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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20101110 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Ann Mullins called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Commissioners in attendance: Jason Lasser and Jamie McLeod. Jay was seated at 5:05. Brian McNellis, Nora Berko and Sarah Broughton were excused. Staff present: Jim True, Special Counsel Amy Guthrie, Historic Preservation Officer Sara Adams, Historic Preservation Planner Kathy Strickland, Chief Deputy City Clerk MOTION: Ann moved to approve the minutes of Sept. 22 " second by Jason. All in favor, motion carried. MOTION: Ann moved to approve the minutes of Oct. 13`" second by Jamie. All in favor, motion carried. Public Comments: Toni Kronberg mentioned the Walton house which is the only remaining residence from the 1800's left in the City of Aspen. The house has been sold for 4 million dollar to Greg Hill. When I came before you the last time my concern was that part of the historic fence was allowed to be taken down so that a driveway could be put in. This went without HPC review. It was a staff sign off. I was told that the change could always be reversed because it was temporary in nature. Now the entire fence in the back alleyway and part of the garden is removed. There is not one other property in this town that that was allowed to happen to. It is a staging area for the construction site for the Crandall building. I am upset. We are to be preserving our historic resources. Why do we even have an HPC commission for reviews? How and why was this allowed to happen? Jay said we had this discussion about the fence before and we were to discuss and figure out some kind of way that a landmark property comes before us for a change like this. Amy said the property is a landmark and we have had in our code for many years' different ways that we deal with landmarks. Some work is completely exempt and other things are eligible for staff determination and some things are minor or major developments. The property is being used for staging for some of the work on the Crandall building rather than asking to use the streets and ask for an encroachment license. They came in with a permit to remove a section of the fence and the fence is not historically 1 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 significant, it is a picket privacy fence. That part of the property will be corded off so material storage etc. can occur from public view. It is a temporary impact and we submitted the permit. Jason said he did a site visit and he agrees that the building is historic. We want to preserve as much as possible but we need to play by the rules. I have watched buildings that I love get altered. The fence is around 30 years old and is fairly new. It is in their right to do what they are doing. Toni said this has not been brought to the commission. The house next to Amy's old house was brought in because they wanted to put in trees. Jason said this is an administrative sign off. Jay said he will discuss this with Amy, Jim and Sara to determine if any rules were not followed and he will get an unbiased opinion. Ann commented that a staging area might impact the historic resource due to the generated foot traffic. Amy said a temporary fence with be erected and nothing will cross over to the historic house. Jim said if Toni outlines her concerns of the code he will evaluate whether or not she is interpreting the code correctly. Jamie suggested that a construction fencing be erected on the inside to protect the parameter where the staging will be and to protect the area from further expansion. Commissioner comments: Ann brought up 135 W. Hopkins. The scale and forms complement each other. The materials degrade the entire project. The grayish white and the color of the historic house do not work together and it degrades the building. We really need to see samples of what is going to be used and if we insist that it be painted we need to see what the outcome is. Sara said she looked into the approvals and it was for vertical siding but there was no profile submitted. In the future we should request information on how siding is installed. 2 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Jamie suggested applicants do a site mockup which would be very helpful for the monitors and staff. Ann suggested the board start discussing interior reviews. Jay said if the commission preserves only one building a year it is worth it. Disclosure: Jason disclosed that he has done work with Michael Hoffman in the past but feels he has no conflict. Michael said he has no problem with Jason reviewing the Boomerang. 500 W. Hopkins, Boomerang Lodge — Amendment to Historic Landmark Designation, Public Hearing Steve Stunda, owner and managing local partner Michael Hoffman, attorney representing the applicant Exhibit I — drawing of the pool Exhibit II — proof of publication Exhibit III — Public comments Steve said he has been in Aspen since the 60's. He bought the project in 2005 and it took a year to go through the entitlement process. I voluntarily offered to preserve the east wing of the building and dedicate it to the historic preservation commission. There were no negotiations. I wanted it to be kept because I thought it important that a piece of old Aspen be kept and I still fill that way. At the time of designation we included the swimming pool in the outlying area. When we were going to do a lodge it was an integral part of the project and it added a great element. Unfortunately because of the economy I have been trying to get a loan for 2 'h years to develop it as approved. I have a building permit that is good until June of 2011. The least desirable for lenders is the