HomeMy WebLinkAboutagenda.hpc.20250827AGENDA
ASPEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION
COMMISSION
August 27, 2025
4:30 PM, City Council Chambers -
3rd Floor
427 Rio Grande Place
Aspen, CO 81611
I.ROLL CALL
II.MINUTES
II.A Draft Minutes - 6/11/25 & 6/25/25
III.PUBLIC COMMENTS
IV.COMMISSIONER MEMBER COMMENTS
V.DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
VI.PROJECT MONITORING
VII.STAFF COMMENTS
VIII.CERTIFICATE OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT ISSUED
IX.CALL UP REPORTS
X.SUBMIT PUBLIC NOTICE FOR AGENDA ITEMS
XI.SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT
XII.OLD BUSINESS
XIII.NEW BUSINESS
XIV.ADJOURN
XV.NEXT RESOLUTION NUMBER
minutes.hpc.20250611_DRAFT.docx
minutes.hpc.20250625_DRAFT.docx
TYPICAL PROCEEDING FORMAT FOR ALL PUBLIC HEARINGS
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1
(1 Hour, 15 Minutes for each Major Agenda Item)
1. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest (at beginning of agenda)
2. Presentation of proof of legal notice (at beginning of agenda)
3. Applicant presentation (10 minutes for minor development; 20 minutes for major
development)
4. Board questions and clarifications of applicant (5 minutes)
5. Staff presentation (5 minutes for minor development; 10 minutes for major
development)
6. Board questions and clarifications of staff (5 minutes)
7. Public comments (5 minutes total, or 3 minutes/ person or as determined by the Chair)
8. Close public comment portion of hearing
9. Applicant rebuttal/clarification (5 minutes)
10. Staff rebuttal/clarification (5 minutes)
End of fact finding. Chairperson identifies the issues to be discussed.
11. Deliberation by the commission and findings based on criteria commences. No further
input from applicant or staff unless invited by the Chair. Staff may ask to be recognized if
there is a factual error to be corrected. If the item is to be continued, the Chair may
provide a summary of areas to be restudied at their discretion, but the applicant is not to
re-start discussion of the case or the board’s direction. (20 minutes)
12. Motion. Prior to vote the chair will allow for call for clarification for the proposed
resolution.
Please note that staff and/or the applicant must vacate the dais during the opposite
presentation and board question and clarification session. Both staff and applicant team
will vacate the dais during HPC deliberation unless invited by the chair to return.
Updated: March 7, 2024
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 11TH, 2025
Chairperson Thompson opened the regular meeting of the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission at
4:30pm.
Commissioners in attendance: Roger Moyer, Jodi Surfas, Duncan Clauss, Kim Raymond and Kara
Thompson. Absent were Barb Pitchford and Dakota Severe.
Staff present:
Gillian White – Principal Preservation Planner
Stuart Hayden – Planner - Historic Preservation
Daniel Folke – Planning Director
Luisa Berne - Assistant City Attorney
Mike Sear – Deputy City Clerk
MINUTES: None
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None
COMMISSSIONER MEMBER COMMENTS: Mr. Moyer mentioned that he had read an article in the Old
Home magazine about cedar shingles that come attached to panels. He said he was trying to talk with
someone from the company and would keep the board updated as to what he finds out.
Ms. Raymond noted that she had talked with Jan Legersky, the Aspen Fire Marshal and that Ms.
Legersky is very much in favor of composite shingles.
Ms. Thompson said that she had met with Mayor Richards and that the Mayor was very open to the idea
of holding a joint work session. The Mayor had also said that she would be accepting comments from
HPC members related to the Armory project at the next Council work session.
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: None
Ms. Thompson noted that she would be moving the various staff update to the end of the agenda.
STAFF COMMENTS: Ms. Berne wanted to remind everyone that at public meetings in the City of Aspen,
civility and respect are expected.
SUBMIT PUBLIC NOTICE FOR AGENDA ITEMS: Ms. Berne confirmed that public notice was completed in
compliance with the Code as needed for both agenda items.
NEW BUSINESS: 435 E Main St. – Certificate of Appropriateness for Minor Development - Public Hearing
Applicant Presentation: Katie Kiernan, Kiernan Inc
Ms. Kiernan handed out her presentation packets to the HPC members. She introduced her business
partner, Ms. Redwing and started her presentation by noting her history and work in Aspen over the
years. She said that this mural project is not just about public art, but about adding something lasting to
Aspen’s cultural legacy. She listed the pertinent Commercial Design Guidelines that she had addressed
with this project.
