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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.20090929Regular Meeting Asuen City Council September 29, 2009 CITIZEN PARTICII'ATION .......................................................................................... .... 2 COUNCILMEMBER COMMENTS .............................................................................. .... 4 CONSENT CALENDAR ............................................................................................... .... 4 • Resolution #72, 2009 -Supporting Ballot Question Local Energy Finance District 5 • Resolution #74, 2009 -Contract Electric Feeder Construction ......................... .... 5 • Resolution #75, 2009 -Contract Electric Feeder Materials ................... ............ .... 5 • Resolution #76, 2009 -Contract Power Plant Road Guardrail .......................... .... 5 • HPC Appointments -Jason Lasser; Jamie Brewster MacLeod .......................... .... 5 • Minutes -September 14, 2009 ........................................................................... .... 5 RESOLUTION #78, SERIES OF 2009 - 320 E. Hyman Wheeler Opera House Conceptual PUD ............................................................................................................. .... 5 RESOLUTION #73, SERIES OF 2009 -Contract Program Manager Wheeler Opera House .............................................................................................................................. .. 11 RESOLUTION #52, SERIES OF 2009 -Lift One Lodge conceptual PUD .................. .. 12 1 R~ular Meeting Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 Mayor Ireland called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. with Councilmembers Torre, Romero and Johnson present. Mayor Ireland noted this meeting was continued from Monday, September 28`h to honor Yom Kippur. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 1. Bill Wiener presented a slide show stating "Aspen is unique". There is self- interest versus community values happening. Wiener's slides noted he will issue a minority report on the historic preservation task force. 2. Sarah Pletts, director of Living Arts Foundation, told Council she is facing the biggest challenge of her 24 years as anon-profit organization in Aspen. Ms. Pletts told Council there is imminent foreclosure on 35 acres owned by the Living Arts Foundation. Ms. Pletts requested Council consider helping out with a loan or a grant or a contribution. Ms. Pletts said the Living Arts Foundation has done a lot for the community over the past 24 years and suggested Council consider help stabilize the non-profit financially. Mayor Ireland asked if this land was in Garfield County. Ms. Pletts said it is. Mayor Ireland asked if she has asked the Garfield County commissioners for help. Ms. Pletts said the Garfield County commissioners are not interested in helping non-profits from Aspen. Council requested information on the foreclosure and the loan. Councilman Johnson stated he is concerned about spending Aspen tax money on this and the precedent it would set. 3. Marilyn Marks requested Council not allow destruction of the ballots from the May 2009 election, nor the election materials. John Worcester, city attorney, stated the Council and the city do not have flexibility in this matter. Worcester pointed out there is a state statute that requires the city clerk to secure and retain the ballots and election material for 6 months and at the end of 6 months, the ballots are to be destroyed by fire or by shredding. Worcester said the only exception to this would be if a court ordered the ballots to be produced in an election contest. Worcester said there is a process for people who do not agree that the ballots are to be kept secret to go to court and ask the judge to make a ruling on whether the state statutes trumps the Colorado Open Records Act. Worcester told Council the city received a letter from Ms. Marks' attorney indicating they were going to sue the city. Worcester noted if a suit is filed, the city will join in a motion to the court asking that the city be relieved of the obligation to destroy the ballots. The ballots and the election materials will be preserved in case a court wants to look at them. Worcester reiterated the city does not have discretion; the statute is clear in requiring the ballots be destroyed 6 months after the election. Councilman Torre agreed that the city is interested in process improvements; however, the request to release the ballots is objectionable. Councilman Tone said he does not see how saving the ballots is related to process improvements. Mayor Ireland stated the city's position is that if litigation is filed, the city will join in a request to the court to protect the ballots pending the outcome of the litigation. Mayor Ireland said if the statute does not require the other election materials to be destroyed, the city does not have a need Regular Meeting Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 to destroy them. Worcester agreed the city will only destroy what the statute requires to be destroyed. Councilman Romero stated the city and the community are interested in trying to improve the election process. Councilman Romero said Council has previously mentioned a citizen's review committee to help elevate the process. Councilman Romero said he is committed to moving forward and to improve. The city will abide by the rules in the state statutes. Mayor Ireland agreed that the city will join in a motion to preserve the ballots in the event that a judge thinks litigation should go forward. Mayor Ireland agreed there is no process or procedure that cannot be improved. Mayor Ireland agreed about appointing a committee to review election issues, constituted of not previously involved citizens. 