CALIFORNIA Administrative Instruction
Section I
No. 4
OFFICE OF THE
CITY MANAGER
(650) 877-8500
FAX (650) 829-6609
Naming of City Facilities
Supersedes: June 23, 1999
Effective: August 1, 2005
Purpose
To define the policies, responsibilities and procedures associated with the naming of City facilities.
Background
The City of South San Francisco has lacked a policy to guide staff and the City Council in the naming of City facilities, including buildings, support facilities, park sites and recreation facilities. As a result, City facilities have been named in honor of public officials, citizens, or in association with geographic locations, without the benefit of a City Council approved policy to guide the naming process. The development of a Policy/Procedure to guide the naming of City facilities is intended to enable the process to be applied in a fair, objective and consistent manner.
Definitions
"Buildings" are City owned facilities that house employees or are otherwise used to conduct City business. Buildings may include, but are not limited to, City Hall, the Municipal Services Building and libraries.
"Support Facilities" are City owned facilities that are used to support field operations. Support facilities may include, but are not limited to, the Corporation Yard and Water Quality Control Plant. "Park Sites" are City owned parks, open space and trail areas. Park sites include developed and undeveloped park areas and designated open space areas. "Recreation Facilities and Amenities" are facilities/amenities used primarily for recreation and leisure activities, including, but not limited to, athletic fields, tennis/basketball courts, gymnasiums, recreation centers, meeting rooms and theaters.
CITY HALL, 400 GRAND AVENUE, P.O. BOX 711, SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94083 Administrative Instruction - Naming of City Facilities
Section I
No. 4 (Page 2)
Policy
General. The policy of the City is to name facilities in a manner that will provide an easy and ecognizable reference for the City's customers. Therefore, naming options will always consider a lame based on the facility's geographic location. However, the policy also establishes conditions for the consideration of naming options based on other factors.
Geographic Location. Whenever possible, all City facilities will be named for their geographic location. The geographic location may be based on the identification of the facility with a specific place, neighborhood, major street, regional area of the City or the City itself if the facility is deemed to service the entire community or the Bay Area.
Other Considerations. Consideration of names for facilities may also include a prominent form of topography, a prominent plant, bush or tree and historical precedent.
Individual/Organizational Recognition. The naming of City facilities in honor of individuals or community organizations may be considered under the following conditions:
The individual, their family or a community organization has made exceptional contributions to the City, including one or more of the following: a) financial gifts; b) public service as an elected official; c) public service as a community volunteer; and d) long term sponsorship agreements.
There must be a well defined connection associated with the contributions of the individual or community organization and the City facility.
The significance of the contribution from the individual/organization needs to be evaluated in terms of the service impact of the City facility. Individuals and organizations that have made contributions of regional or community-wide significance may be considered for name of facilities that serve the region or community. Individuals and organizations that have made contributions of areas or neighborhood-wide significance may be considered for naming of facility that serve areas or neighborhoods within the City, including recreational facilities and amenities within City parks.
Procedure
New Facilities. At least 180 days prior to opening a new City facility, the assigned City staff will propose a name to the Council Committee on Policy Development and Internal Operations for buildings and support facilities and the Council Committee on Recreation and Cultural Affairs for park sites and recreation facilities. The appropriate Council Committee will provide a recommendation for consideration by the City Council.
Following review by the appropriate Council Committee, the proposed name may be reviewed, if necessary, by the Planning Commission or Park and Recreation Commission. The appropriate Commission will conduct a public hearing regarding the proposed name and provide a S:lAdmin\AIs|Section I\#04 Naming of City FacilitiesWorking.doc Administrative Instruction - Naming of City Facilities
Section I
No. 4 (Page 3)
recommendation for consideration by the City Council.
The recommendations of the appropriate Council Committee and Commission regarding the proposed name will be summarized for consideration by the City Council. The City Council is responsible for the final approval of the proposed name.
If a request to name a City facility in honor of an individual or community organization is received and there is no suitable facility at that time, the name (s) will be placed on a "waiting list" until such time that a suitable facility is available for naming.
Street names for new developments will be subject to review and approval by the City Council at the time the tentative subdivision map is adopted. Should a list of street names be established by the City, staff will provide the applicant early indication of preferred names. It should be noted that all street names must also be approved by Public Safety and the Post Office.
Existing Facilities. Requests to rename existing facilities will be received by the assigned staff, investigated and summarized for review by the appropriate Council Committee within 90 days. The appropriate Council Committee will provide a recommendation to the City Council.
Following review by the appropriate Council Committee, the proposed name for City facilities other than existing park sites and recreation facilities/amenities may be reviewed, if necessary, by the appropriate Commission. The renaming of existing park site or recreation facility/amenity must be reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission through a public hearing prior to consideration by the City Council.
The recommendations of the appropriate Council Committee and Commission regarding the proposed name will be summarized for consideration by the City Council. The City Council is responsible for the final approval of the proposed name.
Except in very unusual circumstances, there will be no renaming of existing streets.
Barry M. Nagel
City Managek
Dated: August 1, 2005
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