Council gives consensus to dark-brown trim in Santa Fe Depot rehab concept

At a continued workshop on April 13, the Upland City Council reviewed a revised conceptual design for the historic Santa Fe Depot and gave staff direction to proceed with construction documents, with council consensus to use a dark-brown trim as part of the Spanish Colonial Revival palette.

Arcaterra Design Group presented revisions requested at the March workshop: elimination of acrylic panels on the Metrolink shelters, metal halo-lit vertical lettering for platform signage, reduction of decomposed granite in parkways in favor of wood mulch, revisions to lighting and canopy finishes, and 3-D renderings of the plaza and shelter updates. The design team said planters and durable plantings would help restrain vehicle access to the plaza while leaving gaps to accommodate pedestrian desire lines.

Council members debated trim color (black versus dark brown and other historic palettes). After discussion about historic precedent and nighttime visual effects, the council provided consensus direction for dark-brown trim and asked staff to circulate a short color palette for final refinement before construction-level design. Staff said repainting and repairs of the building and shelters will be part of a grant-funded package and that construction documents should proceed to meet the end-of-year completion goal.

The council did not take a formal vote on color at the meeting but recorded direction and asked the design team to proceed.