HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo.135 W Francis.20210728
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
MEMORANDUM
TO: Aspen Historic Preservation Commission
FROM: Sarah Yoon, Historic Preservation Planner
THROUGH: Amy Simon, Planning Director
MEETING DATE: July 28, 2021
RE: 135 W. Francis Street – Conceptual Major Development, Relocation,
Setback Variations and Floor Area Bonus, CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING
APPLICANT /OWNER:
Francis Street Holdings LLC
REPRESENTATIVE:
Kim Raymond Architecture +
Interiors
LOCATION:
Street Address:
135 W. Francis Street
Legal Description:
Lot A and the West One-Half of
Lot B, Block 56, City and Townsite
of Aspen, Colorado
Parcel Identification Number:
PID# 2735-124-21-001
CURRENT ZONING & USE
R-6 (Moderate-Density
Residential); Duplex, may not be
legally established
PROPOSED ZONING & USE:
Single family home
SUMMARY:
The applicant requests approval for Conceptual Major
Development to demolish the existing non-historic addition,
relocate the historic resource onto a new basement foundation and
construct a new addition to the rear of the property. Setback
variations and a floor area bonus of 250 s.f. are requested for this
proposal. As a historically designated landmark, this project is
exempt from Residential Design Standards Review (RDS).
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends continuation to restudy the relocation of the
historic home and the design of the new addition to better comply
with the Design Guidelines.
Site Locator Map – 135 W. Francis Street
135
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
BACKGROUND:
135 W. Francis Street is a 4,500 s.f. corner lot in the R-6 zone
district that contains a Victorian era miner’s cabin. This
property was designated historic via Ordinance No.77-1981.
Shortly after its designation, the current addition was
approved and completed in 1984. Building permit files
indicate changes occurred to the south elevation of the
historic resource around 1969, but more significant changes
were made during the 1980s remodel and expansion.
Exterior alterations occurred over time, however, according
to the 1904 Sanborn map (Figure 2), the home appears to
occupy the original location on the site. Currently there is one
other historic property to the east that aligns in terms of front yard setback with this property along West
Francis Street.
REQUEST OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION (HPC)
The Applicant is requesting the following land use approvals:
• Major Development (Section 26.415.070.D) to demolish the non-historic addition from the 1980s
and construct a new addition to the rear of the property.
• Relocation (Section 26.415.090) to move the historic resource forward and to the east. It will sit on
a new basement foundation.
• Setback Variation (Section 26.415.110.C) for the new addition towards the rear of the property,
above and below grade.
• Floor Area Bonus (Section 26.415.110.F) the applicant is allowed to request up to 250 s.f. for this
sized lot but must meet all relevant criteria for the bonus including exceptional preservation
outcome.
The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is the final review authority, however, this project is subject
to Call-up Notice by City Council.
Figure 1 – 135 W. Francis, 2021
Figure 2 – Sanborn Map, 1904 Figure 3 – 135 W. Francis, July 1963
Source: Aspen Historical Society
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The applicant proposes to remove the impactful addition from the 1980s and restore the south elevation
of the historic resource. Since the project is a corner lot, three of the four elevations are clearly exposed
and visible to the public which makes design compatibility of critical importance. The applicant proposes
to move the historic home forward and to the east from its historic location and place it on top of a new
basement foundation. The proposed new addition is connected to the historic resource with a 13’-8” long
connecting element. The applicant requests setback variations and a 250 s.f. floor area bonus.
STAFF COMMENTS:
Following the June 23, 2021 HPC meeting, staff reinforced the comments provided by HPC and
communicated with the applicant on the connecting element, relocation of the historic home, and the
importance of form for the new addition. The applicant has redesigned the connecting element to tuck
under the eave of the historic home and is no longer attempting to reconstruct the one-story rear element
that no longer exists; however, the proposed new connecting element is longer than required by the
guidelines and influences the proposed relocation of the historic home forward on the lot. As expressed in
the previous analysis, staff finds the impacts of relocation to be inappropriate for this project because it
moves the historic home out of its historic context. In addition, staff finds the proposed form of the new
addition with a flat roof departs from achieving required compatibility with the historic resource and
recommends restudy.
