That the Community Services Commission approve the design of a bronze sculpture as public art for a medical office building at 1201 West Whittier Boulevard.

On April 12, 2021, the City’s Planning Commission approved plans for the development of a 20,000 square foot, medical office building (Providence office building) at 1201 West Whittier Boulevard, which is currently under construction. As a condition of approval, the applicant/developer is required to design and install artwork in a public space or within the vicinity of the project site subject to the approval of the Community Services Commission, prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

The applicant, Los Altos XXV, LP, is proposing to install a bronze sculpture entitled “Precious Moments” by artist, Max Turner. It is a sculpture of a grandmother and child sitting on a bench (See Attachment 1). The sculpture consists of a multi-color finish brown skin with the clothing a mixture of Verdi green, hunter green, and light and dark brown. The sculpture will be accompanied by an eight-foot high, vintage style street lamp to help illuminate the piece. A plaque describing the art piece will be affixed to the street lamp. According to the applicant, the bronze sculpture represents a moment between grandmother and grandchild and was designed to emphasize how family generations will always be a foundation if the community with acknowledgement of the past, present, and future. The art work will be highly visible to mostly patrons of the La Habra Town Center as it is proposed to be near the main entrance of the medical office building, which faces the parking lot. The overall dimensions of the sculpture are 44 inches wide and 45 inches tall and will be mounted to a concrete pad situated in front of a landscape planter, which give the appearance that the grandmother and child are in a garden setting. Keeping the artwork on-site enables the applicant to further enhance the new medical office building. Additionally, the applicant will be able to provide ongoing maintenance of the artwork as needed at this location; thereby helping ensure the artwork will be enjoyed for many years to come.
 

There will be no impact to the City’s General Fund because the proposed bronze sculpture will be provided as public art by the applicant/developer of the newly constructed medical office building at 1201 West Whittier Boulevard. It should be noted that the monetary value of the proposed art piece (including design and installation costs) equates to at least 1% of the building valuation ($2,200,000.00) or $22,000.00.
 

The proposed project is related to the following General Plan policy:

• LU 11.9 - Retail Streetscapes. Maintain and, where deficient, improve street trees, plantings, furniture (such as benches, trash receptacles, newsracks, and drinking fountains), signage, public art, and other amenities that promote pedestrian activity in retail commercial districts and corridors.
• CI 2.3 - Responsiveness to Context. Require building design that respects to the local context in scale, massing, and materials; is responsive to La Habra’s climate; and considers the historic and cultural context of its neighborhoods.

The proposed project is related to the following City Council Goal and Objective:

• Goal 5 - Development Activity and Business Assistance
  • Objective S: Create a Public Art Program requirement/in lieu fee for larger development projects