Title
Latino Cultural Center
Description
Request authorization for the City Manager, or his designee, to locate the Latino Cultural Center at the North Building in Margaret T. Hance Park, or another site to be determined, and to conduct a Request for Proposals to select a capital campaign consultant to assist in the financial planning of the Latino Cultural Center. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Report
Summary
Through the 2001 City Bond program, funding was made available to promote knowledge and appreciation of Latino/Hispanic cultures.
In 2016, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture secured the services of a consultant to conduct a Capital Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study (Study), including a management/business plan and evaluation of potential tie-ins with other cultural resources. In 2017, the Study's report was released and was based on extensive community input consisting of over 20 one-on-one interviews, site visits to arts organizations and facilities in Phoenix and surrounding areas, three public town halls, two focus groups and an electronic survey with 254 respondents.
In 2019, Mayor Thelda Williams created the Latino Cultural Center Ad Hoc Committee to make recommendations to the City Council about next steps, including possible sites for a center and development of a strategic plan, which would result in business and operating, programming, and partnership and fundraising strategies. The committee is charged with using the Study as its roadmap through the process.
The Ad Hoc Committee has met monthly over the past six months and has three working subcommittees (programs and services; fundraising and partnerships; site and operations). All meetings are open to the public and community members may participate in any of the three subcommittees. The Ad Hoc Committee is co-chaired by Vice Mayor Betty Guardado and District 7 Councilman Michael Nowakowski.
Financial Impact
In the Study, a site was not selected. Preferred location of a cultural center was discussed in survey questions. From the survey, respondents stressed important themes for location as follows:
- A desire for a visible Latino cultural presence in Phoenix at the heart of the City's cultural center.
- Latino Cultural Center should be on par and in company with Phoenix's other major cultural institutions and art centers located downtown.
The Study included a hypothetical site layout showing a building area of approximately 22,000 square feet; 18,000 square feet of programmable outdoor space; and ample parking. The Study recommended the following options that should be considered when looking for the site:
- New construction on City-operated land.
- Rehab of an existing City-operated Building.
- Mixed use development in partnership with City or private development.
The Community and Economic Development and Planning Development Departments presented City-owned sites in and out of the downtown core. Sites in downtown Phoenix are more compact, urban and allow for smaller land plots that can be built up, while the "suburban" sites require a larger area, with a minimum of four acres to accommodate the square footage and parking requirements recommended for the site. Ultimately, four "downtown" sites were presented to the Site and Operations Subcommittee to review.
Gensler Architects did pro bono work this summer to show how massing can work for each location. Diagrams were presented, along with associated costs with each site. Sites included a parcel adjacent to the Herberger Theatre Center, the North Building adjacent to Margaret T. Hance Park, a parcel next to the Public Market, and the Regency Garage on the southwest corner of 2nd Street and Adams. In addition, a cost comparison for each of the four sites was presented using 2019 estimates, which came out to $600 square feet, which is comparable to retrofitting other historic buildings such as those in the Warehouse District.
Ultimately, the North Building was selected by the Ad Hoc Committee on Sept. 23, 2019. The property is historic preservation eligible, but not designated as such. No upsizing is needed with water or sewer, based on current service levels. The streetscape could meet downtown code requirements without a variance. The cost to rehabilitate the North Building, along with additional funds for FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) to ensure the project would be occupiable as soon as possible, is estimated at approximately $12 million.
The Ad Hoc Committee requested the Parks and Recreation Board approve the Latino Cultural Center to be located at the North Building in Maragret T. Hance Park, with the understanding that if funds are not raised by Dec. 31, 2023, the use agreement would need to be reevaluated. The Parks and Recreation Board approved the request on Oct. 4, 2019, with the caveat that fundraising benchmarks will be reported to the board along the way. Procurement of a capital campaign consultant can start the planning necessary to raise the funds to rehabilitate the building. There is currently $997,902 in bond funds available to kick off the project.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Land Use and Livability Subcommittee reviewed and recommended this item, and that additional sites be evaluated for consideration, for City Council approval at its Nov. 20, 2019 meeting by a vote of 4-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Karen Peters and the Office of Arts and Culture.