South Pasadena consultants outline site master plan, engagement timeline and outreach materials for library–community center project

Consultants from Group 4 Architecture presented an initial work plan, project goals and a community engagement program to the South Pasadena City Library & Community Center ad hoc site planning committee on Feb. 20, laying out a needs-assessment phase, a site analysis and a second round of community engagement leading toward a recommended site plan in the fall.

The presentation was led by Andrea Gifford, a principal and project designer at Group 4 Architecture, who said the team started work in early January and has been meeting with library and senior-center staff and other stakeholders. “Again, we're keeping it very high level. We're talking a site plan. We won't be developing building floor plans or building diagrams, but just generally looking at site strategies to meet the needs,” Gifford told the committee.

Committee members and staff spent much of the meeting reviewing the proposed engagement materials: a flyer and bookmark with a QR code, a set of large-format engagement boards for pop-up events and an online survey that consultants proposed to open before public events. The consultants proposed pop-up outreach at community events, an open house plus a formal presentation, and a multi-week survey window to collect priorities from residents.

Why it matters: The project combines an existing library, the senior center and adjacent outdoor space into a coordinated site plan. The ad hoc committee’s input will shape what programs and square-footage the master plan recommends — documents that city staff said will be used to seek funding and to guide later schematic design.

Key details and committee feedback

- Engagement schedule and survey timing: Consultants asked to stage outreach so the online survey goes live before public pop-ups and before the community meeting. Staff suggested a target launch in mid-March with the survey open through about June 1 and a formal community open house and presentation in April (the team discussed April 10 as a possible date for the larger in-person meeting). The committee asked for at least two meeting times (day and evening open houses) so different demographics can attend.

- Materials and branding: The group reviewed draft flyers and engagement boards. Several committee members criticized the visuals and urged stronger, community-focused branding and a single point of contact to shepherd design changes. The committee discussed providing a concise project name or “naming hierarchy” but deferred final selection so outreach would not be delayed.

- Survey content and analysis: Consultants described a set of categorized program choices (library programs, senior programs, recreation/site elements) to be presented on the boards and online. Committee members urged broader, function-based categories (for example, classroom, performance space, technology lab) and recommended including a conspicuous option for performance space because a donor bequest requires a performance space (the transcript indicates the bequest exists; the amount was not specified in committee materials). Consultants said boards will include both tick/dot voting for quick prioritization and open-ended fields online so staff can capture additional ideas; they noted that structured choices are needed to produce analyzable, comparable data across events.

- Historic resources and trees: The consultant team said they will complete a historic assessment of the building and site elements (landscape, paving) to identify contributing and non-contributing features. Committee members stressed the local importance of mature trees on the site; consultants said an arborist assessment will be included in site analysis and any decisions about removing or replacing historic trees will be coordinated with city arborist staff.

- Budget and phasing: Consultants said no project budget target has been set yet. They described an iterative approach in which program options (high/medium/low priorities) will be developed alongside order-of-magnitude budgets and phasing options so the city can evaluate capital and operating costs. The team emphasized that the current contract covers a site master plan and program (spaces and square footage) but not schematic-level building plans, which would be a later phase.

- Program priorities and shared spaces: The team presented a Venn-diagram approach to distinguish core library services, senior programs and shared community spaces. Committee members repeatedly requested clarity that shared facilities (for example, a kitchen used for both senior programs and library classes, or a shared performance space) would not shortchange stakeholders. Consultants agreed to refine wording and board layouts to make shared use explicit.

Next steps and staff directions

The committee asked the consultants and city staff to revise the flyer and engagement boards based on the meeting comments, to identify a point person for graphic revisions, and to prepare the online survey and presentation speaker notes for distribution to stakeholder groups. Staff and consultants discussed a mid-March launch window for outreach material distribution and confirmed a long survey window (through early summer) so the team can reach multiple community events and stakeholder groups. Consultants will return with updated engagement materials and a refined outreach calendar at a forthcoming meeting.

What the meeting did not decide

No formal motion, vote, or final decision on the site plan, budget, program or project name occurred at this meeting. The session recorded questions, preferences and directions for outreach and clarification; consultants and staff will return with revised materials and more detailed program/square-footage information in later phases.

Ending note

Consultants stressed that the master plan will be a high-level, implementable document intended to support later funding applications. The team and committee agreed to refine outreach materials quickly so community engagement can proceed, and planned to reconvene at the committee’s next regular meeting to review updated materials and the outreach calendar.