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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20141210 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 J Vice-chair, Willis Pember called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Commissioners in attendance were Patrick Sagal, John Whipple and Jim DeFrancia. Absent were Nora Berko and Sallie Golden. Staff present: Debbie Quinn, Assistant City Attorney Amy Simon, Preservation Planner Justin Barker, Planner Kathy Strickland, Chief Deputy Clerk MOTION: Jim moved to approve the minutes of November 19, 2014; second by Willis. All in favor, motion carried. 232.East Bleeker— Conceptual Major Development, On-site Relocation, Demolition of Existing Garage,and Variances, Public Hearing, Cont'd from Oct. 15" Amy said there was a review of this project in October. This is a 6,000 square foot lot with a Victorian Era home on it and a non-historic garage building. The application is to demolish the garage which staff supports. The applicant wishes to add onto the Victorian and move the building forward and put a basement under the site. The project is converting the single family to a duplex and setback variances are being requested and a FAR bonus and RDS variances. The major change since October is that the house is being moved forward more so than the last presentation and the benefit is that the project now meets the rear yard setback requirements. The applicant can now provide the four parking spaces on the site. There had been large cottonwoods in the front of the site and those have been taken down. A single family-is allowed 3,240 square feet and a duplex is allowed 3,600 square feet. This is an additional 500 square feet because of doing a. duplex on the site. On the corner sites everything is.exposed to view and it really becomes a challenge to be sensitive and adding on appropriately in scale and architecturally and not to overwhelm the historic structure. Staff has suggested that the applicant detach the two units which allows more flexibility in the design of the new construction. If total detachment is not a good development model for them possibly the addition is linked to the. house with a gabled roof form to speak more directly to the Victorian. Staff is in support of the relocation and demolition of the garage. They meet,the side and rear setback requirements and do not meet the combined 1 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 requirement or the front requirement. In terms of the RDS's they need two variances. The front porch does not meet the minimum requirement today and that should be waived because we do not want them to change the porch to meet today standards. They don't meet the secondary mass requirement. They meet the connector in terms of length but it is too wide for the standard. The next issue is the FAR bonus and they already get 500 square feet because they are doing a duplex and with the requested 500 square feet that puts it at 1,000 square feet larger than the typical development for this site. Staff doesn't feel this is the best use of the FAR bonus. The front porch is not original so there are opportunities to make improvements and there is some detailing that can be removed. The applicant is considering constructing a unique flue vent that was on top of the chimney. There are definite ways that this Victorian could be highlighted. Putting so much square footage behind it makes it feel like it is taking away from the Victorian and it is not achieving the level of integrity that we look for in many other projects. Staff is recommending a restudy again and continuation of the project. Patrick asked about the duplex. Amy said the duplex is fine but adding more square footage and other things could be a problem. Kim Raymond, architect presented Kim said the porch is the only thing in the setback and it is four feet into the setback and the porch will be restored. After the discussion at the last meeting we chose the flat roof option because the gable would be much larger. The gable roof would be 7 feet taller and it dwarfs the Victorian and the neighbors had a concern with it. The Victorian is the center of the property. We are asking that the link be wider. The link is 23 feet wide and 20 feet long. On the restoration the building has a lot of ginger bread in the gables and on the front porch which was added in the mid 80'd. That will be removed including the railing and we will leave the trim. Bill Boehringer, owner said the two letters of support have appreciated the elimination of the rear yard setback and the inclusion of the four onsite parking spaces. We were very sensitive how we developed around the historic resource. Kim said the porch roof will be brought back to its historic look and appearance. The secondary story elements between both the buidlings are roughly 19 feet apart. We have reduced the size and are asking for a 448 2 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 square foot bonus. We did not pursue a detached.duplex because we wanted the Victorian to stand out and there are issues with the cottonwood trees. Bill said when we bought this property the zoning allowed for a duplex as long as there is an historic asset on the property. We intend to restore the historic house to its integrity so that we could take advantage of the bonus. Our site coverage now is 48.9 and we are not exceeding the 50%. Amy said the combined setback is 10 feet and 15 is required. Vice-chair, Willis Pember opened the public hearing. There were no public comments. The public hearing was closed. ' Exhibit I —two letters of support Willis identified the issues: Setback variances Floor Area bonuses RDS's variances Changes to the porch Willis applauded the applicant for addressing the alley and the neighbors concerns. The variance in the front yard is warranted to achieve that goal. No one will be overwhelmed when walking down the sidewalk. The east and west variances are a modest request. Willis said he can support the variances as proposed. The RDS's are also fine. The FAR is not progressively being pursued on this site. There is a significant setback at the eave height of the historic resource. The design standards 10.3,4,6 state that there should be distinction between the histories on the site and this building is a product of its own time. The applicant isn't asking for a height variance. The windows are not similar enough and there is not enough information iathe proposal about the materials other than to read it as a large mass. The windows and materials need restudied. Jim said he agrees about the setback bonuses and they are warranted. Jim said the flat roof is the way to go and it applies to the principle of not having the addition overwhelming the historic structure. Jim said he is not troubled by the proportions. 