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CC SR 20221115 04 - Historical Society Museum CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 11/15/2022 AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business AGENDA TITLE: Consideration and possible action to receive a report on potential City park locations for a proposed Palos Verdes Historical Society Museum. RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION: 1) Receive and file a report on potential City park locations for a proposed Palos Verdes Historical Society Museum (PVHS) including the Historical Society’s request to locate the museum at Lower Point Vicente; and, 2) If desired, provide Staff direction on a potential City park location for a future home of the PVHS Museum. FISCAL IMPACT: None Amount Budgeted: None Additional Appropriation: N/A Account Number(s): N/A ORIGINATED BY: Matt Waters, Senior Administrative Analyst REVIEWED BY: Cory Linder, Recreation and Parks Director APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: A. October 31, 2022 introductory email request from PVHS (page A-1) B. Palos Verdes Historical Society Presentation on Lower Point Vicente (page B-1) BACKGROUND: The PVHS was founded in 1976. PVHS manages and maintains an extensive collection of artifacts and documents, pursues recognition of historical sites in the Palos Verdes area, and conducts educational lectures and tours. PVHS operated a museum occupying three rooms at Malaga Cove School until the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District closed the facility in 2006. Since that time, PVHS has kept its artifacts in storage. A significant portion of its collection are currently stored in a trailer on the grounds of the Ken Dyda Civic Center. Recently, the PVHS approached the City about identifying a City park location, specifically Lower Point Vicente next to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center (PVIC), for a museum to house its collection. 1 To allow for further discussion and consideration by the City Council, at its September 6, 2022 meeting, Mayor Bradley directed staff to place this item on a future agenda. DISCUSSION: Potential City Park Locations The following table assesses various City parks that have sufficient space to potentially accommodate a 5,000 square foot museum. The table identifies opportunities and constraints at each site, including whether there is adequate space, whether the slope is buildable, whether there is sufficient parking solely based on preliminary site observations (not based on parking requirements required by the Zoning Code), whether the park is located within the purview of the California Coastal Commission, General Plan Land Use Designation, and other factors such as deed restrictions, etc. Park Site Suff. Space Usable Slope/ Grade Parking CA Coastal Comm. Land Use Constraints/Comments Abalone Cove Yes Yes Additional parking needed. Hourly rate for parking. Yes Rec. Passive Open Space Preserve Located by a state designated Ecological Reserve. Parking lot is fully used during the spring and summer months. Driveway ingress and egress would need to be improved Upper Hesse No Yes Additional parking needed No Rec. Active Only sufficient flat area occupied by sports field use Lower Hesse Yes Yes Additional parking needed No Rec. Active Passive uses are preferred by residents and confirmed by City Council. Recent passive improvements Ryan Park Yes No Additional parking needed. limited area for on-site parking No Rec. Active Only sufficient flat area occupied by a baseball field Eastview Yes Yes Additional parking is likely needed No Rec. Passive Park owned by County Sanitation District Ladera Linda Yes Yes Additional parking is needed No Institutional Public In current development. Adding a museum would take away a significant portion of open areas or recreational facilities Ken Dyda Civic Ctr. Yes Yes Additional parking could be accommodated. Study needed. No Rec. Passive, Institutional Public, and Open Space Preserve Included in Council- approved program document. Possible use of Nike missile silos as exhibit space. Site is currently in the master plan process. Subject to Federal POU. 2 Park Site Suff. Space Usable Slope/ Grade Parking CA Coastal Comm. Land Use Constraints/Comments Lower Pt. Vicente Yes Yes Additional parking could be accommodated. Study needed Yes Rec. Passive & Open Space Preserve Site under the oversight of Federal Program of Utilization, Lead contamination concerns. Resident concerned about coastal development. Near proposed outdoor docent exhibits. Del Cerro Park Yes Yes Additional parking needed No Rec. Passive Significant neighborhood concerns regarding existing parking/traffic. Subject to Federal Program of Utilization. Grandview Park Yes Yes Street Parking Only No Rec. Passive Not centrally located in RPV. Undeveloped park. Limited driveway ingress and egress. Most of the proposed City park locations listed about would likely elicit reactions from adjacent neighborhoods due to potential noise and visual impacts. While a number of sites are technically feasible, Lower Point Vicente Park and the Ken Dyda Civic Center are the most viable alternatives. Lower Point Vicente Park already has a museum at its location, and the site has sufficient flat space and tremendous Ocean views. The Ken Dyda Civic Center’s designated land use is Institutional Public and City Hall is already located at the site. Additionally, there is a current Civic Center Master Plan effort ongoing since 2017, and the Civic Center Advisory Committee (CCAC) has supported the inclusion and display of historic and culturally significant artifacts on the Civic Center site. The CCAC has focused on the underground Nike missile silos located at the site’s existing maintenance yard as a potential future location that could be combined with an above-ground gallery. Exhibit space has been included in preliminary site designs and in the Council-approved program document, but no final design has been approved. The CCAC clarified at its July 28, 2022 meeting that a potential use for the Civic Center site could include general museum and artifact