Ice Rink - Design Commission Advisory Concept Review

TO:           Design Commission
FROM:      Richard J. Bruckner, Director of Planning & Development
SUBJECT: Application for Advisory Concept Design Review
                   3051 East Foothill Boulevard
                   Pasadena Ice Skating Center
                   Case Number PLN 2006-00266
DATE:         January 8, 2007

Acknowledge that on July 5, 2006, the Zoning Hearing Officer adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project;

Acknowledge that there are no protected landmark, native, or specimen trees proposed for removal from the site.

a) Develop plant palette Option A [instead of Option B], which more closely emulates the plantings found in naturalized settings applicable to this climate-zone, for further evaluation during final design review

Site: The subject property is 145,607 square feet (3.34 acres) in size and is located roughly in the center of a utility easement and flood control basin ranging between 550 and 650 feet in width and extending from East Orange Grove Boulevard to East Foothill Boulevard and the 210 Freeway. The site is set back approximately 1/4 mile from East Foothill Boulevard to the south and 750 feet from East Orange Grove Boulevard to the north. The site is located approximately 300 feet from residential uses to the east and approximately 170 feet from residential uses to the west.
General Plan Designation: Open Space
Zoning: OS (Open Space)
Applicable Design Guidelines: City-wide Design Principles.
Existing Conditions: The site is currently vacant and was previously used as a plant nursery.
Surrounding Land Uses and Setting: Land uses in the vicinity of the site include the new Vina Vieja Park and electrical towers to the north, LA County Flood Control Basin (Eaton Wash) and single-family residences to the west, electrical substations and towers and the Pasadena City College Community Education Center to the south and electrical towers and single-family residences to the east.

The City of Pasadena proposes to construct a new ice-skating rink, the Pasadena Ice Skating Center, on the subject property. The proposed structure is a one-story, 60,000 square-foot building, the bulk of which will be 34 feet in height, with the exception of the entry feature, which will extend to 54 feet. The building will be located on the southern end of the site with a landscaped 143-stall parking lot to the north. Primary access to the site is proposed to be taken from East Foothill Boulevard through the Pasadena City College parking lot (proposed access depicted with grey arrows on sheet A0.01 of the submitted plans). Lease agreements for access and parking on Pasadena City College and Southern California Edison property are currently pending.

The adopted Initial Environmental Study for the project identifies potentially significant impacts to Aesthetics, Biological Resources, Air Quality, Geology and Soils, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Noise, Transportation and Circulation. The study found that theseareas could be mitigated to a level of insignificance and a Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted by the Zoning Hearing Officer on July 5, 2006.

The building is oriented parallel to the Eaton Wash and the Southern California Edison electric towers, with the main entrance facing east. The proposed building will be 500 feet long by 98 feet wide. As mentioned previously, the building is set back from both the east Orange Grove Boulevard and east Foothill Boulevard street frontages by several hundred feet and is only visible at a distance from these streets,

Vehicular access is from east Foothill Boulevard across the satellite campus of Pasadena City College and Southern California Edison properties. The accessroad continues north along the east face of the building and directs vehicles to a surface parking lot. A 20-foot fire lane along the south building elevation provides access to a vehicular loading area on the west side of the building.

The building has a flat roof and a simple, rectangular form with the eastern elevation being detailed as the primary elevation. This bulk of this eastern elevation is characterized, from bottom to top, by a 17-foot-high masonry block base penetrated by randomly-placed groupings of 8" x 8" x 4" glass blocks at approximately ten feet above the ground, a 15-foot- high stucco wall plane recessed 13 feet from the wall plane of the masonry base to accommodate an outdoor terrace, and a continuous row of canted clerestory windows having a six-foot vertical dimension. Rectangular green-screen trellis structures are shown perpendicular to and projecting from the building mass, evenly spaced 20-feet apart.

A geometric entry feature with a canted profile projecting 13 to 20 feet above the 34-foot height of the remaining building bisects the rectangular building along the east elevation. The entry feature incorporates a thin projecting frame and screen comprised of fiber-cement panels, a vertical rectangular masonry block form (differentiated from the masonry block base), and large panels of storefront glazing. A large sign panel is shown attached to the outermost projection of the fiber-cement frame, appearing to float in front of the building entry area.

The north and south elevations consist largely of a glass curtain-wall system with a parapet clad in sheet metal panels and an eight-foot-high masonry block base. The west elevation is largely a blank stucco wall with sheet metal gutters and downspouts and a large walled-in loading area. This elevation is obscured from view by a large stand of existing vegetation, much of which is associated with the adjacent flood control channel and all of which will remain in place.

Overall, the architectural style is appropriate to the site and use. The entry feature and signage add a playful element to the rather industrial nature of the building. Further study of colors and signage will occur at the final design review phase, in addition, the Conditional Use Permit approved for the project requires approval of a Master Sign Plan for the project and, because it is a city project, public art will be required.

The roofline slopes in a westerly direction across the width of the building. The tallest segment of the building, reaching approximately 54 feet in height, occurs along the east elevation, at the entry feature. The roofline is largely unmodulated, with the exception of the east elevation where the green-screen trellises and entry feature project above the main roofline. The east elevation walls are modulated by the recessed upper terrace and the projecting green-screen trellises. The relatively narrow north and south elevations are highly glazed and are a significant distance from areas of public view. There are no modulating wall planes on these elevations; however, the high level of glazing and relatively narrow wall planes on these elevations do not warrant additional modulation. The west elevation will be obscured from view by the existing landscaped buffer along the Eaton Wash and will be blank and unmodulated.

The programming requirements for the ice skating center dictate that visual penetrations are minimized to regulate air temperature in the building. For this reason, vision glass occurs in limited areas along the north, south, and east elevations. The most dramatic use of glazing occurs along the north and south elevations. The design integrates a glass-curtain wall framed by a storefront window system, offering a simplistic and luminous approach to the design. To unify the architectural vocabulary of the building, staff recommends that the detailing of the north elevation should be incorporated into the lobby entrance (east elevation).

The selected plant palette incorporates a "xeriscsape" design concept that offers two options: (Option A) a native palette, or (Option B) a drought-resistant plant palette. Staff recommends that plant palette Option A be explored for further consideration during final design review. Option A more closely emulates the plantings found in naturalized settings applicable to this climate zone. A transitional planting zone is also proposed along the west property line, which incorporates a variety of native oaks, shrub species, and ground cover.

The contemporary design language of the building achieves the program needs of the ice skating facility and utilizes an underdeveloped parcel for a public benefit.

Respectfully submitted,
Richard J. Bruckner
Director of Planning and Development

Reviewed by:
Jeff Cronin, Principal Planner
Design and Historic Preservation Section

ADVISORY CONCEPT DESIGN REVIEW Design Commission Meeting of January 8, 2007 PLN2006-00266