3 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 John said the setbacks make good sense and there is a healthy green belt in front. The RDS standards are,in align with the project. When you look at Floor Area Bonus the new construction should be reflective of the proportional patterns found in the historic building's form, materials or openings. We don't want two to look the same. I have some reserves about the patterning of the windows and the proportions. Since the neighbors like the flat roof form that seems to be the direction but it is hard to achieve the bonus. Fenestration is dealt with at final and the windows should be addressed at that time. Patrick agreed that the setbacks are adequate if we can require a separated sidewalk for public safety. The project is close and if things are moved around a little the bonus could be warranted. Since the two trees are gone possibly the historic resource could be moved to the center of the lot so that it is in front of the rear addition and the glass areas in the back won't be visible from Monarch which would hide the second part of the duplex. Willis said the flat roof is the way to go in terms of mass. We need to know what materials are where and what colors. John said we are in charge of mass and scale and the bonus is on the table and part of the bonus criteria is that the new construction is reflective of the patterns, openings etc. The problem is championing the historic resource to the point that the bonus is 100%justified. Willis said new construction should be reflective of patterns found in historic materials and openings. You can't talk about mass without understanding the materials at the same time. Materials reflect the readings of the mass and scale. The FAR bonus has to come first before they go to final. The project doesn't seem close enough the way the mass reads right now. MOTION: Jim moved to continue 232 E. Bleeker to January 10; second by Patrick. All in favor, motion carried. 330 E. Main St. (Hotel Jerome) and 310 E. Main St. — Planned Development Project Review, Conceptual Major Development, Demolition, Commercial Design Conceptual Review, Growth Management Review, Subdivision, Public Hearing 4 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 Debbie Quinn reviewed the affidavit of postings and they were adequately given and the applicant can proceed. Justin Barker said the application pertains to the Hotel Jerome and the Aspen Times building. The Hotel Jerome sits on a 47 1/2 thousand square foot lot and Aspen Times bldg. is a 5 1/2 thousand square foot lot. Both properties are zoned commercial core and the Hotel Jerome has a planned development on top of it. The proposal is to demolish the non-historic portions of the Aspen Times Bldg. and construct a new detached lodge structure behind and combine the two parcels into one and vacating 56 feet of the alley that remains and redevelopment the existing court yard and continue the fourth story of the existing hotel along Bleeker Street and to reconfigure some of the existing lodge rooms within the current hotel. The project would add ten new units and 16 new bedrooms. HPC will act asa recommendation to City Council and Council will have the final decision. As part of the planned development the applicant is requesting four variations from the underlying zoning for this project. The first is for the maximum height to continue the fourth story along Bleeker Street. The average height would be between 50 and 54 feet as measured from the Bleeker Street side which the underlying zone would allow up to 40 feet with a commercial design review. The height of the existing fourth story on the hotel is about 55 feet at its highest point. Staff recognizes that the hotel is much larger than the surrounding development particularly the residential on the north and west sides. The Hotel Jerome is a lodge and an historic resource and it has been traditionally one of the tallest buildings and largest lot in town as well. The applicant is also proposing to set back the addition from the existing parapet walls in an effort to help reduce the visual impacts of the increased height. Staff supports the proposed height as a way to ensure the longevity of the hotel as a culturally significant building and for continued success as a hotel operation in town. The other three variations requested in regards to the minimum floor to floor height for the first floors of the restored Aspen Times Bldg. and the new structure behind it and for the fourth floor addition. Another one is for the maximum unit size for two of the new units in the fourth floor addition and the average lodge unit size in order to obtain a 2 1/2 to 1 floor area ratio for the lodge component. Staff supports all three requests as well. Staff is also in support of the subdivisions and growth management. 