Staff recommends HPC further discuss the following topics in more detail.
1. Site Planning & Relocation & Parking: The applicant proposal to move the historic resource forward
and to the east has not changed since the last application submission. 135 W. Francis is in its original
location and staff finds the historic context of the Victorian era home to be a significant characteristic
of the property. The relocation of a historic home is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must meet
the criteria of having an overall benefit to the historic resource (Design Guideline 9.2). As stated in the
introduction of Chapter 9 of the Design Guidelines, “the original placement of a building on its site is
an important aspect of history, contributes to integrity and authenticity, and should be preserved.” The
forward movement of the historic home moves it closer to the existing Cottonwood trees along the front
of the property and reduces the amount of open front yard. Similarly, the eastward movement moves
the resource closer to the trees on the neighbor’s property and the new addition is more forward of the
historic home on the west elevation as perceived from North 1st Street. Staff finds the proposal does
not meet relocation criteria and recommends restudy. See Exhibit A.2 for more details.
This property does not appear to currently have any code compliant parking spaces. According to the
code, a single-family residence must provide two code compliant parking spaces (Code Section
26.515.040). If the project does not trigger the 40% demo threshold, the applicant may retain the
existing non-conformity related to parking. The proposed design provides for one compliant parking
space in the proposed one car garage.
The applicant will need to coordinate with the City Parks and Engineering Department to address
comments related to site impacts on existing trees and the preliminary stormwater mitigation plans.
See Exhibit B for more details.
2. Historic Landmark – Restoration: A preservation plan will be necessary to call out the existing
conditions and the proposed restoration of the historic resource. Staff supports the applicant’s proposal
to restore important architectural features such as the chimney and the secondary porch with the
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
supporting historic documents as a guide for the restoration. The existing non-historic addition
constructed in the 80s will be removed and the areas covered by non-historic material will be restored
in accordance to the design guidelines. Staff supports the removal of the detrimental non-historic
addition and the restoration of historic home guided by historic maps, photos and physical evidence.
3. New Addition – Form, Materials and Fenestration: The proposed new addition is a two-story tall
structure behind the historic home along the alley. Since the last HPC meeting, the new addition has
been redesigned as a rectilinear form, which deviates completely from the historic home, and a
connecting element as per the design guidelines to distance the new addition from the historic home.
As a corner lot the compatibility of form between the new addition and the historic resource is deemed
critical due to the visual exposure (Design Guideline 10.6). While the flat roof allows the height of the
addition to be slightly below gable height of the historic home, it appears that the plate height of the
addition has not been reduced since the previous review and the new addition does not relate to the
historic home. Staff finds the current proposed design does not met design compatibility requirements
for highly visible corner lots and recommends restudy (Design Guideline 10.3).
Figure 4 – Proposed West Elevation (along N. 1st Street)
4. Setback Variations & Floor Area Bonus: Setback variations and floor area bonuses are benefits
available to historic properties granted by the HPC. They are site-specific approvals that are tied to a
design reviewed for compatibility and appropriateness.
Setback Variations: The applicant requests a reduction of the 10’ rear yard setback requirement for the
proposed addition, above and below grade. The proposed design shows the subgrade level within the
rear yard setback by approximately 4’-10”. The proposed one-car garage addition has livable space
that extends into the rear setback by the same amount. A setback reduction of 5’-2” for the rear yard
setback, above and below grade, is requested for this design. Staff finds the request to reduce the rear
yard setback meets the criteria. Especially because staff does not support moving the historic resource
forward on this lot, flexibility to allow the development to sit towards the rear lot line is important. See
Exhibit A.3 for detailed staff findings.