condominium lodge. The team and in conjunction with the City we proposed converting the already approved building into an affordable housing project. We will retain the integrity of the east wing and nothing will change. Since we are about to make a change the old pool is no longer an attractive use within the context of the new project. Housing said the pool is just too expensive to maintain and too small to of a benefit. We are suggesting that the site plan be 3 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 amended that the building be under your purview but the pool be eliminated and it becomes a picnic area for the people living in the building. Site plan - Exhibit I. It is our intent to preserve the structure that was approved in 2005. The lower level of the existing building will be all storage. We can outline the pool indicating what it used to be and the rest would be a grassy area. Michael said staff requested we submit an HPC minor development approval. This application is going to city council to request the change in use from a condominium zed lodge to affordable housing. APCHA, which is the housing authority, has said the pool and spa are detriments to the project and they are too costly. They have asked us to have the area removed from designation. In a minor development approval HPC makes a decision and the only way we can bring that decision to City Council is to appeal your decision no matter what the decision is. That was inappropriate so what we did instead is ask you to make a recommendation as to whether you agree that this particular area of the historically designated area should be removed from your authority so that it can be converted to a picnic area. Your recommendation will be taken to city council and decided with the rest of our application. Amy said APCHA has requested the area be removed due to potential problems and burdens on the home owners. I don't believe APCHA suggested it should be delisted from the inventory, they simply agreed that the pool should not be part of the development. Staff feels HPC should be discussing the site plan, such as the historic significance of the pool and how can it be preserved in some way that works for everyone. There may be a solution where just the concrete form work is preserved or perhaps the pool turns into a reflecting pool that doesn't have the same safety concerns as the existing pool. Charlie Patterson was educated in the Wrightian design and the relationship of the inside to the outside was a fundamental thing. Even at the pool level you could interact the outside to the inside. Staff recommends HPC deny the proposal to change the boundaries of the historic designation. Michael said in an appeal council can only decide if there was an abuse of discretion or abuse of due process. It is the weighing of the affordable housing concerns vs. the historic values of the designation. Amy said she feels there is a solution and an appeal won't be necessary. 4 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Steve said when the building changes use from its original intent the pool becomes nothing but a nuisance. Comments and clarifications: Jason said this will be a great affordable housing project and we can come up with a cool solution. As a suggestion you could cover it and put a platform over it to protect the pools. You could add a heat pump and heat the pool or have a reflecting pond. You can reuse the pools as is and it won't stop your project. Steve Stunda said the pool is too small. Jamie said it isn't the discussion of the pool it is the discussion of HPC being able to review this area or not. We need to make that really clear. Does HPC want to relinquish control of that area? Ann said the question is whether or not this is an important part of the building and landscaping of the site. We don't need to decide whether a pool is appropriate for affordable housing or not. The question is, is this an important part of the building and landscaping of the site. Amy pointed out that this is an unusual circumstance in that only a portion of the property (1/3) is under designation. This was a willingness on Steve to designate the property. HPC will not review anything other than the historic portion of the property. Jay opened the public hearing. Toni Kronberg asked about the pool and how deep it would be. Jay said only ideas have been thrown out and we have no design. Toni said the use is changing and I don't ever remembering a pool being preserved before. As a member of the public it is hard to know what HPC has purview over. Paul Taddune, representing the Christiania Lodge adjacent to the project. Paul encouraged the HPC to retain jurisdiction so HPC can determine what the final result is and probably something could be worked out. It is a safeguard to get input from other adjacent property owners. It may be that there would be no jurisdiction in the future based on the rest of the project 5 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 but we don't know that in the abstract. It is obvious you should retain jurisdiction. Jay closed the public hearing. Ann reiterated that the board isn't talking about the use of the building or the appropriateness of the pool; we are talking about whether to give us review opportunity of this area. Something could be done. It is a beautiful integrated site and we shouldn't give up designation. Jamie said HPC should retain review of the area no matter what it turns out to be and the landscaping of the area will reflect what is happening in the historic area. Jason said the pool area is a big percentage of the site and something can happen that will work for everyone. The project will be dynamite when it is done. Michael said we have already submitted