HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20130410 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES OF APRIL 10 2013
Chairperson, Ann Mullins called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
Commissioners in attendance: Nora Berko, Willis Pember, Jay Maytin,
Jamie McLeod, Jane Hills and Patrick Sagal. Sallie Golden was excused.
Staff present:
Deborah Quinn, Assistant City Attorney
Amy Guthrie, Historic Preservation Officer
Kathy Strickland, Chief Deputy City Clerk
Justin Barker, Planner
MOTION: Ann moved to approve the minutes of February 27th; second by
Jamie. All in favor, motion carried.
MOTION: Nora moved to approve the minutes of March 13th second by
Ann. All in favor, motion carried.
701 N. Third St. — Conceptual Major Development, Setback Variances —
Public Hearing
Amy said this is a conceptual continued public hearing. The applicant is
proposing a 790 square foot addition. No changes are proposed to the
historic resource. The proposal is adding onto the garage on the west end of
the property. At the last meeting HPC asked for a revision to minimize the
setback variance. Pearl Court is the front. They are proposing a five foot
setback. The deck was also revised. Staff recommends approval of the five
foot rear yard setback on the north. Staff feels the revisions are appropriate.
Nothing in the guidelines requires some particular response to the
neighborhood environment. HPC's role is the relationship of the new
construction and the Victorian. Staff recommends approval.
Alan Richman, representative for the project. Alan said it is almost
impossible to meet every single guideline. On the north property line we
have a five foot setback as requested. There is a ten foot separation from the
historic house. We have staggered the dormers and changed the windows
under the dormer on the addition. We have also made changes to the roof
form. The height measurement to the 1/3 of the roofs 20.6 and to the peak it
is 24 feet. We are below all our code requirements. On the west there is a
five foot variance and we have ten feet.
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Steve Whipple, owner said the chimney goes to a wood burning fire place
and it is technically legal. Only the stack is visible and is where it was
historically. We lowered the building a little more. We lost the arched
windows which is a good thing. The ground around the neighbor's house is
higher and we are about 8 inches different in height between the neighbor's
house. We are 4 1/2 feet under what we are legally allowed. We have
softened the design. The mechanical will be on the ground.
Nora said the west setback is 10 1/2 feet.
Alan said they are increasing the setback that exists there today.
Chairperson, Ann Mullins opened the public comment portion of the agenda
item.
Peterson letter— Exhibit I
James Peterson, neighbor. Our house is 21.6 feet high. We are impressed
with the revisions made and it is a better project. Carol Craig's house is 21.6
feet high. The rest of the houses on Pearl Court are less than 20 feet high.
There might be a chance to lower the height of the ridge a foot or so as seem
from Pearl Court. The house might have an air conditioner installed and
hopefully there will be provisions for noise from the compressor. We know
the Whipple's will love living on Pearl Court. Susan and David Pine also
said they would support a reduction in height,
Jim Curtis said he lives at 411 Pearl Court the house directly across the
street. All of the changes are appreciated by the neighborhood.
Carol Craig said she would appreciate the reduction in height due to a solar
panel that she has and it will be blocked.
Burnice and Randy Duran, 415 Pearl court. The applicant has done a good
job of complying with what was discussed at the last meeting.
Chairperson, Ann closed the public comment portion of the agenda item.
Issues:
Scale, mass proportions
5' variance on north
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Connector
Ann commented that the letter prepared by Alan Richman and the drawings
are well packaged and the board appreciates it.
Steve said he had an engineer come to the site and he cannot reduce the
height.
Jamie said she is in favor of the five foot north setback and is fine with the
existing height.
Willis said the applicant went beyond with their revisions. The revisions to
the side of the Petersons is commendable.
Jane complimented the applicant for doing a good job. Jane also thanked the
board and neighborhood for engaging to make this project better.
Nora also thanked everyone. 12 inches in height would not change the
Craig's issue on their solar panel in the ground.
Ann also commented that we have no guidelines for protecting solar panels.
The project has much improved.
Steve said with the ridge line the way it is you will have more sunlight in the
morning and afternoon.
MOTION: Jay moved to approve resolution #9 second by Ann. All in
favor, motion carried. Roll call vote: Jane, yes; Patrick, yes; Willis, yes;
Jamie, yes; Ann, yes; Nora, yes.
435 E. Main Street—Final Major Development— Public Hearing
Debbie said the affidavit of posting is in order and the applicant can proceed.
Amy said initially there was a phase two for a social hall and more recently
they decided that some of the functions could be handled in the parsonage
building. At conceptual approval there was discussion about the site
planning and where the parsonage building would sit. Also the front door
was to face Main Street and there is a nice porch as required by the
guidelines. There was a request on the long roof slope over the west living
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space to have a dormer or something to break it up and that has been
accomplished. The project has been to council and P&Z. There has been a
change in the site plan since the last meeting. The parsonage was close to
the cabins on Third Street and it was requested it be pushed 3 5 feet further
away. It has moved 3.5 feet back closer to the Third Street cabins. This has
to do with the garage and in my assessment we still have a good separation
and the free standing residence is better than the social hall would have
been. Staff recommends approval.
