Atherton Town Center

In March 2014, the City Council accepted the Master Plan for the Atherton Town Center. The Master Plan envisioned construction of new buildings within the Town Center that included a new Council Chambers, a new Library, and facilities for Town Administration, the Police Department, the Building Department and Public Works. Bringing together the Town’s public services and public spaces, the Civic Center Project will create a “there there” to achieve a balance between meeting the community’s service needs at one location and providing a space for civic pride and engagement. The overall objective being a design that builds a functional and attractive Town Center that provides space for the Town's Administrative and Public Safety Services while simultaneously providing a welcoming environment for Atherton residents to conduct Town business.


The Council hired WRNS Architects in late 2014 to begin work on the Project's design. The Civic Center Advisory Committee (CCAC) worked with WRNS through 2015 and presented a Conceptual Master Plan to the City Council on October 7, 2015. The City Council accepted the Conceptual Master Plan and the project has moved forward ever since. The Project completed the design phase and went out to bid in early 2018. Bids returned in mid-2018 but were 40% higher than anticipated based on the construction estimate. The City Council entered a redesign phase and developed numerous value-engineering options for the Library, City Hall, and Police facilities. The project was successfully re-bid in December 2018.  


On February 27, 2019, the Town received four competitive bids for the Project. After review of the four bids received, S.J. Amoroso Construction, Inc's base bid was deemed the lowest responive bid. The bid was approximately 10% below the Engineer's Estimate. The City Council awarded a bid to S.J. Amoroso Construction, Inc. for $47,077,000 in March 2019 and the Project will begin construction in May 2019. 

It is anticipated that construction of the project will occur over three to four fiscal years, including the current fiscal year. A Project Ground Breaking was held on April 23, 2019. Assuming the project moves along as anticipated, the Project will open at the end of FY 2020/21 or beginning of FY 2021/22.

Site Plan

Site_Plan

Exterior Design Images

Fair Oaks Oct 2016
Civic Court Oct 2016
Library 2016

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Project Cost/Funding


Measure L, approved by voters in 2012, restricted the types of funds that could be used for the design and construction of the new Town Center, generally requiring that more than half of the funds come from private donations and other non-tax sources, such as building fees or grants. The Town could not use General Fund or Parcel Tax Funds to design or construct the new Town Center. The costs associated with the Library are fully funded by Library funds. Measure A, approved by voters in 2017, authorizes the Town to supplement donations and other project funding with General Funds. The Town Center portion of the project is funded by a combination of community donations, Library tax funds, and Town General Funds.


Project Documents


Set of Bid Documents (Conformance Set)

Links to Contractor Meetings

Links to City Council Milestone Meeting Packets

Architect Agreement and Scope of Work


Environmental Impact Report

EIR Scoping Meeting November 3, 2014 (PDF)
Initial Study Checklist (PDF)
Notice of Availability (NOA) (PDF)
Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) (PDF)

DEIR Appendices

A. Initial Study (PDF)
B. Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Background Modeling and Data (PDF)
C. Health Risk Assessment (PDF)
D. Cultural Resources Study for the Atherton Civic Center Master Plan (PDF)
E. Noise Monitoring Data (PDF)
F. Transportation Impact Analysis (PDF)

Final Civic Center Master Plan

Master Plan Document (PDF)
Site Plan (PDF)
Project Schedule (PDF)
Appendix A - Meeting Notes (PDF)
Appendix B - Powerpoint Presentations of Meetings (PDF)
Appendix C - Photos of Community Meetings (PDF)
Appendix D - Graphic Recordings (PDF)
Appendix E - Detailed Program (PDF)
Appendix F - Detailed Cost Estimate (PDF)
Appendix G - Survey (PDF)
Appendix H - Traffic Report (PDF)
Appendix I - Arborist Report (PDF)

Architect Submittals

WRNS Studio (PDF)
Harley Ellis Devereaux (PDF)
Swatt Miers (PDF)
Siegel & Strain Architects (PDF)
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (PDF)
Architectural Services for Civic Center Design RFQ (PDF)
Civic Center Architect RFP Note: distributed only to invited architects

Other Project Documents

Limited Pre-Demolition Hazardous Materials Survey Report - April 2017 (PDF)                          Geotechnical Investigation - October 2015 (PDF)
Cost Comparison Summary - October 2015 (PDF)
Civic Center Cost Estimate - October 2015 (PDF)
Concept Design Summary - October 7, 2015 (PDF)
Conceptual Design - October 7, 2015 (PDF)
CCAC Recommended Conceptual Plan - September 2015 (PDF)
Mack5 September 2015 Estimate (PDF)
Concept No. 1 in JPEG Format
Concept No. 2 in JPEG Format
Pathway Scheme (PDF)
Linked Buildings (PDF)
Site Analysis (PDF)
Landscape Ideas (PDF)
SFPUC pipeline highlighted (1937 map) (PDF)
Existing Conditions Plan - 2013 (PDF)
Civic Center Master Plan RFP - March 2013 (PDF)
HMC+BPA Draft Schedule | Timeline - July 2013 (PDF)
HMC+BPA Proposal - July 17, 2013 (PDF)
Community Workshop Graphic Recording - September 2013 (PDF)
Site Challenge Graphic Recording - September 2013 (PDF)
Likes Dislikes Diagram - September 2013 (PDF)
PowerPoint Presentation from Public Workshop #1 - September 17, 2013 (PDF)
Master Plan Presentation to City Council - November 6, 2013 (PDF)
CCAC meeting agenda and reports - December 3, 2013
Atherton Town Center Site Master Plan December 11, 2013 (PDF)
Atherton Town Center Option 4.1 December 18, 2013 (PDF)
Mack5 Proposal - June 2014 (PDF)
RFP Q&A December 2, 2014 (PDF)


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