Santa Rosa tweaks Old Courthouse Square design

A bleary-eyed Santa Rosa City Council approved the nearly final design for the reunification of Old Courthouse Square project early Wednesday morning after making several last-minute tweaks to the $10 million plaza plan, including adding pricey pavers and removing a playground.

The council unanimously approved the revised design and $7.4 million construction contract for the project at 12:46 a.m., virtually assuring major work on the long-delayed and controversial project will be able to begin late next month.

As the council voted, downtown business and property owners cheered. Council members congratulated staff and themselves for realizing a vision many view as the city’s best chance of revitalizing the downtown.

Critics who had lambasted the project for removing mature redwoods and blocking a major city traffic artery were absent.

The vote capped a debate that, because of a packed agenda, didn’t even begin until after 10 p.m.

Once it got underway, the discussion ranged from big picture design concepts, such as the merits of open, uncluttered spaces versus permanent structures, to minutia of best surfaces for dancing.

The ambitious plan calls for unifying the two halves of the 1.5-acre square by permanently closing Mendocino Avenue to traffic between Third and Fourth streets, building new side streets with ample parking and creating a unified, central gathering place for events.

Discussed for more than 20 years, the effort gained traction last year after a vocal group of downtown business leaders and landlords urged the council to move forward with a simpler, cheaper design. A new city manager, more supportive council and improved budget picture played roles, as well.

One feature of the latest design that quickly came under scrutiny was the idea of installing about $75,000 of play equipment. The plan called for nestling several pieces for climbing, spinning and balancing in a grove of shade trees on the southeast side of the new plaza.

Richard Carlile, a retired partner in Carlile-Macy, the firm designing the project, said the square should be as free of permanent structures as possible to allow for the greatest flexibility.

The concern about the play equipment was unexpected given that Sonoma, along with Healdsburg cited as the type of tourist-friendly plaza design the city wants to emulate, has a square with two playgrounds.

Another debated feature was the limited amount of grass proposed. The design features an X-shaped patch of reinforced turf in the center of the plaza in the shape of the original courthouse, which was built in 1885 and reduced to rubble in the 1906 quake.

Carlstrom said she wanted to see more grass and Vice Mayor Tom Schwedhelm expressed a similar concern.

McGlynn stressed that hardscapes can often be more flexible urban spaces.

Ultimately, instead of stamped concrete, the council agreed to install permeable pavers, which, despite their additional $250,000 cost, the council reasoned would be more attractive, help drainage and be easier to replace should they crack.

Also out of a concern for too many permanent structures, the council opted not to add four crepe myrtle trees anchoring the four corners of the turf area. It narrowly approved four tall decorative LED light features, however, to celebrate plant species cultivated by famed Santa Rosa horticulturalist Luther Burbank.

The latest design features a rebuilt fountain, including some of the art panels of Sonoma County life created by famed artist Ruth Asawa. The new fountain will go at the southern end of the plaza along Third Street and could serve as a backdrop for concerts.

But the council didn’t include construction of the fountain in the $7.4 million contract, just the plumbing and wiring to allow its installation at a later date. City staff proposed the fountain and a separate public art component be dealt with in later phases because of budget and time constraints. Depending on the design, the fountain is estimated to cost up to $1 million.

Work by Thompson Builders Corp. of Novato, the winning bidder, could begin at the end of May.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. ?On Twitter @srcitybeat.