Alan said council and P&Z don't really look at the site plan. Council
wanted to see a drawing.
Amy said she was not aware of the changes until she received the final
package.
Patrick inquired about the landscape and if there are changes.
Amy said initially we had a landscape plan but things have changed and we
can make that a condition of approval to have clarification of the changes.
Amy said option A was ten feet away from the cabins and that plan was not
approved by HPC. Option B was 34.11 which was approved and now they
are at 31 1/2 feet. They still are 21 feet away than they originally were.
Alan said the packet to council and P&Z had the diagrams from conceptual
at 35 feet.
Arthur Chabon said they placed the dormer on the long roof, switched the
entrance to Main Street and we moved the parsonage as far away from the
cabins as we could balancing the play area and altering the internal program.
I was told that the entrance had to be off Main Street and that necessitated
some drastic changes to the internal planning. The combination of the
entrance off of Main and that the garage align with the cabins and also trying
to keep a viable play area made it that we couldn't meet the 35 foot
dimension. The only area that we are at 31.5 is at the entrance that aligns up
with cabin 18. The entire front area is 34.9 feet.
Arthur presented a lighting plan. The siding material is stained cedar.
Stone, a cellar stone. And the roof will be a standing seam, "Folensby steel".
The changes to the landscaping was necessitated by the change to the
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parsonage. There is a path to the porch. There is a private entrance off
Third Street for the Rabi and his family.
Alan said all of the cabins are deed restricted on Third Street as affordable
housing for those employees of the synagogue. The three on the back are
deed restricted for scholars and other persons associated with the synagogue.
Jamie said it looks like the mass and scale has changed on every elevation,
dormers have moved and the height has changed 1'8". The skylights also go
taller.
Arthur Chabon said you can't just put the entrance on Main Street.
Everything impacts everything. It is impossible to do a single change.
Jamie said the board should look at old and new elevations to understand the
changes.
Jay also said he is confused because it is a different building.
Amy said you approved the project with moving the front door. At
conceptual HPC is bound to the form and height. At final the applicant can
refine the application especially if it was a condition of approval.
Arthur said he is presenting a design from HPC's mandates.
Debbie said council can call up a project from conceptual approval.
Arthur said you can't ask for changes and then when the changes are made
you are puzzled. This should be evaluated on face value.
Ann suggested Arthur go through the changes.
Amy pointed out that if windows changed that is OK because they are to be
reviewed at final.
Willis said we asked them to look at the articulation of the mass and that
allowed an enormous range of response.
Debbie said there was public notice provided that this is what they choose to
do and HPC can accept or amend it.
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Arthur said we had to change the internal layout of the building. The
finished ridge was 35.8 '/z and now it is 37.4. That is a 1'8" increase.
Alan Richman said the design is the outcome of the HPC direction.
Jay said the footprint and the shape of the house have changed and that is
worth a discussion.
Willis said by the recommendation that HPC made you will get a different
animal. The garage is flipped and he is working with the same vocabulary
and just working and moving the elements around. I feel this is in the spirit
of what we asked them to do.
Nora asked about the ceiling heights. Arthur said the first floor is 9 feet and
the second floor is 8 feet.
Alan said we are below what the allowable FAR is.
Chairperson, Ann Mullins opened the public comment portion of the agenda
item.
Amy said she received a letter from Nita Barton - she actually lives in the
R-6 zone district, the Scott building — and she is concerned about the
comings and goings from the synagogue.
Chairperson, Ann Mullins closed the public comment.
Ann said the board needs to determine whether the changes are significant or
not.
Jane said she read the meeting notes and studied them. Conceptually the
applicant did honestly what they thought they needed to do for the building.
There are a lot of mixed messages when we come to final. I feel the
building fits in beautifully.
Willis said the changes have been made with good finesse and we should
move on and look at the final. I like very much what has transpired in the
materials and I like the building closer to the cabins. The playground in
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between would do better to be larger. The light fixtures are fine and the
stain selection is also OK.
Ann said the board is accountable for the process from conceptual to final.
It would have been better if the changes were explained. I feel what you
have come up with works well.
Jamie said the design is better but the building is getting higher and the mass
and scale is changing and I think we need to see what was at conceptual and
what is at final.
Jay said this applicant should not be penalized. Hopefully with our growth
as a commission we won't run into this again.
MOTION: Ann moved to approve resolution #10 as presented, second by
Willis. All in favor, motion carried. Vote: Jane, yes; Jay, yes; Ann, yes;
Nora, yes; Willis, yes, Jamie, yes.
1006 E. Cooper Ave. — Final Major Development and Variances, Public
Hearing
Debbie said the public notice is in order and the applicant can proceed.
Derek Skalko, architect for the applicant.