5 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 For the commercial design standards staff finds that in general the standards and guidelines are met. There are a few items that staff would like to see as the project move forward. There needs to be a delivery area for the building which should show up on the plans for final review. There will also be a drop off area in front of the hotel. The applicant also needs to work with the Engineering Dept. for a sidewalk improvement plan prior to going to City Council. Staff supports the demolition of the non-historic addition on the Aspen times bldg. Staff support the project with one minor modification in the resolution section #4 to state issuance of the demolition permit. Justin said the most important portion of the Aspen Times Resource is the store front and how it appears on Main Street. The historic window on the east side of the building will also be brought back. Willis asked about the signage and if it is going to stay. Tony DuLucia, general manager said in 1986 he was the prep cook in the kitchen of the Hotel Jerome. In 1988 he was the caterer for the new ballroom and then in 1992 he became the general-manager until the hotel was sold in 2007. In 2011 he came back. The history of this hotel is important for our community and we just did our 125 anniversary. We have come to realize that we need to have more flexible lodging units to accommodate the demand we are receiving from multi-generational families that are adults traveling with their adult children and grandchildren. We are running short in accommodating those people. We have people that want to come here and stay a month. With the purchase of the Aspen Times building the lawn will get bigger and look better. We have done our public outreach and have met with everyone around the hotel. Sarah Broughton, architect Sarah said she served on the HPC and the firm has received three awards from the HPC. 50% of Rowland Broughton's work is hospitality. In 1890 the Hotel Jerome was built and between 1890 and 1898 the Aspen Times building was built. The Hotel Jerome is the center stage to Aspen life. The Aspen Times was originally called the Aspen Democratic Times. In 1987 there was a full gut remodel and the north wing was added including the community ball room. The Cortina Lodge was landmarked and preserved for employee housing and in the second phase there was a remodel. The third phase which is being presented is increasing lodge units, restoring the courtyard and restoring the Aspen Times. There are no resident 6 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 components to this proposed project. There are no free markets, no time shares, no fractional or condos. This is purely about preservation, lodging . and completing the hotel. We are proposing 14 new units for a total of 107 units in the hotel and the additional units will provide lock offs and flexible accommodations for families. The hotel height at the highest point which is the north east corn is 54'6 inches. The parapet on Mill Street is at 48'11 inches. The nine lodging units would be an extension of the north wing. The,extension for the units is set back. In the hotel the existing exercise room will be converted to a lodge unit. The sidewalk along Mill Street will be widened which includes new street trees. The courtyard lawn will be preserved and the outdoor seating. We will also vacate the alley behind the Aspen Times which allows us to split the Aspen Times from the addition. The Aspen Times has an historic front and an historic window on the east. On the first floor there will be commercial in the restored area and in the addition a changing room; fitness center and other lodge amenities. The second and third level of the Aspen Times addition includes four lodging units. It was also our intent to preserve the views up Hunter Valley. The addition behind the Aspen Times would be cladded wood. Sarah said the question came up about shadowing on Bleeker Street. A shadow study was completed and there was no significant change on Bleeker Street. The pool and Jacuzzi will be relocate. There is no below grade space where the Aspen Times Building is. Willis said the mechanicals will not be visible from the pedestrians. Sunny Vann The floor to ceiling heights are codified in the commercial core zone district. The intent being to establish a minimum ground floor height for closely emulated historic heights of our buildings downtown. The requirement is 13 feet. Our proposal is 11.3 feet. On the rear addition the floor heights are 9 feet because it is not visible from the street and it is a new addition. We have asked to vary"those heights to hold the overall height of the addition down. The overall height is 30 or 31 feet and it is 9 feet on the ground floor level in the addition behind the Aspen Times. The addition to the Hotel Jerome is 8 Y2 feet. We are asking variances for the existing Aspen times, the ground floor and upper floor of the addition to the Aspen Times and the north wing fourth floor extension of the Hotel Jerome. 7 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 Willis asked about the maximum unit size. Sunny said the cap size of the lodge units is at 1,500 square feet. If you have lockouts with separate keys it is calculated by the size of the largest combination of units. We are over the 1,500 square foot limit. We are over- because we are trying to provide a flexible layout with individual units that can stand on their own. We have two units that are 1,900 square feet but the individual size is about 600 square feet. Sunny said the units in the Aspen Times building are four separate units and they are not multiple rentals. Tony explained that they had two long term rentals and they were there six weeks and they were always requesting some type of kitchen facility. Debbie Quinn asked the applicant about their public outreach and if it was all included in the packet and if not it would need to be supplemented. John asked about the mechanicals on the addition behind the Aspen Times building that are in the view plane or line of sight. Could it be moved further back on the building so it could be out of sight. Sarah said we were trying to be respectful of all angels but we can look at minimizing it. Vice-chair, Willis Pember opened the public hearing. Scott Davidson has been here since 1981 and the Hotel Jerome is an extremely important building to Aspen. In 1985 the first remodel occurred. We should thank the current owners who have done what they did and this new addition is done with great taste. The step back is really a continuation of the hotel itself. The Aspen Times building being separated and standing alone is excellent. We need to support the owners to move as time has moved as there are new requirements in order to stay competitive. Bill Guth said he has a property at 202 N. Monarch - Lot 2 of the