4. Harvie Branscomb said he would like to conduct an independent review of the Aspen election. Branscomb stated this was an innovative election, the first of its type in Colorado with unique auditing functions built in. Branscomb said this election should be reviewed for others to be able to understand what happened in Aspen, what was good about it and what was not good about it. Branscomb asked to be allowed to look at the ballots before they are to be destroyed to be helpful in this review. Branscomb asked Council to help him get answers to questions about the election. Branscomb said there are reasons the ballots should be looked at, indications there maybe lack of anonymity of these ballots and the ballots should be examined to know whether this is true. Branscomb said he is interested in the process of the election and is collecting information about this to be published. 5. Mike Maple said he is a fan of the Wheeler Opera House; however, he is concerned about efforts to expand the theatre because of finances and effective use of resources. Maple asked whether or not there has been a utilization study done for the new facility. Maple noted arts groups were asked about additional facilities and they said yes. Maple said the question is at what cost. Maple said in a typical year the Wheeler brings in 800,000 to $900,000 in revenues from non-RETT and non-rents. The Wheeler spends about $2.5 million. Maple said this does not seem sustainable. Maple encouraged Council not to spend community resources on an expansion but to figure out the uses for the facility and how best to utilize the resources. Maple noted there are many performing arts facilities in Aspen and most of them are probably not fully utilized. The city and the community should make sure that the existing facilities in town are being used to their capacity and if they are at capacity to consider how much additional use there will be for the expanded facility and a careful projection of the future users of this facility. 6. Patrick Sagal said there are problems with parking at high school football games. Sagal suggested parking enforcement direct traffic during these event rather than ticket vehicles afterward. 7. Maura Masters thanked the Mayor for sporting pink hair in acknowledgement of October being breast cancer awareness month. Ms. Masters told Council the Susan Re¢ular Meetine Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 Komen foundation raised $90,000 more than last year to turn back to the community for breast cancer awazeness, mammograms and other programs. 9. Ricki Newman told Council she supports the Living Arts foundation request for money to cure their foreclosure. 10. Emzy Veazy suggested the city do the street improvements at night rather than during the day when it might interfere with retail operations. Trish Aragon, city engineer, said the temperature has to be above 40 degrees in order to place asphalt. Also, the asphalt plant is not open at night and it would cost the city extra to have access to an asphalt plant. COUNCILMEMBER COMMENTS 1. Councilman Johnson said there were 3,000 people at the most recent football game which is one reason there were pazking problems. 2. Councilman Torre said he has attended a lot of local events lately, like the high school football game, ruggerfest, filmfest is this week, and he is appreciative of the events and of living in Aspen. 3. Mayor Ireland agreed there have been large crowds as the Aspen high school sports event, which reflects well on the community. The high school kids are doing a job and the community can be proud. 4. Mayor Ireland said he attended the city staff meetings about the city's economy and layoffs of 16 employees. Mayor Ireland noted the city staff is highly qualified and laying off staff is a loss to the community. Mayor Ireland urged everyone to support those who were laid off; they aze part of the community. 5. Steve Barwick, city manager, requested Resolution #77, Contract AABC Affordable Housing be withdrawn and to move Resolution #73, Contract Program Manager Wheeler Opera House to below the Wheeler PUD. Mayor Ireland moved that Resolution #77, Contract AABC Affordable Housing be withdrawn and to move Resolution #73, Contract Program Manager Wheeler Opera House to below the Wheeler PUD; seconded by Councilman Romero. All in favor, motion carved. CONSENT CALENDAR Councilman Romero moved to approve the consent calendar as amended; seconded by Mayor Ireland. The consent calendar is: Regular Meeting Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 • Resolution #72, 2009 -Supporting Ballot Question Local Energy Finance District • Resolution #74, 2009 -Contract Electric Feeder Construction • Resolution #75, 2009 -Contract Electric Feeder Materials • Resolution #76, 2009 -Contract Power Plant Road Guardrail • HPC Appointments -Jason Lasser; Jamie Brewster MacLeod • Minutes -September 14, 2009 All in favor, motion carried. RESOLUTION #78. SERIES OF 2009 - 320 E. Hyman Wheeler Opera House Conceptual PUD Saza Adams, community development department, pointed out this is a proposal for an addition to the Wheeler Opera House to expand the arts, cultural and civic use, to add some office and meeting space, to add an affordable housing unit, and to convert existing space to commercial. Ms. Adams noted this historic landmark is located in the commercial core historic district. Ms. Adams told Council this project has received historic commercial design approval and received conceptual design review from HPC and P&Z acting as one review board. The project has also received approval from the HPC for an addition to a landmark. P&Z recommended approval for the conceptual PUD. Ms. Adams said during these reviews, 5 different iterations were presented. The review boards pushed and pulled the addition and consensus approval for what is being presented to Council. Ms. Adams noted staff recommended there be public access to the roof to enhance the downtown experience; however, P&Z and HPC felt the infrastructure to allow public access was too large of an impact so that has been eliminated from the project. HPC and P&Z recommend Council adopt the conceptual PUD including a request to vary the allowable height from 42' to 51'2" to construct a stairway for maintenance. Councilman Torre stated he lives within 300 feet of the project and has to recuse himself. Councilman Torre left the meeting. Ms. Adams told Council staff finds the