Justin said the parcel currently contains a Victorian, additions and an out
building on the back. HPC approved conceptual to remove the non-historic
additions as well as the out building in back. The house would be moved
toward the center of the property and an addition built in the back. Two
variances are being requested. Residential Design Standard for a secondary
mass and a floor area bonus. Because of the removal of the additions it
causes the project to be over 40% demolition so it is considered new
construction which triggers the residential design standard which requires
10% of the mass for the new structure to be placed in a separate structure or
a connecting element. The Victorian house is in the front with the additions
to the back and as a result staff is in support of the variance. The FAR
bonus relates to a ten foot connector. They have provided the ten food
connector which increases the FAR. The amount of restoration is
commendable and because of that staff supports the 160 square foot bonus.
The only landscape issue is for the proposed fence that is unified. There is a
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twisted metal fence that goes along the south side and a small portion of the
west property. Staff recommends that decorative metal portion of the fence
remain. The windows need to be determined if they are historic or not in the
field. The siding is proposed to match the existing. On the columns only the
one that looks like it has been cut should be replaced if new columns are put
in:
Staff recommends approval with conditions:
7 foot setback from conceptual carry through
Moving of the building
Grant the variance from the secondary mass requirement
Grant the FAR of 160 square feet
Twisted wire fence remain
Remove the upper story window from the front fagade
No mechanical equipment on the front or sides of the historic structure
More information on the siding and front porch to be reviewed by staff and
monitor.
Derek did a power point on the conceptual approval recap. In 1997 there
was a bathroom installed and the window was installed horizontally. It is a
Pella window from the late 90's. All of the posts on the front will be
restored and one re-milled. There is a 60 square foot allowance in the event
that the lower subgrade area calculates slightly different. We have to do a
full soils and basically we will do a full basement under the miner's cottage.
The subgrade doesn't affect the scale and mass. On the main level we have
an addition of two feet in the connection area. The chimney is in the historic
location. The chimney is one foot smaller. The only other change was a
door to a window from conceptual. We will reuse all materials that we can.
Four inch lap siding is proposed and a prodema rain screen material which is
a solar siding. All of the new construction will be difficult to see from East
Cooper. From the alley it would be prominent. The historical structure will
read first and foremost. In researching the fence at East Cooper they were
typically for ornamentation for graveyards and gardens. Fences from the 18
hundreds or 1900 hundreds were cast or wrought iron. This fence is a milled
steel fence produced in 1950 or 1960's. It is a rolled bundled fence and is
still available today. On the posts that are holding the fence some are metal
and some are PVC. We would like to consider a fence that is more
appropriate for the use and is more durable. To restore the fence there is
probably a led based paint going through it. The cost implications with
sandblasting etc. is a concern. On the fence we would like the ability to
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study that further in the future and we could come to you with something
that is more durable.
Nora asked about the solar walls. Derek said they are used extensively in
Germany and Spain is also doing their own division.
Derek said we are using the same pitch in the roof. We were trying to tuck
as much of the two story massing behind the historic house.
Jane asked about window wells in the basement of the historic house.
Derek said one window well goes into the setback of the alley. On the east
side of the building there are two window wells. On the historic property the
window well is tucked away on the corner and will not be visible at all.
Amy pointed out that the fence is not original to the site but they are very
common across the country. The fence added some ornateness and was
affordable. We have tried to retain some of these fences in town.
Ann said the crab trees are great and the lilacs should be protected.
Chairperson, Ann Mullins opened the public hearing portion of the agenda
item. There were no public comments. The public comment was closed.
Issues:
160 square foot bonus
Fence
7 foot setback at conceptual
Moving the building
Two windows
Mechanical equipment
Porch posts.
Jay said the fence can be handled by staff and monitor. Jay applauded the
architect for using new technology. Jay said he would approve 180 square
foot bonus just in case Derek made a mistake.
Jane asked if there is a plan B if the product isn't appropriate. Derek said
yes they have an alternative material.
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Nora said she has seen that fence her entire childhood. It was used to keep
horses in and to surround gardens.
Amy said she feels the fence is historic.
Willis said the solid guard rail looks a little over bearing. There might be
something in between and possibly introduce something lighter. There is
not quite enough distinction between new and old.
Derek said he feels the guard rail should be closed because it is a very
spacious area and they are going to have furniture and a hot tub up there.
The window is an historic window that was probably on the property and
then put in. I would hate to lose the bonus over a window. We are well
below our square footage.
MOTION: Jamie moved to approve resolution #I I and eliminating #5 on
the twisted fence and add another one that staff and monitor are to review
the solar wall material before installation to make sure it matches what our
intention was. Motion second by Jay.
Ann made the friendly amendment to add that the three crab apples and
lilacs remain. Jamie added the friendly amendment to her motion, second by
Jay.
Jane said she doesn't want the applicant compromised with the trees and
lilacs.
Willis said having a sampling of the siding is a good idea.
Roll call vote: Jamie, yes; Willis, yes, Nora, yes; Jay, yes; Jane yes; Ann,
yes.
MOTION: Jay moved to adjourn, second by Jane. All in favor, motion
carried.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Kathleen J. Stric land, Chief Deputy Clerk
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