Designed by Irvine, Calif.-based LPA Inc., the new Monarch Student Center replaces the previous student center located on the same site. The earlier building was very small, outdated and lacked several student amenities, according to Steve Flanagan, principal at LPA Inc., and was demolished to make way for the new Monarch Student Center and a parking structure. The new facility includes a bookstore, dining hall, student health center and student lounge.

“The Monarch center was designed with a large [variety] of indoor and outdoor student spaces so that each student could enjoy spaces that fit their personality and or desired level of interaction with other students,” Flanagan said. “[This variety] of spaces — some small and intimate, some medium for small groups, and others large and inclusive — allow students to decide if they would like to passively or actively participate.”

The building has a large outdoor plaza with multiple entries both horizontally and vertically so students can flow easily between indoor and outdoor spaces, eliminating a singular main entry that can be intimidating for some students, especially first-time visitors, Flanagan explained. There are also a number of “plug-and-play spaces,” he noted, as well as Wi-Fi throughout — even in outdoor spaces around and under the building.

“This project is truly the heart of the campus and is located centrally where students will pass by the building on a daily basis,” Flanagan said. “With the placement of the new multilevel parking structure adjacent to the Monarch center, it may also be the first and last building many students pass by every day so the design team felt it was important to give students an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the amazing year-round climate we know to be Southern California.”

The temperature in the summer months at LAVC can reach more than 100 degrees, so the design team created a giant solar umbrella to provide ample shaded space outdoors. The solar umbrella can also shelter students from the rain and collect rainwater in the winter months. The unique feature was a direct response to programmatic requirements to provide a large outdoor covered plaza for concerts and other large student functions, activities and gatherings, Flanagan said.

The 20,000-square-foot, sloping canopy stands 41 feet above the ground at its highest point. Clad in bright yellow metal panels, the Student Union wing is elevated off the ground to allow the space, landscape and views to flow underneath it. A “skybox” includes student meeting spaces, administration, a boardroom, a gaming room, several lounging areas and protected exterior decks.

“This project is one of our most exciting higher-education projects when you take into consideration the total end result,” Flanagan said. “The facility feels like it’s much larger than the square footage built due to the large covered outdoor spaces.”

Inside, students can enjoy a wide variety of dining options in the Monarch Student Center as the dining program was designed to appeal to LAVC’s diverse, multicultural student body, Flanagan said. In addition, the food service areas are designed in a food-court style, allowing students to go directly to the food of their choice.

On track to achieve LEED Silver certification, the facility features several sustainable elements. Woven into the project site and the student plaza is a dry-creek drainage system and sustainable garden where students can understand and appreciate how the campus diverts rainwater from the storm drain system and into the ground water. Native and drought-tolerant plants are also featured with natural boulders and cobble.

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The proposal intends to raise about $275 million a year by taxing the county’s 2.2 million property owners, based on the amount of pavement located on their property. The county would use half of the money for regional pollution controls, a small portion of it for water testing and give the rest to cities. The plan is an attempt for the county to address the increasing threat of federal regulatory action to clean up the area’s stormwater. If the proposal is passed, county officials also hope to use runoff as a potential resource for irrigation and even drinking water.

Notices went out to property owners on Nov. 30, 2012, advising them on how much the fees — ranging from $54 for a single-family home to $50,000 for larger properties — might be for the particular lot of land they own.

A protest hearing was held on Jan. 15, and about 200 people showed up to speak out about the proposal. Some of the biggest protestors of it were school district officials.

Schools are major property owners in neighborhoods all over the county, with tons of concrete covering playgrounds, driveway entrances and parking lots. The county’s school districts would owe around $14 million a year, according to a report done by Southern California Public Radio. That cost would add to an already shrinking budget for the area’s school systems.

Area property owners had the opportunity to protest the tax, which would have ended the proposal. However, because only 95,000 submitted protests, this was not the case. The supervisors voted unanimously to extend the protest period for 60 more days, also ordering county officials to prepare plans to put the issue on a general election ballot, as well as look for alternative funding methods. A majority of the suggestions were based on ones from protestors at the hearing, including Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe, whose district includes Long Beach.

The next step for Los Angeles County officials is to approve a ballot to send to property owners, and they hope to tally up the vote by mail in March.

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