displays but did not identify a particular organization, and did not preclude the possibility of multiple organizations coming together to house historic collections in one building. PVHS Museum Proposal PVHS’s mission is “To nurture an interest in our local history, its land and its people; to fascinate and educate visitors of all ages and inspire curiosity and learning.” Its goal is “To establish an outstanding local museum to collect, preserve and display archaeological and cultural artifacts and historical documents.” With that mission and goal in mind, PVHS is seeking City approval for the development and construction of an approximately 5,000 square foot museum at Lower Point Vicente, adjacent to PVIC, that would be privately funded and deeded to the City upon completion (Attachment A). Funding would be achieved through a combination of major donors, smaller donations, and grants. PVHS’s 3 presentation notes that approval from the City is a necessary first step to secure major donor(s) so they can be assured of a location, approved concept, and general time frame. PVHS President Dana Graham has informed Staff that PVHS would manage and maintain the displays while the City would staff and maintain the building with an expanded Los Serenos de Point Vicente serving as docents. Proposed building details and additional information are included in a PVHS PowerPoint presentation that President Graham plans to make to the City Council this evening (Attachment B). It should be noted that as an applicant, he is requesting 10 minutes for the presentation. The following is an excerpt from PVHS’s presentation showing a conceptual layout for its galleries, including rooms devoted to Native American, Spanish, Archeological, Geologic, and other exhibits. PVHS’s presentation includes a number of architectural approaches but states that no particular style has been selected at this time. An aerial identifying the proposed location for the museum, located to the north of PVIC, is shown in green on the next page. 4 PVHS’s presentation states that many South Bay cities have historical museums, including Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance, but not Palos Verdes. However, it is worth noting that PVIC has a number of historical exhibits on display. PVHS states that their siting studies have confirmed the feasibility of co-locating its proposed museum with PVIC. The study concluded it is not in a lead-contaminated zone, will not obstruct views from Palos Verdes Drive South or from residents in Oceanfront estates, and any noise would be minimized by the separation from Oceanfront homes. None of these claims have been examined or confirmed by City staff. Additionally, no construction cost estimates have been submitted by PVHS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Other Historic Collections In addition to PVHS’s collection, there are several other collections of artifacts that are currently in storage that could be displayed cooperatively at a future museum site , as summarized below: • Los Serenos de Point Vicente - Los Serenos de Point Vicente Docents have significant historical, cultural, geologic, and marine mammal artifacts stored both at PVIC and off-site. A large portion of its collection was previously stored at Ladera Linda Community Park but had to be moved to storage units due to the recent demolition and ongoing construction at that facility. • Discovery Room - The Discovery Room’s broad collection of natural artifacts was previously located in a 1,000 square foot room at Ladera Linda Community Park but is now also in storage due to that site’s current construction. Many of its artifacts are owned by long-time resident and docent Yvetta Williams. While a limited number of the Discovery Room’s artifacts will eventually be displayed in the 5 Ladera Linda Community Park’s meeting room or stored in curiosity carts and in a small storage room at that site, the great majority will remain in storage. Annenberg Foundation It is useful to consider the previous Annenberg Foundation’s proposal in 2008 to develop an educational public use facility featuring companion animals to be located at Lower Point Vicente near the proposed PVHS museum site. After several years of pursuing this project, the Annenberg’s formally withdrew its proposal in August 2011. The site is subject to a Program of Utilization (POU) overseen by the National Park Service and the State Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS). The Annenberg Foundation’s proposal was also subject to California Coastal Commission review. The City has a long and established history going back to its incorporation efforts in 1973 to proceed carefully in regard to coastal development. The Annenberg proposal faced community opposition due to the site’s unique open space feel and desired passive recreational use of the site, as well as the deed restrictions in the POU for passive recreation, and it can be anticipated that any development at Lower Point Vicente Park would experience similar community concerns and possible opposition. In addition, nearby residents would likely express concerns about any proposed building development and its potential impacts as it relates to view obstruction, noise, traffic, light and glare to name a few. CONCLUSION: Based on the preceding analysis of potential City park sites for a future historical museum, Staff seeks City Council direction on whether and how to proceed with the PVHS’s request. ALTERNATIVES: In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative ac tions are available for the City Council’s consideration: 1. Do not direct staff to proceed with the proposed project. 