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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20180620 1 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018 Commissioners in attendance: Gretchen Greenwood, Jeffrey Halferty, Willis Pember, Scott Kendrick, Bob Blaich, Roger Moyer, Richard Lai. Absent were Nora Berko and Sherri Sanzone. Staff present: Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk Andrea Bryan, Assistant City Attorney Amy Simon, Historic Preservation Planner Sarah Yoon, Historic Preservation Planner Ben Anderson, Planner Jennifer Phelan, Deputy Planning Director Jessica Garrow, Community Development Director Kevin Dunnett, Parks Planning APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Ms. Greenwood thanked Mr. Halferty for leading the last meeting in her absence. Mr. Moyer welcomed her back. DISCLOSURES OF CONFLICT: None. PROJECT MONITORING: Ms. Simon said she has one item for review, which is the Victorian at Fox Crossing. John Whipple was the monitor so she needs a volunteer and Mr. Kendrick said he would take it on if Ms. Sanzone doesn’t want to do it. Ms. Simon said Ms. Sanzone is conflicted, so Mr. Kendrick can have it. She also said she needs to speak with Mr. Blaich after the meeting on a significant item. STAFF COMMENTS: Ms. Simon reminded everyone that there will be no more meetings in June and July we will be back to the regular schedule. CERTIFICATE OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT: None. CALL UPS: None. PUBLIC NOTICE: Ms. Bryan said this meeting was noticed as a work session. NEW BUSINESS: Lift 1 Corridor Project, work session Ben Anderson, Amy Simon and Kevin Dunnett Mr. Anderson said there are two land uses cases which are at play here and both have gotten a fair amount of attention in the press. Gorsuch Haus went in front of the planning & zoning commission and is now tabled with City Council. As you consider the corridor, as a whole, we will take comments and respond to questions, but likely, you will won’t have a formal recommendation to City Council on the Gorsuch Haus other than its role in the larger picture. Lift 1 Lodge received initial approvals in 2011 and after a couple of extensions of vested rights, it has them in place through 2020. Because of the realignment of the lift, there will be some necessary changes to this part of the project. We are giving a first glimpse of the conceptual changes and have not yet received a formal application for the 2 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018 amendments to this project, but should be coming in within the next several weeks. There will be a more formal review of the amendments sometime in August and then going to City Council in September/October and then put to a public vote on February 5th of 2019. Ms. Simon said about 15 years ago, the Holland house was demolished and was not historic, but a chalet style lodge. Some of the ideas of replacing this building, had some effects on Willoughby Park, which is a designated landmark and so is the Lift. Some of the ideas that came up were a possible relocation of the steakhouse, which was built in 1953 was open until ten years or so ago. The idea was the demolish the one-story addition to the steakhouse and move the building downhill and turning it into affordable housing. There was also an idea to take its sister lodge and move it downhill onto Willoughby Park and turn it into a ski museum. HPC looked at the architecture at the time, but it wasn’t formally under HPC’s purview. There was discussion at the time, of creating better access to Lift 1A and the possibility of a platter lift or T-bar. Many years have passed since then and ideas and ownership have changed along with Gorsuch Haus coming into the mix. Bringing Lift 1A further down the hill, has introduced some new concerns for HPC and what will be the majority of the discussion for tonight of the historic impact on Lift 1. Lift 1 was built in 1946 very much due to efforts by Friedl Pfeifer. People in town knew that an improved lift would be needed and chairlifts were just being developed. We tried to describe the effort that went into building the Lift, as it was done by hand and was an amazing accomplishment. By 1971, it was time to replace Lift 1 and all towers were removed except the Bullwheel. It is an important representation of what skiing was like for the earliest users of Aspen Mountain and is one of only four chairlifts left in the United States. HPC did a site visit today and they are likely to be in a recommending position to Council. You will make a recommendation and they will decide on a conceptual design. Mr. Pember asked if anyone from Gorsuch Haus is here. Michael Brown said Carly Klein is here from Design Workshop, as well as, Kelly May from the Aspen Historical Society representing the Gorsuch Haus. Mr. Dunnett mentioned the Dolinsek family and said they were a critical component to the construction of the original chair lift. Josephine