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Home My WebLink Aboutagenda.council.worksession.20230905AGENDA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION September 5, 2023 4:00 PM, City Council Chambers 427 Rio Grande Place, Aspen I.Work Session I.A Joint Meeting with Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Zoom Meeting Instructions Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Please click this URL to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84011829753? pwd=STBpYWl3MkZlWlplMTNJYko3aWZJQT09 Passcode: 81611 Or join by phone: Dial: US: +1 346 248 7799 Webinar ID: 840 1182 9753 Passcode: 81611 International numbers available: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kd6EhB4oNW Memo_Council HPC Worksession September 2023.pdf Exhibit A_HPC letter to Council.pdf 1 1 MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council FROM: Amy Simon, Planning Director THROUGH: Phillip Supino, Community Development Director MEMO DATE: August 28, 2023 MEETING DATE: September 5, 2023 RE: City Council/Historic Preservation Commission Worksession BACKGROUND: In late June, a request from the Historic Preservation Commission for a joint City Council/HPC worksession was delivered to the Mayor. The request, which included some detail about HPC’s interest in the meeting, is attached. STAFF DISCUSSION: Part of the benefit of meeting will simply be face-to-face time between Council and its appointed volunteer commission. HPC also proposes the following topics for discussion. Purpose What does Council think is the purpose of HPC? HPC aims to balance the allowable development rights for every project with the adopted Design Guidelines, but continuously finds that the large development rights for properties across all zone districts conflict with HPC guidelines for mass and scale. Does Council understand the conundrum of HPC’s job given this circumstance? What is the solution to keep preservation relevant and to meet the goals of the City? Conflicting objectives HPC is under the impression that Council expects the commission to embrace maximum development of affordable housing, even when the mass and scale of a project are in conflict with the current design guidelines. Is that correct? Are HPC’s guidelines to be changed to adapt to this intention? Is that a good outcome? Responsibility without clear direction HPC struggles with being responsible for difficult judgement calls on broad policy issues such as Growth Management, particularly when the subject is a non-historic property in a historic district. This is especially true because there is not a system for regular feedback and direction from Council to HPC. Could an annual Council/HPC worksession or other mechanism for feedback be formalized? HPC welcomes Council to identify areas for discussion as well, for this or additional worksessions. This might include future designations, incentives for preservation, etc. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ EXHIBIT A: June 29, 2023 Letter to Council from HPC 2 Aspen City Council City Hall 427 Rio Grande Place Aspen,CO 81611 June 28,2023 Dear City Council Members, The Historic Preservation Commission would like to formally request that the City Council schedule a worksession to review the specific Land Use Code and Historic Preservation Guideline items outlined in Exhibits A and B.We understand and appreciate that we are a volunteer commission made up of members that are appointed by the City Council.It is therefore our responsibility to follow the Land Use Code,interpret the HPC Guidelines to the best of our ability,and respond to City Council direction on these items in our review of projects presented to our Commission. We request that you participate in a worksession regarding discrepancies in the City of Aspen Land Use Code,Historic Preservation Design Guidelines,and commentary by individual City Council members both outside of meetings and during HPC project call-ups.We find these discrepancies consistently occur with relation to the code and guideline items included in the attached exhibits.We also find that City Council Member comments and the code/guidelines do not align when it comes to review of single family residences vs affordable housing projects. Based on the most recent code updates,you have prioritized Affordable Housing over the preservation guidelines in Chapter 10.Please confirm this is your intent or provide an explanation of intent and direction for your board to follow. All of our members care deeply about these goals and the preservation of our town and we appreciate your time and consideration on these matters.We look forward to hearing from you regarding scheduling a worksession at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, City of Aspen Historic Preservation Commission Members Present at HPC Meeting 6/28/23 3 Exhibit A -Relevant Historic Preservation Guidelines 1.7 Provide positive open space within a project site. ●Ensure that open space on site is meaningful and consolidated into a few large spaces rather than many small unusable areas. ●Open space should be designed to support and complement the historic building. 1.12 Provide an appropriate context for historic structures.See diagram. ● Chapter 10 Building Additions Basic Principles for New Additions “Keeping the size of the addition small and subordinate,in relation to the main structure, helps minimize its visual impacts.” 10.4 The historic resource is to be the focus of the property,the entry point,and the predominant structure as viewed from the street. ●The historic resource must be visually dominant on the site and must be distinguishable against the addition. ●The total above grade floor area of an addition may be no more than 100%of the above grade floor area of the original historic resource.All other above grade development must be completely detached.HPC may consider exceptions to this policy if two or more of the following are met: ○The proposed addition is all one story. ○The footprint of the new addition is closely related to the footprint of the historic resource and the proposed design is particularly sensitive to the scale and proportions of the historic resource. ○The project involves the demolition and replacement of an older addition that is considered to have been particularly detrimental to the historic resource. 