HomeMy WebLinkAboutCover Letter.110 Neale Ave.20200708forumphi.com | p. 970.279.4109 | f. 866.770.5585
Aspen: 715 W. Main St, #204 Aspen, CO 81611
Basalt: 104 Midland Ave, #202 Basalt, CO 81621
Forum Phi Architecture
715 W Main Street,
Aspen CO 81611
July 8, 2020
Dear Members of the Historic Preservation Commission,
On May 5, 2020, Forum Phi submitted an application for Major Development Review of an addition to the existing
residence at 110 Neale Avenue in Aspen. On June 24, 2020, members of the HPC voted to continue Conceptual
Review of the application pending restudy of the roof massing over the dining room. Specifically, the Commission
argued that the proposed addition did not comply with Section 11.3 of the HPC Design Guidelines.
Section 11.3, under the Mass and Scale heading, requires that new buildings, or in this case additions to existing
buildings, “appear similar in scale and proportion with the historic buildings on a parcel.” The commission argued
that the continuation of the ridge from the living room through the dining room created a massing condition that
was incompatible with the historic resource at 114 Neale, regardless of how that mass might be modulated
through depth. The elevation below identifies the area of concern.
Forum Phi has redeveloped the roof massing in this zone to limit the ridge height and to further modulate the
Neale Avenue elevation. Instead of continuing the ridge height across the living spaces, the design reconsiders
the dining room as a connecting element between the master bedroom wing nearest to the historic resource and
the living wing on the downhill side of the lot.
forumphi.com | p. 970.279.4109 | f. 866.770.5585
Aspen: 715 W. Main St, #204 Aspen, CO 81611
Basalt: 104 Midland Ave, #202 Basalt, CO 81621
The proposed design has been considered in accordance with applicable Residential Design Standards. These
standards serve as a guide for design within our context, encouraging design at a human scale, requiring
consideration of appropriate building materials, and promoting a healthy relationship between building and street.
The change in roof massing has not resulted in any changes to the way the design addresses RDS requirements.
Significant (but not historic) landscape improvements exist on the site. The project will to the greatest extent
practicable retain all trees on the site and does not propose to remove any trees between the house at 110 Neale
and the historic resource at 114 Neale or between the house at 110 Neale and Neale Avenue.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to addressing your comments.
Best regards,
Kurt Peterson,
Project Manager