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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20190814 1 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019 Chairperson Greenwood opened the meeting at 4:29 p.m. Commissioners in attendance: Gretchen Greenwood, Bob Blaich, Roger Moyer, Kara Thompson, Richard Lai, Jeffrey Halferty, Scott Kendrick. Absent were Nora Berko and Sheri Sanzone. Staff present: Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk Jim True, City Attorney Amy Simon, Historic Planning Director Sarah Yoon, Historic Preservation Planner MINUTES: Mr. Moyer moved to approve the minutes of July 24th, Mr. Blaich motioned to approve, Ms. Thompson seconded. All in favor, motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Mr. Blaich said he spent this last weekend at the Bauhaus event at the Institute. He said it was very organized and well presented and he really liked the Aspen Modern pamphlet that Ms. Simon handed out and said it’s really nice to have. Ms. Simon said she wants to do a summary of what was learned and mentioned that Ms. Yoon also did some traveling, so they would like to discuss these items on an agenda where there is some extra time. Mr. Moyer entered the meeting. DISCLOSURES OF CONFLICT: Ms. Thompson said she works for Forum Phi who is contracted with Mark Hunt on some other projects. She spoke with Mr. True and he thinks this is ok as long everyone else is ok with it. Mr. True asked her to note her objectivity. Ms. Thompson stated that she can be objective on this project. PROJECT MONITORING: None. STAFF COMMENTS: None. CERTIFICATE OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT: None. CALL UPS: None. PUBLIC NOTICE: Mr. True said they have been received and are appropriate. NEW BUSINESS: 201 E Main Mike Kramer Mr. Kramer is asking for continuance on this project because the applicant needed to make some changes to the site plan and once that is done, they will resubmit it back to staff and allow for some extra time. They are requesting continuance for September 11th and this does require a motion from the board. MOTION: Mr. Moyer moved, Mr. Kendrick seconded. All in favor, motion carried. 2 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019 NEW BUSINESS: 414- 422 E Cooper Avenue Amy Simon Ms. Simon said this is a single property made up of three townsite lots with three distinct buildings. One is where Natural Pets is, another with the Red Onion bar and a vacant store front. HPC reviewed the redevelopment of the Bidwell building a few years ago and included the demolition of the poster shop. You may have questions about how this all works together, but that project was previously approved. Jas Aspen will create a venue that will be on the second floor of the historic Red Onion building and on the second floor of the Natural Pets shop. There are relatively few exterior changes. There will be a small addition on the alley of the Natural Pet shop and some rooftop changes for mechanical and a skylight. Other things to be discussed are growth management and a small amount of affordable housing mitigation that is due, which is roughly 1700 sq. ft. net leasable expansion. The expansion also generates a requirement for parking mitigation of 1.76 new spaces and those cannot be provided, so those can also be mitigated through cash in lieu. Staff is recommending approval. There are no design issues. We have a condition for the applicant to do nothing to change the existing amount of second tier space. There is a common lobby to serve multiple tenants. This property is within two designated view planes; one from the Wheeler and one from Main Street. The Wheeler is the more restrictive one and is the ruling view plane. Most of this development is already above the protected view plane level. The expansion on the alley and the addition of the skylights is permissible by the community development director as long as the points of origin cannot be seen. There are diagrams being shown tonight which reflect that nothing will further pierce the view planes. APPLICANT PRESENTATION: Sara Adams of Bendon Adams, Mark Hunt and Jim Horowitz from Jas Aspen Ms. Adams said this is a very exciting project. Mr. Horowitz said this is not an overnight happening. He said they started talking about this over 10 years ago. There isn’t a single room size of this type of venue in the city, until now and will hold 125-250 people. This space will provide AV capability, catering, daytime natural light or full black out darkness. It will add back a vitality to the core, appealing to diverse age groups. We are short on gathering places here in Aspen. we are short of them. This new space offers the promise of stability and growth for an organization celebrating our 30th year. So far, we have been nomads for a very long time in every nook and cranny. This would be a game changer for us. Café pricing for the performances, is very affordable and well within reach. We are