AACP and civic master plan aze met at a conceptual level. Both the AACP and civic master plan stress the importance of arts and cultural uses downtown and the importance of making these experiences accessible to guests and residents. Ms. Adams said there are areas to refine before final review, like transportation, and some historic preservation details, both of which can be handled during final review processes. Further approvals are addition to a historic landmark, conceptual design, growth management for affordable housing. This is an essential Regular Meetine Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 public facility and P&Z will establish the affordable housing requirement and Council will decide for what the project needs to mitigate and to approve a final PUD. Gram Slaton, director Wheeler Opera House, told Council the earliest reference to renovation is in 1975 referring to studies done in 1974. In 1979, the real estate transfer tax was approved by the electorate. The RETT refers to renovation and expansion. The city purchased the two lots to the west of the Wheeler in 1982. There was a 1983 plan for renovation and expansion of the Wheeler, which plan was not accepted by the city or the community. Slaton reminded Council in 2003, the city put a question on the ballot authorizing purchase of the Mother Lode parcel. This question was defeated by the voters. After that, Council directed the Wheeler staff to review the existing physical plant to see if it was meeting the needs of the arts community and to study the parcel to the west for a possible expansion. Slaton told Council after he was hired, he started meeting with all the arts groups, consultants met with the arts group, to study the feasibility of adding on to the east. Slaton noted defects in the building have been pointed out for years including the seating, the pit was not sound, the phone system did not work, the back stage amenities were not good. Slaton said those deficiencies were fixed and the answer to the question, is an expansion needed, met with an overwhelming yes. Slaton said two years ago the Wheeler held publicly advertised forums, attended by about 90 people, and much good feedback was received and integrated into how to move the Wheeler project forward. Slaton said the Wheeler hired a design team which included local architects. In January 2009, Council approved a contract with FMG, whose first piece of business was to engage the community, interview the arts groups, hold two open houses with the general public. There have been 4 meetings with HPC and P&Z, which resulted in conceptual approval. Slaton presented slides of the proposed program for the Wheeler starting two floors underground with a flexible theatre which could hold up to 265 seats. At the street level would be a new box office, lobby and public amenity space. On the next story, an expanded second floor lobby which could accommodate the entire crowd in the Wheeler theatre. The present lobby can only hold half the number of people the theatre can hold. The second floor would also have offices for the Wheeler staff. An on site affordable housing unit is proposed for the second floor. During the public meetings, the community indicated a desire for amulti-purpose space, like classroom, meeting space, break out room, reception room. The basement where the offices are currently located will be re-purposed; the commercial space on the first floor will also be re-purposed. Slaton pointed out the fourth floor has been eliminated from the plan. This fourth floor was envisioned as artist housing and community space. The applicants are comfortable with the elimination of the fourth floor. Slaton told Council there is $27.3 million in the Wheeler endowment fund; these are all RETT funds. Slaton said the budget given to the design team was not to exceed $30 Regular Meeting Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 million. Slaton said staff is hoping to put a question to the electorate in November 2010 with an eye to breaking ground in the spring of 2011. The endowment fund is increasing a $1 million/annually which means the fund will have close to the budget required and should include $1 million in reserves. Slaton presented other venues in town, their capacity and their uses. Hams Hall seats 500 and the tent hold 2000. The tent is only used in the summer; Harris Hall has limited accessibility to users other than the Music Associates. Paepcke auditorium holds 300; this is not a great size for arts groups and it also has limited public access. None of these spaces are in the downtown core. Given Institute has 190 seats in a round configuration which makes it difficult to use. It also has limited outside access. The district theatre has 500 seats and a black box of 99 seats. These are far from the downtown core with no resident technical staff. This space will be used more and more by the school. The Belly Up can hold 400 people, including standing, it is privately owned and booked by the owner. This has a night club stage which is not appropriate for many arts groups. The Red Brick flexible space has no amenities, no stage, no acoustical treatment, no box office. Slaton said this request is to build a theatre space, set up as a theatre, with a box office, located in the downtown core. Slaton presented indications of support from Barry Smith, Rodney Jacobs, Andrew Todd, Alexi Fitzpatrick, and Lisa Consiglio. Councilman Romero asked if the Isis theatre were included in the needs analysis. Slaton said he did not include because it is a movie theatre with no stage. Slaton said this is not a finished design but a concept with some established dimensions. John Rowland, architect, showed historic photos of the Wheeler, including one which has buildings to the west of the Wheeler, the proposed expansion lots, with store fronts up to the sidewalk. Rowland showed concepts the architects presented to the Wheeler board, including putting the new theatre on the second floor rather than below grade. Rowland said one goal is to keep the Wheeler operating during the renovation and expansion. Rowland showed different