Agenda Date: 08/25/2026
Subject:
Title
Belleview Service Center Basis of Design Program Options
Body
|
From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
|
Prepared by: |
Adrienne Burton, Director of Major Projects |
|
Presentations: |
Adrienne Burton, Director of Major Projects |
|
|
Guadalupe Cantu, Davis Partnership |
|
|
Olivia Moore, Davis Partnership |
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study session is to provide City Council with an update on the Basis of Design (BOD) for the future replacement of Buildings 2 and 3 at the Belleview Service Center and to seek Council direction on the program option staff should advance as the recommended program in the final Basis of Design report.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Safe Community; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
Context
As previously discussed with City Council, the Belleview Service Center is a critical Public Works operational hub supporting fleet, utilizes, facilities, grounds, streets, snow removal, materials management, and other essential City services. Buildings 2 and 3, constructed in 1948 and 1961, have exceeded their useful life and no longer adequately support modern operations. Aging building systems, constrained layouts and circulation, limitations for modern vehicles and equipment, and safety and accessibility challenges have established the need for replacement.
As part of earlier capital planning discussions, the City developed a preliminary estimate for replacement of Buildings 2 and 3 and identified a Certificates of Participation (COP) funding range of approximately $30-$35 million. This funding framework was established prior to completion of detailed programming, validation of operational requirements, development of facility alternatives, or preparation of the current ROM estimates.
The Basis of Design (BOD) process is providing the next level of information needed to inform that earlier planning assumption. The BOD is defining the operational requirements, space program, site and technical criteria, and preliminary cost and schedule framework for a future replacement facility. It provides the planning foundation for subsequent design and capital investment decisions; it does not represent a final design, guaranteed project cost, or authorization to proceed with construction or funding.
At this stage, the BOD has advanced from defining and validating the need to evaluate how much future capacity should be incorporated into the replacement facility and the potential investment associated with those choices. The current Council discussion therefore focuses on three program options and their associated planning-level ROM costs.
Program Options
Through the BOD process, the project team has conducted four programming and design charrettes with Public Works and Facilities operations staff, evaluating existing operational challenges, validating current and future needs, and defining space, functional relationships, circulation, and equipment requirements. The project team also led City Council on a site walk of the Belleview Service Center to review firsthand the existing conditions and operational limitations of Buildings 2 and 3.
This work has informed the development of three facility program options representing different levels of investment, future capacity, and flexibility. Each option provides a modern replacement facility addressing the core operational, safety, circulation, equipment, and staff requirements identified through the BOD process.
The primary difference among the options is the amount of future capacity, flexibility, and supporting space incorporated into the initial investment:
• Baseline Program: Modern replacement of the existing program. Replaces Buildings 2 and 3 with a modern facility designed to address current operational requirements, safety, circulation, equipment, and staff needs. This option generally accommodates the existing program and staffing level, with limited additional capacity for future growth.
• Expanded Program: Provides near-term growth capacity and flexibility for future expansion. Builds on the baseline program with the addition of second-floor meeting/support space and unfinished shell space for future office expansion. This option allows the City to construct the building capacity now while deferring portions of the interior build-out until future growth requires it.
• Full Expansion Program: Provides the greatest long-term operational capacity. Includes a fully built out second floor, providing additional office, meeting, and support space from the outset. This option provides the greatest capacity and flexibility to accommodate future staffing and operational needs without requiring a future interior expansion project.
For each option, preliminary massing models were developed to test the relative size and configuration of the program and provide a consistent basis for developing Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) project costs. The massing models are planning and estimating tools, not proposed facility designs. The ROM estimates assume CM/GC project delivery and a June 2028 midpoint of construction, and include estimated construction costs, escalation, project soft costs, allowances, and contingencies.
|
Program |
Approx. Area (square feet) |
Current Draft ROM Total Project Cost |
|
Baseline |
34K |
$25M |
|
Expanded |
43K |
$32M |
|
Full Expansion |
46K |
$33M |
ROM Costs & Funding Framework
These alternatives represent planning-level programs and cost estimates. The ROM estimates provide a more informed comparison of the three program levels against the City’s previously established COP funding range. Consideration of different funding assumptions is not part of this study session and would require additional financial analysis, including evaluation of the City’s debt service capacity and other capital funding considerations. Any future discussion about the previously established funding limit would be presented to Council separately for direction and authorization.
