RRM recently attended the ground breaking ceremony for SESLOC Federal Credit Union. The new campus will be located on Broad Street in San Luis Obispo and will feature a 35,000 sf headquarters building as well as a 5,0000 sf branch with a 24-hour ATM service. The ceremony was attended by local leaders and community members.
As winter slowly passes and with spring on the horizon, it’s time to look forward to America’s Greatest Race, The Amgen Tour of California, or simply, the Tour. For cycling enthusiasts, the Tour is a rite of spring. The 8th edition of the Tour will be held from May 12-19, and will include 16 of the world’s top professional cycling teams. For the first time, the Tour will start in Southern California and proceed in a northerly direction. The Tour will start in Escondido on May 12th and cover approximately 800 miles over 8 stages (days) en route to the finish in Santa Rosa.
Whether you are a cycling addict or have never ridden a bicycle, the Tour has something to offer everyone. With start times around 11 a.m. each day, the Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival is open for several hours before the race start. The festival includes booths from local organizations, bicycle manufacturers and suppliers, food vendors and many other activities. Race starts also offer fans one of the best opportunities to see the racers, their bicycles, team cars and team buses Fans often line up outside the team buses for a glimpse of their favorite cyclists, and hopefully an autograph (bring your own pen).
From The Beach Reporter:
The National Complete Streets Coalition ranked Hermosa Beach among the top cities in the nation for its “exceptional work” in developing and adopting “Complete Streets” policies to ensure its streets are safe for users of all ages and abilities, provide easy pedestrian and transit access, incorporate sustainable features and create an attractive and inviting environment, said Mayor Kit Bobko.
The National Complete Streets Coalition, which researches and advocates for improved community development through the adoption and implementation of Complete Streets policies, ranked Hermosa Beach No. 2, behind Indianapolis, out of nearly 130 cities that adopted Complete Streets policies last year.
Whether you are a developer or a public agency, your upcoming project will likely be required to comply with the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) new site design, runoff reduction, numeric treatment, retention and hyrdromodification requirements. These requirements are being implemented through local Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permits.
The requirements call for the use of low-impact development (LID) techniques such as bio-retention, flow-through planters, infiltration trenches, grass filter strips, downspout disconnection, cisterns, green roofs and other methods that have space and cost impacts on your project. The RWQCBs are also beginning to implement hydromodifictaion controls. Hydromodification occurs when drainage patterns are modified, pervious surfaces are paved and vegetative cover is removed. Hydromodification tends to reduce base flows in streams and rivers, increase peak flows and alter sediment supply. In controlling hydromodification, the RWQCBs are attempting to mitigate the impacts of development on streams and rivers.
by: Tony Keith, RLA
Viewing news footage of the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy this past winter and witnessing firsthand the recurring storm damage from El Nino conditions here on the West Coast, it is clear to me that our coastal cities are increasingly at risk. Whether you accept the science of global warming, or the premise that we are just in a natural cycle, the answer is the same: we must prepare in advance and implement strategies to address a new set of criteria for planning and building along our shoreline or suffer devastating consequences.
Development along the waterfront is set in an extremely dynamic context that is dramatically changing within our lifetime. Few coastal locations host more diverse activities in one place than along our coastal city waterfronts; commerce, industry, recreation, man-made environments and natural beauty all intersect in this unique setting. With critical infrastructure increasingly at risk, we have clear choices to make, new questions to ask and new solutions to seek.
Sea levels have risen about 8 inches in the past 100 years and are projected to rise as much as 55 inches by the end of the century as stated in an analysis prepared for three California state agencies. The Pacific Institute estimates that 480,000 people, a wide range of critical infrastructure, vast areas of wetlands and other natural ecosystems, and nearly $100 billion in property along the California coast are at increased risk from flooding due to sea-level rise if no adaptation actions are taken.
San Luis Obispo, April 2013 – RRM Design Group (RRM), a multidisciplinary architecture, planning and engineering firm, practicing in San Luis Obispo for 40 years, was recently honored with a Charlie Award for Architectural Arts for the design of the Los Angeles Regional Fire Station No. 82, a LEED® Gold certified building.
