April 28, 2020 Planning Commission Study Session Materials Available NOW!
The current public health crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to the Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project’s public review process. The Study Session with the Planning Commission, originally scheduled for March 24, has been postponed until Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 7pm, and will be held via videoconference only.
In order to provide additional time for members of the public to review, comment on, and ask questions about the preliminary design prior to the April 28 meeting, the Town Hall Remodel and Addition project team, made up of staff from several departments and Kappe Architects, are releasing the complete Study Session packet, including the Staff Report, a presentation by project architect Ron Kappe, and the project plans, on April 15. These materials can be accessed now by clicking on the title of each document listed below. Reference materials from previous public meetings can also be accessed at the Town’s webpage for this project.
Staff Report - A detailed staff report outlining the steps the town has taken to get to where we are today. This includes the variety of public workshops, discussions, and meetings that have taken place. The report describes the purpose and intent of the project, as well as the specific entitlements, reports, and environmental review required for the project to be approved.
Power Point Presentation and Audio by Ron Kappe, Project Architect (or download the mp4 file) - This file includes a complete overview of the project’s development history, site analysis, opportunities and constraints, and public outreach, as well as elevations, renderings, and site plans of the proposed two-story Town Hall Remodel and Addition.
Town Hall Project Plan Set - This is the full plan set to date, including site plans, elevations, renderings, landscape plan, parking lot layout, etc.
Moving the Project Design Forward
Town staff recognize that the current public health crisis has created significant uncertainty regarding the Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project’s construction timeline due to the anticipated fiscal impacts resulting from the loss of economic activity in the Town and region. At this point, we expect the project to pause for at least 12 months once the Design Review process is completed. Nonetheless, the project remains a critical piece of the Town’s current infrastructure plan. As we’ve discussed at recent public meetings, the project is intended to be a long-term solution to long-standing, serious deficiencies at our existing Town Hall facility, including issues related to seismic stability, compliance with current building codes (including ADA accessibility), and inadequate capacity and amenities for community and public meetings, permitting, and office functions. The project aims to provide the Town’s residents and business community with a more resilient, functional, and inviting facility that will be a community asset for the next 100 years.
It is extremely important that we continue to pursue approval of a project design through the Planning Commission review process in order to capitalize on the momentum that has been built through robust public discourse and dialogue, including the well-attended Community Workshop on January 30, and to ensure that the considerable time and resources spent by Town staff, the Town Council, our consulting architect Ron Kappe, and many Corte Madera residents, are not wasted. We believe we have finally developed a plan and project design that meets the needs of the Town, respects our residential neighbors and our neighborhood character, and creates public spaces that the entire community can take pride in and we are excited to now be able to show the preliminary design to the Corte Madera community and the Planning Commission.
Questions and Comments
If you have any questions about tasks completed, the current status, or upcoming events of the Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project or if you need help accessing the documents and images on the Project webpage please contact:
Phil Boyle, Senior Planner at 415-927-5067 or pboyle@tcmmail.org.
Jared Barrilleaux, Senior Civil Engineer, at 415-927-5120 or jbarrilleaux@tcmmail.org
Please submit your questions or comments to Phil or Jared by the end of the day on April 22 to allow time for staff to send such comments to the Planning Commissioners prior to the April 28 meeting, and for staff to prepare responses, as necessary, in advance of the April 28 meeting. Comments provided after April 22 will be provided to the Planning Commission, but may not be directly addressed by Staff. For information regarding how to participate and provide comments during the Planning Commission’s April 28 teleconference meeting, please click here.
As a reminder, no action will be taken by the Planning Commission at the April 28 Study Session, but the meeting offers the Commission and members of the public an early opportunity to informally weigh in on issues of planning and design prior to the development of a project application or the scheduling of a formal Planning Commission public hearing.
We understand it is a challenging time for our community, and wish you and your families well, but the input we have received from all of you has significantly shaped and strengthened this important Town project and we look forward to your continued participation in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you.
