Cesar E. Chavez Plaza

September 17, 1998

Community Workshop Summary

Workshop Summary

The participants in the September 17, 1998 workshop generally agreed on the following:

1. The Plaza is part of a larger place. Crosswalk connections, the use of streets for programmed events, the urban design relationship to contiguous development sites, streetscaping, and ground floor uses should be considered part of the area's master plan.

2. The Plaza is a place of retreat. The Plaza is viewed as a predominately green, shady, and quiet place.

3. The Plaza should not be significantly altered. The Coleman Fountain and other monuments should stay. The circulation patterns should remain and the amount of hard scape should not be significantly increased.

Policy and Technical Questions

There were several questions and issues brought up by the workshop participants future planning should address. These included:

1. Can 9th or 10th Street be closed for special events?

2. What precautions are required for potential archaeological resources that may lay under the Plaza?

3. If the $1 million from the Cal EPA project can not be used for ongoing maintenance, how can added maintenance be funded?

Workshop Objectives and Exercises

The September 17, 1998 workshop had three overall objectives. These included identifying the scope of enhancements, review the activity program for the Plaza, and discuss implementation ideas. The participants became members of four planning teams that went through the following two exercises:

Exercise One: Planning Program

List the top three program activities you feel the Plaza's enhancements should support.

As part of this exercise, they also had to consider the types of needs each activity would have. They added a 1 (hard surface), 2 (lawn) or 3 (special utilities) after each activity.

Exercise Two: Planning Concept

As a team, prepare a diagram of enhancements for the Plaza. Use the colored construction paper, game pieces, and markers to block-out your idea.

Your diagram should consider:

· access from surrounding areas;

· relationship to adjacent street frontages;

· program activities location and physical needs;

· paved and soft areas;

· historic monuments;

· existing landscape; and

· the project budget.

Prior to developing a concept diagram for the Plaza, the planning teams mapped constraints and opportunities. They numbered the corners where the most foot traffic would be coming from, the edges of the park where there was retail activities, the location of building entries, and things in the Plaza that they considered "givens."

As you work on the planning concept, keep track of your construction budget on the Cost Program sheet.

If your project runs over budget:

· adjust the scope of your solution;

· phase the project and identify other sources for funding; or

· assign parts of the project to private sector funding.

Team 1

Team 1's overall approach acknowledged the existing budget of $1 million was too small to do a significant design. They proposed to take care of the years of deferred maintenance the Plaza needs, but try and find additional funding for making the Plaza better. They felt the Coleman Fountain, Steven's Monument, and smaller markers were to stay in the Plaza. Team 1 said the most important pedestrian connection between the future Cal EPA Building and the Plaza.

Program Activities

Concerts xx (1,2,3)

Passive Park (1,2)

Market x (1,3)

Chairs (i.e., Battery Park) (1,2)

Civic Gatherings-Political and Festival (1,2,3)

Cultural Awareness (1,2,3)

Rallies/Civic Activism x (1,2,3)

Restaurants x (2,3)

Families (1,2,3)

Noon Music x (1,2,3)

Tree Maintenance (3)

Civic Identity (1,2,3)

Key Features:

1. Keep the Plaza "as-is" with upgraded irrigation and maintenance

2. Improve the lighting

3. Leverage the $1 million for bigger budget and better Plaza

Budget: $900,000, leverage the $1 million for a larger budget for a more exciting plan

Team 2

Team 2 emphasized using 9th and 10th Streets as venues for program activities that are too hard on the Plaza's lawns. They wanted to fix the Plaza as a green and shady retreat away from louder market and music activities. They proposed to spend $250,000 on fixing the lawn, adding gardens and furniture to the Plaza. The balance of the budget would be used for ongoing maintenance needs of an urban park. They felt the existing monuments and fountain should stay where they are and that the most important pedestrian connection was to the Cal EPA Building.

Program Activities

Picket Lines/Demonstrations (1,2,3)

Concerts/Mariachi (1,3)

All Forms of Music (1,2,3)

Dining/Eating (1,2,3)

Sitting/Reading/People-watching (1,2,3)

Day-of-the-Dead Celebrations (1,2)

Music

Health Education for Families (1,2)

Green Space/Socialization (1,2,3)

Arts Activities (1,2,3)

Winter Holiday Lighting (3)

Festival of Lights (3)

Public Speeches/Forums (1,2,3)

Marketplace Environment (1,2)

Salud Clinics (1,2)

Key Features:

1. Bigger events in the streets, out of the park

(no stage in park)

2. Budget ($250,000) for upgrades, maintenance, and kiosks at each corner

(save the rest of the budget for maintenance)

3. Improve links to City Hall

Budget: $250,000 for upgrades, use the rest for ongoing maintenance

Team 3

Team 3 also saw the Plaza as a green retreat. They proposed enhancing the crosswalk connections, adding kiosks at the corners, and paving the Plaza's diagonal walks. They proposed angled parking and pedestrian amenities around the edges of the Plaza to slow traffic and better link it to the surrounding building edges. They wanted the Cesar Chavez memorial to be featured somewhere in the center of the Plaza. Team 3 felt the existing monuments and cafe were to stay and that the most important pedestrian connection was at the J and 10th Street intersection.

Program Activities

I. soft, green, safe, shady are of retreat (2)

musical events (1,2,3)

bike track/jogging (1)

recreation relaxation (2)

fountain for children play (3)

farmer's market (1,2)

II. connection to buildings and services nearby (1,2,3)

small retail shops (1,3)

concerts place marker city hall (1,2,3)

sites for reading and eating (1,2)

Events for Sacramento read, etc. (1,2)

Dancing for elderly (1,3)

public art fixtures (1,2,3)

Key Features:

1. Enhance the fountain in the center

2. Enhance the role of CEC Memorial

3. Improve linkages with kiosks, programmed uses, walkway paving at the center and corners

4. Green park as a retreat

Budget: $985,000

Team 4

Team 4 proposed making the west side of the Plaza the location for hard surface activities and the east more park-like. The Farmer's Market and concerts would take place on a hardscaped "L" shaped area with a stage being located at the north west corner of the Plaza. Team 4 said the fountain and monuments should stay. They felt the most important connection to the Plaza was to the future Cal EPA Building.

Program Activities

1. Farmers Market x (1,3)

2. Musical Concerts xx (1,2,3)

3. Non-alcoholic Events (1,2,3)

4. Lunch Crowd Seating (1)

5. Amphitheater (1,3)

6. Daily Activities (1,2)

7. Family Events (1,2,3)

Key Features:

1. Reorient market to "L" shape

2. Seating for daily use with fountain as focal point

3. Angle the stage in corner of the plaza

Budget: $844,000

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