privately financed. There are four purposes and uses and the first is the education programs. We are always hurting to find a place for young musicians to have a rehearsal or a lesson. The JAS Academy is a one of a kind program and we will be expanding it to 4 weeks starting in 2021. The JAS Café runs 36 nights a year, between winter and summer and have used various spots all around town. We never know where we will be, so it will be nice to have a home for this. Lastly, there will be a gallery on the second floor. We house 45,000 pictures of iconic artists currently, so we would like a place to exhibit these and rotate them out. Mr. Horowitz showed a picture of Billie Holliday standing in front of the Red Onion, which was recently found in someone’s shoebox in Montana. She played in Aspen in 1952. Ms. Adams showed the previous approval and explained how this new one will be tied into the Red Onion. All mechanical is set back to keep the visual impact as minimal as possible. She showed the materials and all very simple. They are happy to work with staff and monitor on the brick, but would like to have it close to the Red Onion, but not exactly the same. 3 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019 Ms. Greenwood asked when this project will be built, and Mr. Hunt said they are in position to apply for a permit within 4-6 weeks after approval. Public comment: Lorenzo Semple: First of all, what an exciting project. It’s clear that JAS Aspen has couch surfed too long. Instead of being the Kato Kaelin of jazz gigs, they need a permanent home. Everyone in this room has incredible memories of JAS Aspen concerts. He has seen incredible performances, such as, Chuck Berry. These are life altering experiences. He also mentioned the education component and said his son Patrick, went through the program and from that, has become a touring musician. This just makes so much sense. Bill Stirling: He has been connected very loosely with JAS Aspen right from the beginning. Jazz music in Aspen goes back to the 50’s and 60’s when the Red Onion was really the venue. America was ripe for an exciting for a new form of musical expression and had really spilled over into Aspen. In the late 60’s, early 70’s, less and less jazz was played in town and that continued until 1990. Jim’s vision occurred because of that and he first brought the Labor Day spectacle, which has evolved and moved, and that place is set. The jazz series downtown could also be set in that same way. Now young people are turning to jazz and it’s spawning all sorts of new musicians. Downtown is what people call a community center, where you have “accidental encounters”. That is what a cornerstone of a community is. He is urging everyone to support this. Susan Rubel: She is the executive and artistic director at Aspen Film. She said they live down the hall from Mr. Horowitz and JAS Aspen. She has been looking for ways to collaborate together for the past couple of years and is still relatively new to the community. She understands the need for their own home because it’s not good to bounce from venue to venue. This venue can also be used for other organizations and nonprofits, such as hers, as well. We would love to be able to collaborate and recently did a successful join up with the Temporary in Basalt. They have ceased their program since the Temporary closed down, so we hope you will support this project. Christian McBride: Mr. McBride said that the first ever Jazz festival took place in Nice, France in 1948. Most jazz musicians during that time, were African American, so they fled to Europe to be able to keep creating their music, which was more readily embraced. A lot of the more contemporary artists have been taught in European schools and European institutions. Only in the last 50 years has jazz been accepted as something legitimate. In terms of how it’s taught in schools, we are still in the dark ages. There are only four institutions currently in the U.S. where jazz is being taught, and this Aspen program would add to that. 1994 was his first trip here to play at the Wheeler. He quickly found out about the Aspen Music Festival. He mentioned that he went to Julliard and it was his original goal to play classical and jazz. He found that jazz happened sometimes here in Aspen, in the 90’s. Mr. Horowitz was creating something so special in a town not necessarily known for jazz. The city now has the opportunity to claim itself as an important city in American history with regard to its indigenous music. People can now say New York, New Orleans, Detroit, Chicago and Aspen. Paul Menter: He remembered when Mr. Horowitz regaled him with the plan to bring vitality back to the core. He is here 17 years later, still doing it as this is a lifetime mission for him. He put his Billie Holiday playlist on last night, which is ironic because of the historic picture that was just found, and it gave him chills. He thinks there are three elements relating to