The Charlie Awards are put on by the Hollywood Arts Council as a way to celebrate the arts and culture of Hollywood. Past winners in the Architectural Arts category include Paramount Pictures, Hollywood and Highland, Capital Records, Sunset + Vine, Eastman Kodak Co., and the Frances Howard Goldwyn Library. The event took place at the historic Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel this past Friday, April 5th. Other awards were given to Hudson Pacific for Preservation Arts, Capital Records for Public Arts, Theatre Arts was given to the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Environmental Arts was given to the Los Angeles Beautification Team, and the Couturier Gallery was given the Visual Arts Award.
By Julie Lynem — jlynem@thethetribunenews.com
RRM Design Group has opened an office in Santa Maria.
The office will allow the San Luis Obispo-based multi-disciplinary design firm to better serve its northern Santa Barbara clients and become part of a community it has worked with since the firm’s founding in 1974. Two people will work out of the Santa Maria office, with more to follow as that office grows.
From the San Luis Obispo Tribune:
MindBody, a growing San Luis Obispo-based software company, wants to expand its footprint by nearly 60,000 square feet on the south side of Tank Farm Road and hire up to 250 additional employees.
Plans for a two-story office building, a large outdoor plaza, and a four-level parking structure on a 3.5-acre site are circulating through the city’s Planning Department.
The new headquarters will be built to face the buildings the company already occupies to the east at 4051 Broad St. to create a campus setting. It will include a space for child care and cafeteria in addition to conference and work space. NKT Commercial will develop the building and lease it to MindBody.
Diane Bathgate, AICP is a principal planner in RRM’s San Clemente office and has been promoted to an associate with RRM. With 28 years of experience in the fields of planning for both public and private sectors, Diane has managed and supported a wide range of RRM Design Group’s planning, urban design and environmental assignments. Her background as a former City Council member and mayor, Planning Commissioner, and professional planning, urban design and environmental consultant allows her to bring a unique perspective to each project. Diane has been involved in many of RRM’s Southern California planning projects including the Chula Vista Urban Core Specific Plan and Design Guidelines, the Calabasas General Plan Update, the City of Los Angeles New Community Plans, and the City of Oceanside Vision and Strategic Plan to name a few.
Scott Martin, LEED AP is a licensed architect and LEED Accredited Professional who has been with RRM in their San Luis Obispo office for over 10 years. Scott has recently been promoted to an associate with RRM. His project focus and experience is multi-faceted; from illustration to master planning, urban design, needs assessments, design review and to the production and construction of facilities. Scott’s relationship with both public and private clients gives him a unique understanding of the realities of development and the priorities of a community. Scott is actively involved in many local community organizations and has been involved in a wide-range of architecture projects at RRM including the Pinnacles National Monument West Side Facilities LEED Platinum Building, the Cal Poly Alex Spanos Stadium, the SESLOC Headquarters Campus and the IQMS Corporate Headquarters.
David Chacón, Associate AIA has been promoted to director of architecture in RRM’s San Clemente office. David boasts a wide architectural background from housing to mixed-use development, waterfront development and urban revitalization to civic and public safety projects. David has been involved in many of RRM’s Southern California architecture and urban design projects including Mission Avenue Affordable Housing in Oceanside, the Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Master Plan in San Pedro, West Basin Water District Administrative Office Building in Carson, Newport Beach Lifeguard Headquarters Rehabilitation and The Groves Affordable Housing in San Juan Capistrano. He is often involved from the planning and entitlement phase through implementation. Having been a part of RRM’s history for over 11 years David brings his years of experience to lead our innovative and talented team of architects in our San Clemente office.
RRM Design Group, a multidisciplinary design firm with offices in San Luis Obispo and San Clemente, recently announced the opening of a new office in Santa Maria. The office is located at 1862 South Broadway, Suite 100. The new office has opened in response to the firm’s continuing growth on the Central Coast, and also in response to Santa Maria’s diverse economy with many growth sectors such as technology, agriculture, commercial, energy and manufacturing.
RRM Design Group - As professional problem solvers and designers, we are interested in the world around us, the people who live in it, and the places that inspire them. We are driven by a desire to help our clients achieve their dreams. That is why we are in business. RRM Design Group is an award-winning design firm of architects, civil engineers, landscape architects, planners, surveyors, and LEED® accredited professionals. Our work includes architectural rendering, mixed use development, community planning and development, and urban design and planning, among numerous other project types. Since 1974, RRM has been inspired by the power of Creating Environments People Enjoy®.