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 11TH, 2025
Mr. Moyer asked if there was a lining being placed under the paint. Ms. Kiernan said yes, and she
described the layer that will protect the brick from the paint. There was a quick discussion of the specific
type and brand of paint that would be used.
Ms. Raymond asked if there was a final design that would painted. Ms. Kiernan noted that the final
design process had just begun and that several options would be shared once they are ready.
Staff Presentation: Gillian White - Principal Preservation Planner
Ms. White began her presentation by going over the request for minor development and reminded the
members that while the applicant has stated that the mural will not be commercial in nature and will
not include any branding, the overall content of the mural is not up for review. She highlighted the
building on a map, went over some of its history and details and noted that it was subject to the
Commercial Design Guidelines. She showed the various elevations that included the proposed location
of the mural on the Galena St. façade. She noted the proposed size of the mural and detailed the brick
surface. She went over the specifics of the paint to be used and noted that the applicant had stated that
the mural is completely removable with no lasting damage to the brick. She mentioned that while staff
cannot verify this without further testing, the 2018 mural at 520 E. Durant used the same materials and
application methods as this proposal and is still in good condition. Because of this staff believe the
proposal partially satisfies Guidelines 1.23 and 1.24. She continued by going over staff’s comments
regarding the Guidelines as noted in the staff memo. She finished by stating that since the mural is
proposed to be applied to historic unpainted brick in a prominent location in the district, staff was
unable to recommend approval, but if the HPC chose to approve the request, staff recommends the
conditions included in the draft resolution.
Public Comment: Ms. Thompson asked the other commissioners to confirm that they have reviewed all
the public comment emails, and the ones submitted at the beginning of the meeting. All commissioners
confirmed.
Mr. Mike Haisfield noted that he was the owner of the building, and he thought the proposed mural was
going to be awesome and would greatly benefit the town.
Board Discussion: Ms. Thompson opened the discussion by noting that some of the discussion and
approvals regarding previous mural requests centered around whether the paint was removeable and
she liked the included condition of a test area. She said she was in support of this project.
Ms. Raymond agreed as long as the wall is protected.
The other commissioners agreed.
MOTION: Ms. Thompson moved to approve the next Resolution in the series with the included
conditions. Ms. Raymond seconded.
Mr. Moyer felt that testing may not be necessary, because the brick was a harder surfaced modern
brick.
Roll call vote: Mr. Moyer, yes; Ms. Surfas, yes; Mr. Clauss, yes; Ms. Raymond, yes; Ms. Thompson, yes.
5-0, motion passes.
Mr. Moyer was assigned as the monitor.
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 11TH, 2025
NEW BUSINESS: 304 W Hallam St. – Certificate of Appropriateness for Minor Development – Public
Hearing
Applicant Presentation: Steve Clisset, Clisset, LLC
Mr. Clisset began his presentation by noting that he owned a roofing company out of Paonia and was
representing the property owner, Ms. Isabel Melvin. He gave some history of his involvement with the
project and noted that Ms. Melvin contacted him as she was concerned about the fire hazard her
existing wood shingle posed and wanted to move to some type of metal roofing. He described the
current conditions of the non-historic addition which is where the metal shingles are proposed. He
noted that Ms. Melvin wanted to explore colored options for the shingles as the siding of the non-
historic addition had a red tone and she was hoping to highlight and compliment it. He showed a sample
of a red shingle and noted it was proposed to be spaced in a random pattern amongst a majority of slate
colored shingles. He passed the sample around and noted that he had designed the product. He then
described some details of the shingles. He pointed out that because of the narrow property there was
only one view where both the historic and non-historic portions can be seen together. He showed
pictures of each side to demonstrate this. He noted that because of this, someone would not be able to
compare the historic and non-historic in reference to one another.
Ms. Thompson asked how snow stops would be integrated. Mr. Clisset noted that he had a patented
snow stop that integrates into the shingle installation.
Mr. Moyer asked about how the coating was applied to the shingle and about the longevity of the
product. Mr. Clisset said that it was a factory applied coating and that the coated shingles usually have a
40-year warranty but can last up to 80 years.