setbacks from Hyman flush with the street front to stepping it back 10'. The design settled on 4' setback. Rowland showed a rendering of the expansion with the fourth floor, without the fourth floor, including the Mother Lode building. Rowland said one goal in historic preservation is not to imitate the character of the historic resource. Rowland showed floor plan slides which include the existing Wheeler and the proposed addition, showing the flexible 265 seat auditorium, the mezzanine level for the theatre. Rowland showed the proposed new building and how it integrates with the existing Wheeler and where lobby, offices, stairs, box office, and meeting rooms would be located. Rowland showed elevations of the proposed addition. The height of the existing Wheeler is 71'; the cornice line of the proposed addition is 42'. Rowland presented sections of the proposed and existing buildings and the connections between the two. Rowland showed the Hotel Jerome view plan, how the existing Wheeler intrudes into that view plane, and that the addition does not intrude. Rowland showed views of the Wheeler and the proposed addition from various locations in town. Rowland noted there are different renditions of the proposed fagade; this is a continuing aspect of the expansion. 7 Regular Meeting Aspen Citv Council September 29, 2009 Councilman Romero asked where in this process does the applicant secure the approval to spend pre-development money to advance the conceptual design to the next stage. Ms. Adams noted her resolution deals specifically with the conceptual PUD approval. Council acts as owners of the property and as approvers of the land use application. Councilman Romero asked if Council is to be reviewing this presentation as owner and as approver. Bendon said at this review Council is acting as a regulatory agency on a land use application. Bendon noted the role of the planning department is to review this in context of the land use code, which is what the resolution addresses. Councilman Romero said there is a public awareness responsibility for both the land use portion and the financing portion ofthis project. Councilman Romero said the Council should not get too far ahead on either one of these roles without coordinating with the other. Randy Ready, assistant city manager, reminded Council they will start budget review next week. Conceptual approval of the basic box ofthis project will allow staff to finish the pro forma, which has been in draft version. Knowing what the program can be in the expanded Wheeler will allow staff to bring to Council revenue and expense pro forma. Councilman Romero said he wants to review the pro formas for first costs and would also like to review the operating pro forma, vetted by local performing groups and including tour performances. Ready told Council the Financial Advisory Board has started to review the pro forma and they will be involved in this. Councilman Skadron asked if the applicant knows what the city's ability will be to utilize the additional space. Slaton said this be defined by the user groups; during the summer, he anticipates every space will be used and the problem will be juggling spaces not filling spaces. Slaton said the community has been expressing an interest in a flexible performing space like this for years. Councilman Skadron stated he supports fulfilling the community vision on the need for renovated, expanded space in the Wheeler but is not satisfied with this proposal. Councilman Skadron wondered what responsibility the community has to accommodate every group who wants to do performances. Councilman Skadron asked if demand were not outstripping supply, would the Wheeler staff be before Council asking for approval of an expansion. Slaton told Council he was hired to move the 2151 Century Master Plan forward. Slaton told Council the balcony is inadequate and the stage house can benefit from reconfiguration ofthe north wall. Councilman Skadron said in his list of priorities, items to be satisfied are additional performance space, the idea of a community gathering space, and honoring the historic component of the Wheeler, which is a higher priority than the other two. Councilman Skadron said the slide presentation of the addition shows that it is impactful on the historic Wheeler. Councilman Skadron said in these slides, his eye is drawn to the more modern element, which seems to reduce the importance of the historic element. Rowland said the two buildings need to stand on their own. Ms. Adams told Council there is a federal philosophy and standards adopted by the parks service followed by all certified local governments, which is to differentiate between new and old. Ms. Adams said the applicant at this stage is trying to define the size and shape of the box. HPC and P&Z Reeular Meetin¢ Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 noted concerns about fenestrations and materials and how this will all work together. Ms. Adams noted the city has adopted guidelines for additions to historic buildings in the commercial core but it does come down to aesthetics and what the community wants to see next to the Wheeler. Councilman Skadron stated what is critical to his decision is the way the addition affects the historic structure. Slaton said other than mass, height and scale, the appearance will be a key issue. Councilman Johnson stated he is struggling with the owner side, does this make sense, is this right for the community, where are the financials; he would like that information as soon as possible. Councilman Johnson noted the P&Z minutes indicate a statement to them that revenue is going to be key in making the building work. Councilman Johnson agreed the Wheeler is one of the gems of Aspen. Councilman Johnson said he would like to know what the community wants in the Wheeler, what is acceptable and what is not. Slaton noted the bulk of the financial support will come from lease spaces. Councilman Romero pointed out that locally serving commercial business is an important element in Council's vision for the Wheeler. Mayor Ireland said he appreciated the summary of alternative spaces in