the tapestry of Aspen and the history of the 4 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019 organization and how this all came together. His kids graduated from Aspen High School in 2012 and at the time, he felt the music program was pretty inadequate, even though it’s one of the top-rated schools in the country. He grew up in a small town outside of Cincinnati and the music program was huge and a center of the community. This will provide that sense and center for Aspen and the community. Music has gravity and brings people together. Most importantly, music has soul. Jazz is, without question, the most diverse and inclusive music genre ever created. There is real historic and long-term value to that. Chuck Bergeron: He is the program director of the JAS Academy and faculty member of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. The combination of the Frost School and the JAS Academy creates a unique educational idea and brings together two dozen of the most talented young people in college across the country. Now we elevate their careers and prepare them in an entrepreneurial way. Technology has a huge hand and we’ve created a curriculum which is very hands on. Mr. Horowitz has allowed us to create a sort of recruitment from all around the country. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned and is a model for schools across the country. Rick Crandall: He said he is a 20-year resident of Aspen and has been connected with JAS Aspen for the past eight years. You can read about our strategic plan on the internet and we talk about the Aspen experience and how JAS is key to the overall experience. This is an authentic town focused on health. In our plan, we have set a goal that jazz aspen be a key contributor. We want this to be a part of the physical Aspen experience, meaning, people can walk around and be a part of the performance. This kind of thing is what we would love to have and return the Red Onion to its roots. Personally, I am very passionate about this project. Hope that you all see the vision and go along with moving forward. Evan Wiley: He lives across the alley from this building and has a beautiful view of the mountain for the past 20 years. He likes the project, but it has a serious negative impact on the neighbors. The gallery for photos destroys the view plane of the mountain from where he lives and his light. We currently have a beautiful view and our view is right where the gallery is. He hates the idea of looking at the alley side of a building. The property taxes just went up, but this will hurt the valuation of his property. His natural light will be negatively impacted as well. He loves JAS Aspen and hopes the project goes forward and he is not trying to prevent that from happening but would like more consideration regarding the addition. All the new people will impede on the alley and the parking. He said the alley traffic is already horrible and trucks have a difficult time getting in and out. There are a number of things that haven’t been considered, in his opinion. Ms. said the Bidwell portion has already been approved where Kemosabe used to be. Ms. Simon entered another public comment from Rose Sullivan who supports the project. Ms. Greenwood clarified that the gallery space has already been approved from a different project. Their purview is the view from the Wheeler and the addition on the back. Ms. Simon said the Community Development Director will make the decision regarding the view plane. Ms. Greenwood said it’s a wonderful spot, but we can’t comment on the emotional move, just the building. She inquired how the long the relationship will go between Mr. Hunt and JAS Aspen. Mr. Hunt said they will be buying it from him and they will control their destiny on this and he almost never does that. 5 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019 Mr. Horowitz said the blessing from HPC is hugely important. We have to raise the money to do this. At first, there was a lot of skepticism and people saying, you can’t do that, it will never happen. We aren’t hearing these things so much anymore. We just need your blessing now to move forward. We have a very good relationship with Mr. Hunt, and this took a year to develop this plan that works for everyone. Ms. Greenwood closed the public comment. Mr. Moyer asked if they could address the accoutrements on the alley side. Ms. Adams said the plan is to have the penetrations to the roof with clean and clear walls. They want to improve the alley. Mr. Moyer said they have discussed the importance of alleys and how to use them otherwise and mentioned “messy vitality”. Mr. Cunniffe agreed that they want to work on this idea and mentioned that CCLC is currently working on this. Ms. Greenwood said they are slowly getting nicer with the developments. Mr. Moyer said he is in concurrence with staff. He would like to add condition #9 to look at materials. Our purview is the building and that is what we