Dolinsek, who is 97, still resides on the property and we have a real honor to work on the design with her. At the last council work session, council approved the official moniker of the park to be called, “the Dolinsek Gardens”. We are really indebted to that family in shaping and designing the park with their wishes. It will be a passive botanic kind of theme and very floral. They have wonderful perennials that have been there since the early 1900s along with fruit trees. We are looking at a program to have weddings there and have some connectivity to the chair lift, etc. We are happy to work with the development team and have all of these things intertwined and it will make for a wonderful amenity. APPLICANT PRESENTATION: Stan Clausen of Stan Clausen and Associates along with Scott Glass of Guerin Glass Architects and Michael brown, owner Mr. Glass showed an image on screen to begin, which represents a vibrant and active space where people are gathered with a lot of community spirit. This is their vision and view for this project. We want to add this level of activity and community involvement back into the area. Mr. Brown said that 3 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018 over the past year, the various stakeholders, the Ski Co., Community Development, The Historical Society, etc., have been working together with a lift consultant to take in feedback from the community, Council, the various boards, to find out if there is a way to bring the lift down the mountain. From a code, logistic and experiential standpoint, we’ve looked at how can we make this easy to get to, etc. We’ve taken a lot of feedback and have brought the historical resources to the base and activated the steakhouse to a more vibrant restaurant right at the lift. Mr. Glass took the focus back to the image on the screen and said he likes the vibe of it. We have been conscious of where this site is in town and the alpine nature at the intersection of town and the mountain. I’m a really big fan of the summer activity here and we’ve been thinking about it from that aspect in addition to the skiing activity so it would be more of a year-round portal. The architecture is very contemporary with clean lines, while respecting the historical aspects. This would be a year-round place for families and events to occur. He showed the original PUD from 2016 plan on screen. He said they have had a lot of discussion with the Parks department and the Historical Society to understand how to best address the issues. Let’s think of this as a new portal to the mountain, which uses the historic assets to amplify that connection between old and new architecture. Mr. Brown pointed out the preferred lift technology would be a “telemix”. It’s a mixture of chairs and gondola. There is tremendous potential for summer activity that can happen here in addition to winter activity. This area is underutilized right now. If you’re a guess at the Dancing Bear or the St. Regis or anywhere in that western part of town, presently, less than one percent of people who load onto Aspen Mountain, load at Lift 1. This would take strain off of the Durant gondola and it creates an opportunity of relief from traffic and getting people to walk. Mr. Glass said another area of importance is to create an active space and potential for outdoor events in the park during the winter and summer. The interior of the steakhouse would have to be modified, but we would preserve the outside. We want to preserve the lift itself and slide it down the mountain so it is more prominent. Mr. Clausen mentioned there was discussion at Planning & Zoning if the chairlift could be relocated higher up the mountain, but there is a technical issue with having them under the ski way. Moving the gantry is the best solution to provide for an image of what the ensemble with look like. Mr. Moyer asked when they initially looked at this, did they ever think the City was going to say you can’t move a historic lift or did they just assume that we would be on board. Mr. Brown said there were several scenarios with one of them having the base of the lift going up Gilbert street, there was one where the base would stay in its location, etc. There were nine options explored overall and we felt this option provides a balance. Mr. Moyer asked if they could keep all towers by shifting them sideways and Mr. Clausen said the new needs to follow the alignment between buildings so that can’t change. In the end, Council found that it was better for the gantry reflect the same alignment and the new lift should also reflect this alignment. It can only be moved up or down the corridor. Mr. Moyer asked who is paying for the new lift and Mr. Brown said Ski Co. and Gorsuch have an arrangement for that to happen. 