Walnut Creek to Discuss Community Engagement for Heather Farm Project

On July 18, the Walnut Creek City Council will discuss the level of engagement for design of the future Heather Farm Aquatic and Community Center. The cost is estimated around $200k.

An architect was selected to lead the design and construction of the Heather Farm Aquatic and Community Center project. Staff seeks input on the desired level of community engagement to support the design phase of the project.

At the foundation of this project is a community supported Conceptual Site Plan that was developed at the conclusion of the four year Your Parks, Your Future (YPYF) project. The YPYF project involved an analysis of the two existing aquatic and community center facilities, a review of existing and potential arts and recreation programming at Heather Farm, and a review of potential locations for the future facility, all culminating in development of the conceptual site plan.

The project was informed by one community open house, an online survey, eight pop-up community events, multiple tours of Walnut Creek and neighboring community facilities, six Advisory Committee meetings, three joint Commission meetings, three series of stakeholder meetings and eleven City Council meetings. That project concluded in February 2023 with direction from the City Council to move forward with the conceptual site plan as described below

Key Building Features:

Combined facility: 1 building with a separate pool utility building
Distinct entries for different program uses
Central lobby and atrium function as community living room space
Indoor/outdoor connections to patios and terraces for expanded program uses
Approximately 25,500 square feet of building space
Single story building
Sustainable, all-electric building, including 135 KW Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Key Site Features:

7-acre site
Incorporates designated pickup/drop off zone with generous pedestrian spaces adjacent
Continuous pathway around the pond
New outdoor event/garden space and courtyards
Refurbished pond edge (approximately 15-20% size reduction)
2 pools: 50m lap pool and recreational pool

A set of principles were developed to guide the development of the conceptual site plan, listed below. These were derived from input from key stakeholder meetings, the Park, Recreation and Open Space Commission (PROS), City Council and staff, and will continue to guide this next phase of the project.

Create flexible, multi-use indoor and outdoor spaces where users can choose to use the park in a variety of ways
Prioritize the maintenance and support of existing programs, including possibility of future program expansions
Provide spaces to improve function of existing Recreation programs, including:
- More desirable and flexible event spaces
- Appropriately sized pool support spaces, such as locker rooms and deck spaces
Preserve existing high quality of views:
- Across the pond (towards facility from park and Gardens)
- Into the park from the street
- From the new facility (towards pond & Mt. Diablo)
Create adequate separation between noise-generating uses, and noise-sensitive uses within the facility and throughout the park
Consider passive and informal park users as well as program users
Improve or expand space for current unprogrammed park recreational uses, including:
- The existing pedestrian walking path
- A new “Community Living Room” space
- Improved pond layout and function

Community Engagement

How: Six Levels of Community Engagement

Community engagement is an important component of any planning process and is designed to solicit meaningful input for City Council consideration. An engagement strategy can be designed at a range of levels, from “inform” to “involve” and can include a variety of different methods of engagements from open houses and online surveys to public comment periods at Commission and Council meetings.

Staff are seeking the Council’s direction to determine the desired level of engagement for this project. It is important to note that, as levels of engagement increase, the costs and time associated with additional outreach methods will increase the overall project schedule and budget.

The levels of engagement identified in Attachment 2 demonstrate a range of engagement, represented by six levels. Each level builds upon the previous, adding methods of engagement as the levels increase. Associated with each level of engagement is the related direct costs for the consultant team to perform the additional engagement methods employed, and the associated additional time in months, as illustrated in Attachment 3. Each month added to the overall project timeline results in cost escalation for the overall project at a rate of approximately $200,000 per month in construction costs and $260,000 per month with added soft costs.

The types of engagement identified within each of the levels are described below:

City Council Meetings, where the public can provide input
Commission Meetings, where the public can provide feedback
Informative Open House, where the City provides information on the project and process
Involvement Open House, where the City seeks input or feedback from the community on particular aspects of the project
Stakeholder meetings, where key stakeholders are invited to provide input or feedback on particular aspects of the project
Pop-up events, where the City hosts a booth at a planned community event, such as a farmers’ market, to seek input or feedback from the community on particular aspects of the project
Online Survey, where the City seeks input or feedback from the community on particular aspects of the project
Virtual Open House events, where the information and activities at the in-person open houses are replicated in an online format
Social Media, where the City informs the public of upcoming project meetings and events
Project Website, where the City posts information about upcoming project meetings and events, uploads key project documents and FAQs

Design and Construction Timeline

Below is a summary of the estimated timeline for the design and construction of the Heather Farm facility, based on the recommended Level 3 Community Engagement: