AGENDA REPORT - Laserfiche WebLink

BACKGROUND The Pleasanton Century House, located at 2401 Santa Rita Road, was built in the 1870's as a weekend hunting lodge on an approximately 50-acre parcel. The property changed ownership several times over the decades and in the late 1960's, the property was sold for residential development. The developer donated the house and remaining acreage to the Amador Valley Historical Society. After the house was renovated, the house and park were dedicated to the City of Pleasanton in July 1975. Since the original construction, the house has been altered several times, including the addition of a wrap- around covered porch, construction of men's and women's restrooms within the interior, and the addition of a catering kitchen and another enclosed room for the water heater and electrical connections on the back of the house. The house has also been maintained over the years utilizing construction materials existing at the time of maintenance activity, rather than replicating the original building materials. The Century House has been used for various purposes over the years, but was used most recently as a community facility available for many social activities, including small wedding, parties, etc. In 2014 the building was closed to public use following an inspection, when it was determined there were numerous building and life safety code deficiencies. In 2018, the City retained the services of Jeff Katz Architecture (JKA) to provide a comprehensive analysis of the building and determine structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues. The City Council adopted the preparation of a Master Plan for the future of the Century House as one of their Work Plan priorities for 2019-2020 and assigned the Parks and Recreation Commission to oversee the process. Below is a summary of the past Parks and Recreation Commission meetings. At the April 11, 2019 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the report from JKA was shared with the Commission and public comment was received. The commissioners asked for more information on the history of the usage and revenue received for the Century House. At the August 8, 2019 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, staff presented operational and revenue information for the Century House from 2010 to 2014 before it closed. The commissioners asked for more information regarding the potential of adding parking spaces, adding an "outbuilding" or accessory structure to house accessible restrooms and a catering kitchen, and the useable square footage or size of the house. At the October 10, 2019 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, staff presented four site plan options including the provision of additional parking and an outbuilding to accommodate accessible restrooms and a catering kitchen. The commissioners preferred Site Plan Option 4, which included the construction of parking spaces in the park requiring the removal of three trees and conversion of approximately 50 feet of the park along its eastern edge (closet to the Century House grounds) to be converted to parking. Page 2 of 9