints and negatives
would also be desirable. All materials must be received by an
established closing date. ^~
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Only one development project would be selectedlthe winner in each
category. If the Design Awards Committee decides that there are no
development projects worth recommending for an award under a particular
category, the Committee would not have to recommend one. A development
project could only receive one award.
Design award categories:
1. Commercial project
2. Industrial project
3. Public Institutional project
4. Single Family Residential project
5. Multi-Family Residential project
6. 5pecial Design Award (not falling
listed above)
into any one category
Some factors to take into consideration while evaluating the
nominations might include: architectural design, landscape design, site
planning design, energy conservation, building restoration/preservation,
public space desiqn/use, etc.
The Design Awards Committee Planning Staff inember would coordinate
the Committee meetings. A Chairperson (other than the Planning Staff
member) would be appointed by the Committee. The Committee would meet
for orientation and discussion of criteria for evaluating nominations,
and to recommend category winners. The Committee would recommend a
winning development project by individual category and the person(s) it
determined was most responsible for the development project's outstanding
design.
The Committee Chairperson would make a slide presentation of the top
three nominations per category, including the Committee's recommended
winners, at a regular City Council meeting. In the presentation, the
Chairperson would explain the reasons for recommending the winners. The
City Council would select the winners at this first meeting and awards
would be presented at a subsequent regular City Council meeting.
An Outstanding Design Awards Program would take approximately three
to four months to process. The program would cost approximately $500-
$800 in materials (forms, envelopes, postage, advertising, frames,
certificates, photographs) and require approximately 100-200 hours of
Staff processing time.
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O~STANDING DESIGN AWARDS ST~
A Design Awards Program would be intended to improve the design
quality of development in the City of Dublin by recognizing outstanding
works of site planning, architecture, landscape architecture and
environmental design. The Program would honor individuals, firms or
agencies who have made a special effort to achieve good design. Serving
as an incentive, the Program could encourage others to create a more
attractive environment that benefits the community.
CITY SURVEY
CONCORD
Proqram adopted b~ ordinancelresolution: no
Design Review Board: yes (called: Design Review Board)
Design Guidelines: yes
Frequency of Awards Program: sporadic (1981, 1989}
Type of Awards: certificates
Program Structure:
Design Awards Committee comprised of: 2 Cit~r Councilmembers,
1 Planning Commissioner, 1 Design Review Board member.
Planning staff nominates projects and also solicits nominations from
the public.
Committee meets for a total of 4 hours to select Program
winners from each design award category.
Design Award categories:
1. Overall Design Excellence
2. Small Institutional Project
3. Site Design
4. Office Project
5. Downtown Commercial Project
6. Landscaping
7. Neighborhood Commercial Project
8. Historic Preservation and Restoration
9. Expansion and Conversion of a House into an Office
10. Achievement in a Public Facility
11. Achievement in a Business Park
12. Building Elevation at a City Gateway
13. Integration of Sculpture and Landscape
14. Special Feature (i.e., trash enclosure)
Planning staff produced a Design Awards booklet, prepared 44 award
certificates and coordinated the City Council awards presentation.
Planner stated that administering the program took a lot of time and
effort and for this reason, the program frequency was sporadic.
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FAIRFIELD
Program adopted by ordinance/resolution: no
Design Review Board: yes (called: Architectural Approval Committee)
Design Guidelines: yes
Frequency of Awards Program: biennial
The program is implemented every two years in order to:
1) create a prestigious awards program, 2) maximize the number of
nominations per category, 3) minimize the eligibility requirements, and
4) simplify the award process and related administration.
Type of Awards: plaques
Pro ram Structure:
Design Awards Jury is comprised of 5 members with 2 alternates.
Recommended membership:
1. An invited architect, urban designer or architectural designer,
preferably from a college or university, appointed by the
Architectural Approval Committee (AAC).
2. A member of the AAC, appointed by the AAC.
3. One person and an alternate educated and trained in landscape
design, appointed by the Planning Commission.
4. Two persons and an alternate educated and trained in the visual
arts, appointed by the City Council.
The jury is appointed 30 days prior to the closing date for
nominations.
