PREPARED BY: Griffen Dempsey DATE OF MEETING: 11/03/2025
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION FOR AN ART PERMIT FOR A PROPOSED PUBLIC ART TILE MOSAIC TO BE PLACED ON THE EXTERIOR OF AN EXISTING THREE-STORY OFFICE BUILDING AT 13201 SAN PABLO AVENUE, APN 526-011-012, AND DETERMINE THAT THE PROPOSAL IS CONSISTENT WITH THE REGULATIONS SET FORTH IN CHAPTER 17.63 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE, ART IN PUBLIC PLACES
CEQA: This project is exempt under CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) “common sense exemption”, because it will only involve placement of artwork on the exterior of an existing building, and it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project will have an impact on the environment.
Label
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
COUNCIL PRIORITY workplan statement
FY 2025-27 Council Priority Workplan Compliance Statement
Focus on Economic Development and Fiscal Diversification is a Top Council Priority contained in the FY 2025-27 City Council Adopted Workplan, effective April 7, 2025.
REQUESTED ACTION
Consider adopting resolution for an Art Permit for a proposed public art mosaic to be placed on the exterior of an existing office building currently under renovation at 13201 San Pablo Avenue, APN: 526-011-012. Under Section 17.63.080 of the Municipal Code, following recommendation from the Planning Commission and consultation with the Art Curator, City Council shall review and approve an Art Permit, after considering whether the proposal of the public art is consistent with the regulations set forth in the Art in Public Places Ordinance included in Chapter 17.63 of the San Pablo Zoning Ordinance
https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SanPablo/#!/SanPablo17/SanPablo1763.html#17.63.080 <https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SanPablo/>
Surrounding Zoning and Land Uses:
The proposed art piece would be located on the wall of an existing three-story office building that is located within the SP-2 San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan and is designated Regional Commercial. It is also within the Entertainment Overlay District. The office building is currently being renovated for use by the San Pablo Lytton Casino for administrative offices. Surrounding zoning and land uses include:
North: SP-2, Regional Commercial/Entertainment Overlay District, Casino parking lot
South: SP-2, Commercial Mixed-Use - Drive-through restaurant
East: SP-2, Regional Commercial, Grocery store and parking lots
West: City of Richmond RL-2, Single Family Low Density Residential, single-family home
Environmental Determination
The project is exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) “common sense exemption”, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project will have an impact on the environment since it involves no construction or other activities that could impact the environment.
BACKGROUND
The property is 0.38 acres and currently includes a three-story office building and parking areas. The office building is currently in the process of being renovated for use by the San Pablo Lytton Casino for administrative and office functions. The ongoing renovations to the office building do not require Planning approval. Building permits have been issued for this project under B2405-0032 and staff understand that the renovations are nearly complete.
Chapter 17.63 of the Zoning Code: Art in Public Places regulates and establishes standards for inclusion of art in private development, and is applicable to commercial development, including office and retail uses, industrial and light industrial uses, and any commercial portions of new mixed-use development, which exceeds $200,000. The renovations to the office building are considered commercial development and the cost exceeds the $200,000 threshold, so the project is required to provide publicly visible art on-site equal in value to at least one percent of the building development costs of the commercial portion of the building or pay an in-lieu fee. The applicant has chosen to provide on-site artwork, which must receive Planning Commission and City Council approval subject to the Art Permit approval process pursuant to Section 17.63.080 of the Zoning Code. The proposed Art Permit was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission on October 28th, 2025.
SITE LOCATION AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The 16,638 square-foot project site is in a Regional Commercial zone located on San Pablo Avenue, within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area. The site is located near the southern edge of the city and is on the west side of San Pablo Avenue adjacent to Wildcat Creek and the San Pablo Lytton Casino. The City of Richmond abuts the western edge of the property.
The development project involves the renovation of the existing office building, which is in being converted to administrative use for the San Pablo Lytton Casino. In order to comply with the Art in Public Places Ordinance, the project sponsor has submitted an application to place a public mosaic along the façade of the building which must be completed prior to occupancy of the building. Attachment C includes the proposal submitted by the applicant containing a written statement by the artist describing the art, a sample and “to-scale” renderings of the proposed mosaic, the artist’s resume, and samples of the artist’s past work.
Artist Background
The artist chosen by the applicant to paint the proposed mosaic is muralist and mosaic artist Debra Koppman. Koppman is based in Oakland and has been creating public murals and mosaics across the Bay Area since 2005, with numerous projects across the East Bay, including the mosaic on San Pablo City Hall. She creates artworks that connect sites to specific histories, cultures, and communities, and works in an abstract and whimsical style that takes inspiration from folk arts of cultures from around the world.
