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CC SR 20241015 02 - Civic Center FEMA Update CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 10/15/2024 AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business AGENDA TITLE: Consideration and possible action to receive a status update on the Civic Center Master Plan project. RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION: (1) Receive and file a status update on the Civic Center Master Plan project; (2) Affirm FEMA’s conditional acceptance of revisions to the public safety (emergency management) components of the revised City Council-approved Civic Center Master Plan site plan; and (3) Direct staff to onboard a project manager to complete, at a minimum, the FEMA- required emergency/public safety components of the project pursuant to the deed restrictions. FISCAL IMPACT: Sufficient funds to onboard a project manager have been budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for the professional services of project planning and management. VR Amount Budgeted: $200,000 Additional Appropriation: $0 Account Number(s): 330-400-8503-8001 (Professional and Tech Services for the New Civic Center Complex) VR ORIGINATED BY: Matt Waters, Senior Administrative Analyst, Recreation and Parks REVIEWED BY: Catherine Jun, Deputy City Manager APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: A. May 21, 2024 Final FEMA Application (page A-1) B. June 27, 2024 Response Letter from FEMA (page B -1) C. 2023 FEMA Application (page C-1) D. 2023 Department of Justice (DOJ)Application (page D-1) E. February 27, 2024 Revised FEMA Application (page E -1) 1 BACKGROUND: The City acquired three properties from the Federal government in 1976, including the current Civic Center site. The acquired properties were subject to a Program of Utilization (POU) agreement that included a deed restriction on a 9.5-acre eastern portion of the Civic Center site limiting land use to Passive Recreation under the oversight of the National Park Service (NPS). In 2019, the City Council approved agreements with the Federal government regarding Civic Center property deed restrictions, following an extensive advocacy effort to shift oversight of that section of the property to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with oversight by the General Services Administration (GSA). The passive recreation covenants were replaced with law enforcement and emergency management covenants, overseen by the DOJ and FEMA, respectively. This area has been commonly referred to as the Public Safety zone, which largely encompasses 9.5 acres on the east side of the site. The preliminary conceptual plan for the Public Safety zone originally included Los Angeles County Fire and Sheriff stations. However, funding, logistical, and commitment concerns were raised in 2022, when Staff met with Los Angeles County officials who gave no definitive commitment to providing funding or other forms of support. Based on this outreach, the stations were removed from the preliminary conceptual site plan, and the Civic Center Advisory Committee (CCAC) directed Staff on July 28, 2022 to approach both DOJ and FEMA to clarify questions and concerns about Public Safety zone requirements on the Civic Center site. In response to City Staff’s outreach to GSA, DOJ determined that the revisions to the public safety components no longer satisfy their criteria and have withdrawn from the project, while FEMA has accepted the revisions. GSA noted that the City may be non- compliant if concrete steps are not made towards completion of the Civic Center based on an approved plan with public safety elements. While emphasizing that the GSA would work closely with the City on revisions to the project plans, GSA noted that as a last resort, non-compliance could eventually lead to the public safety section of the property reverting to Federal control leading to an eventual sale of the land unless purchased by the City at current fair market value. Activity on the Civic Center Master Plan project and meetings with the CCAC have been somewhat deferred due to resources being directed toward landslide remediation efforts. However, City Staff have continued their coordination with GSA, and the CCAC has been briefed on the City’s standing with GSA. At the request of the City Council Public Facilities Subcommittee, comprised of Mayor Cruikshank and Mayor Pro Tem Alegria, this status update report is being presented to the entire City Council this evening fo r situational awareness on the GSA’s determination. 