4 ○The interior of the resource is fully utilized,containing the same number of usable floors as existed historically. ○The project is on a large lot,allowing the addition to have a significant setback from the street. ○There are no variance requests in the application other than those related to historic conditions that aren’t being changed. ○An addition that does not provide a transition between old and new,and imitates the original building is no longer allowed. ○A side and rear addition that uses materials to differentiate between new and old construction. ○The project is proposed as part of a voluntary AspenModern designation,or ○The property is affected by non-preservation related site specific constraints such as trees that must be preserved,Environmentally Sensitive Areas review,etc. 10.5 On a corner lot,no portion of an addition to a one story historic resource may be more than one story tall,directly behind that resource,unless completely detached above grade by a distance of at least 10 feet.HPC may consider exceptions to this policy if two or more of the following are met: ●The connector element that links the new and old construction is a breezeway or transparent corridor,well recessed from the streetfacing side(s)of the historic resource and the area of two story construction that appears directly behind the one story historic resource is minimal ●The footprint of the new addition is closely related to the footprint of the historic resource and the proposed design is particularly sensitive to the scale and proportions of the historic resource ●The project involves the demolition and replacement of an older addition that is considered to have been particularly detrimental to the historic resource ●The interior of the resource is fully utilized,containing the same number of usable floors as existed historically ●There are no variance requests in the application other than those related to historic conditions that aren’t being changed ●The project is proposed as part of a voluntary AspenModern designation,or ●The property is affected by non-preservation related site specific constraints such as trees that must be preserved,Environmentally Sensitive Areas review,etc 10.8 Design an addition to be compatible in size and scale with the main building. ●An addition that is lower than,or similar to the height of the primary building,is preferred. 5 Exhibit B -City of Aspen Land Use Code Title 26 26.470.090.D.3 Review of 100%Affordable Housing Development on Designated Sites Containing a Historic Resource where the Historic Resource is fully detached from all new construction,and all non-historic additions are to be removed,and no new addition will be made to the historic resource,and all new construction taller than one story is distanced at least 10 feet from the historic resource on all sides. Development of these properties,when the use is 100%affordable housing,shall be subject to a one step review by the Historic Preservation Commission,for compliance with Section 26.415.070.C,Certificate of appropriateness for a minor development (demolition of non-historic additions and all work directly affecting the historic resource);and Section 26.415.090 Relocation of designated historic properties.All City of Aspen Historic Preservation Design Guidelines applicable to work affecting the historic resource shall apply in addition to the following criteria: ●A.HPC may not deny Relocation,but shall determine a siting for the historic structure that best meets the City of Aspen Historic Preservation Design Guidelines while accommodating the allowed development rights for the property.A Conceptual site plan representing the full project must be provided to assist in this review. ●B.HPC may grant approval for the historic resource only to be located in the side,rear and front setbacks per Section 26.415.110.C.1.a,Variations.New construction is not permitted to be located in a setback.HPC may allow the new structure to provide no less than six (6)feet as the minimum distance requirement between buildings per Section 26.415.110.C.1.b.Where the historic resource is one story in height,this reduction is only permissible if the new construction permitted to be within six (6)feet of the resource is one story in height for at least ten (10)feet in depth. ●C.The application must include a detailed summary,in consultation with the Historic Preservation Officer,of all necessary repairs to historic fabric that will be completed during construction including exterior materials,doors and windows.The summary must also identify all opportunities to restore an element of the historic resource to an earlier condition that can be documented through photographs or physical inspection.HPC will prioritize and require up to three (3)of these to be completed during construction. Examples include:re-opening of an enclosed porch,restoration of the original design of a street facing window,and restoration of missing details such as decorative porch trim ●D.As applicable,site development shall be designed so that: ○A front walkway to the historic resource shall be no wider than the minimum requirement for accessibility,shall run directly from the street to the door unless necessary to avoid a preserved tree,and shall be gray concrete,brick,rectilinear stone or flagstone,to be determined by HPC. ○Stormwater facilities and conveyances shall be demonstrated to fully integrated with the surrounding landscape palette when viewed from the public right of way. ○The perimeter of the historic resource shall be entirely bordered by a gravel or small diameter rock planting strip one (1)foot in width to protect from the impacts of landscape planting and watering.No plant material around the historic 6 resource shall have an identified mature height taller than forty-two inches (42”), other than one shrub or tree,placed with the mature size of the species in mind. No hardscape,other than a front walkway,shall be permitted in street-facing yards around the historic resource. ○Perimeter fences which are considered part of the historic significance of a site shall be retained and repaired and cannot be moved,removed,or inappropriately altered. ○Any new fence between the historic resource and the street shall be no more than forty-two inches (42”)in height and shall have no less than a solid to void ratio of fifty-percent (50%). 7