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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcoa.cclc.ag.08192009COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 130 S. GALENA SISTER CITIES MEETING ROOM August 19, 2009 8:30 A.M. 8:30 I. Roll call and approval of minutes II. Public Comments not on the agenda (please limit your comments to 3 minutes) III. AACP -Aspen Area Community Plan -Ben Gagnon IV. Jeff Woods -sidewalk west side of Wagner, special events, recycle metal boxes 10:30V. Adjourn Goals: 1. BID involvement 2. Marketing sales increase, Business promotions. 3. Rethinking and evaluating the malls. The lighting and trees need redone. Be more proactive in town mobility. Address parking, carbon, cars and bikes. 4. CCLC was the mall commission. We are long overdue thinking how the malls should be rethought. What do they serve, how they serve and do they do it well. 5. Parking mitigation -cash in lieu have a fund for seed money for electric cars etc. 6. Create a public transit alternative in the form of bicycles, golf carts etc. Low tech. 7. CCLC increase the business vitality. Think of ways to increase business vitality. The city is not business friendly. 8. Facilitating special events but the CCLC is probably not that venue. 9. Sign code -make recommendations as it is out dated. MEMORANDUM TO: Commercial Core and Lodging Commission FROM: Ben Gagnon, Special Projects Planner MEETING DATE: August 19, 2009 RE: Review of CCLC Feedback on AACP SUMMARY: The last two meetings on this subject were very productive. Attached is Exhibit A: Feedback from Commercial Core and Lodging Commission. It is a narrative based on CCLC discussions to date, attempting to reflect consensus. REQUESTS: At the August 19 meeting, staff requests that the CCLC review the "feedback" document and revise it as necessary to reflect the CCLC consensus. Additional ideas are welcomed. ATTACHMENTS: Exhibit A: Feedback from Commercial Core and Lodging Commission Exhibit A Feedback from Commercial Core and Lodging Commission The following was based on several discussions between staff and the Commercial Core and Lodging Commission (CCLC). It reflects a consensus on feedback for the City/County Planning and Zoning Commissions to consider with regard to the AACP chapter on "Sustainable Economy. " Tou Priority: Over the next 10 years and beyond, we are concerned that the Aspen area will be in jeopardy of becoming irrelevant to younger generations. We need creative thinking to address this generational issue. We need to create the conditions necessazy to be an interesting and attractive place to younger generations. A "free-thinking" group of people should convene to discuss and debate this question. Related Action Item: The potential for lodging with v~ small rooms, high density and resulting affordability should be explored, based on "hostel-style" models in large international cities such as Pazis and London. Other Goals: When new or redeveloped lodges are considered for approval, one important priority should be that the lodge emphasize "town as amenity" rather than providing a wide variety of amenities on-site. The benefits of this approach include the economic support of downtown retail and restaurants, and walk-around vitality. In addition, "high-amenity" lodges or "private club" models tend to sepazate visitors from the community-at-large. It's important for all demographics to rub elbows, and we believe this approach will provide visitors with a more genuine experience. While it's critical to consider what the market demands in terms of lodges/amenities, there is recent evidence that the mazket would support either a "high-amenity" lodge method or a "town as amenity" approach. Another advantage would be to potentially reduce the mass and scale required fora "high amenity" lodge. Other Goals: The City should consider reducing or eliminating affordable housing mitigation requirements for existing small lodges that want to redevelop, as long as the redevelopment plan fits the context of its neighborhood. Small lodges are an important part of Aspen and its history, and housing mitigation is likely to make it difficult or impossible for this aging sector of the lodge inventory to redevelop/expand. Other Goals: We are concerned that some "essential" businesses that provide basic products and services could be replaced with other uses due to high commercial land prices in Aspen. This phenomenon occurred in Snowmass Village not long ago, when the only gas station in town was threatened with closing and redevelopment. It is possible for the community to identify a short list of the types of business that are considered "essential" i.e. pharmacy, gas, hardware, Laundromat etc., and begin outreach efforts to understand their short- and long-term future. It would be worthwhile for city government and/or the chamber and/or other groups to explore options for "succession planning" for these kinds of businesses. We understand this may ultimately require public funding, or incentives and negotiations as part of a future redevelopment proposal: These options can be debated and discussed by the community on a case-by-case basis, if necessary. One option used in other communities to maintain a certain type of business would be a "community cooperative" approach in which shares could be sold -this is a method that could "test" the real demand for a particular type of business. Related Comment: There is a difference between a short list of business types that provide basic and essential products, and the concept of preserving or adding "local- serving business" on a larger scale. This concept has been debated for at least 15 years without any meaningful results. There are several reasons why the community should move on from this discussion: / When it comes to the concept of local-serving businesses, everyone has something different in their heart that they want to protect. The desire to preserve or create new local-serving business is probably lazgely driven by nostalgia rather than by a real need. / Local government is not nimble enough to attempt to play a major role in the commercial sector. We don't believe the creation of "local-serving business" can be legislated. / We're concerned that the concept of "local-serving business" also reflects a notion that we are entitled to buy cheap goods in town. It has been adecades-long practice for Aspenites to take occasional trips to Glenwood, Grand Junction or even Denver to buy merchandise that is either not available in town, or is more affordable elsewhere. The Internet is and will continue to play a major role in retail sales in Aspen and across the country. Continuing these practices is far preferable to the endless debate, high cost and almost certainly ineffective role government would have to play in preserving or creating "local-serving businesses."