AGENDA ITEM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CARLO TOMAINO
CITY MANAGER
BY: YVETTE E. AGUILAR
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER/PARKS, RECREATION & LIBRARY SERVICES DIRECTOR
THOMAS BEKELE
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR/CITY ENGINEER
SUBJECT:
title
CIVIC CENTER MASTER PLAN AND SIGNAL HILL AMPHITHEATER PROJECT UPDATE
summary
Summary:
The 2023-2028 Strategic Plan identifies the development of the Civic Center Master Plan (CCMP) as a key City objective. On August 27, 2024, the City Council adopted the CCMP, which outlines a phased approach to redeveloping the Civic Center campus. The plan designates three phases, with the building of a new amphitheater as Phase One; replacement of the existing Community & Youth Center and related amenities as Phase Two; and accessibility, park connectivity, and landscape improvements, particularly those enhancing Signal Hill Park and Jessie Nelson Circle, as Phase Three.
At this same meeting, the City Council directed staff to explore the feasibility of advancing select elements of Phase Three to improve accessibility from existing parking areas to Signal Hill Park and the new amphitheater and assess opportunities for additional accessible parking and plaza design enhancements along Jessie Nelson Circle. In May 2025, staff met with individual City Council members to review the updated amphitheater design and to discuss the evolution of the process which accounted for input through community outreach, presentations to City committees, commissions, the City Council, and expert guidance from the industry consultants. The updated design includes a modified scope that accounts for current and future programming needs and is appropriately scaled for the proposed use and maximizes its functional utility over time.
Staff worked with John Kaliski Architects, Incorporated (JKA) to explore the modified Phase Three accessibility Improvements that could enhance pedestrian accessibility and additional accessible parking. Given the topography of Signal Hill Park, especially the elevation changes from the park to Jessie Nelson Circle, incorporating accessibility improvements from the City’s parking lots to the amphitheater requires a significant amount of grading and improvement work. While these preliminary design efforts were helpful to provide structure and scope for potential Phase Three improvements, staff recommends focusing the use of the City’s funding on the amphitheater and revisiting Phase Three at a later date. As a follow-up to the City Council direction, this report provides a status update on the Phase One amphitheater design and provides an update on specific Phase Three elements and improvements consistent with City Council’s request.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
Goal No. 1: Financial Stability: Ensure the City’s long-term financial stability and resilience.
Goal No. 4: Infrastructure: Maintain and improve the City’s physical infrastructure, water system, and recreational spaces.
Goal No. 5: High-Functioning Government: Strengthen internal communication, recruitment, retention, systems, and processes to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of City services.
recommendation
Recommendation:
Provide direction to advance Phase One of the Civic Center Master Plan and receive and file status update report.
body
Fiscal Impact:
The City Council appropriated sufficient funding for Phase One of the Civic Center Master Plan through the Civic Center Master Plan Reserve Fund.
Background:
In March 2022, staff submitted funding requests for several projects, including the amphitheater, through Senator Lena Gonzalez’s Office. The City received a $5 million allocation for the Signal Hill Amphitheater Project and the State assigned fund management to the California Arts Council (CAC). Section 19.56 of the 2022 Budget Act requires that the funds be used by June 30, 2026. To support proper planning for future development within the Civic Center Campus, and to ensure accessibility and circulation improvements to the Youth Center, amphitheater, and Kelly Drive, the City Council approved funding for the preparation of the Civic Center Master Plan as part of the FY 2022-23 budget.
In March 2023, the City initiated the preparation of the CCMP with architectural consultant, JKA. The purpose of the CCMP is to create a long-term, phased redevelopment plan for the Civic Center campus that reflects community input and aligns with the City’s infrastructure, recreational, and accessibility goals. Community outreach played a central role in shaping the plan, with feedback obtained through multi-day workshops, several surveys, engagement with committees and commissions, and public engagement at local public community events. The feedback informed critical components such as open space design, traffic circulation, and the inclusion of cultural and recreational amenities.
During the public outreach and City Council review process, JKA presented three different conceptual layout options. In December 2023, the City Council selected “The Campus Plan” as the preferred conceptual layout. The Campus Plan balances existing and future anticipated programming needs with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure and avoids complex site grading. The plan features a new amphitheater (Phase One), sports courts and Community Center (Phase Two), and improved park access, enhanced landscaping, and expanded ADA compliant parking and pathways (Phase Three).
On August 27, 2024, the City Council formally adopted the CCMP and provided additional direction to evaluate the possibility of advancing key components of Phase Three. The potential Phase Three components focus on accessibility and connectivity improvements between the conceptual Jessie Nelson Plaza, the Civic Center parking lot, and the amphitheater.
Analysis:
Amphitheater Design Update
Following adoption of the CCMP, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for design services in September 2024, incorporating specific design criteria for the new amphitheater. After a formal, competitive professional services selection process, the City Council awarded SVA Architects, Incorporated (SVA) the design contract in December 2024 in the amount of $627,476 based on its demonstrated experience designing amphitheaters with similar criteria, strong industry expertise, and understanding of the City’s goals.