the community and would like quantified how much these spaces are used, by whom and for what. Mayor Ireland agreed some spaces are not appropriate for theatre, like Hams Hall. Mayor Ireland said there is need for a space to show for non-commercial movies. It will be important to the Council and to the public to know if enough revenue will be generated to run two buildings. Mayor Ireland opened the public hearing. Les Hoist said Aspen is a small town. There is a thing in historic preservation called profound meeting places. The Wheeler Opera House works because it is small and cozy. Getting rid of a small, cozy lobby is not a great idea. The Wheeler suits the town and was a symbol of culture coming to town. Hoist said losing the scale and mass will lose the ability to maintain economic viability. Ron Erickson, chairman and representing the Wheeler board, stated they support the proposal and the design team. Erickson told Council the Wheeler Board has gone through 7 years of interviews and meetings with non-profits and arts groups on their needs. Erickson said he feels there is a need for additional space. This is a conceptual plan and the Wheeler should be given a large box in which to design what needs to happen. Brian O'Neil, Wheeler Board, stated the Wheeler has limitations. This is a 2151 Century Master Plan and the Board is trying to plan for 100 years. O'Neil said there has been a growth in arts groups over the past 35 years and this trend will continue. O'Neil said the need is there and the town should have performing arts in the downtown core. Bill Wiener stated he is for expansion if it can be done right. Wiener said the new building should pay homage to the old building, not mimic, not compete with it. Wiener said this should be looked at as a public gathering space for the community. Sarah Pletts said this space should be geared toward local performing arts and it should be affordable Regular Meeting Aspen City Couucil September 29, 2009 for those performing arts group. Ms. Pletts noted there should be a marriage of commerce and culture. Ms. Pletts said any building needs to be green. Stan Clauson told Council he participated on the civic master plan committee, which reviewed the arts and other civic facilities including the Wheeler. That committee reaffirmed several times the importance of an expanded Wheeler space and the expansion of the artistic and cultural spaces in Aspen. Clauson stated this project has been on the boards for 20 years. Ricki Newman read a letter from Kent Reed stating concerns about the Wheeler expansion are size and money. Reed asked why the facility could not be expanded incrementally, why is it all or nothing. Reed said the space should be a community based resource that serves people who live and work here. Lisa Markalunas told Council she is concerned about alterations to Aspen's most historic and iconic building. There has never been a vote about expanding the Wheeler. Ms. Markalunas noted she is concerned that a 3-member HPC review board voted 2 to 1 for this project. There has been no review of parking that would be generated by two simultaneous performances. The loss of the historic entrance is a concern. Ms. Markalunas said she is troubled over the possible loss of a treasure to this community. Alan Fletcher, Aspen Music Festival, noted this expansion will have a positive impact on small arts groups and give them a place to perform. Fletcher said the expanded lobby will be a boon to the historic space because of the existing size, it cannot be used for receptions or gatherings as the space is not to code. The expanded box office also will have a positive impact. Don Davidson stated the plan has been remiss in not dealing with the long range financial plans. Davidson pointed out he made the same comment a year ago and there is no long range plan. Mayor Ireland said he would not send this issue to the voters without a financial plan. Jan Collins said she does not feel the community has wanted to expand the Wheeler. The endowment should not be used for capital but should be an insurance policy for the operation of the Wheeler. Ms. Collins noted there was a question to the voters in 2003 to purchase the Mother Lode for expansion of the Wheeler, which was defeated. Junee Kirk agreed this should be a performing facility for locals. Ms. Kirk said the Wheeler budgets exceed the RETT revenues. Pete Louras, financial advisory board, told Council he supports the conceptual PUD and encouraged Council to move forward with the process. The FAB looks forward to getting into more detail on the financing of the Wheeler. Louras said he is comfortable with the scale and mass. Louras said if the city moves towards a 2010 ballot measure, the architecture will evolve with increased public hearings. Toni Kronberg pointed out there is not enough space at the city building or county building for employees. Ms. Kronberg said many city programs are being decreased. This addition would change the character of this block. This is not the right concept. Richie Cohen said he has been involved in the Wheeler since the early 1970's and was part of many task forces looking at the Wheeler. Cohen said there have been the same concerns over the Wheeler and expansion for the past 30 years. Cohen urged Council to support the conceptual plan and give the applicants time to refine the plan. Kathryn Koch, city clerk, entered into the record an e- 10 Regular Meeting Aspen City Council September 29, 2009 mail from Susan O'Neal in support of the expanded Wheeler. Ms. Adams entered into the record a letter from Junee Kirk, a paper from Bill Wiener. Mayor Ireland closed the public hearing. Mayor Ireland agreed there has to be a financial process associated with this. Mayor Ireland said endowments tend to make an organization look inward. Mayor Ireland said a public process should be identified before there is approval for spending any money. The Council should think about doing an endowment model which excludes the community in the process. Councilman Romero agreed and stated Council should stay consistent between the role of owner and of land use