4 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018 Mr. Lai clarified that the gantry is the loading area. Mr. Clausen said the gantry is the historic base of the lift, which includes the Bullwheel area. There really isn’t a loading area anymore, but was originally at the back portion of the gantry. Ms. Phelan said the first tower is essentially the loading area and is where the new loading area would be. The thought is to take the first tower and move it down to alignment with the Bullwheel. Ms. Greenwood said she feels like the first lodge space disrupts the public space there and the view of people skiing down the mountain and feels the gondola is obtrusive. Regarding the preservation aspect, which she feels, the project deserves a lot of success and that you still feel the historic nature. When she went there today, she felt the history of Aspen in that spot and that is an important aspect to bringing the historic structure down. The old lift itself is interesting to look at, but visually, it is working against the openness and welcoming green space below the lift. She feels as though it doesn’t have to be in the same alignment and should be incorporated into the retaining walls of the museum and skier services building. Maybe this should be a relic and not a huge lawn ornament while Incorporating the retaining wall, which is quite extensive. She feels that putting the lifts in the green open space would be very impactful. She thinks they are lost in keeping it in the corridor. Jeff Woods took this opportunity to address the property line and said they are unable to do what Ms. Greenwood is suggesting because it is on the Dolinsek property. He said the lift cannot go on there, but we can ski there. Ms. Greenwood asked who negotiated that deal. Mr. Woods said he takes offence to them insinuating the family didn’t give the city a great gift. Ms. Greenwood said she still feels this needs to be rethought. Ms. Phelan added that this plan is still really conceptual. We still need to work on grooming, snow making, etc. with lots of moving parts. There is more to the mix than just potentially moving it. Mr. Clausen explained that a skier would take a path to the left side of the lift. In front of this area, it hasn’t been detailed yet and we could have a courtyard, patio or plaza. You will have an animated and vital space. The steakhouse provides another opportunity for this and also has a balcony. Mr. Halferty is in favor of moving the historic chairlift in its current alignment, but he wishes we could see more of it because it’s hard for him to make the connection visually. Ms. Simon said the feedback tonight is important because the next time you see it, it will be much further along. You should consider the location and how important it is. Mr. Kendrick asked if they could move the lift back up the mountain a little ways and Mr. Glass said no because of no ski zones and due to the family property. Mr. Moyer asked staff why there has there been almost no maintenance on the resource over the years and Ms. Simon said that is not entirely true and they did have a wood scientist come and check it out at one point to check the wood components that were exposed to the elements. We also had a metal scientist come and look at the lift and they found no immediate concerns. They re-secured the uphill end of the cable and we’ve been waiting to see what would happen with this project. It’s not true that we’ve done nothing. Mr. Moyer said that something is missing and wondered if there will be a real presentation and is there a budget for fixing it up if this project doesn’t move forward. He also asked if the lift has to be as monstrous as it is and Mr. Glass said this came from the SE Group and maybe they could look into something smaller. Ms. Phelan said this is designed for a “chondola”, which is a chair/gondola mix. This is the biggest footprint for the type of chair. 5 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018 Mr. Moyer asked if the little volleyball court will be gone and Mr. Woods said yes. Mr. Moyer said they should start over because you don’t move history or cut it in half. He doesn’t know how they can work around it and he feels the history is the most important part of that site. Mr. Clausen said he should clarify that there will need to be or will be appropriate signage to help people understand the significance and history of the site. He also pointed out to Mr. Moyer that he went on a tour, looked at the site and thought about it and asked how many people do that now. For the most part, it is a lost area. With this project, at least, it’s an opportunity for new vitality and to see something historic that is a part of Aspen’s history. Mr. Brown agreed and said a thousand times more people will see this area and appreciate it. Mr. Moyer said that is a great point. Mr. Kendrick asked about the new lodge and what part the restaurant be in. Mr. Glass said yes and this will be an active and exposed space. He showed the lodge lounge and restaurant area on screen and where it will be located. Mr. Pember asked about the placement and the layout. Ms. Klein of Design Workshop said