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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20080827ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 Chairperson, Michael Hoffman called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Commissioners in attendance: Ann Mullins, Jay Maytin, Brian McNellis, Sarah Broughton, Nora Berko and Alison Agley. Staff present: Jim True, Special Counsel Amy Guthrie, Historic Preservation Officer Sara Adams, Historic Preservation Planner Kathy Strickland, Chief Deputy City Clerk MOTION: Jay moved to approve the minutes of July 23, 2008; second by Ann. All in favor, motion carried. Leon Feld: commented on Willoughby Park and the volley ball courts. I am back here to make a plea to save the courts. They are heavily used and they are a valuable community asset. At the P&Z there was a stipulation that the courts needed to be replaced. Toni Kronberg: Exhibit I photographs Toni handed out photographs of the proposed four mountains connect. CDOT has said this is not part of the record decision on the Entrance to Aspen. We would need a scoping meeting. The tram would be 11 minutes from Aspen to Buttermilk and can transport 3,000 people one way or 6,000 round trip. There are a total of 74 buses coming out of Ruby Park every hour. Two people per car that is 1500 people, 4 people per car are 750 people. Traffic is congested going in and out of town both ways. Not open yet are the following: The Limelight, Chart House, Dancing Bear, Little Nell residence, Lift I A, Boomerang, stage III, and Aspen Jewish Center. There are further expansions such as the hospital and music school expansion. Lift I A will be able to utilize the Tram. Council at their work session approved and transportation study for in-town shuttles. I want to let everyone know that a work session is coming. 334 W. Hallam -fence and landscaping update Amy said at the last meeting the board requested an update on the project. Mr. Conner approached staff and seems intent in completing the project. It was represented that there would be a nice landscape setting. We have had a number of complaints from neighbors and city departments. ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 Hayden Conner, owner said we have a temporary certificate of occupancy. I have not tried to avoid or postpone. I did not know I needed a fence permit and then got one. I am anxious to complete the project and spent $12,000 on trees. Jay said it was recommended by the Parks Dept. that the street trees be watered and that the noxious weeds be removed. I would ask you to accomplish that. Hayden said he was called about the weeds and within three days they where removed. We have taken care of everything. Alison said she wants to make sure that the issues with the neighbors are resolved. Hayden said he has installed the fence posts. Michael said you are the steward of this property and the maintenance for the last two years has not been done. Do you have an explanation why the landscaping is so poor? Hayden said we are committed with the house and we have cut the grass every six weeks. We are committed to completing the house. We are just putting in a driveway right how as the permitting process has taken a long time. Michael recused himself. Sarah chaired. Lift I Neighborhood Master Plan COWOP Affidavit ofposting -Exhibit I CD -Exhibit II Photograph -III Chris Bendon, Community Development Director presented Lift I proposals. A new road is proposed and a lift corridor. The lift is up higher on the site for repeat skiing. The site is very challenging. There is also a vehicular plan. Chris pointed out the program on three plans. One plan has underground vehicular circulation. Gilbert Street would be vacated. One of the plans also has a loop circulation with escalators. Another challenge is the grade of the site. ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 Chris also said one of the plans has a trolley incorporated to act as a shuttle getting people up to the site. It was important to incorporate the historic park. There will be a joint service area for the two lodges underground. Service is a big component in this development. There is still conversation about the public access. We need a people moving system that parallels S. Aspen Street. The skier's museum could be by the steak house Willoughby Park. Alison said the process has been great, understanding each others perspectives and sharing and respecting each others opinions. Alison thanked the task force for the amount of hours they put into Lift I. There are seven people who live right in the area. The process has been an amazing challenge. Sara explained that this is a huge project and we have two more meetings scheduled. HPC has purview over specific items: Issues: South Aspen Street Sense of place: What do we define as being significant in this area? The idea of casual informality has always been associated with Lift I area. Importance of the original town grid line. Contextual relationships with the historic Lift I. It was the longest lift at one point in the world and a very important resource. Structures that are in HPC purview: Skier Chalet steakhouse and the Skier Chalet lodge. Deep Powder cabins. Out buildings. Amy pointed that HPC gave conceptual approval to move the lodge under Willoughby Park and make it a museum. Staffs preference would be to not move the lodge and keep it in its historical location. Sara said we also need feed back on the ski company ticket building. The roof collapsed over the winter. The issue is should we just be preserving the ticket area or the entire building. Jay said at the last meeting we had asked the Parks Dept. to stabilize the building and that should be followed through with. ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 Nora said the ticket office was on the site in 1951. Do we know when the additions where put on? The expansion was very early on. Vice-chair Sarah Broughton opened the public hearing. Junee Kirk said she is very familiar with that area as she lived in the vicinity. I am hoping that when you move the Skier's lodge that you consider the early Post War era. Having them divided apart you don't get that Post War era feeling. Getting them along the street and having one as a museum would be preferable. When talking about preserving trees and volley ball courts they are not historic compared to the Lift I A or the historic buildings. The courts and trees came in the 70's. They are hardly historic and trees can always be replaced. I would hope HPC would consider the impact with clusters of buildings together to give the Swiss/German Post War era effect. John Saraa, Centurion: We have had 21 meeting already. This area will be pedestrian lively when it is completed. Almost nobody goes over to that lift. We intend to make it lively and visible. Georgia Hanson, Director of the Aspen Historic Society. At first I was supportive of a lift all the way to Dean Street and gradually discovered it wasn't feasible. Preserving the sense of space in the historic area became more important. The steak house is the center piece and HPC said at a previous meeting that we don't want to tum this into a "petting zoo". There is the possibility of using a deck on the steak house which existed before the addition was done. In solving the entire area it might be sensible to eliminate the lodge. Bob Daniel, lodge representative. Bob acknowledge Alison Agley, member of the HPC for her contribution and participation on the task force. Sara pointed out that this is an evolving process. The applicants need some recommendations from the HPC in order to forward with their site plan. Comments: Jay brought up the reconfiguration of Aspen Street. Most important is the view from Lift I A and up the cut lift line up the mountain. The ski back and use of the landscape should be retained. From an historic perspective the ski slope uses should not be altered and the historical resources should stay as ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 is. The grade changes are OK. Some kind of people mover is necessary for the use of the site. The Deep Powder cabins should be incorporated somewhere in this plan and have a relationship with one another. It would be great if the ski club building went back to the ticket office. Ann: The sense of place brakes down to two things, the physical resources on the site, the design of the site and social activity on the site. Maintaining the city grid is critical. The social aspect of bringing more people here could work by leaving the road open and introducing the trolley. It is really important to consider the view as you ski down. In terms of the historic resources everything should stay where it is but we are going to have compromises. The out house could go and the 4x4 shed. The steak house needs to stay. If moving the lodge allows for the building to not wrap around and expose the one side that could be a compromise. If it is moved it should have a similar relationship to the steak house. Regarding the Deep Powder cabins it is difficult visualizing them on the site unless they are very distinct. The ticket booth should also be retained. Ann mentioned that the use of the volley ball courts seems inconsistent with the site. Chris Bendon said the Parks Dept. has recommended that the courts be moved over to Koch Lumber Park. Nora: There is something exciting about old buildings working with new buildings and it makes the site exciting. I have some concerns about keeping all the buildings on the site especially the Deep Powder Cabins. Possibly they could be incorporated into the affordable housing. To be able to stand at the site and look up and see the old lift lines is great. Retaining the ski back is really important. The connection of skiing beside an historic lift is something wonderful. The grade of the historic lift should be kept. The ski club building sets a sense of context scale with the skier chalet and steak house. Brian said he is compassionate about the historic resource and the relationship of the buildings to one another. This is the center of skiing in the United States to a great degree. The entire landscaping plays a huge role. As a board we are asking for a lot and I am willing to negotiate the Deep Powder cabins. With regard to