reviewer. Councilman Romero said he would like the applicant to make a firmer commitment to what this expansion will be rather a box with possible veneer and possible fenestrations. Councilman Romero said the preservation of the historic resource will need to be addressed; how the new building relates to the historic resource. Councilman Romero agreed a public process to get feedback and to test the proposal, first and operational costs, how local users and groups will be supported in the long term is required. Councilman Skadron agreed with those comments. Councilman Johnson said this is a plan for the 21S` Century; the city should take the time to figure it out, to understand the finances, the operation, and historic preservation. A process is needed to move forwazd and to do the project right. Mayor Ireland stated Council agrees, before they vote on this project, they want a public process for vetting the financial issues and are assured there is a process to understand those finances. Mayor Ireland said there is concern about making sure this is available to local arts groups, and that this project will pay for itself over time. Mayor Ireland said he would like the applicants to come back with a process. Randy Ready, assistant city manager, noted there is a draft vision statement in the packet which articulates the purpose for this expansion, how it is to be programmed, and how it is to be scheduled. Ready said staff will work on a pro forma for both the construction as well as operating revenues and expenses. Ready stated this is a conceptual PIJD and issues Council has brought up are typically part of the final PUD. It will require resources to come up with architectural details. Councilman Romero noted the applicants alluded to other studies for this project and although this is a conceptual, there is a need of surety from the public of some reliance at a conceptual level before going to the next step in the process, that this project is narrowed somewhat. Councilman Johnson moved to continue Resolution #78, Series of 2009, to October 26, 2009; seconded by Councilman Romero. All in favor, motion carried. RESOLUTION #73, SERIES OF 2009 -Contract Program Manager Wheeler Opera House Steve Bossart, asset management, reminded Council the Citizen Budget Task Force and performance and financial audits done in 2008 weighed in on the process on how the city should handle larger capital projects. Some recommendations were to have a greater 11 Regular Meeting Aspen City Council September 29 2009 degree of transpazency, as well as to seek outside expertise to help the city with the leadership of projects. Bossart noted this contract is consistent with those recommendations and pazallels obtaining good financial information. Bossart said one of the program manager's charges is to get the guaranteed maximum price to Council and to the community in a timely process. Bossart noted in 2008, Council authorized using the integrated project delivery, which is an AIA model and brings all parties into the contract early enough so their expertise can assist in gathering data. Bossart said having a contractor in place from the beginning helps the process. This contract covers the program manager process from this date until the beginning of construction. Once construction begins, this process will be re- evaluated. Bossart told Council this went through a bid process; the other party's costs were about 3 times higher than this proposed contractor. Bossart said after the previous discussion, staff looked at the scope of work and recommends that a portion of the scope of work be continued with helping staff to RFP and to select the contractor and draft the contract so the discussion on costs have a good base. Bossart suggested rather than the proposed $300,000, this contract be cut in about 1/3 and an addendum be added to the contract. Mayor Ireland said it seems to make sense to get help in getting costs and the other issues that have emerged from the discussion on the Wheeler. Mayor Ireland moved to approve Resolution #73 with the amendment that staff will negotiate about 1/3 amount in order to get started on the costs issues; seconded by Councilman Romero. Councilman Johnson stated although he does not support the entire amount, getting information in order to better understand the costs of the prof ect is consistent with Council's discussion about the Wheeler expansion. Councilman Romero said the definition of the first piece of work should focus ion the scope of services that will support the project through the next 30 days. Bossart pointed out the sections 1.2 project start up help set up communications between the project team, the finance department and Council. All in favor, motion carried. RESOLUTION #52, SERIES OF 2009 -Lift One Lodge conceptual PUD Councilman Johnson recused himself since he lives within 300 feet of the project. Chris Bendon, community development department, reminded Council there was a meeting September 22"d when Council had a site visit with the applicant. Bendon went through a series of 25 pictures showing the site visit, the views, some proposed heights, outline of building footprints, the city's right-of--way and some possible encroachments into that right-of--way. Bendon noted this amended site plan accommodates the ski back corridor, the lift corridor. This affects the locations of the buildings, which Council could see where the buildings would be located and their footprints. Bendon requested Council's 12 Regular Meetiue Aspen Citv Couucil Seatember 29 2009 direction on what they have seen to date, the site plan, the architectural character, scale and mass. Bob Daniel, representing the Roaring Fork Mountain Lodge Aspen LLC applicants, reminded Council they have discussed the corridor, how the master plan relates to history accessibility and vitality and the themes of skiing and being. These all affect the site and the evolution of the plan for the site and size of the buildings. Daniel noted the azchitecture can help address height, mass and scale and this presentation will focus on architecture. Daniel reminded Council the direction was