are looking at. Our community is amazing, and we have accomplished so many firsts in the country. If we made a list, it would be over a page long. Now we have another thing to add to the list. He doesn’t see an issue with the view plane pure and simple and he is in favor of the project. Mr. Lai said he is very enthusiastic about this project and agrees with Mr. Moyer. He cannot help, as a citizen, to be very enthusiastic about this. His background is in buildings, planning and architecture, but his brings back his personal background in Aspen circa 1959. He stayed from 1960-65 and the Red Onion was always been a centered gathering. He agrees with Bill Stirling, that it’s the accidental meeting places that make Aspen what it is. He really misses having to go to the post office because they didn’t do mail delivery. You would see everyone there in line. The other thing is that when the music school moved out to the suburbs, he missed hearing all of the music through the windows downtown. Bringing everything back to the core of Aspen will be so important. Maybe this is historic preservation in terms of urban planning, but this will give life to this whole town. It’s wonderful to hear jazz emanating from downtown 24/7. So, he is glad, as a planner, that this will bring life back to Aspen with music. He is very much in favor of this proposal, professionally and personally. Ms. Thompson said she echoes what the rest of the board said regarding bringing jazz into town. She feels the project meets all of the guidelines and she is in favor. Mr. Kendrick said his two concerns were alley facades and view planes and those have been answered. He’s in favor of the project. Mr. Halferty said he is in favor of the project. He mentioned that Harry Teague used to say that “architecture is just frozen jazz”. Mr. Blaich said he would love this project. At this age, it’s harder for him to go out to Snowmass for concerts. Putting this right into town where he can walk and have a couple drinks, it’s a real asset. He was introduced to jazz very early. His mother sang for the metropolitan opera and she took him to see Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall. It was a real eye opener or ear opener and he’s been a fan ever since. 6 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019 There is an opportunity to do something here in town and he supports this as a project and as a fan. He wishes them well on it. Ms. Greenwood said this is surreal and it’s truly the right home. She congratulated the applicants. MOTION: Mr. Lai motioned to approve resolution #14 with the addition of condition #9, Mr. Moyer seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Kendrick, yes; Mr. Halferty, yes; Mr. Blaich, yes; Ms. Greenwood, yes; Mr. Moyer, yes; Mr. Lai, yes; Ms. Thompson, yes. Mr. Lai is project monitor. NEW BUSINESS: 616 ½ W. Main Street B Sarah Yoon Ms. Yoon said this is for the establishment of TDR’s. There are two units on this lot. The owner of unit B is present today. According to this documentation, the rights have been awarded to unit B, which is the legally established single home on the property. There is an active current undertaking of an enforcement action on unit A, which is the Victorian in front. We have been given direction that this enforcement action doesn’t have any impact on this application. TDR’s are a way of taking development rights and removing them from the property. We encourage this because it does not increase mass and scale on the site. This property is located in the mixed-use zone district and there is a 20% deduction relating to calculating floor area. We have amended this so that the TDR’s can be calculated with the 100% floor area numbers. The applicant can request three TDR’s for this property. In terms of the criteria for the TDR’s, all criteria have been met. Staff is in favor of awarding the TDR’s and ultimately, city council is in control of awarding the TDR’s. APPLICANT PRESENTATION: Alex Halperin, owner and Patrick Rawley of Stan Clauson Associates Mr. Rawley showed the two units as a visual aid. He showed how the two units were established along with the floor areas calculations on screen. We can’t have a fraction of a TDR, so we are asking for three. The program enables standard market forces. Ms. Greenwood said there are no questions and she doesn’t have any issue with this. Mr. Moyer agreed and said he has no questions. Ms. Thompson noted that the existing floor area calculations aren’t done correctly for the lower level. She questioned how they are measured. Ms. Simon said they will have to be proofed and have a little leeway for now. MOTION: Mr. Blaich motioned to approve, Ms. Thompson seconded. All in favor, motion carried. MOTION: Mr. Halferty motioned to adjourn, Mr. Moyer seconded. All in favor, motion carried at 6:08 p.m. ________________________ Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk 7 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2019