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MISSION HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
325 W. WASHINGTON ST, #2159
SAN DIEGO, CA 92103
www.MissionHillsTownCouncil.org
Board of Trustees
Mike Zdon, President
Belinda Smith, Vice President
Carin Canale-Theakson, Treasurer
Gavin Grant, Secretary
Lara Gates
Jasper Benke
Bob Rast
Sharon Gehl
Bernard King
Gina Barnes
Christina Woods
David Espinosa
Penny Giacalone
Jim Scott
Anthony Nykos
MINUTES
Mission Hills Town Council Special Meeting, held at Grant Elementary,
Thursday June 12, 2014 6:00PM
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Present: Mike Zdon, Belinda Smith, Carin Canale-Theakson, Gavin Grant, Lara Gates, Bob Rast, Sharon
Gehl, Christina Woods, Penny Giacalone,, Anthony Nykos, David Espinosa, Jasper Benke, Gina Barnes,
Jim Scott
Absent: Bernard King
6:03p.m. Called to order by Mike Zdon, President
MISSION HILLS - HILLCREST LIBRARY PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Council President Todd Gloria announced the project and noted that it is essentially fully funded pending litigation.
Council President Gloria introduced the team from Architects Mosher Drew who presented the
project to the public.
Architects Mosher Drew (AMD) walked through the design process:
○ AMD drew inspiration from the Hillcrest and Mission Hills communities and selected a
Craftsman style architecture for the building.
○ The library project will replace the current 3,850 square foot Mission Hills library.
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The current Mission Hills library was built in 1961.
The new 15,000 square foot library will be located on the south side of Washington Street,
between Front and Albatross Street.
The estimated timeline for this project is as follows:
■ Demolition of existing structure completed: Sept. 2015
■ Design-Build team to complete design: Nov. 2015
■ Construction will be completed: Jan. 2018
AMD are contracted by the City of San Diego to generate “bridging documents”, which are
drawings and supporting documents that provide design direction to the executive
architect.
The executive architect has not been selected at the time of the meeting.
AMD presented the library program and features:
■ Areas
● 15,000 sf on the street level
● 30,000 sf on two levels of underground parking
● 85 parking spaces
■ Modern Library Amenities
● Children’s and Teen Areas
● Computer Areas and Wireless Access
● Study Rooms
● Family Reading Nooks
● Community Meeting Rooms
● Friends of the Library Room
● “Healing Garden”
■ Offsite Improvements
● Cul-de-sac improvements for Front Street
● Retaining Wall at the South Edge of the Site
● Accessible Path of Travel to future connection to Florence Elementary
School
● Drought Tolerant Landscaping
■ Sustainable Features
● Minimum LEED Silver Certification
● Day Light Harvesting
● Photo Voltaic Roof Panels
● Passive Cooling with Operable Windows
● Energy Conservation from Lighting Sensors
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Megan Blair from the San Diego Public Library Foundation explained the budget restraints.
○ The budget for the project is $20.25M.
○ Two families have anonymously pledged $5M each. This is the main reason the project is
moving forward.
○ Bond financing will pay the remaining balance - after donations.
○ Megan Blair urged the community to think beyond the construction of the library and also
consider the costs to support the library programs, books and materials.
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The public responded to the presentation with the following comments:
○ A community garden was suggested
○ Q: How is did the team arrive at 85 parking spaces? Can there be a joint use with
neighborhood businesses? A: Parking count was determined by the zoning code.
○ Bike lane access to the library from University was requested.
○ People noted that they would prefer two levels of library over 2 levels of parking. The
design team noted that studies found the 1 level library function better and there are less
security concerns with a 1 story library. Also a 2 story library will not meet the budget.
○ A gift shop was suggested.
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Rather than have the stair and elevator tower at the street corner, it was suggested that the
corner be an open plaza.
A coffee bar was suggested.
A rain harvesting system was suggested. However, the San Diego climate is too dry and
rain too sparse to make a rain harvesting system worthwhile.
It was noted that the stair and elevator tower appeared too prominent at the corner of the
street and it was suggested to move it to the back of the site. The architects noted that
there is a minimum separation between stairs per the building code, but will explore this
option.
Q: Can the alley to the west be vacated? A: No, it needs to remain a fire lane.
The utility boxes should be hidden and not obstruct the sidewalk. The utility boxes at Von’s
were noted as an example of what not to do.
The community room should be able to accommodate a minimum of 100 people.
Q: Is the patron analysis current? A: Yes, the team used current standards.
The suggestion was made to acquire the homes across the street on Front Street and use
that land for parking. This was not in the scope of the project and would not be in the
budget.
Q: How was the 15,000sf library size determined? A: The team used current standards
based on the community size and is relatively fixed. This was the approved square
footage.
Q: What is the architect changing? A: Architects Mosher Drew cannot bid on the design
build project, since that would be a conflict of interest.
Providing senior living above the library was suggested.
The suggestion was made to remove the cost of one level of parking and use that money
to put into the architectural detailing of the Craftsman style. There was a concern that the
cost to properly detail a true “Craftsman” design is not in the budget.
The attention to addressing security concerns was appreciated.
Q: Will the City charge for parking? A: No decision was made at the time of the meeting.
An announcement was made by Lara Gates about the Concerts at Pioneer Park.
Mike Zdon gave an update on the Combat Arts mural project, which raised $4,000 to date.
Lara Gates gave an update on the Grant School expansion and master plan.
○ 1 phase has been funded.
○ $15M needed for future phases.
○ Construction will begin the summer of 2015.
Fausto Palafox, the owner of Mission Hills Nursery gave an update on his business.
○ He is fighting to keep the nursery open.
○ He is in mediation with a developer looking to purchase the land.
Tony Atkin’s rep gave an update that she was sworn into office as Speaker of the Assembly.
The next MHTC Town Hall Meeting will be on Thursday, October 9th at 6:00pm.
7:32 p.m. The meeting concluded.