Glendale workshop advances Murphy Park design, seeks contingency for GMP 4 as part of downtown campus buildout

At a Sept. 23 Glendale City Council workshop, city staff and project consultants presented a detailed design update for Murphy Park and sought council consensus to proceed with GMP 4, the guaranteed maximum price package that will fund the park’s construction. Staff said the park work is being coordinated to finish at approximately the same time as the main civic campus project in April 2026.

The presentation focused on updated site design, furnishings, lighting, donor-plaque relocation, a new event gazebo and accessibility elements, security options and schedule. "We're gonna focus primarily on Murphy Park," said Eddie Garcia, who led the update for city staff. Michael Jacobs of Holly Street Studio summarized the campus goal: "The downtown campus wants to feel like one campus."

Why this matters: Murphy Park sits adjacent to the new civic building core and is part of the larger downtown reinvestment. Changes to the park affect downtown pedestrian character, events programming, maintenance costs and the overall project budget and schedule.

Key decisions and next steps

- Staff requested council consensus to advance GMP 4 (the construction package for Murphy Park) and to include an additional contingency/allowance of up to $800,000 to cover security enhancements and code upgrades identified during final…