Projects eligible for awards are commercial, industrial, public,
institutional and multi-family residential (3 or more dwelling units),
and those which have received occupancy permits between January 1 of even
numbered years and December 31 of the following year.
Design Award categories
1. Landscape Design
2. Graphic Design
3. Architectural Design
4. Site Planning Design: Multi-Facility Project
5. Energy Conservation
6. Building Restoration/Preservation
7. Commendations for special features in remodeling or new
construction
8. Other: Special Recognition Awards (suggested for those
projects outstand.ing in all categories)
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. Nominations are s~icited from the general p~ic, the Architectural
Approval Committee and organized groups within the city. All nominations
must be made on official nomination forms and they must be received by
the official closing date. The nomination period is open for three
weeks. The Design Awards Jury selects the winners from each design award
category.
The City of Fairfield implements the design awards program during an
approximate 4 month period (from the time eligible projects are
identified, located and chosen for awards, to the time awards are
presented at a city council meeting).
The planner stated that formerly implementing the design awards
program on a yearly basis proved to be too much work and very time-
consuming, which resulted in a lower quality program.
COTATI
The City of Cotati implements a beautification awards program rather
than a design awards program. Residences, businesses and industrial
complexes that are well-maintained and/or improved are given awards
annually and recognized for improving the beauty of Cotati. Cotati's
program emphasizes property maintenance.
Proqram adopted by ordinance/resolution: no
Design Review Board: yes (called: Design Review Committee)
Desiqn Guidelines: yes
Frequency of Awards Program: annually
Type of Awards: Outstanding Achievement Award - large color picture
of their award-winning home or business, and letter
of congratulations from Mayor.
,
Meritorious Achievement - letter of congratulations
from Mayor. ~
Honorable Mentions - letter from Design Review
Committee stating home or business was nominated and
considered.
Program Structure:
The Design Review Committee serves as the lead agency and recommends
beautification awards to the city council. The chairperson of the
Beautification Awards Program Recommending Committee serves on the Design
Review Committee.
The Beautification Awards Program Recommending Committee is
comprised of: 2 members of the Design Review Committee, 2 members of the
Planning Commission, the City Council liaison to the Planning Commission,
2 members of the Cotati Chamber of Commerce, the president of the Cotati
Chamber of Commerce, the Planning Director of Cotati and the Building
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Inspector of Cotati. ~e City Manager may appoin other city staff
' members to serve, but the number of voting staff cannot exceed four.
The appointment to the Recommending Committee is done on an annual
basis with terms not exceeding one year, or one awards program, whichever
comes first.
"Classes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
of Eligibility" include:
Single Family detached -
Single Family detached -
or larger)
Mobile Home single unit
Multi-Family - apartment,
Business - Commercial
Business - Industrial
R-1, R-2 zoning (small lot)
R-R or A-R zoning (.5 acre site
duplex, condominium, townhouse
Most Improved Project - Residential
Most Improved Project - Non-Residential
Public Building
Special Award (for those categories/items not covered by
any of the above classes of eligibility)
Types of Items Evaluated:
1. maintenance of landscaping
2. screening of undesirable areas from public view
3. physical appearance of building (i.e., painting)
4. maintenance of home or building
5. pride of ownership
The Recommending Committee nominates projects and the Committee also
accepts nominations from the public. Planning staff provides the
Recommending Committee members a map of the City of Cotati, including
nomination forms and rating sheets.
Each member of the Recommending Committee is required to tour the
City not less than two times annually. The Recommending Committee
chooses the winners from each "class of eligibility."
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All nominations from the Recommending Committee are submitted to the
Cotati Planning Department. The Planning Department takes~pictures of
all nominations, categorizes the nominations and organizes a luncheon for
presentation of slides to the Recommending Committee. A former planner
with the City of Cotati recommended that the Recommending Committee take
pictures of the nominations instead of the planning staff so that
planning staff could categorize the nominations more efficiently.
The Design Review
Recommending Committee
Awards are presented at
Committee reviews the
and forwards this lis
a formal City Council
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winner list by the
t to the City Council.
meeting.
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