Staff Presentation: Stuart Hayden - Planner - Historic Preservation
Mr. Hayden began his presentation by describing the property location and some history of the historic
pan abode. He also described the 2003 approval of the non-historic addition. He showed a few pictures
for context and noted that the view of the roof on the addition does change seasonally and that in the
fall and winter things are more visible. He then went over the applicant’s request to install randomly
arranged burnished slate and red diamond shaped metal shingles on the non-historic addition. He stated
that staff finds that the proposed material does not meet guidelines 10.3 and 10.6 as outlined in the
staff comments section of the staff memo as well as the staff findings included in Exhibit A of the agenda
packet.
Mr. Hayden finished by stating that because the proposed materials do not meet guidelines 10.3 and
10.6, staff is recommending denial of the application. He noted that staff did include an approval
resolution in the packet that included a condition that the red shingles not be installed.
Ms. Raymond asked Mr. Hayden to further explain why he found that with the proposed shingles, the
addition would become the primary focus of the property. Mr. Hayden said that adding the extra detail
of the red-colored shingles would create more visual interest in the back.
Public Comment: None
Before the board began their discussion, Ms. Berne reminded them that if they were to deny the
application the applicant would not be able to come back and apply for the project or anything
substantially similar for one year.
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 11TH, 2025
Board Discussion: Ms. Thompson began the discussion by saying that she felt the proposed product
looked stylistic up close, but from afar it just looks like a shingle. She felt there to be some subjectivity in
guidelines 10.3 and 10.6 and she did not have any issues with the shape of the shingle. The other
commissions agreed.
Ms. Thompson said that she was still somewhat undecided on the proposed colored shingles.
Ms. Surfas agreed with Ms. Thompson about the subjectivity of the two guidelines and felt that if there
were fewer colored shingles mixed in it might be more palatable.
Mr. Moyer felt it should be all the same dark colored shingles with no colored shingles mixed in.
Ms. Thompson felt it would draw too much attention and while minimally visible from specific angles, it
would be more visible depending on the seasons.
Ms. Raymond felt it would bring a bit more interest to a rather simple building shape. She agreed with
Ms. Surfas that if less of the colored shingles were included it may not appear as prominent and would
be more palatable.
Mr. Clauss felt the rendering made the red colored shingles really pop and he would be interested to see
what it may look like after aging.
Mr. Clisset described that the shingles would not really patina over time but would appear slightly more
matte as dust and dirt collected over time.
Mr. Moyer noted that he would be ok with some colored shingles.
Ms. Thompson agreed with Ms. Surfas that 25% of the shingles being red was a lot.
Mr. Clisset said that if the hearing was continued, he could work with Ms. Melvin to come up with a
rendering with a lower percentage of the red shingles.
Ms. Thompson thought they could include in the resolution that the percentage should be under 20%
and that it would be up to staff and monitor review. The other commissioners agreed.
MOTION: Ms. Thompson moved to approve the next resolution in the series with a modification to
condition #1 that the red shingles shall be under 20% and the final layup will be reviewed by staff and
monitor. Mr. Moyer seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Moyer, yes; Ms. Surfas, yes; Mr. Clauss, yes; Ms.
Raymond, yes; Ms. Thompson, yes. 5-0, motion passes.
Mr. Clauss and Ms. Surfas were assigned as the project monitors.
PROJECT MONITORING: Mr. Hayden noted that he had updated the project monitoring list as included
in the agenda packet. He then noted that there were several insubstantial amendments that had
occurred since the last meeting. He went on to detail each. There was some discussion on a few of the
updates.
STAFF COMMENTS: Mr. Hayden noted that there was some work done to a historic window that was
outside an insubstantial amendment approval at 420 W Francis St. He said that in January, staff noticed
that some of the historic materials had been altered. Staff notified the project monitor of the apparent
violation and asked the applicant for a detailed account of the incident. He noted that the general
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 11TH, 2025
contractor mentioned that given a language barrier, the framing crew misunderstood the instruction to
keep the historic material. The general contractor suggested that sections of the Historic License training
manual be offered in Spanish as well as English. Mr. Hayden noted that staff has been looking at offering
the BEST card training and guidelines in Spanish.
Ms. White noted that City Council would be holding a work session next Monday centered around the
Armory and that the Council would be entertaining public comments from HPC members.
CERTIFICATE OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT: Mr. Hayden noted that updates on these would be provided at a
future meeting.
