Planning & Design Meetings Meeting #7 2/11/2009 - MinutesPALO ALTO HS MP MEETING No. 7
Palo Alto Unified School District 11 February 2009
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PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
MASTER PLAN MEETING NO.7
DATE: 11 February 2009, 3:15–5:00 pm
SUBJECT: Master Plan Meeting with Palo Alto HS Facilities Steering Committee
ATTENDEES: See attached sign-in sheet
The following are the highlights of the meeting:
1. Principal Jacqueline McEvoy announced that, in an effort to inform students and
capture feedback, she will go to each classroom to give a brief presentation of the
proposed master plan. Further feedback will come from Student Facilities Steering
Committee member Chirag, who is currently doing a survey of student bicycle use,
traffic flow, and parking.
2. McEvoy gave a summary of the Master Plan Community meeting. Impact on the
Southgate Community, plans for the future high-speed rail, and vehicular circulation
were among the highlights of the meeting. It was mentioned that a traffic engineer
will be hired to help address most of these issues.
3. Architect Erwin Lee reiterated that the meeting with the Community was mainly
about off-site vehicular circulation, and that the outcome of that meeting was very
positive. He described what has happened in the master planning process so far:
• Reviewed existing documents
• Had a series of site walks, diagramming bike and pedestrian flow
• Had six meetings with the Facilities Steering Committee
• Created a series of site plans that reflect the needs of Palo Alto High School
• Met with traffic and safety group to discuss the impact of the student growth
4. The four key elements to the master planning process were outlined:
• Educational program needs
• Growth structure – how to house the growing number of students
• Infrastructure and maintenance needs
• Enhancements and upgrades to the existing site
5. Lee highlighted the previous master planning goals of Palo Alto High School. These
goals are:
• Replace all of the existing portable classroom buildings
• Demolish the current career tech building and replace it with a new, 2-story
building with 2-story high-bay shops on the first level and flexible classrooms on
the upper level
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• Demolish the current student center and build a new, 2-story student center with
a double-story volume that attaches to the Tower building, providing vertical
circulation and additional classrooms/services
• Build a new, 2-story Media Arts building with flexible spaces adjacent to the
English classroom building on the northeast quarter of campus.
• Build a new, prominent theater with performing arts complex adjacent to the
Haymarket Theater to enhance the performing arts programs
• Take all classroom functions out of the Tower building and replace with offices
and support programs.
• Build a new, 2-story classroom complex adjacent to world languages (400) and
math (700) building with flexible space for the social sciences and math
classrooms that open to a central space.
• Demolish the existing “Girl’s” Gym and build a new gym with an infill building
connecting the new gym and the existing “Boy’s” gym together. The connector
building would house the weight room, fitness center and exercise room. It
would also provide a lobby to the new athletic complex.
• Create bike paths that will encourage their use and protect cyclists from vehicles
• Strategically locate bike racks along bike paths, so that bike supervision from
the quad is optimized
• Create a raised plaza area that wraps around the new, 2-story student center
• Make the quad a place for formal and informal group meeting spaces and
introduce more landscape elements
6. The site plan was shown that compared two theater options (A and B). Option B is
the desired option because it preserves the most trees and takes advantage of the
existing Art (100) Building. It creates a complimentary entry to the Haymarket
Theater. Lee reiterated that what is shown on the presentation drawings is a
diagram of an idea, and that the actual design or footprint of the proposed buildings
will be determined in the next phase of design.
7. Lee explained that the Committee is still in the preliminary process of finalizing
documents, and described the next steps in the master planning process. The
following items must be addressed in the three remaining Facilities Steering
Committee Meetings:
• Discussions about budget issues
• Prioritizing needs and phasing construction of proposed buildings
• Implementation and scheduling of project construction
• Determining infrastructure and maintenance needs
• Finalizing documents to bring to the School Board by the end of March 2009
8. Lee presented a diagram of the current pedestrian flow about campus. It showed
that during break periods, the majority of students gather under the overhang of the
library. A revised site plan was presented that addressed this issue, as well as the
vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow about the entire site. The highlights of the new
site plan were:
• Create more covered areas (such as pavilions) for students to gather in the
quad that encourages them to utilize more of the open space, and lessen the
desire to assemble around the perimeter of the library building.
