City Council

a.\nCIVIC CENTER MASTER PLAN AND SIGNAL HILL AMPHITHEATER\nPROJECT UPDATE\nSummary:\nThe 2023-2028 Strategic Plan identifies the development of the Civic Center\nMaster Plan (CCMP) as a key City objective. On August 27, 2024, the City\nCouncil adopted the CCMP, which outlines a phased approach to redeveloping\nthe Civic Center campus. The plan designates three phases, with the building of\na new amphitheater as Phase One; replacement of the existing Community &\nYouth Center and related amenities as Phase Two; and accessibility, park\nconnectivity, and landscape improvements, particularly those enhancing Signal\nHill Park and Jessie Nelson Circle, as Phase Three.\nAt this same meeting, the City Council directed staff to explore the feasibility of\nadvancing select elements of Phase Three to improve accessibility from existing\nparking areas to Signal Hill Park and the new amphitheater and assess\nopportunities for additional accessible parking and plaza design enhancements\nalong Jessie Nelson Circle. In May 2025, staff met with individual City Council\nmembers to review the updated amphitheater design and to discuss the\nevolution of the process which accounted for input through community outreach,\npresentations to City committees, commissions, the City Council, and expert\nguidance from the industry consultants. The updated design includes a modified\nscope that accounts for current and future programming needs and is\nappropriately scaled for the proposed use and maximizes its functional utility\nover time.\nStaff worked with John Kaliski Architects, Incorporated (JKA) to explore the\nmodified Phase Three accessibility Improvements that could enhance\npedestrian accessibility and additional accessible parking. Given the topography\nof Signal Hill Park, especially the elevation changes from the park to Jessie\nNelson Circle, incorporating accessibility improvements from the City’s parking\nlots to the amphitheater requires a significant amount of grading and\nimprovement work. While these preliminary design efforts were helpful to\nprovide structure and scope for potential Phase Three improvements, staff\nrecommends focusing the use of the City’s funding on the amphitheater and\nrevisiting Phase Three at a later date. As a follow-up to the City Council\ndirection, this report provides a status update on the Phase One amphitheater\ndesign and provides an update on specific Phase Three elements and\nimprovements consistent with City Council’s request.\nStrategic Plan Goal(s):\nGoal No. 1: Financial Stability: Ensure the City’s long-term financial stability\nand resilience.\nGoal No. 4: Infrastructure: Maintain and improve the City’s\ninfrastructure, water system, and recreational spaces.\nphysical\nGoal No. 5: High-Functioning Government: Strengthen internal communication,\nrecruitment, retention, systems, and processes to increase the\neffectiveness and efficiency of City services.\nRecommendation:\nProvide direction to advance Phase One of the Civic Center Master Plan and\nreceive and file status update report.