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Planning Commission hears Civic Center public-realm vision, staff to begin two-year environmental review
Summary
Planning staff and CMG presented a conceptual Civic Center Public Realm Plan that would reframe plaza circulation, add lawns, a shallow sheet fountain, a BART pavilion with a market hall, and stormwater capture; environmental review is expected to take about two years.
Planning staff and consultants presented a conceptual vision Tuesday for a long-awaited Civic Center Public Realm Plan that would remake the plazas and streets linking Market Street to City Hall.
Nick Perry, project manager for the plan, told the commission the public-realm work complements recent investments and the Civic Center Commons activation program and will move next into draft plan documents and environmental review. "Following completion of the draft plan document will enter into environmental review, which is estimated to take 2 years," Perry said.
CMG landscape architect principal Willit Moss described three exploratory schemes and a composite ‘‘Franken plan’’ based on public input. The plan emphasizes Beaux-Arts axes and symmetry, introduces two lawn areas and a shallow sheet fountain that can be drained for events, creates "gardens of memory" and "gardens of delight," and proposes a BART entrance pavilion that would enclose escalator access and include a porous market hall with community space above.
Moss said designers are considering how the Halpern Fountain can be made accessible while preserving its sculptural stones: "The proposal is to basically deck a good portion of the basin such that you can have wheelchair access down so that you find yourself still by these huge stones," he said. The presentation also highlighted a program to mine groundwater from building foundations to reduce stormwater discharge and store water for emergency events.
In public comment, Susan Karasoff of the California Native Plant Society praised the water-reuse idea and urged the design team to prioritize California native plants. Commissioners asked for more detail on maintenance, programming and the community-use model for spaces above the proposed BART pavilion; staff said those details will be developed during later design and as part of an integrated maintenance plan under the Civic Center Commons initiative.
Planning staff emphasized the conceptual nature of the materials. "These drawings are beautiful, but this is still like 10% — we have a long way to go," Perry said. The commission did not take an action; staff will return as the EIR and draft plan progress.
