HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.20080701Asuen Planning & Zonine Commission Meeting Minutes July 1, 2008
COMMENTS .............................................................................................................. 2
MINUTES ................................................................................................................... 2
DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST ................................................... 2
401 CASTLE CREEK ROAD, ASPEN VALLEY HOSPITAL CONCEPTUAL
PUD ............................................................................................................................. 2
BOARD REPORTS .................................................................................................... 7
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Aspen PlanninE & Zori1nE Commission Meetin¢ Minutes July 1, 2008
LJ Erspamer opened the regular meeting of the Aspen Planning & Zoning
Commission in Sister Cities Meeting Room at 4:30 pm. Commissioners Stan
Gibbs, Dina Bloom, Jim DeFrancia, Michael Wampler and LJ Erspamer were
present. Cliff Weiss arrived at 5:10 pm. Brian Speck was excused. Staff in
attendance were Jim True, Special Counsel; Jennifer Phelan, Community
Development; Jackie Lothian, Deputy City Clerk.
COMMENTS
LJ Erspamer asked for the criteria that the transportation department used for
judging projects. Jennifer Phelan responded that she sent an email with the
transportation backgrounds and an emphasis on transit.
MINUTES
MOTION: Jim DeFrancia moved to approve the minutes from June 17, 2008
seconded by Mike Wampler. All in favor, APPROVED.
DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
LJ Erspamer said that he brokered the Beaumont Inn for the hospital.
PUBLIC HEARING:
401 CASTLE CREEK ROAD, ASPEN VALLEY HOSPITAL
CONCEPTUAL PUD
LJ Erspamer opened the public hearing. Jennifer Phelan said the intent for
conceptual review was to allow for issues to be identified that require further
review. Staff recommended that the applicant provide more information on how the
proposed trends and needs for the hospital dictate the size of the building being
proposed.
John Sarpa, chairman of the board of the hospital, stated this development has been
a long time coming; the hospital is supported in part by a 4% mill levy. Sarpa said
that they were about 4 or 5 years behind the times for hospital updating because of
the financial problems in the past. Sarpa said that the other board members would
be happy to answer any questions; there was a great team of people and a great
group from the community.
Dave Ressler, CEO, said that he was excited about this process and it has been a
long time coming. Ressler said the facility provided extraordinary health care
because there was a tremendous staff involved in this process. The community
deserves a facility of the same quality and exceptional performance that the patients
already receive from staff and the technologies employed. Ressler said the facility
Aspen Planning & Zonine Commission Meetine Minutes July 1 2008
was built in 1977 and health care is very different now then it was when it was built;
patients were admitted for much longer periods of time and much of what is done at
the hospital is diagnostics and out patient services. Ressler said there were now CT,
and MRI scanners, cardiac rehab programs, nuclear medicine, etc. Ressler said the
waiting rooms were in the hallways with cross purposes all the time within the
facility, cross traffic of patients, which wasn't the dignified care that they wanted to
provide.
Ressler stated that they had to incorporate the contemporary standards of design and
function. Health Care is an evidence based program and practice industry focusing
on how medicine is provided in the highest quality and safest environment. Ressler
said the slope of the land allows the new phases of buildings to be nestled into the
land with very little impact and the project will also be LEEDS certified. There will
physician offices located on the campus with efficient access for the patients and for
the physicians to be able to see in-patients. Ressler said the architectural team sat
down with each clinical department to assess current and future needs for an optimal
facility; the master facilities plan include what the hospital has been doing and not a
wish list for a grand scheme to become something that the hospital is not. Ressler
said there would be 4 phases and the first phase is almost complete (the Birth
Center.
Ressler said the community advisory committee has been essential with several
members in the audience; this group was a diverse representation of the community;
they now support the project. Ressler said the committee members have taken a lot
of time to volunteer to provide the information to keep the project on track. There
were also a series of neighborhood meetings to introduce the concepts to the
neighbors (Meadowood, Castle Creek Caucus, Senior Center and HHS).
Ressler introduced Russ Sedmak and Rich Wolf, hospital designers. Sedmak stated
the needs assessment showed the hospital was providing an exceptional level of
service within less than half of the square footage that they really should be
functioning within given current standards.