original Blue Vic subdivision. I am an advocate of historic preservation in Aspen. The lot fronts Bleeker Street. The addition to the north of the back of this building is our primary concern and causes issues of shading and will enhance the ice rink effect that Bleeker is prone to. There will be more 8 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 deliveries and more traffic. We are also concerned about the activities on the balconies of the north side which can cause a disturbance for myself and my neighbors. Bill Tomsich;president of Stay Aspen Snowmass. This is my 201h winter here and I have witnessed a lot of changes to the Hotel in the past 20 years. We are fortunate to have this iconic treasure that is so well cared for. Relative to other properties over 100 years old the Hotel Jerome is in rare company. In Denver you have the Brown Palace, Oxford Hotel and the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and the Broadmore in Colorado Springs.. Flexible units is very important to meet the demand throughout the years. Andrea Heffner, director sales and marketing for the Hotel Jerome. It is such a pleasure being at the hotel and this is my first smaller brand experience and I am able to hear the feedback from all different types of clients on the re-design. The hotel has local connections with weddings and birthdays etc. Flexible lodging is coming up more and more often. Unfortunately we have to turn a lot of them away because we don't have the ability to accommodate them. Elizabeth Stewart, vacation specialist at Stay Aspen Snowmass. I grew up here and have a strong connection to the Hotel Jerome as I used to work there. I clink onto Aspen history. I recently took a tour and I was very impressed with the remodel. Even the hinges in the bathrooms are original. I had a client call that needed space that wasn't available in town anywhere and it would be perfect if there were some flexible units to accommodate our guests. Bill Boehringer 2082 E. Bleeker & Monarch Street Bill thanked the applicant for restoring the Hotel Jerome to its current luster. IN the CC zone buildings on the south side of the street are limited to 28 feet in height and on the north.side 38 feet and 40 feet with special review. Adding further height on Monarch and Bleeker is a safety issue. Possibly it should be set back further for safety issues. To accommodate special uses a remodel can occur internally without asking for 50 some feet in height. Exhibit I —Letter from Carl and Katie Bergman Exhibit II —Letter from Mirte Mallory Vice-chair Willis Pember closed the public hearing. 9 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 Rebuttal of public comment. Sunny said they discussed changing the stop signs with the Engineering Dept. numerous times and they have been emphatic about not putting one the intersection. We did the shadow studies which indicate no significant increase in the shadowing as the result of the addition on the north wing. In terms of increased traffic we are not anticipating any with the additional units. Our main objective is to do no harm on Bleeker and Monarch. On the balconies they come out 3 feet and they were set back to accommodate the reduction in the view line impact and reduce the visual impact. Issues Variance for the fourth floor in the corner. Minimum floor to floor has been reduced from what code requires for the Aspen Times building and also the addition to the Aspen Times bldg. and the fourth floor addition. Maximum unit size. Average lodge size variance in order to obtain the 2 1/z to 1 FAR Willis said this project is exciting and there is a lot invested in this icon. We are all wanting this to be successful. The minimum floor to floor is OK. The primary goal,of PD is to relate the development to the surrounding context by varying dimensional requirements. You are asking for a height variance in an effort to create a better connection to the surrounding contexts. I do not see the betterment there. Possibly vary the heights of the cornices on the Bleeker Street side. Jim said the average lot size, maximum unit size, minimum floor to floor are all fine. On the issue of the maximum height I don't have a problem with it because the height is already there. It is not making it any higher in the aggregate. Adding lodging is a key community goal and it contributes to the viability of the historic asset. Jim said he supports all four variances being requested. John agreed with Jim. If there is one building in town that should be allowed to go up in town it is this crown jewel. It is a well thoughtful and planned out application. I appreciate the shading study and there is not much shadow change. I am also in favor of the four variances. Patrick said this is a good design. On the height I can go either way on. On the addition to the Aspen Times our guidelines say the historic addition 10 ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 10, 2014 should not be over shadowed and I find that the way it is designed now it is significantly over bearing. Maybe if it is stepped back it would appear so massive in comparison to the Aspen Times. Jim said the presence of the Aspen Times and its awareness and what you see is the fact that it is right up on the street. Even though you have the larger structure behind it I don't think it takes the eye away and it does not detract from the historic significance of the building. Willis said it is a nebulous design having the balconies facing the inside of Carl's pharmacy. The balconies have no view. John asked staff if the signage could be maintained on the Aspen Times building. MOTION: Willis moved to approve resolution #37 with the following conditions: Study the setback on the fourth floor north addition on the north side. Study the relationship of the Aspen Times addition to the Aspen Times historic resource i.e. balconies. Consider implementing the Aspen Times signage from the 1890's. Motion second by Jim. Roll call vote: Jim,yes; Patrick, yes; John, yes; Willis, yes. Motion carried 4-0. MOTION: Willis moved to-adjourn, second by Jim. All in favor, motion carried. Meeting adjourned t 8:30 p.m. Kathleen J. Strickland, Chief Deputy Clerk 11