2 DISCUSSION: Staff met with the Federal agencies to discuss their concerns and explore next steps. Based on those meetings and DOJ’s rejection and eventual withdrawal from the project application, Staff submitted a revised application to FEMA in February 2024 with the drop - in office and Park Ranger facility being re -designated as emergency/public safety components (Attachment E), noting the need for emergency services to address a range of emergency situations including fire, earthquakes, and land movement. The application included the preliminary site design that was recommended by the CCAC and reviewed and accepted by the City Council in 2023 consisting of, among other things, a series of emergency/public safety components. FEMA reviewed the revised application and expressed concerns that the proposed Sheriff’s office was a law enforcement component, not an emergency component. The Park Rangers role in responding to emergencies was also not considered a legitimate emergency management use. Staff met with FEMA and GSA representatives in April 2024 to discuss next steps. Following that meeting, Staff prepared and submitted a revised application on May 21, 2024 (Attachment A) that no longer included dedicated Ranger and Sheriff facilities. They were replaced with an Incident Management Command Center (IMCC) located adjacent to the planned Emergency Operations Center (EOC). A detailed description of all components in the revised application are below and are emergency response related; any references to public safety were removed. Incident Management Command Center - (For emergency response purposes; estimated 2,000 square feet (SF)) • This new component provides a unified center to respond to a wide range of emergencies that would be utilized by local fire, sheriff, Park Rangers, and other first responder agencies. The center would be located adjacent to the EOC to maximize efficiency and eliminate redundancy in responding to emergencies. Helipad - current feature (estimated 6,400 SF): • The existing helipad currently serves as a base of operations for Los Angeles County Fire Department emergency services including Catalina Island. This use would continue as part of the revised design. Helopod – recently-added feature (Estimated 240 SF): • The proposed helopod is a refillable water container that can be filled by a Los Angeles County Fire Department and utilized as fire suppression when a helicopter hovers above the container. This improves emergency response, especially to incidents on Catalina Island, by allowing multiple fire-fighting helicopters to fill up with water simultaneously by using both the helipad and the helopod. Emergency Evacuation Area - current feature (Estimated 120,360 SF): • A significant portion of the emergency response zone can be used for an evacuation zone in case of an emergency, serving as a relief and recovery center that could be scaled up or down in size depending on the type and severity of the 3 emergency. The area would be improved with appropriate infrastructure, including power generator connections. Emergency Operations Center - current proposed feature, improved and relocated (Estimated 4,000 SF): • The City’s current makeshift emergency operations center (EOC) is located in the existing City Hall, sharing space in a small community room. In the proposed Civic Center Master Plan campus, a new, modern, and efficient EOC building benefitting all four Peninsula cities would be built in the emergency response zone as a stand - alone building. The EOC would include an emergency generator and communication equipment. Emergency Supply Storage and Staging Area - current proposed feature, improved and relocated (Estimated 68,390 SF) • Emergency supplies and equipment that are currently stored in the general government section of the Civic Center property will be relocated to this site. Equipment stored at that location will include emergency response equipment storage containers, electronic message boards, cones, barricades, sand and sandbags, and general emergency supplies. Moreover, mutual aid assistance from other agencies could be staged there during emergency situations. The application included an updated preliminary site plan layout (shown below). On June 27, 2024, FEMA sent a letter notifying GSA and the City that it had completed its review of the revised application and concurred with the proposed change of use to emergency management response (Attachment B). FEMA stated that the City needs to maintain the approximately 9.5 acres of the site for emergency purposes in perpetuity. Staff 4 subsequently met with representatives from FEMA and GSA to discuss next steps in the process including updating the property deed to reflect the new deed restrictions. Next Steps On August 19, 2024, GSA indicated again that the City has approximately four years to complete the build out of the emergency/public safety site or risk the possibility of it reverting to Federal control and subject to potential sale to other parties, unless purchased by the City at current fair market value. Given this discussion, Staff recommends prioritizing the build out of this site to ensure it can be used in perpetuity for emergency response purposes. This effort would not only serve the City, but also neighboring Peninsula cities whose collective response to a major emergency in the area would likely be more effective and efficient with coordinated management and shared resources in one central location. Over the next six months, Staff recommends working with CCAC, the Council Public Facilities Subcommittee, GSA, and FEMA to develop draft plans over the next six months. This would require the selection of a project manager (PM) that has experience and the skills to coordinate this effort on the City’s behalf. Previously, the City initiated a Request for Proposals process for a PM on January 11, 2024 and received proposals from four firms. However, the firms who were selected for interviews were told that the project would be