Civic Center Project
Background | Construction Timeline | Civic Center |
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Please Note: Parking for visitors during construction is on Alta Vista Drive.
Background
Vista’s City Hall is housed primarily in buildings that were part of the former junior high school, which was built in the 1950s. The site was acquired in 1977 from the school district with the intent that it would serve as a City Hall only long enough to have a new facility designed and built on the eastern portion of the parcel; however, construction never materialized. As staffing increased, temporary buildings were brought on-site to provide needed space. The temporary buildings were placed in locations where they would be most convenient and have the least impact on parking.
All of the buildings at City Hall, both permanent and temporary, require considerable maintenance due to age. Heating and air conditioning systems fail regularly and the electrical wiring is inadequate for today’s technology. Each year during the rainy season, the facilities experience significant water leakage which not only damages the facilities and equipment, but also displaces workers and decreases productivity. The underground infrastructure (water and sewer) predates these facilities and may go back to the sites original school construction in 1931. As the buildings weather and age, the costs to maintain, upgrade and improve the facilities continues to increase dramatically.
The layout and location of the current facilities were never part of a comprehensive plan to co-locate services in order to provide the most efficient and effective services to residents and customers. The current facilities are fragmented and inefficient, as each facility has a separate alarm system, heating and air conditioning system, electrical supply, and individual access points. In addition, the current facility does not foster a level of civic pride or portray an image that residents can be proud of in their community.
Construction Timeline
The construction of the civic center facilities is being accomplished in two phases so that the
existing City offices can function during constuction of the expanded facilities. In the first
phase, many of the existing modular buildings were removed from the site. Some offices
not frequently accessed by the public have been temporarily relocated across Escondido Avenue
to Vista Magnet Middle School. Beginning August 11, 2008, the existing unpaved parking area between the current City
Hall facilities and the Vista Branch Library are being used for the contractor's staging area.
The existing permanent
and remaining modular buildings remain open for city business. Visitor
parking is available on Alta Vista Drive during the construction process.
Beginning in August, 2008 in the second phase, the existing permanent and remaining modular buildings, related utilities, and parking lots will be demolished, and new parking lots and remaining site improvements would then be constructed. Construction of the entire project is anticipated to take 20-24 months. Project completion is expected in July, 2010.
Civic Center
The proposed project entails the redevelopment and expansion of the City's Civic Center facilities on the site of the existing City Hall and Civic Center Park. The existing City Hall complex is approximately 50,000 square feet, and the expanded Civic Center would be approximately 100,000 s.f. Design and construction of the project would include three new civic center buildings, public street improvements, pedestrian and vehicular access, parking, landscaping, and associated site improvements. In addition, the proposed project would include demolition of the existing permanent and modular buildings, clearing the existing vegetation, site grading and drainage, and development of the Civic Center Park and all site utilities.
The architectural firm of Carrier Johnson was selected to design the Civic Center and had been working with the City since June, 2007. The preliminary site and conceptual plans are below.
The Preliminary Site Plan shows:
• A three story administration building approximately 90,000 sq ft in size;
• A single story Emergency Operations Center that would double as a Community Room, approximately 11,000 sq ft in size; and
The site will have approximately 320 parking spaces. The current public parking on the site is 172 spaces. The increased parking will also facilitate the parking needs across the street at the Rancho Adobe and any other future public structures in that area.
The Conceptual Drawing the west elevation during the day and at dusk.
Community Forums
The City of Vista held two public forums to discuss plans for its new civic center. The forums held on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 7 to 8:30 pm at Wildwood Community Center, 651 E. Vista Way, provided background information about the civic center project and an update on the current planning status. Feedback was also sought from citizens about the public common areas including the planned civic center park.
In addition to the two community forums, the City hosted a community wrap up meeting on Monday, Oct. 29 from 7 to 8:30 pm at Wildwood Community Center. The wrap up meeting provided information on the project and addressed outstanding issues from the two public forums.
In December, 2007, the City Council selected Highland Partnership as the design-builder for the Civic Center. On May 13, 2008, an animation provides and overview of the interior and exterior of the Civic Center project was presented at the City Council meeting. Snapshots of this flyover can be found here. To view a simulated flyover of the project, please visit Highland Partnership's website and click on "Vista Civic Center Virtual Tour."