• Instead of demolishing the student center, enhance the building within the
existing structure. Implement roll-up glass facades that further open the building
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to the quad, with a pavilion and terrace wrapped around the east side of the
renovated student center.
• Build a 2-story activities center adjacent to the existing student center, with a
second-story bridge connector attached to the south gable end of the Tower
Building.
• Create more direct paths through the quad on the north-south axis that lead to
the a new gym plaza on the north side of the new gym connector building
• Enhance vehicular traffic flow and protect pedestrians by creating a vehicular
turnaround on the north end of the Churchill parking lot
• Create a smaller court in front of the new classroom buildings by rotating the
north side of the new buildings by 45 degrees. This area would have a lot of
activity in the new plan, so bike parking supervision will be maximized
• Construct two entry pavilions at the north end of the Churchill parking lot to
enhance the arrival experience onto the site by defining a plaza edge
• Limit access road through the corpyard to emergency and service vehicles that
would deter passenger drop-off and pick-up.
9. There are 4 items that were discussed that need further research:
• The impact of the future high-speed rail on the master planning of Paly HS
• The efficient use of the existing buildings on campus
• The necessary amount of square feet needed for the corpyard to operate
• Whether or not the district own the existing portable classroom buildings
10. Preliminary project budget lists were handed out and discussed, for the purpose of
prioritizing projects at an informal level. Lee asked the Committee if there was
consensus on the new master plan site diagrams. Each member of the Committee
offered their opinion:
1. This is the most elegant plan of them all. The courtyard axis works very well with
the site.
2. The large quad with smaller covered areas is nice.
3. The general flow of the plan is good, and the idea of keeping cars off of campus
is important. The students would very much benefit from the small gathering
spaces in the quad.
4. The footprint of the site plan is nice; the location of the new science labs should
be further developed.
5. To reiterate what has been said, I like the plan.
6. Aside from the details of the HVAC systems throughout campus that need
further discussion, the overall plan is great.
7. Thanked DLM for their attention to pedestrian and vehicular flow. The plan is
generally fine; the career tech building plan needs further design.
8. Concerned about the woodshop and upholstery placement.
9. Appreciates that DLM is sensitive to the nuances of the site and open to
suggestion. Thanked DLM for their flexibility and hard work; only concern is that
the new theater is large enough for the school and Community’s needs.
10. Essentially supports the plan as-is.
11. Principal McEvoy was pleased with the site plan. Maximizing the line of sight
through the quad and having outdoor, covered spaces as “rooms” for student
gathering are great ideas. The turnaround that protects students from cars at
the Churchill parking lot would be a good safety barrier to have. Bicycle safety
should be further addressed.
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11. There were no objections to the proposed plan by the Facilities Steering Committee.
The general consensus is to go ahead with the currently proposed master plan.
12. The meeting was opened up to public comment. Only two members from the public
addressed the committee:
• Commended DLM on proposed campus design and thinks that it is a very well
thought out plan. Stated that the placement of the new theater in the revised
plan is the best location for it, but is concerned about the visual impact and
mass of the proposed building relative to the surrounding historic buildings and
Community’s view from Embarcadero Road.
• The auto shop location allows access to the Churchill parking lot where repaired
cars are often tested before they are driven on the street. If the new auto shop is
not in the same location, please consider including access to parking lot space
for this use.
13. Next Meeting is scheduled for 18 February 2009 at 3:15 pm.
END
Prepared by Dean Schmitz of Deems Lewis McKinley. Please advise if you feel that any of the above items
are inaccurate or need further clarification or detail.
cc: Attendees
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