placed on an indefinite hold, due to City resources being directed to the ongoing landslide emergency. Funds are available in this fiscal year’s CIP to onboard a PM and begin developing plans, which Staff recommends in order to meet the GSA and FEMA’s deadline to build out the site within four years. Similarly, over the past year, other efforts towards moving this project forward have also been deferred, requiring the CCAC to cancel several meetings to allow the City to focus on its landslide response. However, given the concern that the emergency/public safety zone may revert back to the Federal government and used for other purposes, there is a time urgency to begin forward movement on this project, prioritizing the emergency components at this time. In the same vein, City staff will work with Federal agencies to explore ways to potentially expand that 4-year window in light of the financial and logistical challenges the City is currently facing due to the ongoing land movement. Staff will keep the City Council updated as this process continues and return with another update in six months. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Role of the CCAC The CCAC received an update on this matter at its August 22, 2024 meeting. The CCAC will continue to be updated by Staff at upcoming meetings and will be asked to make recommendations on the overall Civic Center project, including the emergency area components of the project and FEMA/GSA’s timeline. The CCAC is also scheduled to receive a “lessons learned” report on the Ladera Linda Community Park Project and receive an update on the potential acquisition of United States Coast Guard properties at upcoming meetings. 5 Design Competition With the onboarding of a PM, the emergency components of the Civic Center project will proceed to Stage 2: Master Plan and Design Development. During this Stage, the PM and City Staff will issue a Request for Information from qualified firms to prepare the initial portion of the design and the receive feedback from the community to prepare more developed versions of each design. The City will also create a panel of independent judges to vote on the final design with input from stakeholders. The duration of Stage 2 for the entire Civic Center project was estimated to take 20-24 months. However, considering the time sensitivity of building out the emergency components within four years, Staff recommends conducting the design competition within a shortened time duration of 12-18 months. Additional details regarding the timeline will be provided when the final contract with a selected PM is presented to Council for consideration. Outreach to United States Coast Guard (USCG) On April 21, 2022, then-Mayor David Bradley sent a letter to the USCG expressing interest in acquiring or pursuing joint partnerships regarding Battery Barnes and Pt. Vicente Lighthouse properties. Battery Barnes is a 3.9 -acre parcel located directly to the west of City Hall and includes an approximately 5,000 sq ft. World War II subterranean bunker facility. This historic site, which is currently not being used by the Coast Guard, would be a desirable addition to the Civic Center property. A current City Council approved goal is to continue pursuing both Coast Guard -owned properties. Coast Guard personnel have informed Staff that there is an ongoing divestiture process at Base Los Angeles/Long Beach with the possibility that Battery Barnes and the lighthouse may become available at some point in the future. It is Staff’s understanding that this will likely be a long and complicated process with many competing interests. A follow up letter was sent to the Coast Guard on February 28, 2023 and in July 2024, and since then, Staff has met with Senator Padilla’s Office in August 2024 and is coordinating a larger meeting with other federal legislators to continually explore this possibility later this month. Pursuant to Councilmember Bradley’s request, an update on this matter will be presented to the City Council at its November 19 meeting. Minor Upgrades to Existing City Hall Building At the October 17, 2023 meeting, the City Council authorized staff to proceed with modest improvements to the existing City Hall building in order to continue making it usable for current Staff and future tenants. This includes interior paint and carpet replacement. Currently, $188,000 is budgeted for such general repairs and maintenance efforts, and Staff is prioritizing the carpet replacement for this fiscal year. CONCLUSION: Staff is asking the City Council to receive and file a status update on the revised Civic Center Master Plan project; Affirm FEMA’s acceptance of a revised Civic Center Master Plan application and site plan; and Direct staff to onboard a project manager to complete, 6 at a minimum, the FEMA-required emergency/public safety components of the project pursuant to the deed restrictions. ALTERNATIVES: In addition to Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for the City Council’s consideration: 1. Direct Staff to continue to defer activity on the Civic Center Master Plan project. 2. Direct Staff not to onboard a project manager and to continue processing the project using in-house staff. 3. Take other action or provide direction, as deemed appropriate. 7