1 03-31-2025
RE: Public Comment
City Council Goals Session -Tuesday April 1, 2025
Mary Gourley
Assistant City Manager/City Clerk at City of Sebastopol Sebastopol City Council and City Staff
7120 Bodega Avenue
Sebastopol, CA 95472
PROJECT: Sebastopol Commons
I will be providing Public Comment, via Zoom, in my personal capacity, as a member of Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for a New Library Building.
In the interests of time, I have prepared this statement, for inclusion into the record of hearing as if fully presented therein.
For various reason, which we will review in our Annual Report, the Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for a New Library Building committee will be requesting a change in its name and mission to the Sebastopol West County Commons Project.
The primary goal of a public commons is to ensure the sustainable and equitable management of shared resources for the benefit of all members of a community.
The Sebastopol-West County Commons project which is proposed as a multiuse civic infrastructure project located in historic Ives Park,
Mixed-use developments offer significant value by creating vibrant, walkable communities, diversifying income streams for developers, and potentially increasing property values, while also promoting sustainability and economic growth.
Ives Park was built over 65 years ago and is the oldest park in Sebastopol. It contains a municipal swimming pool, baseball field, playground, theatre stage, grassy fields, and picnic areas as well as a portion of Calder Creek. Ives Park is also home to several festivals:
The Commons project will combine several community needs, this project will serve is catalyst for economic development in the Sebastopol's downtown corridor and represents a significant investment in our local economy.
This project will include public library services, senior center, community center space, a coffee shop, media labs, meeting spaces for community based non-profit organization, a 2 commercial kitchen, public restrooms, and structure parking with the public electric vehicle charging center in the USA, park and ride, and transit stop.
As an equitable anchor institution of any modern city and region, the space dedicated to the Sebastopol Regional Library is well-positioned to extend its role as a critical community connector; offering a place for seniors to gather, an early learning hub, access to digital literacy, new business incubation, employee training, maker space, and the necessary tools that strengthen democracy by addressing knowledge gaps.
The Project will serve as a model for sustainability by designing to Passive House Standards, reducing energy use by 80%, achieving 40% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP) in concrete mix, and including a solar array on the south elevation.
A part of our proposal the utilization of a Centralized Scheduling Coordinator. or software.
Centralized space scheduling streamlines the process of reserving and managing shared spaces like meeting rooms and desks, offering a single location for users to check availability, book resources, and manage reservations, ultimately optimizing space utilization and reducing conflicts.
The Commons will be designed to serve as a regional service center serving the residents of Sebastopol and the West County. In that regard we envision working closely with the offices of our Supervisor, Lynda Hopkins.
We will coordinate our effort with the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Sebastopol Nonprofit Organization Collaborative. and the City of Sebastopol's Parks and Recreation Department.
The Commons Project will have the goal of enhancing and efficiently utilizations of the existing Ives Pool, Park, and Sebastopol Center for the Art. Its proximity to the West County Museum and Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce will allow for their easy integration of into the design of the Commons.
A City Committee, with representative from each of the stakeholder in the Commons Project, will provide governance and oversight.
Respectively submitted on behalf of the Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for a New Library Building.
DATED: 31 March 2025
SIGNED: Fred Engbarth
Member, Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for a New Library Building. cc: Stephen Zollman, Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for a New Library Building.
Sarah Gurney, Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for a New Library Building 3