the application for the change in use and that includes the change in the PUD as a whole. The representation is a lawn area and a picnic area. There will be public involvement in the PUD. Jay said he is siding with the other commissioner comments. The area is a big percentage of the designated area. We don't have purview over any part of the property anymore. This would ensure some kind of safeguard. Steve said he doesn't mind having this conditioned upon council approval. I voluntarily gave up this building. Michael pointed out that the context of the pool is being destroyed by the change in use from a lodge to affordable multi - family housing. The use of the sub -grade space will be storage so the context of historic resource and spa is destroyed. Ann said if we give up this portion of review what happens if your project goes away and it goes back to being a lodge. Steve said it could be conditioned upon the use changed. 6 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Ann said we feel we can work with you and come up with something that enhances the building. If your project doesn't go through then we haven't lost the pool. Jay said he would guess that employee housing residents would probably enjoy a pool. We shouldn't rely on APCHA's letter unless there is a code amendment that says no pools are allowed in employee housing units. Amy said HPC's issue to address is; does this landscape have historic significance to the building or not and if future alterations occur is this something that this board has input on. Ann said the assumption is that we will do a good job working with the applicant. Ann said she would not vote to remove the pool designation without knowing what the future of this project is. It would be better to deal with the difficulties down the road. MOTION: Ann moved to approve resolution #13 that HPC recommends to deny an amendment to the historic landmark designation for the Boomerang Lodge, 500 W. Hopkins Avenue; second by Jamie. All in favor, motion carried.4 -0. Lift I, South Aspen Street — Final Major Development, Public Hearing Stephen Holly, Poss Architects Bob Daniel, applicant Proof of public notice — Exhibit I Power point — Exhibit II Sara said Stephen and Bob will go over the background. There are four properties in your purview. Two parks, Lift I and Willoughby Park. The Chalet Steak house and the Chalet Lodge and pool house which will be moved onto Willoughby Park which is a designated parcel. The applicant is reverting back to their 2006 approvals when Ordinance #48 was not in place. Bob Daniels said they are providing an overview for a plan that renews the historic assets around the base of Lift I. The building exteriors are going to be the same. Regarding the site they will be in their historical context as it relates to coming to grade. We will be retaining assets and designating assets. The goal is to remind you what was previously approved and clarify 7 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 what is different and enable you to support the recommendation of staff. We are talking about the area at the base of Lift I, the west side of Aspen Mountain. Lift I is on the local and National register. The steak house is on the local register and the Skier Chalet Lodge is on Ord. #48 list. Historic assets that are best for people are those that they can engage with. We feel that is something that has been lost in this area of Aspen. One thing that has been constant for the past four years is looking at both sides of the street and trying to figure out how all the properties might work together to honor the heritage of skiing and reinvigorate the area and improve the access of the area including Willoughby Park. Bringing Lift I into prominence is a very important part of this plan from its inception. This commission enforced that the corridor was important throughout all the meetings. Conceptual approval: 1. Relocation of the non historic Skier Chalet lodge down to Willoughby Park which will turn into the Aspen Historic Society museum. 2. Restoration of the Skier Chalet steak house and the removal of the non - historic addition. The Lift I ski corridor was part of the master plan. The outhouse being preserved is an important aspect. In 2008 there was approval for a revised plan. We want to move forward and discuss any differences that are occurring from conceptual to this final approval. Lift I park — One of the designated lift towers will be part of a ski through. Willoughby Park and Skier Chalet steak house. With the relocated lodge structure being the museum the location at conceptual was slightly different and now it is the exact relationship between the existing lodge and pool house. The ticket building has been removed. The lodge structure has been pulled ten feet further away from the proposed lodge building to give a better separation from the two buildings. There was a tower proposed for exiting but it has been incorporated in the building so that we don't need to add anything. That cleans up the entire area to the park and opens it up. At conceptual the street was curved and for final it is straight and respecting the grid. Stephen said the skier chalet lodge at conceptual will move down and become the museum. We will rehabilitate the skier chalet lodge and the original siding. The relationship to grade is the same. The small elevator overrun was approved at conceptual and it is for accessibility for the museum. In the case of the steak house we are proposing no additions. In 8 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 terms of materials we will be working with staff and monitor. Portions of the front entry will be recreated for access and the non - historic addition will be taken off which was