to look at the COWOP components part of the prior proposal and the applicants went back to the themes of history, accessibility, vitality and sustainability, skiing and being. The applicants looked at the original architecture and whether those meshed with the themes for the development. Daniel said the proposed architecture tries to reflect the community values and the site values. Daniel noted the original architecture was akin to national park azchitecture, which many people found too heavy and dark. The applicants looked at integrating green roofs and green aspects into the master plan. Council has asked about managing the property for inclusion rather than exclusion. The applicant looked at the architecture to make sure the public spaces were obvious and welcoming. The applicants retested the azchitecture against the internal and external program to see if they made sense. The applicants felt good about the residential feel and the tree-lined aspect of the lower lodge building, its relationship to the street; however, some of the materials could be lightened up and be less imposing. The applicants liked the east wing for the quality of the employee housing; for the green roofs; and for work with neighbors to the east to try and increase setbacks, vary roof lines and modify the forms and massing of the structures. Daniel said the upper lodge building, the applicants looked at the approach to the building, the public access space and re-examined the building and how it is incorporated into the site. The emphasis has been changed from an inward oriented lodge to a building more set into the landscape and one that uses the green roofs as more than just an environmental solution. Daniel told Council the applicants have heard from the public that this upper building should have a more "alpine" feel and they have alternative designs to address those comments. Daniel said the ski corridor is a concept that came out of the COWOP and the applicants looked at how this currently functions and how it might have functioned in the past. Daniel showed slides looking up from Dean street and historical pictures of when this was a ski area. Daniel said what is important is how the project feels and how it appears along South Aspen street; also important is what happens on the east side of the project and how it interfaces with the neighbors. Stephen Holly, azchitect, went through slides of lodge vernacular architecture and some slides of more open and lighter architecture. Holly showed a slide of the original architecture for the lower lodge building and a rendering of a lightened lower lodge 13 Regular Meeting Asoen City Council Seatember 29 2009 building with more subtle detailing and using the concepts of green roofs and sustainability and drawing people into the project. Holly showed renderings of how the buildings move in and how they relate to the street and a sectional of the movement of the lower lodge building. Holly noted there is no on street pazking. Councilman Skadron asked the height of the floors. Holly said on average these aze 11' floors, the floor to ceiling height is 8' to 9'. Holly presented a rendering of the east building from the original COWOP with lodge design elements with a heavy stone base and heavy timbers. Holly showed a rendering of the east building lightened up with lighter materials and more green roofs. Holly said the applicants have looked at moving the green roofs down the structure toward the street scape in order to engage pedestrians. Holly told Council the design of this building is trying to be sensitive to the buildings to the east; the building is pulled away from the property line. Holly told Council the most feedback they have received on this project relates to the upper lodge building. It is the iconic entry to the slopes; it engages the public. Holly showed a rendering of the building as seen by the COWOP, which is inwazd looking and protective. Holly said the reaction to this building has been that the style of architecture is stoic and self-important. Holly said the applicants wanted to engage the upper activity node as an opposite end to the museum to draw people up the hill to the most public area of the lodge structure. This includes the Ski Company ticketing, the lodge lobby entry and the public restaurant and apres ski deck. Holly said there are multiple levels of activity throughout the site and they flow around each other. Holly pointed out the lightening up of the materials and a trellis system which creates a platform to allow the green roof to cascade over and down and provide more interesting azchitectural vitality. Holly showed a drawing of how the porte cochere runs back into the building, the public turn azound, which allows access to the ski company and to the restaurant. Holly said alpine architecture is a more sheltered approach with a big roof reaching down to the pedestrians. Holly told Council the site has a strong past and a weak present. The goal of the master plan has been to redefine that and to also seek a strong future. Holly said the lighter architecture helps to address that goal. Daniel noted there are 3 different lodge buildings connected in 2 different places. These buildings operate as one lodge with a level of distinction between them, which helps to reduce the overall sense of mass and scale. Daniel pointed out that national pazk architecture is seen in a lazge physical space rather than at the top of a street in town. Daniel said the flatter roof on the upper building sets it down more into the landscape. The lower lodge has a more residential feel with street trees, stepping up the hill. The east building has an extensive green roof system, responding to the adjacent property owners and it has various shapes. Danie] reiterated there is a public restaurant that is more open and inviting. Daniel asked Council if they are comfortable with the 5 different buildings making up the master plan of Lift One Lodge. 