Guided by the City Council’s request, the initial design concept proposed a 600-seat tiered amphitheater with a canopy structure designed to optimize acoustics. During this part of the design phase, the design team, which included staff from Administration, Public Works, and the Parks, Recreation, and Library Services Departments, conducted several site visits to the cities of Anaheim, Laguna Niguel, Moreno Valley, and Murrieta, to better understand and scale the design of these amphitheaters based on the use of the space after construction and with the advantage of several years of practical use. One of the key lessons learned from staff’s site visits was that the final design of the amphitheater should be appropriately scaled relative to the park site and maximize its functional utility over time. During the due diligence phase of the process, staff found examples where cities constructed amphitheaters on a scale that did not fully consider programming levels, ongoing operating costs, and site constraints such as parking availability. Therefore, one of the design team’s important considerations when working to finalize the amphitheater was to ensure the facility serves multiple roles as a community gathering place, entertainment venue, and a showcase for local arts and culture within the parameters of Signal Hill Park. As discussed below, the proposed design features amenities that allow for multi-use of the amphitheater and expanded programming opportunities including concerts; performances including musical, theatrical, and dance; exercise classes; high school band performances; speaker series and spoken word; presentations, such as State of the City; comedic performances; special event space; and featured movie nights.
Under the proposed design, the size of the amphitheater, along with the fixed seating, is scaled based on the amount of space dedicated to the facility at Signal Hill Park. The initial conceptual design that proposed accommodating 600 fixed seats would result in very limited remaining space for passive and active recreational activities. Given that the open space at Signal Hill Park is utilized daily by residents, staff revisited the design to ensure the final design is appropriately balanced to accommodate the different ways in which the community uses the park. The design team subsequently revised the amphitheater site plan by one-third with maximum seating for 280 people. The revised site plan reduced the size of the stage, restrooms, and canopy by approximately 20 percent. At the same time, the design team enhanced the audio visual (AV) scope to focus on essential infrastructure, with provisions for future expansion.
Additional engineering measures included modifying the concession stand to match the updated seating area capacity, eliminating gas service, matching the Back-of-House (BOH) accommodations to the proposed stage capacity, and redesigning the parking area to avoid premature encroachment on Spud Field as part of Phase One. By modifying the initial scope of the parking area for the amphitheater, the City would not have to incur significant mobilization and remobilization related to grading costs. Staff proposes to undertake all grading work associated with Spud Field as part of the Phase Two improvements. Overall, the refined design includes a 1,000-square-foot stage, a green room for performers, additional storage, public restrooms, and infrastructure to support AV capabilities, including a multi-functional LED screen. The project is currently at 80% design and staff plans to issue a bid in September 2025, with early procurement of long-lead electrical components underway. Staff worked closely with SVA throughout the process to develop and finalize the amphitheater design to meet the City’s current and future programming needs.
Figure 1. Final Layout of the Amphitheater Site
Amphitheater Project Timeline
The City Council approved the amphitheater design contract in November 2024, and design work began shortly thereafter. Staff anticipates completion of the design by June 2025, with construction expected to begin by October 2025. The current construction schedule targets project completion by August 2026. The City’s funding agreement with the CAC requires the project to be completed by June 30, 2026; however, staff are currently working with CAC to extend the project completion deadline. Given recent adjustments to the design and bid timeline, staff have engaged with CAC and are in the process of requesting a time extension to ensure the project can be delivered without compromising quality or scope, or funding, as the City has received the full $5 million grant allocation.
Modified Phase Three Accessibility Improvements
In response to City Council direction, staff worked with JKA to analyze targeted improvements within Phase Three that could enhance pedestrian accessibility and additional accessible parking. Given the topography of Signal Hill Park, especially the elevation change from the park to Jessie Nelson Circle, incorporating accessibility improvements from the City’s parking lots to the amphitheater requires much more significant grading and improvement work than initially expected. Conceptual designs focused on areas adjacent to the conceptual Jessie Nelson Plaza (on Jessie Nelson Circle) and Signal Hill Park, including realignment to create a seamless path of travel and connectivity from the conceptual plaza area to the park; widening of Jessie Nelson Circle into a plaza for special events; and the addition of ADA compliant ramps and parking stalls near City Hall. Staff estimated the cost of the Phase Three improvements to be approximately $10 million if constructed today; however, the cost of these conceptual improvements is anticipated to increase over time and may be implemented in future phases or independently as more funding becomes available. While these preliminary design efforts were helpful in providing structure and scope for potential Phase Three improvements, staff recommends focusing the City’s funding on the amphitheater and revisiting Phase Three at a later date.
Fiscal Update
The CCMP Reserve, which is designated in the City’s budget to support all phases of the CCMP, is projected to have a balance of approximately $17.9 million by June 30, 2025. The estimated overall budget requirement for the amphitheater including design, construction, inspection, and construction management is approximately $11.2 million. This reflects a $3 million increase over the originally adopted CIP budget of $8.4 million. Based on current cost projections, market conditions, and pending bid results expected in September 2025, staff anticipates a possible further increase and a potential need for a future budget adjustment. Once the City receives the bids, staff will evaluate these for responsiveness and completeness and present an updated discussion item for consideration by the City Council.
Reviewed for Fiscal Impact:
_________________________
Siamlu Cox
Attachment(s):
None.