During the future design phase, the preferred program will be further developed and reconciled with the approved budget through design optimization, value analysis, potential phasing, and refinement of scope, cost assumptions, allowances, and contingencies as uncertainty is reduced. If the preferred program cannot ultimately be delivered within the available funding, the City would evaluate appropriate adjustments to scope, phasing, or other implementation strategies. Any consideration of funding beyond the current ceiling would require separate Council direction and authorization.
Council Direction
The study session is intended to help Council understand the relationship between program, operational benefit, facility size, and investment and provide direction on which option should be advanced as the recommended program in the final BOD. Council direction at this stage does not establish a final project budget, authorize expenditures above the current funding level, or authorize design or construction. It establishes the programmatic objective that will be documented in the final BOD and carried forward into the subsequent design process for further development and reconciliation with the City’s established funding parameters.
BACKGROUND:
The Belleview Service Center project is part of the City’s broader effort to proactively address an aging facilities portfolio through coordinated, long-term capital planning. Many of the City’s core facilities have reached or exceeded their useful life, creating increasing challenges related to functionality, efficiency, safety, and long-term maintenance. The forthcoming Facilities Master Plan will evaluate these needs across the organization and establish a longer-term framework for prioritizing future facility investments.
The Belleview BOD has been developed through a collaborative and iterative process with the staff who operate and maintain the facility. Through this work, key priorities have consistently included improving vehicle, equipment, and pedestrian circulation; accommodating modern fleet and equipment; improving functional relationships between work areas; addressing staff support needs; and providing appropriate flexibility for future operational growth.
These findings have directly informed the three program options now under consideration. Each option addresses the core safety, operational, and functional requirements identified through the BOD process; the primary distinction is the amount of future staffing capacity and flexibility incorporated into the facility.
As the City evaluates these options, the principal tradeoff is therefore not whether to address the deficiencies of the existing facilities, but how much future growth and capacity should be incorporated into the replacement facility as part of the initial investment.
Prior Actions or Discussions
March 2025 - City Council Retreat
May 2025 - Council Retreat Update
September 2025 - City Council Study Session
April 2026 - City Council Study Session
June 2026 - City Council Site Visit
FISCAL IMPACTS:
The Basis of Design phase does not establish a final project cost or authorize future phases of work. The current ROM estimates are planning-level estimates intended to inform Council’s evaluation of the program options within the City’s established funding level.
Additional discussion regarding the final project budget, funding strategies, and potential debt implications will be presented at future Council meetings as the project advances and additional analysis is completed, including evaluation of the City’s debt service capacity in partnership with the Finance Department. Any recommendation to modify the currently established funding level would require separate Council consideration and authorization.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council advance the Full Expansion option as the recommended program in the final Basis of Design report. While all three program options address the core safety, operational, circulation, equipment, and functional requirements identified through the Basis of Design process, the Full Expansion option is preferred because it:
• Provides the greatest long-term capacity to accommodate anticipated staffing and operational growth over the useful life of the facility.
• Creates flexibility for future service-level expansion, allowing the City to adapt as community needs, service expectations, staffing, equipment, and operations evolve.
• Maximizes operational and workflow efficiencies by providing appropriate space and functional relationships among staff, vehicles, equipment, work areas, meeting space, and support functions.
• Reduces the likelihood of future retrofit and expansion costs by incorporating anticipated capacity into the initial facility rather than requiring significant interior build-out or building modifications later.
• Provides the greatest long-term adaptability and resilience, positioning the Belleview Service Center to support essential City operations for decades rather than designing primarily around today's staffing and service levels.
Staff requests that the Council provide direction on which option-Baseline, Expanded, or Full Expansion-should be advanced as the recommendation in the final Basis of Design report.
ALTERNATIVES:
• Direct staff to further evaluate or modify a program option before completing the final Basis of Design.
• Provide other direction regarding the program to be carried forward.