14 ___ ~ __ _ _ Regular Meeting Aspen City Council Seutember 29 2009 Councilman Skadron asked the average room sizes. Daniel said that will be presented at the next meeting. Councilman Skadron said the applicant has done a good job responding to Council concerns. Councilman Skadron pointed out the applicant stated they were reducing the sense of scale; he would rather that the building scale actually be reduced. Councilman Skadron said larger lodge rooms are producing really large buildings. Councilman Skadron said discussions have been azound returning vitality to this area and capturing the historic presence. Councilman Skadron pointed out what was historic was the mass and scale of buildings like the Skier's Chalet. Councilman Skadron stated it is difficult agree this is capturing the historic sense when what is presented is such a departure from what was there previously. Councilman Torre said these are positive steps forward; however, these are lazge buildings. Councilman Torre said he is struggling with the size of the buildings. Councilman Torre noted the ski lift down the middle of the property is driving the buildings to the edge of the property and without the lift there would be more flexibility on the site. Councilman Torre said originally he was in favor of a lift, not a rope tow, coming all the way down the property toward town. Councilman Torre asked whether the lift could be moved to the street side of the property. Councilman Torre said he needs more information, lot size, FAR, building sizes, rooms sizes and the programs within the building to assess whether the trade off is worth it to the community. Councilman Tone agreed the directions of these changes aze positive. Councilman Romero said he is also positive about these changes and believes it is going in the right direction. Councilman Romero said he likes the scaling down and lightening up of the buildings. Councilman Romero said he feels the east building is the least impressive in terms of the architecture of the whole project. Councilman Romero noted using architecture as an appropriate tool for openness and invitedness, this proposal is going in the right direction. Mayor Ireland opened the public hearing. Patrick Sagal thanked the applicant for accepting and hearing public input and each iteration has gotten better. Sagal noted cut and cover over Aspen street may be a way to move the ski azea to the west. Chris Bendon entered a letter from Bruce Carlson into the record. Georgia Hanson, Aspen Historical Society, told Council the COWOP spent much time talking about the lift and the process started with the opinion of bringing the lift to Durant no matter what. Ms. Hanson pointed out for the amount of time the lift is used, using all that real estate did not make sense and the poma can go away when not being used instead of dominating the entire project. Ms. Hanson said the COWOP ended up with the original site line as an homage to the history; moving the lift to the street does not maintain the historical connection of the town to the mountain. Phyllis Bronson said using the lighter materials makes a big difference in the appearance. The sense of accessibility is different; there is a sense of open space. Ms. Bronson said this is moving in the right direction, although she shares the concerns expressed by Councilmembers Torre and Skadron about the size. Ms. Bronson said true alpine lodge 15 R~ular Meetine Aspen Citv Council September 29, 2009 feeling would have smaller rooms. David Schoenberger stated he likes the way these building look. Schoenberger said maybe the lift corridor needs to be sacrificed for smaller buildings and maybe there are better ways to utilize both sides of the street. Lisa Mazkalunas supported maintaining the historic integrity of the ski lift; this is an important historic part of the community and it is not worth sacrificing that history for any purpose. Junee Kirk said she is concerned about the density, height mass and scale. Ms. Kirk said this has not been reduced more than 7% from the original master plan. This project will cause a canyon going up the street. There is too much density and why not reduce it by 50%. The project should be kept in the alpine character of the existing neighborhood. Councilman Romero asked if using the original lift one was looked at during the previous COWOP. Daniel told Council the Ski Company talked to a lift engineer about its feasibility and potential to pass a safety inspection and it was determined it was not feasible. Bendon said new towers would have to be added. Daniel said when they was presented to the HPC, they indicated strong feelings about the ski corridor. Historic assets is on the list of topics for the next meeting. Mayor Ireland said the city needs to keep focused on the larger picture, which includes how to sustain Aspen's economy in the post-boom era. Mayor Ireland said hotel rooms, places for people to stay temporarily, is important. Mayor Ireland noted it is important this design not go easUwest across the hill to wall off the hill from the town. Mayor Ireland said having two corridors has a value allowing one to look through the project up to the mountain. Mayor Ireland said he feels height is a lesser evil than sprawl. Mayor Ireland said history does not mean re-creation; there has to be some allowance for change. Small lodges will not create vitality. Mayor Ireland agreed a critical question is about the room sizes and there maybe combinations of different sizes for a less driving demand for volume. Mayor Ireland said this architecture is brilliant; the national park architecture was too dark, too like a fortress and too imposing. Council has to wrestle with height versus volume versus a project trying to create a feeling of welcomeness and lodge accommodations geared toward the mazket. Mayor Ireland said he does not think narrow streets are bad. Mayor Ireland reiterated he likes being able to view through the project up the mountain. Mayor Ireland said he also likes the green roofs. Councilman Torre moved to continue Resolution #52, Series of 2009, Lift One Lodge to October 13; seconded by Councilman Romero. All in favor, motion carried. Mayor Ireland moved to adjourn at 10:15; seconded by Councilman Romero. All in favor, motion carried. Kathryn S. Koch, City Clerk 16