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CalPERS Headquarters Expansion Master Plan
Workshop #4: Preliminary Master Plan Review
January 19, 2000
The forth community workshop provided an opportunity for participants to review and discuss a preliminary master plan concept being considered by the CalPERS master planning team.
The objectives for the January 19 meeting included:
Workshop Summary
The CalPERS architects presented an alternative that reflected the comments made by the community participants at the January 5th workshop. Referred to as the "Teal Alternative", the preliminary master plan concept emphasizes housing frontage on 5th Street and R Street on the blocks between 5th, 3rd, R and Q Streets. The alternative leaves 4th Street open. The participants listed what they viewed were the strengths and weaknesses of the Teal Alternative. In addition, an "issues bin" of other important topics was recorded.
Alternative Review and Discussion
- Housing and office between 3rd to 5th Streets should be built concurrently.
- If CalPERS separates parking from building it would stimulate pedestrian traffic/environment and reduce cost of construction.
- Like that the office does not overshadow residential.
- Better scenario, but more expensive to have single loaded housing.
- Like the housing on 5th Street because it connects to housing to the north and south on 5th Street.
- Would like 5th Street converted to two-way traffic - better for pedestrians.
- Like the housing on R Street.
- Would like the galleria concept from the "Green" scenario on 4th Street worked into the "Teal" scenario.
- Would like the design to consider connectivity opportunities to surrounding neighborhood uses - i.e. retail in Capital Towers, proposed 10th/R Street entertainment center, Downtown Plaza, ball park, etc. Convert 5th Street to 2 way traffic. Consider shuttle/jitney service. Ask existing Lincoln Plaza employees where they go to at lunch time and how they get there. Think that there are a lot of destination points just beyond perceived walking distance, and we should think about things that would help make better connections.
- Would like to challenge the large floor plate design which is a suburban concept and not in the R Street spirit.
- Talk to the City about exceeding the height limit to take advantage of the river views and provide for more depth for the housing.
- Vehicle access off of Q Street on to 4th Street to enter parking garage.
- If galleria from green scenario can be worked into teal scenario would like it enclosed so that year around activities could take place there
Issues Bin
In addition to the critique of the Teal Alternative, there were issues that workshop participants felt were important for the CalPERS R Street Committee to consider.
- Has CalPERS explored the possibility for light rail subsidy versus a parking subsidy?
- What are the Plans for 3rd/5th/ R/S Street?
- Consider off-site parking.
- What happens to the building on 3rd and Q Streets? Is it historic?
- Consider taller building/smaller floor plate to free up open space/housing.
- 3/1 office/housing ratio should not be subsidized - building housing is part of the cost of building a building on R Street. You cannot separate these two land uses.
- Subsidy using existing/traditional subsidy avenues is okay for some of the housing to make it affordable/low income (diversify housing types); do not subsidize market rate housing.
- Consider parking cash-out.
- Don't stop meeting with us.