approved at conceptual. Bob said the team is excited about what can be possible about opening up the area to celebrate Lift I and its context as it relates to skiing in Aspen. Lift one will be stabilized and will be painted its original color, red. One of the out houses is backed up against the Dolinsek fence and we propose to retain and stabilize them. The ticket booth location will have a marker indicting its significance to the lift experience historically. The lift towers that exist, on the Steak House parcel, at conceptual we had a plan that required the movement and stabilizing and returning it. In our final now we don't have a need to move the base or lift tower and they can sit where they are through the process. The Lift tower in Lift 1 Park conceptually we were going to remove, stabilize it and return it and we are proposing that for final due to the parking structure that will extend underneath it. Bob said they are in agreement with the recommendation from staff in the resolution. Sara pointed out that many of the conditions will be left to staff and monitor. There are a lot of things that need to be handled in the field, on site when they come up in construction. Regarding the grading they will document the current condition as a condition of approval then document the proposed grading and the relationship of the buildings to grade so we can be assured that they get as close as possible to the existing. Staff finds that the landscaping is consistent with the guidelines. The walkways, materials of the walkways and the location between the buildings is left to staff and monitor. The corner of Willoughby Park is cut away and staff thought a lot about this and we feel it is an important trade off to activate this area with the platter Lift so people can be dropped off Rehabilitation and restoration: Lift towers Sara said the lifts can be stripped of the paint or you can leave them alone. Staff feels it is important that the towers are stabilized and a maintenance plan be developed. Part of stabilizing them just isn't cleaning off the rust but stabilizing them for the future and making sure snow isn't sitting on the wooden seats of the chair lift. 9 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Ticket booth Sara explained that the ticket booth could be recreated and then you would need to decide if you recreated it to the original smaller size or the 1950's version. You could also do some interpretive signage that allows people to see some photos and read some history what it was like there. Staff is suggesting interpretive signage. Deep Powder Cabins and the boat tow Sara said the boat tow is in storage. With the cabins we are still trying to find a use for them. Sara said as a condition of approval that the boundaries for the skier chalet steak house be amended. Since it is going to be moved we want to make sure it is still under HPC purview as a landmark. We are also recommending that an application for designation of the Chalet Lodge and pool house be applied for. Jason asked about the big pine tree on Willoughby Park. Stephen said they can retain it. Jason also asked about the grading. Bob said because of the flat parking area that is at Willoughby Park the idea is to reconstruct the historic grade. There will be enough slope to tuck the Skier Chalet lodge in. The PUD plan shows a pedestrian corridor on Dean Street. Jason asked Bob to explain the turnaround at the bottom of South and Dean Street. We are trying to have the appropriate pull out and pull over. We still have some work to do there from an engineering perspective but we felt like we needed a pull over because people are going to pull over anyway. The Streets Department will probably have some comments on this and it will probably evolve through the PUD process. Jason inquired about the additional trees which is probably a buffer from looking at one lodge to another. Bob said they are looking at buffering between the two buildings and softening the edges of the buildings. Jason asked for clarification on the old life and the new poma base and how is that impacting visually. 10 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Sara said that is a condition of approval because the poma lift has to be built. The recommendation is that HPC encourages that the new small towers do not obstruct the historic lift towers but are clustered near the historic towers to maintain the open feel of the ski run. The final location of the platter towers will be reviewed and approved by staff and monitor. Amy said there is a fairly massive chimney applied to the building and could that elevator overrun be a flat roof with veneer. Jason said that is a good idea. Bob said what you are suggesting from the roof line up is to have that brick so that it has some relationship and it won't have the weird space that would catch snow. Amy also inquired about moving of the lodge from one place to another. Bob said he spent two hours will Bill Baily's house mover and they will move the lodge first and then the steak house. The key for them is to make sure the receiving area is done and done properly. We will work with a structural engineer for where it is going to go. Right now the skier chalet steak house is on a slab and it is going to go onto a beam foundation. A structure will have to be built inside the existing building to hold the existing building together inside so that it is held together in place until it sits down. Amy reminded Bob that the foundation needs to allow for the veneer to look authentic. Jay said the drop off area is a concern because it is far away from the terminal of the platter. Possibly the shape can be studied. Moving 1 A up the hill and changing the grade has it been discussed with the Ski Company with World Cup coming? Bob said we are not getting into any of the areas for racing purposes. The moving of the tower is a concern. Sara said the tower is owned by the City and a letter of credit will have to be drawn up for the tower and the buildings before a building permit will be issued. Jay opened the public hearing. 