CALL UP REPORTS: None
ADJOURN: Ms. Thompson moved to adjourn the regular meeting. Ms. Raymond seconded. All in favor,
motion passes.
____________________
Mike Sear, Deputy City Clerk
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 25TH, 2025
Chairperson Thompson opened the regular meeting of the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission at
4:30pm.
Commissioners in attendance: Roger Moyer, Barb Pitchford, Duncan Clauss, Kim Raymond and Kara
Thompson. Absent was Jodi Surfas and Dakota Severe.
Staff present:
Gillian White – Principal Preservation Planner
Stuart Hayden – Planner - Historic Preservation
Luisa Berne - Assistant City Attorney
Mike Sear – Deputy City Clerk
Ms. Surfas entered the meeting shortly after roll call was taken.
MINUTES: None
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None
COMMISSSIONER MEMBER COMMENTS: Ms. Thompson noted that herself, Ms. Raymond, Ms. White
and Mr. Folke had met with the Armory applicant and an email update would be sent to the other HPC
members.
Ms. Pitchford asked for a brief update on the Crystal Palace project as she felt nothing was happening
there and that it looked derelict. Mr. Hayden noted that they have a change order currently under
review.
Mr. Moyer felt it was time for the HPC to write a letter to City Council regarding the buildings that have
been sitting derelict in town for years. He did not feel the situation acceptable to the community or the
HPC.
Ms. Pitchford noted the Boomerang building as another derelict building in town.
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Ms. Thompson noted that she was conflicted on the second
agenda item and would leave at that time.
PROJECT MONITORING: None
STAFF COMMENTS: None
CERTIFICATE OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT: None
CALL UP REPORTS: None
SUBMIT PUBLIC NOTICE FOR AGENDA ITEMS: Ms. Berne confirmed that public notice was completed in
compliance with the Code as needed for both agenda items.
SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT: 135 E Cooper Ave. – Substantial Amendment – PUBLIC HEARING
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 25TH, 2025
Applicant Presentation: Sara Adams – Bendon Adams
Ms. Adams began her presentation by going over the details of the project and request to install a metal
shingle roof on the historic resources. She also noted that they are also planning on installing a different
metal shingle roof on the non-historic addition which was already approved. Next, she went over some
of the background of the previous project approvals from HPC and noted that the two historic resources
on the property were originally approved for a wood shingle roof.
Ms. Adams moved on to the proposal and described the applicant team’s mindset and approach behind
it. She then displayed the roof plans for the property pointing out the two historic resources and the
non-historic addition. She noted that the property owner had recently lost his house in the California
wildfires, and this had made a significant impact on the design of this project. She said that the option of
asphalt shingles was brought up to the owner, as they are usually an acceptable material, but because of
the environmental practices associated with them, it was not something they wanted to go with.
Ms. Adams continued going over the proposal and showed several renderings and noted that currently
the proposal is for a Freedom Grey metal on the historic resources and a patinaed copper to be used on
the non-historic addition. She referenced some mockup examples of the materials that they brought to
the meeting. She then moved on to reviewing the Historic Preservation Design Guidelines and noted
that they were amended the previous year to recognize fire protection and homeowner’s insurance
issues related to wood shingle roof materials. She highlighted Guideline 7.8 and felt that the applicant
team had done their best to meet it as well as the other relevant guidelines with the metal roof option.
She did not see how an asphalt shingle was any more appropriate than a metal shingle. She also
highlighted the negative aspects of the process of treating wood shingles for fire protection and noted
that metal roof materials tend to have anywhere from 80 to 100-year lifespans.
Ms. Thompson asked about the different metal material samples. There was some discussion clarifying
the various materials and where they are proposed to be installed.
Mr. Moyer asked if the Freedom Grey metal material proposed for the historic resources had seams. The
applicant team said there were actual seams and explained the fabrication process noting that each
metal shingle was hand bent in Basalt by GZO Roofing and Sheet Metal. They mentioned that with the
customization of the metal shingles, the design intent was to mimic the size and shape of wooden
shingles.
There was some discussion about the historic layout of the buildings on the site.
Staff Presentation: Stuart Hayden - Planner - Historic Preservation
Mr. Hayden began his presentation by giving some details of the property location and layout of the
historic resources and the new addition on the lot. He also went over some of the history of the
property and noted that it is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. He showed some historic
pictures of the property and noted that on closer inspection, the historic roofing material was wood
shingles.