they prefer the option presented for placement and of all the options, this one had the most stakeholder support and we support this option. Mr. Pember asked Mr. Clausen where someone would access parking. Mr. Clausen said it would be accessed off of Dean Street and continue down to the public parking area and it will be all underground as in the original PUD. Mr. Pember said this is important for the staging of the World Cup. Ms. Klein also has images which she can share. Mr. Blaich said for him, it’s memory lane. He came here in 1948 for a high school ski race and went up Lift 1A in the morning and they had to pack the mountain before the race began. He’s accepting of the reality of the location and the fact that you can’t have what you had before. You can certainly relate this to the exhibits in the museum and the signage will represent the history. His only contribution to this is to think it’s feasible to connect it to the museum as more of an artifact. There are only a few of us that actually experienced it and he thinks they’ve done a great job and is very positive about the project. He came back to town in 1960 and as a skier, his preference was always ending his day coming down Lift 1. He thinks this is all an improvement over what it was previously and feels they’ve done a lot of homework and likes the sense of direction and is looking forward to the fine tuning of the project. Mr. Lai thinks this is an excellent project. Whatever direction they go, it’s going to be a great addition to the area. He originally started skiing on Little Nell and after graduating that, he skied Lift 1 and went up every lunch hour so this area brings back great memories for him. When looking at the plan, he worries a bit about the congestion around the Gorsuch Haus as far as accidents, etc., but he doesn’t see an alternative. He appreciates the importance of the lift to skiing history nationally and internationally. Lift 1 is a real resource and should be preserved as a national treasure. He likes where they’ve situated the towers and he likes having history integrated with the new. He would rather see the historic elements integrated into the entire design scheme, however. He likes this and the idea of having the historic lifts in line with the new lifts as it’s a continuation and you can see the continuity. Mr. Moyer asked Ms. May what the Historic Society’s opinion is. Ms. May said the opening photo is from their collection and our board has declined to make a recommendation, but we did put a statement 6 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018 together for Council. We don’t think the towers should be taken off site nor do we think the towers should be dumped at Holden Marolt, but we don’t have a specific thought about placement. Mr. Halferty said this was an excellent presentation and he said how amazing the open space felt on the site visit. There is a lot more building that will happen. If there is a way to imbue the old historic towers into the new reconstruction of the new area, it would be wonderful. Parks has done a great job with the green space and the seasoned trees in the area. If there Is a way to retain some of the intimacy, that would be ideal. It’s sad to see Gilbert Street go away as a thoroughfare, but he understands why. He appreciates what everyone is doing. This is a lot of program in a tight space, but the chair lift is a huge community aspect. Mr. Pember said he likes this design in contrast to the ergonomic difficulties at the gondola plaza since going up and down the stairs are a nightmare. He is glad they have taken the opposite approach, which is walkable without engaging a lot of steps, elevators, etc. He would like the idea of a case study for site planning. Having some other comparable developments to look at would help him visualize. Mr. Woods mentioned brining Alan Richman on as a planner for the park area. He showed the open space on the plan and mentioned that this group will be presenting to the Open Space board tomorrow night. Mr. Blaich reminded everyone that they haven’t touched on safety yet. He said he would also like to see an overlay over the existing. He said he used to be an ambassador on Aspen Mountain. He is assuming that Ski Co. has studied this very carefully and might be good to show some of this in more detail. It’s been hard to control fast skiers at the end of the day so this must be carefully considered by everyone. Mr. Pember said he likes the picture they showed at the beginning of the original vibe. Mr. Clausen said it is their intention to have some renderings of how vital this area will be with uphill views, etc. Mr. Woods said they will have perspectives to show next time as well regarding the open space and park area. MOTION: Mr. Kendrick motioned to adjourn, Mr. Blaich seconded at 6:34 pm. _______________________________ Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk 7 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 20, 2018