11 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Leon Feld stated he has been here since 1975 and runs the Mother Lode classic. From the inception of this idea the two volley ball courts are a concern. Bob said the courts are in the PUD. Leon said the city has been trying to figure out where to replace the courts in the city but there is no area to replace them that maintains the flavor of what we built. I love the sport and love the town. We have the country's largest beach double volley ball tournament. 37 rooms are donated to us. The overriding factor is the proximity of the courts to the main courts. We have the largest number of men's and women's open players than anywhere else in the country. The people that come from 30 different states and Canada come primarily because they can play and watch great volley ball. The pedestrian access to Willoughby has been wonderful. If we move them any further away we lose the pedestrian access. There is going to be tight traffic coming down the lift as well as going up the poma Lift. HPC needs to take a good hard look at how that is going to be configured. Jason asked what the dimension of a volley ball court is. Leon said they are 105 long and 60 wide. The actual volley ball court itself is 60 x 30. You need a north to south playing area. Toni Kronberg said this project should be made so that the public supports it 100 %. With the aspen art museum people are mad and I don't want them to take their anger out on this project. People want to preserve Aspen's small town character. The drop off is too small and an area of concern. The amount of cars dropping off for lift access to the platter, it is just too small. The gentleman who deeded the area to the city said it had to be a ski corridor. If you put a platter lift in with a poma you can only go up. I highly recommend that platter be replaced with a single chair lift. Another thing that would be great would be roof tops so people can use them. The volley ball courts are historic and they should be preserved. You also talked about the Boomerang and preserving the pool. Maybe put the courts on the ice skating rink across from Ruby Park and then convert it back to an ice skating rink in the winter. Jay said there is a 20 year lease on the ice rink. Jay closed the public hearing. 12 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 Jay asked about the parking at Willoughby Park. Bob said it is owned by the city and is designated park. Jay said the applicant is working with the city to change that through the PUD. Ann asked how one ski's back down the lift. Bob said it is not a repeat ski area. If someone is doing laps they will use the big lift. Ann said regarding the plant material the more traditional ones are more appropriate. On the outdoor areas it would be best if the plantings were repeated. Jason asked about the lighting fixtures. Stephen said the intent is to retain as much as possible that is historic. We will work with staff and monitor if replacement fixtures are needed. The lampposts in front of the steak house will be refurbished. On the lodge for the museum we will retain the fixtures but might not use them all. The flattest spot on the site is at Dean on the corner where the turnaround is and possibly one court could go there. You could use the drop off in the winter and summer it becomes a usable court. You could get one north south court there and the other one pinches the lift a little and would be on the right -of -way. Jason said he is not in favor of the turn around and would rather see the corner. Stephen said he would look at the site plan. Jay said there is an opportunity to put the courts up on the hill because they are clearly only used in the summer time. I would like to see our town utilized with more winter and summer things. Ann said we need to answer the question as to what we do with Lift I, and the lift ticket booth as to whether it gets reconstructed or not. Overall the project is great. Bob said they appreciate the work the HPC has done on this project and we are hoping that will not be taken lightly at Planning and Zoning and Council. Bob said at some level the streets department will weight in. MOTION: Ann moved that HPC accept staff's recommendation(reso #14)with the following conditions: Clarifying the lift rehabilitation method. 13 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 10, 2010 No new building built to replace the ticket booth, just have interpretive signage. The elevator overrun for the skier chalet lodge is going to be a flat roof in the same location that is proposed and be clad with brick to match the chimney. Motion second by Jason. Discussion: Ann said there will be a lot of discussions in the future on the corner because there are so many factors to consider. Jamie said her concern is also the corner. Possibly after the drop off is created Dean Street could be made a one way street. The other concern is the lift and skiing access. The platter lift only runs from 9:00 to NOON and it is blocked off that you can't ski down and then after Noon you can ski down and the lift isn't running. The Skiing Co. will look at the run for liability. Motion carried 4 -0. Ann, yes; Jason, yes;Jamie, yes; Jay, yes. Jay, Jason, Ann monitors. MOTION: Ann moved to adjourn; second by Jay. All in favor, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. 1 /7 _ Kathleen J. Strickland, Chief Deputy Clerk 14