Arts museum and old schoolhouse relocation will be proposed at January 13 meeting

Encinitas Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Gattinella (left) and Encinitas City Councilmember Tony Kranz inspected the city’s newly acquired Pacific View property on the morning of December 30, 2014. They discussed the condition and salvage-ability of the buildings, and informally brainstormed uses for them.

The future of the city’s recently purchased Pacific View property promises to come into sharper focus soon after the New Year begins.

A preliminary plan for the near-term use of the site will be presented at a two-hour public meeting at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 13 at Encinitas City Hall.

A windowed room added after Pacific View’s original 1953 construction looks out over the southeast corner of the property at 3rd and E Streets. The outside open area is where the Pacific View Site Activation Subcommittee will suggest that the old schoolhouse be moved.

The plan, drafted by Pacific View Site Activation Subcommittee members Tony Kranz and Lisa Shaffer, proposes “to create a museum of art, history, culture, and the environment,” housed in refurbished existing classrooms and administration buildings. The report says the museum should “serve our community by providing a space for gathering, learning and inspiration.”

Included in the proposal is a suggestion to move the historic 1883 schoolhouse from its current location on the southwest end of the 2.8-acre Pacific View site to the corner of 3rd and E Streets.

Coming up with logical interim and long-term public uses for the site has been complicated by a set of zoning restrictions, dating from Encinitas’ incorporation in 1986, some of which seem now to be arbitrary and unnecessarily specific.

SavePacificView.org was able to explore the grounds and, for the first time, the interiors of the buildings on December 30 when Encinitas Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Gattinella and Encinitas City Councilmember Tony Kranz performed a walk-through of the site. By then, the Encinitas Union School District had already cleaned out old furniture, debris and temporary structures.

SPV’s impression was that the interiors of the buildings appeared much more robust than their dilapidated exteriors would suggest. The administration offices on the east side showed evidence of having been broken into and were tarnished with crude graffiti, but seemed structurally sound.

The classroom interiors on the north wing looked surprisingly enormous. Some had been modified for various uses since the school’s 2003 closure (a woodworking shop, storage, etc.), and an Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant restroom had been installed in the northwestern-most classroom.

Several photos from our interior tour can be found below.

Public comments will be welcome at the January 13 subcommittee meeting.

Here is Kranz and Shaffer’s draft report, in its entirety:

The Pacific View Site Activation Subcommittee of the Encinitas City Council has been working with the community and city staff to explore viable near-term actions to begin the transformation of the site from a blighted abandoned school to a vibrant community asset. To this end, technical evaluation of the structures is underway, temporary structures were removed by the school district prior to the close of escrow, and a concept for initial use has been defined for Council consideration.

The Subcommittee proposes an initial plan to utilize the existing buildings and open space, and possible relocation of the historic schoolhouse to the northeastern corner of the property. Development of more ambitious plans and pursuit of significant private resources should, in the view of the Subcommittee, await completion of the updated Arts Master Plan. We need to consider the full range of possible venues in our community to meet the needs that the Arts Master Plan will identify in order to make the best choices about how to proceed with improvements on the Pacific View (PV) site.

The Subcommittee has considered proposals and concepts shared by the Encinitas Taxpayers Association, Envision the View, Encinitas 101 Main Street, and the Encinitas Preservation Association, as well as the many individuals who have communicated with the Council through email and public testimony. Taking all these ideas into account, we propose to create a museum of art, history, culture, and the environment. The museum would be housed in refurbished existing classroom and administration buildings and would include relocating the historic schoolhouse to the corner of 3rd and E Streets. The goals of the PV Museum should be to serve our community by providing a space for gathering, learning and inspiration.

The museum at PV could include education, exhibit, and possibly limited performance uses. The open space would be cleaned up, and renovated as well, so that it could accommodate temporary structures and outdoor activities on a limited basis, and could also provide the required parking. The City’s 2014/15 budget includes approximately $500k for Pacific View for initial site activation, and the Subcommittee proposes to partner with a qualified organization to use those funds for refurbishment, site cleanup, and initial operations, with the expectation of a revenue stream from interim site use within a specified period of time.

When the Arts Master Plan is completed, the Council can decide if/how to make further investments in the PV site to meet identified needs of the arts community. We will have had a period of time and experience with the site re-activated as a museum, and we will have generated some revenues. The Subcommittee believes that it would be premature to try to define any more elaborate plans now, but is mindful not to preclude such possibilities as we move forward with the proposed art and history museum concept.

The Subcommittee recommends that, if the Council agrees with this concept, the City should solicit brief expressions of interest for a collaborative arrangement from qualified partner organizations that could oversee the renovation and interact with local groups interested in occupying and activating PV. The details would be worked out based on proposals received. Possible arrangements could include:

• City provides the Partner with an agreed budget for the renovations in exchange for Partner assuming responsibility to bring the facilities up to code
• Partner would have a multi-year agreement to manage the space in accordance with an agreed upon mission statement, with a requirement to return to the City a substantial portion of revenues received through leasing to local user organizations

If the Council agrees, the PV Site Activation Subcommittee would work with City staff to prepare a solicitation and would organize an ad hoc review team including community members, facilities experts, and city staff and possibly Council members to evaluate potential partners and make a recommendation to the full Council.

Next Steps: The Subcommittee will present this draft for review and consideration at a public Subcommittee meeting in January. An updated version of the draft will then be presented at the next available Council meeting for Council consideration and direction. Specific questions for the Council include:

1. Does the Council agree with the concept of using the existing buildings for a history and art museum as an interim plan? If so,

2. Does the Council agree with the proposed activation plan to invite expressions of interest from qualified Partners? If so,

3. Which Council members should serve on the review committee for proposals?

Inside Pacific View

SavePacificView.org will stay on top of developments and send email updates when new Pacific View events occur. You’re also invited to stay up-to-date on Pacific View news by joining the SavePacificView.org email list here. Your name and email address will only be used by SavePacificView.org. The SavePacificView story as told by local media can be read here.

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The historic Pacific View property as it appears today.