2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate. 6 From:Matt Waters To:Matt Waters Subject:FW: Historical Society Museum Date:Wednesday, November 2, 2022 1:42:32 PM From: Dana H Graham <danahgraham@cs.com> Sent: Monday, October 31, 2022 1:04 PM To: Matt Waters <MattW@rpvca.gov> Subject: Re: Historical Society Museum CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Hon. Mayor and RPV City Council Members: The Palos Verdes Historical Society has been without a museum, to house and display the countless historical artifacts we have in storage, since 2006 when the School District took over our former site in the Malaga Cove School tower. What we are looking for from you is written approval for construction of a museum adjacent to the Pt Vicente Interpretive Center in the location shown on the accompanying diagram. We view this to be an expansion of the PVIC, with the building itself being subject to the normal City process. Upon completion, we would deed the building to the City. The Historical Society would manage and maintain the displays, while the City would staff and maintain the building. You will see that we have done quite a bit of research as to the viability of a one-story, approximately 5000 sf museum, and have attempted to anticipate and solve every reasonable objection -- view obstruction, lead contamination, environmental compatibility, etc. The project would be privately funded, but to keep our benefactors on board, they need to know where the museum would be located and that we are making progress toward it. We had originally wanted to make this presentation last July but, for a few reasons, that didn't happen. Our goal is to come away from this meeting with an agreement in principle as to museum location. We will then proceed thru the normal channels (Planning Commission, etc) for approval of the building itself. Thank you again for your favorable consideration of our proposal. Dana Graham -- President, Palos Verdes Historical Society A-1 Palos Verdes Historical Society •Founded in 1976 to serve the PV Peninsula -Operated a museum in 3 rooms of Malaga Cove School Tower -Closed by the School District in 2006 -Artifacts put in storage •Re-established in 2014 as a community service non-profit (501c3) -Acquired all stored artifacts -DBA Palos Verdes Historical Society B-1 Mission & Goal Mission –To nurture an interest in our local history, its land and its people; to fascinate and educate visitors of all ages and inspire curiosity and learning. Goal –To establish an outstanding local museum to collect, preserve and display archaeological and cultural artifacts and historical documents. B-2 Palos Verdes Historical Society Activities •Collection Management- Artifacts- Documents •Historical Site Recognition-16 Peninsula Sites; bronze plaques •Community Activities-Education: lectures-Social: picnics & tours-Presentations: Norris Theater •Museum Planning B-3 Collection Management 11/8/2022 4B-4 Historical Site Recognition La Venta Inn: First of 16 sites recognized as historical PV Peninsula sites B-5 P V Historical Society at the Norris Theater 11/8/2022 6B-6 Mammoth Tusk at PV Library Imperial mammoth tusk unearthed at Malaga Cove in 1927. Now on display at PV main library •Photo of tusk at library goes here B-7 Museum Planning South Bay Museums •Manhattan Beach Historical Society & Museum •Hermosa Beach Historical Society & Museum •Redondo Beach History Museum •Torrance Historical Society & Museum •Long Beach History Museum &Research Center •Point Fermin Lighthouse Museum Palos Verdes Museum ? B-8 Point Vicente Interpretive Center -PVIC •Original Charter •“The Point Vicente Interpretive Center opened in 1984 with a mission to present and interpret the unique features and history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.” •2006 Expansion •“. . . newly expanded Interpretive Center, re-opened on July 15, 2006, features exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the Peninsula, with special emphasis on the Pacific gray whale.” •Future Option •Expand with a new addition to celebrate the land, its people and the history of the Peninsula’s development •Designed to complement the PVIC and fulfill its original charter 11/8/2022 9B-9 Galleries Concept Focus on Land and its People 11/8/2022 10 Illustrative of galleries only -not a preferred building design B-10 Museum Funding and Operation •Independently Funded Design and Construction •PV Historical Society would raise funds •Major donor, Peninsula public, grants •Building to be deeded to City of Rancho Palos Verdes upon completion •Becomes part of PVIC •Operational Responsibilities •RPV to maintain building and grounds •Expand Los Serenos de Point Vicente volunteers as docents •PV Historical Society to manage and maintain museum artifacts 11/8/2022 11B-11 Conceptual Location of Expansion Adjacent to the PVIC 11/8/2022 12B-12 B-13 This Museum Concept has been Explored Professional architectural studies 2017-2019 (north of $30K) •Siting studies confirm feasibility of collocation with PVIC -Not in lead contaminated area -Can avoid view obstruction f rom PV Drive and Oceanfront residences -Noise minimized by wide separation from Oceanfront homes •Museum design studies -Conventional building -Semi-submerged building -U-shaped building B-14 Conventional Semi-submerged-Turf roof U-Shaped Building Concepts •Explored conventional to unconventional •All have pros & cons •Building architecture is TBD B-15 Needs to Proceed with Design Effort RPV city approval is needed in order secure major donor(s) •Major donor(s) want to know: -1) museum concept -2) location -3) time frame •RPV city approval of: -1) museum concept and operations concept -2) PVIC expansion and collocation B-16 In a Nutshell . . . •Palos Verdes Peninsula needs a museum to preserve and display its history •As the Peninsula’s largest city, RPV is the logical museum location •An expansion of the PVIC provides an attractive approach •Architectural studies have determined feasibility •RPV city approval of this concept is needed to proceed with design studies and donor funding B-17 Building Site is Clear of Lead Contamination B-18 PVIC Area Lead Contamination Map B-19 View from Oceanfront Estates Fence Line Proposed site is in far-field to left of white car B-20 Fence Line View from Westernmost Oceanfront House Proposed site is in far-field to left of white car B-21 Fence Line View from Easternmost Oceanfront House Proposed site is in far-field to left of white car B-22 Palos Verdes Museum Concept -front - B-23 Palos Verdes Museum Concept -entrance - B-24 Palos Verdes Museum Concept -diagram - B-25