Mr. Hayden moved on to reviewing the relevant Guidelines, starting with Guideline 7.7. He noted that
since wood shingles are the existing and original roofing material the proposed metal shingles were
neither an “in kind” replacement nor “similar to the original”, thus they do not meet Guideline 7.7. He
went over some of the characteristic differences between the original wood shingles and the proposed
metal ones. Next, he referenced Guideline 7.8 and noted that the proposal did not meet this Guideline
as the metal shingles did not “maintain or restore the character of the historic roof”. He explained staff’s
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 25TH, 2025
reasoning for this as detailed in the “Staff Findings” section of the staff memo. He also went over
Guidelines 10.3, 10.4 and 10.6 and explained staff’s reasoning why the proposal did meet these
Guidelines, again as outlined in the “Staff Findings” section of the memo.
Mr. Hayden concluded by stating that staff recommends continuing to August 13th, to allow the
applicant to restudy the proposal to better meet the Guidelines.
Mr. Moyer asked if staff had talked with the design community about working with the manufacturers
of alternate material shingles. He felt that the manufactures of “plastic” shingles have made no attempt
to make a product that looks like an actual wood shingle. He did not feel the proposed metal shingles
had the feel of a wood shingle.
Mr. Hayden noted that of the many manufacturers of synthetic roofing materials, they mainly produce
replicas of wooden shakes and not shingles. He felt there needed to be more proactive work in that
field.
Public Comment: None
Ms. Thompson asked Ms. Adams if the bellyband section was proposed to stay wooden shingles. Ms.
Adams confirmed that the bellyband would stay wooden shingles and that the main roof and porch
roofs were proposed to be metal shingles.
Board Discussion: Ms. Thompson agreed with Mr. Hayden that the proposed metal materials for the
historic resources and new addition were too consistent and did not differentiate the two structures
enough. She felt the patinaed cooper roofing was appropriate for the non-historic addition, but she had
issues with the scale, size and color of the proposed material on the historic resources.
Ms. Raymond agreed that the color, even of the weathered sample, appeared too bright. She wondered
if it could be a color that was closer to wood and have the thickness closer as well, as it did not resemble
a shingle.
Ms. Thompson felt she could be on board with a metal shingle but did not think this example was it.
Ms. Pitchford felt there was no attempt to maintain or restore the character of the historic roof. She felt
the proposal was nowhere close to the shape, size and color. She felt the proposal did not meet
Guideline 10.3 as it seemed the primary historic resource was now imitating the non-historic addition.
Mr. Moyer commented on the wildfire situation in Aspen and noted that it is different from that of
other parts of the country. He said that we don’t experience the high wind speeds that contribute to the
intensity of wildfires that other parts of the country experience and that is where many of the people
coming to Aspen are from. He also felt that this property’s roof is one of the important features when
looking at it or any other Victorian. He felt that until there existed alternative roofing materials that
actually replicated wood shingles, he supported keeping wooden shingle roofs on all Victorians.
There was a short discussion about the possibility of creating a metal shingle that better replicated a
wood shingle and ideas of how it may look.
MOTION: Ms. Thompson moved to continue the item to the August 13th meeting. Ms. Pitchford
seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Moyer, yes; Ms. Surfas, yes; Ms. Pitchford, yes; Mr. Clauss, yes; Ms.
Raymond, yes; Ms. Thompson, yes. 6-0, motion passes.
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REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JUNE 25TH, 2025
Ms. Thompson left the meeting for the next item.
NEW BUSINESS: 623 / 625 E Hopkins Ave. – Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Minor
Development and Relocation - PUBLIC HEARING
Applicant Presentation: Sara Adams – Bendon Adams
Ms. Adams requested a continuance to September 23rd, 2025.
MOTION: Ms. Raymond moved to continue the item to the September 23rd meeting. Mr. Moyer
seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Moyer, yes; Ms. Surfas, yes; Ms. Pitchford, yes; Mr. Clauss, yes; Ms.
Raymond, yes. 5-0, motion passes.
Ms. Thompson rejoined the meeting.
ADJOURN: Ms. Pitchford moved to adjourn the regular meeting. Ms. Thompson seconded. All in favor,
motion passes.
____________________
Mike Sear, Deputy City Clerk
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