South Aspen Street I am not in favor of any kind of system underground to get people up to where they need to be. It would take away from the streetscape and having people travel up and down only adds to the vibrancy of the streetscape. If Aspen Street comes 5 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 through, the traditional grid should be maintained. With regard to the ski back there should be some relationship of that original lift line and maybe there are ways we can do that. We need to get creative visually to make sure the line is maintained. Possibly the ski school building is not as important an asset and maybe something could be there to indicate the original ticket office, the smaller structure. Some of the tree specimens could be taken away. The out building was used there traditionally and it is great and funky to the site. The Skier lodge if we are able to keep it in its existing site would be preferable but realistically compromises are going to happen. Amy said ordinance 40 designation means that they couldn't come in for a demo permit for that building they have to trigger the 90 negotiations. The applicant desires to move the lodge. Alison said to keep the Skier Chalet lodge where it is does not work. It is one of our constraints. For the reconfiguration of South Aspen Street the grid should be maintained. The pedestrian side can have more curves but where the pedestrians go up or the trolley the grid should be maintained. Referencing the ticket office it would be better if it went back to the smaller size. An idea for the Deep Powder Cabins would be to have one by the ticket office by the base of the new chair lift. The out buildings are very small and why wouldn't you keep them. Sarah: The town grid came first and it needs to be maintained and vehicles need to be kept on it. Trying to create a pedestrian mall will be the detriment to any business. Also good bike routes should be incorporated into the plan. The lift's visual line, if possible would be great to maintain. In terms of the ticket booth, it goes along with Lift I and should be left up to the design team. Keeping the out buildings would be fun but that decision should be up to the team. We don't want to junk up the site and it has to bethought out properly. The steak house came before the skier chalet lodge and should be kept where it is. Possibly and office use could occur as it would bring life to that area. The relocation of the Skier chalet lodge would work well in the Willoughby Park plan. The Deep Powder cabins where not on this site originally and the City needed a receiver site. If they can be incorporated on Willoughby Park in a good way they should and if not maybe they can be used elsewhere along the lodge ski corridor. Maybe they can go further up and be an out building at the bottom of the lift. They don't have to be down next to the lift. 6 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 Jay said he feels the plans seem to be restricting public access and that needs addressed. Chris said it is important to the group to maintain the area accessible to the public. There is the idea of having parking under Willoughby Park. Alison pointed out that there where views in the group that didn't want any parking and to eliminate cars. On the other hand there are those that feel there should be some kind of attraction type vehicle. The group really ranges on traffic and how do you control the access. Sarah pointed out that to have a good development in this town it has to include everyone who lives here all year long and seasonal. MOTION: Ann moved to continue Lift I until Sept. 10`ti; second by Nora. All in favor, motion carried. Sarah recused herself. Alison Agley chaired the meeting. Red Onion Update Sara said we need a recommendation on two issues. The bar will be preserved like two parallel pieces. There will be a flip top on the north end. They would like to add a piece to the end of the bar. There are two seats signed as ADA. The question is what the corner would look like. They are proposing to use a portion of the bar extension which actually matches the historic bar but we are not sure where this piece came from. We cannot tell if this is an original piece. It has been part of the extension but we can't be sure where it came from. Jay pointed out that there is some history to the piece because it has been there for some time. Sara said a new top will be put on top of the bar. The material for the fill space by the bar would be wood. The cabinet will be pulled out so you would need some kind of filler. Right now it is wood. Brian said you don't want to draw attention to the wood. It should match. 7 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 27, 2008 MOTION: Ann made the motion to use the existing panel for the extension, the north end piece. Material for the filler should be plane wood or use a matching species for the back bar extension. No detailing. Motion second by Jay. All in favor, motion carried. MOTION: Ann moved to adjourn, second by Alison. All in favor, motion carried. Meetin adjourned at 8:45 p.m. ~ ----- ~- athleen J. Strickland, Chief Deputy Clerk 8