HomeMy WebLinkAboutAspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project _ News _ aspendailynews.com4/18/22, 10:12 AM Aspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project | News | aspendailynews.com
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239df576cdc9.html
Aspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project
Megan Webber, Aspen Daily News Sta Writer
Apr 13, 2022
4/18/22, 10:12 AM Aspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project | News | aspendailynews.com
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The Victorian home at 233 W. Bleeker St., pictured above on Tuesday, is under review for major development and relocation. Aspen City Council voted on
Tuesday not to hold the project for further approval, sending it back to the Historic Preservation Commission.
Molly Briggs/Aspen Daily News
4/18/22, 10:12 AM Aspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project | News | aspendailynews.com
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Aspen City Council upheld a decision from the Historic Preservation Commission at a regular meeting on Tuesday to
move forward with a remodel project at the DeWolf family home.
If approved by the HPC, the historic Victorian home at 233 W. Bleeker St. will be relocated onto a new basement
foundation, a setback variation to memorialize its historic features will be installed, as well as a 500-square-foot oor
bonus and restorations to historic structures. The HPC voted unanimously on Feb. 23 to approve the project. Before
going before the HPC for approval, the council was given the opportunity to request more information or pass the
project back to the commission, which staff recommended.
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The property includes the two-story Victorian home and a secondary historic structure, which would not be moved or
otherwise affected by the project, Historic Preservation Planner Sarah Yoon told the council during a presentation. The
main house would be temporarily relocated to an off-site location during the excavation for the new foundation and
then returned to its original home. With a 500-square-foot bonus, the proposed square footage of the project is 4,578,
including 3,666 in the basement area with 158 feet of exposed wall.
4/18/22, 10:12 AM Aspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project | News | aspendailynews.com
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“The land use code measures the proposed basement level only with exposed grade,” Yoon said. “Things that are
completely submerged and have no exposed wall don’t count towards your oor area, which is different from your
gross oor area, which is the area total.”
While council members did not see any reason to call up the project for approval by the council, they each noted
elements of the proposal that left them disappointed. Councilwoman Rachel Richards asked if the HPC would consider
the historic gardens adjacent to the property as part of the project, adding that they had special signi cance to Aspen.
Yoon said that, because the gardens were located on a separate lot, they were sold separately from the house, and the
HPC does not have jurisdiction over that lot. Richards recalled the gardens at the Paepcke house, which the then-HPC
favored keeping over the structure.
“I’m kind of wondering what is the intersection in our historic preservation code about signi cant Aspen characters,”
Richards said. “It’s interesting to know that it was sold off separately and not kept as part of this estate.”
Councilman John Doyle said he was also disappointed to see the house without the gardens, and that it reminded him
of similar projects in town where historic gardens have been replaced by large buildings. Councilman Skippy Mesirow
added that, on paper, the project looked successful and he did not see a reason to call it up, although he was also
disappointed.
“From a holistic perspective, this is another home that, whether it accounts for [ oor area ratio] or not, is increasing to
a size and a cost that I think will pretty much render it unuseful to the community,” Mesirow said. “I’m happy to say
we’re at least in a moratorium process so that these things do not happen in the future.”
4/18/22, 10:12 AM Aspen council raises objections to DeWolf family home project | News | aspendailynews.com
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Megan Webber
Reporter
Councilman Ward Hauenstein agreed with his fellow council members, saying that he did not see a reason to hold the
project from the HPC, but that he had objections.
“There are a number of things about this that disappoint me,” he said. “To have a setback on the other side of a
swimming pool to add another 500 square feet to what is already a very large structure, I don’t see that within the code
that I can justify calling it up, but I do object to it.”
The proposal will return to the HPC at an upcoming meeting for nal approval.
mwebber@aspendailynews.com, @meganrwebber on Twitter