Artwork Description
The proposal includes the following statement by the artist describing the theme of the tile mosaic:
Welcome to San Pablo Lytton Casino
I was invited to design a mosaic tile mural for the San Pablo Avenue - facing wall of the new building owned by San Pablo Lytton Casino, sited at 13201 San Pablo Avenue. The design mirrors something of the Spanish-style entryway of the casino itself, with the repetition of an arch, and the welcoming text: Welcome to San Pablo Lytton Casino, written in an approximation of the same Papyrus text used at the Casino. The main space features an enlarged version of the basket-feather logo of the Pomo Indian tribe, seen also at the gates of the casino. Two additional feathers float down into a space meant to suggest-but-not-literally represent a large-scale basket-like weaving. The entire image is flanked by a border of golden yellow and rust diamonds and triangles, also referencing patterns found on the traditional basketry of the Pomo.
The proposed mosaic would pay homage to the Lytton tribe, who own and operate the casino and the office building on which the mosaic would be located. The design incorporates elements that represent the tribe, including a headdress and basketweave pattern, that also tie into the imagery and architecture on the casino properties. This proposal fits well with the project location, which affords a large wall space visible to travelers heading south along San Pablo Avenue, as well as patrons and employees of the casino. The ongoing renovation, which includes major updates to the exterior of the building, along with the proposed mosaic mural, will serve to transform what previously had been a somewhat dated and unremarkable building into an attractive office facility with a public art focus along a major corridor in San Pablo.
The mosaic would be 18 feet high and 12 feet wide, placed on the north-facing wall of the office building, roughly halfway up the structure. Attachment C includes “to scale” renderings that depict the exact location of the mosaic.
The City’s Art Curator reviewed the proposed mosaic and provided the following statement in her consultation role:
Debbie is presently in an exhibit at the San Pablo Community Center. I have known her for about twenty years, and she has become pretty well-known in the Bay Area for her mosaic murals. It is rather hard to tell from her sketch as to what the final outcome will really look like, but I have found that muralists, particularly mosaic muralists, do not spend too much time on their sketches. Sketching is not what they are paid for nor is it their first choice of medium. In general, I prefer mosaic murals for a few reasons. Mosaic murals stand the test of time, are usually abstract thereby sidelining any problems with showing objects in realistic ways that may not work, and mosaics don’t fade as many painted murals do. Also, mosaic murals are not tagged - at least none that I have seen. Debbie works quickly and can adjust her vision according to requests.
The art curator concluded her remarks with a positive recommendation for the proposal.
This is the third proposal the City has received for the Art in Public Places Ordinance, which was adopted in 2017.The first proposal was a mural on the wall of a new public self-storage facility at 2622 Moraga Road. The second was a wall mural for a proposed development project at 1982-1988 23rd St; this proposed art piece was ultimately canceled, and the applicant has elected to pay the Art In-Lieu fee instead. Other major new commercial developments which have been proposed since the Ordinance was adopted have also opted to pay the art-in-lieu fee instead. It is anticipated that the proposed mosaic would provide a positive visual experience to City residents and anyone passing by the area. The location of the mosaic is along the San Pablo Avenue commercial corridor, which provides the opportunity for the mosaic to be enjoyed by many non-residents who pass through and visit the area as well.
GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
The Approved Project site where the art would be located is in the Regional Commercial General Plan designation.
The General Plan describes the Regional Commercial category as follows:
This designation is intended for medium to large-scale commercial development that serves local, community, and regional needs. It is typically easily accessible by freeways and regional roadways, and contains a range of goods and services such as retail, eating and drinking establishments, hotels and motels. Multifamily residential uses are permitted at between 20 and 60 units per gross acre. The maximum permitted non-residential FAR is 0.75.
The proposed mosaic is consistent with the Regional Commercial designation and is responsive to the following relevant General Plan Actions and Policies:
Guiding Policy LU-G-3
Preserve and strengthen the City’s overall image and create a safe, walkable, and attractive urban environment for current and future generations of residents.
Guiding Policy LU-G-10
Foster high quality design, diversity, and a mix of amenities in new commercial, industrial, employment, and entertainment development
Implementing Policy LU-I-11
Enhance and celebrate key entrances to the City with signs, landscaping, street trees, lighting, banners, gateway and/or entry features.
Implementing Policy LU-I-56
Establish design guidelines to assure high quality design and site planning for large commercial and employment-based developments. The guidelines should address:
…
• Promotion of public art and community based outdoor space.
The proposed public art will be responsive to the General Plan Actions and Policies for the Regional Commercial land use designation by being compatible with surrounding uses, fostering a high-quality design, and providing a visual interest and character to the area.
PUBLIC ART ORDINANCE CONFORMANCE
Chapter 17.63 in the Zoning Ordinance contains the Art in Public Places Ordinance. The provisions of this chapter apply to commercial development, including office and retail uses, and all industrial or light industrial uses, and any commercial portions of any new mixed-use development, with building development costs of two hundred thousand dollars or more, as determined by the Building Official. The office building renovation project at 13201 San Pablo Avenue is subject to this Ordinance.
The Art in Public Places Ordinance provides two options to satisfy its requirements:
A. Provision of Art. Projects subject to this chapter shall provide publicly visible art on site that is equal in value to at least one percent of the building development costs. In some instances, the cost of artwork may not equate precisely to one percent of the building development costs. If the developer does not spend the entire one percent on public art, the remaining amount shall be contributed to the public arts fund.
