Civic Center Master Plan

At a little over 10.5 acres, the Signal Hill Civic Center currently features an underutilized sports field, an oversubscribed community center, and outdated infrastructure limiting the range of desired community use. With five million dollars in support from the State of California for a new amphitheater, the City sought a master plan to identify the optimal location for the amphitheater and reposition the Civic Center as a vibrant, community-supported space for events and activities.

Based upon the community voices heard and recorded, the Civic Center Master Plan (CCMP) establishes the programs, facilities, and park improvements needed to well-serve current and future generations. The final Plan positions the amphitheater to realize views to the harbor, weaves new accessible pathways across the park connecting to surrounding streets, reimagines the roadway fronting City Hall as a flexible event street, proposes a new community center serving all ages, and provides an expanded range of active and passive outdoor recreation types.

The development of the CCMP was structured around a three-day Design Workshop, during which experts in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, parking, traffic, and civil infrastructure collaborated to formulate three high-level concept designs for the Civic Center. The first day focused on listening to and visioning with decision-makers, City staff, the Signal Hill Police Department, and community members. The Project Team spent day two drafting three design concepts in response to day one input, concluding with an open-to-the-public session recapping and reviewing the day’s work. The final day of the Workshop featured a formal presentation of the three draft design alternatives, titled “The Campus”, “The Terrace”, and “The Green”, for City staff, decision-makers, and the community to review and comment upon. Based on survey results and discussions with Signal Hill leadership, “The Campus” scheme was selected as the concept for the Master Plan.

Over the next decade, the implementation of the CCMP will proceed through three phases, incorporating a series of minor and major enhancements designed to foster increased activity and vitality within the City's public and green spaces. The first implementation phase of the CCMP, completed in late 2025, focuses on constructing the amphitheater and back-of- house, surrounding amphitheater seating area and landscaping, and expanding the existing parking lot along 21st Street to accommodate parking and loading for the amphitheater and its adjacent park uses. The second implementation phase prioritizes the new Community Center, Kelley Drive improvements, and new sports courts and a children’s playground on Spud Field. The third and final implementation phase of the CCMP focuses on park and landscaping improvements and City Hall accessibility.