May 2024 – Council Allocates $300,000 for Phase III
On May 7, 2024, the City Council approved for the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 budget an allocation of $300,000 for the Civic Center Plan Phase III, “Advancing Pre-Design & Construction Activities.” It was authored by Councilmember Susan Wengraf and endorsed by Councilmember Sophie Hahn. It suggested that the funds be used for:
1. Existing Conditions Documentation – on the city-owned and occupied Civic Center buildings (Maudelle Shirek and Veterans): topographic survey, Building Information Models (BIM) including, if desired, 3-D modeling, hazardous materials study, utility assessments, building system assessments. Explore the possibility of moving the Council Chambers back to the Maudelle Shirek building when construction is completed. Explore and consider constructing and attaching a new structure to the back of the Shirek building in order to retrofit the original landmark, as recommended in one [of] the earthquake studies. This could include a new Council Chamber (and possibly additional office space if new space is identified as a need.).
2. Tenant Identification – in close collaboration with all city departments Phase III of the Civic Center project will further identify and refine who the future tenants of the structures will be, with a focus on the Maudelle Shirek Building as the Veterans building has been identified already for arts and cultural uses, in the Phase II Design Concept Plan. This effort will utilize and/or update the City’s existing space needs study (if available), and generate a companion inventory of city-owned space along with any existing conditions documentation as needed to develop a design concept for the Courthouse building (city owned, leased to Alameda County until potentially 2057, if the County uses all of their extension options) that integrates it into the larger Civic Center Design Concept given its prime location at 2120 MLK Jr Way in between the Public Safety and Maudelle Shirek Buildings. The Building Inventory should include all City owned and leased space, including rental costs and insurance costs of leased space and termination dates for existing leases.