B. Alternative to Provision of Art. Developers may choose to make a contribution to the public arts fund in lieu of placing art on their project site. Developers shall allocate an in-lieu amount equal to one percent of the building development costs. The in-lieu fee is to be used for funding of the city’s public art program, as set forth in Section 17.63.090 <https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SanPablo/>. The in-lieu fee shall be paid prior to issuance of a building permit for the project.
The project applicant has opted to comply with option A, which is to provide publicly visible art on site. For this requirement, the ordinance outlines public art criteria and regulations. The proposed “art” may include works of art that are created uniquely by an artist and integrated into the development project on a large public scale. Placement of a publicly viewable mosaic qualifies as an acceptable form of public art under this ordinance. Further, consistent with section 17.63.040, the total investment for the proposed mosaic is for $54,000, which is 1% of the building cost of the commercial portion of the project, according to the City’s Building Official.
In addition, the proposal must comply with a set of public art criteria as outlined in the Ordinance as follows.
1- Artist Qualifications. The artist is required to have experience and knowledge of monumental-scale art or murals intended for public viewing. The artist’s qualifications will be evaluated and examples of past work may be reviewed to determine whether or not the artist has appropriate experience for the project. Efforts shall be made to reach out to local artists in San Pablo and the broader San Francisco Bay area.
2- Artistic Preference. The determination of artistic preferences is primarily a function of the owner or developer of the property. It is the intent of this chapter to provide for the public display of private art on private property without substituting the artistic preferences of the city for those of the owner or developer of the property. All financial arrangements related to the public art are negotiated between the artist and the developer as contracting parties and shall be verified by a written agreement.
3- Visibility and Locations. Appropriate locations may include, but are not limited to, exterior vehicular entryways to the property, plazas, greenbelts and building facades. The location selected should allow reasonable accessibility to the art, including visibility of the art from the public street. The location shall be exterior and installation of the art piece shall enhance the art and allow for unobstructed public viewing from as many angles as possible. When located in proximity to major traffic thoroughfares, the art should be at a motorist’s scale and oriented toward the view corridor of the motorist. The art shall be an integral part of the landscaping and/or architecture of the buildings.
4- Proportional Size. The art shall be proportional to the scale of the development and designed to create an artistic, visual and aesthetic impact upon observers. Particularly in locations on major thoroughfares and major intersections, the art should be of such size and nature as to strengthen the urban design and aesthetic quality of life in the community.
5- Inoffensive. Because the art will necessarily be highly visible to the public, will be associated with city requirements, and because the traveling public will have no real opportunity to avoid the visual aspects of the art, expressions of obvious bad taste or profanity are prohibited. It is the intent of this criterion to address proposed art which by its nature would generally be considered offensive to the public
Planning staff in consultation with the City’s Art Curator have reviewed the proposal and have determined that the proposed art is in compliance with the criteria listed above. As noted in the Art Curator’s statement and seen in the attached resume for the artist, the artist is a highly qualified local artist who has previously worked in San Pablo and other nearby communities. Her local experience includes a current exhibit at the Community Center and the City Hall mural entitled “The Fabric of San Pablo”. The artwork represents the artistic preference of the property owner, as noted in the artist’s statement attached. The artwork is well situated for maximum visibility and will be of an appropriate proportional size for the setting. Finally, the design and content of the artwork will be of an inoffensive nature.
Section 17.63.080 of the Art in Public Places Ordinance outlines the Art Permit approval process. An Art Permit is required for installation of public art in private development. The proposed public art must be reviewed and approved by the City Council after a recommendation from the Planning Commission and consultation with the City Art Curator. The budget for the proposed public art must be approved to ensure that only eligible expenditures are proposed and that such expenditures total the amount of the public art contribution. As described under the artwork proposal section, the Art Curator has provided her consultation remarks on the proposed mosaic, and the Planning Commission has provided a recommendation to the City Council, which is the final decision-making body for the Art Permit.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
Section 17.63.080 of the Art in Public Places Ordinance outlines that the Planning Commission must review the proposed Art Permit and make a recommendation to the City Council on whether to approve the project. The Planning Commission approved Resolution PC25-19, on October 28, 2025, making the required findings and recommending approval of the proposed Art Permit subject to the proposed conditions of approval and compliance with the installation and maintenance requirements outlined in section 17.63.70 of the Art in Public Places Ordinance. The Planning Commission found that the public art proposal is consistent with the requirements for providing public art on site for a new commercial development subject to the Art in Public Places Ordinance. Overall, the proposal will provide a positive visual experience for City residents and others visiting the area and it will set a precedent for promoting additional art in public places.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council review and approve the Art Permit for the proposed public art mural to be located at the existing office building that is under renovation at 13201 San Pablo Avenue, APN 526-011-012.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from this project.
ATTACHMENTS
Att A - Resolution 25-###
Att B - Signed Planning Commission Resolution PC25-19
Att C - Site Location Map
Att D - Mosaic Proposal Packet: application, description of the mosaic, to-scale renderings of the proposed art piece, artist resume, artist’s past work.