BACKGROUND:
Inspired by San Juan Capistrano’s Los Rios Street, Mayor Lamb sees Chuperosa Lane as more than a collection of neighborhood paintings and mosaics. Mayor Lamb believes Chuperosa Lane could become an authentic regional treasure, the type of hidden gem elevating Cathedral City much like Los Rios Street deepens the character and appeal of San Juan Capistrano.
In November 2022, Mayor Lamb used $15,000 of District 1’s community fund to engage M.I.G. Consulting Group (MIG). By January 2023, MIG was under contract and working with Economic Development (ED). After meeting with relevant community stakeholders, touring Chuperosa Lane, and driving the surrounding neighborhood in late February 2023, MIG created three initial design themes. These three initial themes are titled “Initial Concepts June 2023” and may be found beginning on page 6 of the attached MIG Art Walk Concept Package.
Following multiple discussions on Cathedral City’s community identity coupled with feedback from Mayor Lamb, MIG combined the best elements from each initial design theme into the Preferred Concept found on page 3 of the attached MIG Art Walk Concept Package.
The August 24, 2023, Preferred Concept (Project) is intended to highlight Cathedral City’s rich art history. This concept includes a scaled-down version of Cathedral City’s iconic Highway 111 stone and metal archway placed at Chuperosa’s north and south entrances (“B” Street and “H” Street). Wooden beam sitting benches stationed throughout the Project pay homage to the wooden timbers used in the Cree Estates to hold up doorways and window frames. Fragrant native desert plants are to be clustered throughout the Project to allow visitors to reconnect with nature similar to our early Cathedral City residents, like artists Agnes Pelton, Matille Prigge, and Val Samuelson.
DISCUSSION:
This proposal is being brought to the City Council for review and input. If the City Council thinks adoption of this plan is desirable as a guideline for future improvements, ED and MIG designed the Project to be implemented over time as funds become available. MIG estimates the total cost of implementation to range from $1.5M to $2.0M.
MIG’s costs to complete include prevailing wage but do not include value engineering.
Recognizing the City has not budgeted funds for Chuperosa Lane improvements, staff has identified possible funding alternatives which may allow Council to incrementally move this Project forward should the Council support some or all the proposed Preferred Concept.
Alternatives include:
1. Reducing the size and scope of Chuperosa Lane improvements.
2. Utilize Art in Public Places funds for arts related projects.
3. Pursue grant funding.
4. Tie Chuperosa Lane implementation to the future development of the five acres located between “B” Street, Van Fleet Street, Buddy Rogers Avenue, and East Palm Canyon Drive1.
Public Works and ED have evaluated additional project ideas to further improve the area by breaking certain components of the Project installation into smaller steps.
These smaller steps could include:
a) Weed removal: Public Works will weed the lane as a part of their routine scope of work.
b) Compacting uneven terrain: This can be handled by Public Works with existing City equipment. Grading and compacting the entire lane (“B” Street to “H” Street) should take no more than two days. c) Focus on improving the lane block by block.
d) Identify additional opportunities to install public art.
At Council’s direction, staff can identify additional steps to move the project forward and identify value-engineered costs associated with each additional potential step.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for review and discussion only.
The attached costs to complete estimate total project buildout including prevailing wage but excluding any value engineering at $1.5M to $2.0. Currently, this project is not a budgeted nor planned project.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Plan Action B-6: Improve and expand Chuperosa Lane to become a point of pride in Cathedral City.
1 The five acres located between “B” Street, Buddy Rogers Avenue, Van Fleet and East Palm Canyon