Ressler and Sedmak utilized power point projections to illustrate the current lack of
floor area and to show newer contemporary standards of other hospitals and the
current crowded office spaces at Aspen Valley. Sedmak said that the largest single
potential for dissatisfaction in any hospital is when patients have to share rooms
with another patient during their in-patient stay; evidence has shown that outcomes
and recovery times improve with patients that have private rooms and it is becoming
a standard throughout the country with the hospital association guidelines. Sedmak
noted that the emergency rooms would be equipped with walls and doors in each
room instead of cubicles divided with curtains for privacy and ample space to work
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Aspen Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes July 1, 2008
around the patient with ample equipment. Sedmak stated there were waiting areas
being added to have that space for family members. Sedmak said that currently
there was not enough room and separation between the waiting room and the
reception desks. The needs assessment showed the hospital is virtually half of what
it should be in the core service areas. Sedmak said that current standards for
operating rooms were about 600 square feet and the current 3 operating rooms were
about 400 square feet.
Sedmak said the site was 19 acres and illustrated the phases, additions and
renovations to the project. The second phase is an expansion and renovation to the
patient care unit to the north and to the east with a parking structure built into the
hillside. Phase 2 will also include a second floor constructed above the existing
patient care unit in the new part; this was the only part of the structure that could
accommodate a second floor. Sedmak said that the food service area will be moved
to the front, which would allow the separation of public and private traffic.
Sedmak said the Phase 3 portion would go where the current staff parking lot is
located. It is important that the imaging department be co-located with the
emergency department and adjacencent to surgery, to the intensive care unit and
labor and delivery. The ambulance traffic would be in the back relieving the
conflicts with traffic coming through the front door. Sedmak said Phase 3 was the
only place where there was an allowance for an upper floor with primarily medical
office space coordinated with the office space of Phase 2. The buildings were being
built into the landscape and slides of the project were used.
Sedmak said that Phase 4 was the completion of the patient facility and a main
entrance concourse as a curved shaped area on the bottom of the plan. This creates
a centralized out-patient admitting area and it creates access to out-patient clinics.
Sedmak said that they looked at the building from up above and superimposed the
images from Twin Ridge, Larkspur Lane and above. Stone was added to areas
where people could actually touch the building and non-reflective glass with a
mixed use of metal panels, stone and brick to break up the scale of the building.
Jim DeFrancia asked about sizing the rooms against a standard that was developed
by who. Sedmak responded that all patient care rooms are governed by guidelines
that are updated on a 3 year basis produced by an organization that is part of the
American Hospital Association and part the American Institute of Architects; those
guidelines were used for health care design everywhere in the country. Sedmak said
these guidelines were along the minimum rather than optimal sizes. DeFrancia
asked on the general sizing of the facility is that on the contemplation of a certain
population size or population demographic (older versus younger). Ressler replied
that they worked with the design team to come up with that number of 39-40 beds
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Aspen PlanninE & Zonine Commission Meetine Minutes July 1 2008
and if there was a need for more beds they could move into the medical office space
on the top floor.
Stan Gibbs asked if the project were built on a blank site what would the size be.
Sedmak replied that he did not contemplate that but he would say that it would be
about 15-20% larger than what they were able to build here.
LJ Erspamer asked where the 2%z % growth figure came from. Ressler responded
that they looked back at the population statics from the chamber of the Aspen area.
Laura Kirk, DHM Design, utilized site plan drawings to show the building and an
overall concept map of the hospital including the 19 acres. Kirk said there was a
looped service area that allows fire and emergency circulation all around the
building. Kirk said that the circulation area was designed for RFTA buses to drop
off at the entry to the hospital and for people that need RFTA service after they have
completed their visit to the hospital to phone into RFTA and RFTA will meet them
and exit through the Doolittle Drive back to Castle Creek Road.
Kirk said that they needed to take care of storm water management on the site
within the meadow area by creating a series of dry ponds, which allows
sedimentation and removing the debris from the storm water before it exits the site.
Kirk stated this could be accomplished in a very natural way that works with the
meadow vegetation. They were working closely with the neighbors and the Parks
Department on the Nordic trail; the bike path remains and in some places it was
being improved and improved circulation of the area. Kirk said there were a series
of informal paths that will allow people to wander through the meadow with
benches for places to stop and enjoy the natural open space. There were a couple of
places for healing gardens and moving the helipad to the top of the roof.
Cliff Weiss asked if RFTA had been consulted about pulling into the entrance. Kirk
replied they have met with RFTA and it has been designed to meet the needs.