Floor Area Bonus: The applicant has pointed out different areas for restoration of the historic resource
that include the restoration of a secondary porch as seen in historic photos and the removal of an
impactful non-historic addition. A 4,500 s.f. lot is eligible for a maximum of a 250 s.f. bonus. Staff finds
the request for the full bonus has not meet the required criteria due to the proposed new addition not
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
meeting the Design Guidelines. In addition, the plans for moving the historic structure do not meet the
required criteria for relocation. The applicant has requested a 250 square foot bonus although the
proposed design only requires a 109 square foot bonus. It is not acceptable to request surplus bonus
and bank it for future use. Staff could support a bonus on the basis of restoration work if the concerns
above are resolved.
Staff supports the request for a rear yard setback reduction as it meets the criteria for granting a setback
variation. However, staff does not support the request for a floor area bonus with the proposed design
and plans for relocation. See Exhibit A.4 for criteria and detailed staff findings.
REFERRAL COMMENTS:
The application was referred out to other City departments who have requirements that will significantly
affect the permit review. Please see Exhibit B for full comments.
Engineering Department:
1. Major Development within the Urban Runoff Management Plan is triggered. The proposed water
quality vault must be at least 10’ from the property corners. Infiltration vaults follow the same
guidelines as a drywell. Variances may be requested by Engineering.
2. Confirm that the transformer capacity is sufficient for new the proposal. Work with City Electric to
determine capacity.
3. Verify if the structure will have a fire suppression system and call out water service line size.
4. Engineering and Parks must examine excavation for the proposed water quality vault. No
excavation is allowed within the right-of-way or tree drip lines of large trees.
5. Provide stabilization information for the proposed relocation of the historic resource at building
permit.
Zoning Department:
1. Provide and verify net lot area calculations using the zoning summary sheet.
2. Review site plan comments regarding existing and proposed.
3. Confirm floor area calculations on sheets A.1.05-A 1.07.
4. Provide height over topography sheet.
5. Provide demolition calculations.
6. See comments on elevation sheets A.3.01-A.3.04.
Parks Department:
1. Location of stormwater storage needs to be moved to east side of the front yard or outside the
dripline of the trees on the west side of the house.
2. Move the egress window on the southwest corner of the house to the back of the house out of the
dripline of the tree.
3. Adjust the stormwater drain to remain outside the dripline of trees.
4. Air spade 15’ from the edge of the cottonwood tree trunks. Clean cut roots back to soil and cover
exposed soil with burlap.
5. Submit for tree removal permits.
6. Show 6’ tree protection fencing around all remaining trees on the site.
7. Obtain a letter of permission from neighbors on the east to work within the driplines of their trees.
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
Building Department:
1. Fire sprinklers are required because the fire area exceeds 5,000 s.f. Exterior walls and projects will
not need to be fire-rated because they are more than three feet from the property line.
2. Snow stops will be required at all roof pitches that shed onto walking and driving paths and into
emergency escape and rescue opening window wells.
3. If edge of the spa is within 18” of the edge of roof deck, the guard around the spa is to be extended
an additional 18”.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends HPC continue this application with the following direction:
1.) Restudy the new addition to be compatible in form with the historic home and to meet Design
Guidelines 10.3, 10.6, and 10.11.
2.) Restudy the proposed relocation of the historic resource, the basement excavation, lightwells and
the stormwater plan to address concerns with the integrity of the building location, relationship to
the nearby historic resource, tree preservation concerns and placement of the new addition.
3.) Provide responses after communicating with the relevant City Departments regarding the
preliminary stormwater and drainage plans for the site and clarify the anticipated visual impacts for
the plan.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution #____, Series of 2021
Exhibit A.1 – Historic Preservation Design Guidelines Criteria / Staff Findings
Exhibit A.2 – Relocation Review Criteria / Staff Findings
Exhibit A.3 – Setback Variations Review Criteria / Staff Findings
Exhibit A.4 – Floor Area Bonus / Staff Findings
Exhibit B – Referral Comments
Exhibit C – Application