Weiss asked if the open space was gentrified or would it remain somewhat natural.
Kirk replied the landscape around the building itself was more intense but the
landscape in the meadow area was designed to have a natural appearance. Kirk said
the landscape pattern was sustainable not water intensive designed to compliment
the landscape.
LJ Erspamer asked if there was a scheduled drop off from RFTA. Kirk replied that
you tell the bus driver that you want to go to the hospital; the reason it wasn't a
scheduled drop off was because it added "x" amount of minutes to that route, which
was problematic for RFTA so they would do it on an "as needs basis".
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Aspen Planning & ZOning Commission Meeting Minutes July 1, 2008
Dina Bloom asked about the old Nordic trail. Kirk replied the old Nordic trail will
probably be kept and the new trail portion will come up through the meadow
providing a better buffer and more challenging grade change though the area. John
Schied, facilities management for the hospital, said they have had input from the
Parks Department and closest neighbors (Mr. Keleher and Mr. Goldsmith) and
walked the property and visualized how this could flow closer to the original
alignment.
Bloom asked how many years of construction for each phase. Sedmak replied that
Phase 1, the birth center, is now 14 months old and will be completed by the end of
August; a total of 16 months of construction time. Sedmak said phase 2 will be 24
to 28 months of construction time and will have its own series of phases; phase 3
will be similar to that and phase 4 can happen in incremental parts and pieces
however long it takes to retrofit that space with renovation. Kirk displayed 2
drawings that looked at the overall site and most of the improvements occur in
phase 2. Sedmak said the master plan itself was not a prescriptive set of drawings
that showed every brick and stick will look like this when it is done; there maybe
some adjustments at final with P&Z in terms of size, look and finish.
Gibbs asked if they were approving each phase as it goes along. Jennifer Phelan
replied that conceptually P&Z will be approving the whole master plan; the
applicant asked that each phase be individually approved at final.
Leslie Lamont, long range planner for the hospital, stated that at final review
another application was submitted; this application was conceptual for the entire
master plan. Lamont said their intent was for the final application for Phase 2 or
Phase 2 and 3 depending upon where they are in the design.
Weiss asked how much soil would be moved for the excavation for the parking
garage or otherwise. Sedmak replied at a cursory level it has and they plan to bring
a construction manager onto the team to figure out the logistics of moving all of that
material at final.
Public Comments:
1. Ken Canfielo, community advisory committee, was impressed with the very
logical and professional process in a very satisfying experience. Canfielo said they
were extremely helpful to neighbors. Canfielo said that he looked forward to a
facility that matches the people in the hospital now.
2. Krystal Logan, Aspen Institute employee, stated that she was on the
community advisory committee; she said the hospital was in need of upgrading.
Logan was also impressed with the process and was in favor of the application.
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Aspen Planning & ZOnInQ Commission Meetin¢ Minutes July 1, 2008
3. John Keleher, hospital neighbor, said that the hospital has been very generous
in their time and he also has met with Laura and Jason walking the Nordic trail and
moving it to the old alignment. Keleher said that they did not have a problem with
the project or the trail that has crossed his property.
4. Cheryl Heffernan, nurse manager in the new obstetrics birth center, said it
was a great pleasure to work with Russ and his team and the patients are extremely
happy with the new unit.
5. Barry Mink, AVH board member, wanted to reassure the commission that the
medical staff, including doctors, nurses and staff, had no controversy.
Erspamer closed the public comments.
Erspamer asked if there would be extra radar or antennas for the helicopter pad.
Ressler replied there was only one pad so there should not be cross-traffic; a
helicopter transfer is initiated by the hospital; there is no fueling capability. Ressler
said that the helicopters do not generally go over the neighborhood. Erspamer
asked about ground source for heat.
MOTION: Jim DeFrancia moved to continue the public hearing on the Aspen
Valley Hospital to July I S`"; seconded by Michael Wampler. All in favor,
APPROVED 5-0.
Leslie Lamont introduced the team: Dave Ressler, Russ Sedmak, Laura Kirk, John
Schied, Dr. Mink, Gideon Kaufinan, Nina Eisenstat, Steve Shelley, Terry Collins,
Ginny Dyche, Cheryl and John Sarpa.
BOARD REPORTS
Cliff Weiss reported on the Lift One COWOP.
,~ d.
' kie Lothian, Deputy City Clerk
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