HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Memo.Second Reading.211 W Hopkins Ave
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council
FROM: Amy Simon, Planning Director
THRU: Phillip Supino, Community Development Director
MEETING DATE: January 12, 2021
RE: Second Reading, Ordinance #022, Series of 2020, 211 W. Hopkins Avenue
AspenModern Voluntary Landmark Designation
APPLICANT /OWNER:
Matt Joblon, 205 S. Detroit
Street , Suite 400, Denver, CO
80206, with the consent of
property owner Vaughan
Capital Partners, LP
REPRESENTATIVE:
Rowland + Broughton
BendonAdams
LOCATION:
Street Address:
211 W. Hopkins Avenue
Legal Description:
Lots F and G, Block 53, City
and Townsite of Aspen
Parcel Identification Number:
PID# 2735-124-63-003
CURRENT ZONING & USE:
Single-family home,
R-6: Medium Density
Residential
PROPOSED ZONING & LAND USE:
Two detached homes,
R-6: Medium Density
Residential
SUMMARY:
The applicant has offered voluntary AspenModern historic
designation of a 1956 Pan Abode home contingent on
acceptance of a proposed redevelopment plan and benefits.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff and HPC recommend Council support this proposal to
designate 211 W. Hopkins as a historic landmark. On
December 8, 2020, Council was presented with Notice of
Call-up and upheld HPC’s approval of Conceptual Major
Development, Relocation and Variation review connected to
the designation. The applicant proposes restoring the Pan
Abode home on the site to its original appearance, excavating
a basement below it, and constructing a detached new home
along the alley. HPC Final design review will be the last
required evaluation before building permit.
Site Locator Map – 211 W. Hopkins Avenue
211
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
BACKGROUND:
211 W. Hopkins is a 6,000 square foot lot
located in the R-6 zone district. The site
contains a 1956 Pan Abode, which is
essentially unaltered. It is still owned by the
same family that originally built it.
REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL
Council is asked to address the following:
• AspenModern Historic Designation (Section 26.415.025 and Section 26.415.030) for
negotiation of a voluntary designation.
STAFF COMMENTS:
As detailed in Exhibit A, Historic Designation and Benefits, Staff and HPC support the voluntary
landmarking of this property as one of the best and most intact examples of a Pan Abode home
in Aspen. Exhibit A includes the application of a scoring system the City adopted to provide an
objective analysis of the physical integrity of the structure under consideration for designation.
The property has scored of 19 out of a possible 20 points, identifying 211 W. Hopkins as a
particularly significant remaining example of a modest housing type that was common and
important to the early development of the ski resort.
In exchange for designation the applicant has requested the following benefits:
• a tree removal fee waiver of approximately $20,000;
• expedited permit review;
• a floor area bonus of 135 square feet for living space and 19 square feet for deck; and
• a rear yard setback variation
Staff finds these requested benefits to be reasonable in consideration of the community benefit of
preserving this home in perpetuity. The applicant proposes to pay all required development fees
aside from tree removals, including affordable housing mitigation.
The redevelopment plan is an ideal preservation outcome. The cabin is to be preserved with no
addition. New construction will be detached and located at the rear of the site.
At First Reading, Council asked for follow-up on general information about the purpose of the
AspenModern designation program and typical historic preservation incentives.
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
The purpose of the program is to recognize and protect significant and influential examples of
Aspen’s history as represented by buildings, sites and objects created from 1945-1975. The City’s
approach to preservation of Victorian era historic resources, which began in the 1970s, did not
require owner consent for designation, but balanced that authority with a heavy emphasis on
incentives and partnership with property owners.
In 2000, as Aspen’s mid-century era built environment began to reach the age of 50, a threshold
that has been widely used in preservation as providing an appropriate perspective to assess
historical value, a community discussion of future preservation priorities became very activated.
Different approaches and policies were discussed and tested over a 10-year period. Twenty-five
mid-century resources were landmarked, some with consent and some without, before Council
created AspenModern in 2010 as a designation process that would only seek voluntary
applications to be evaluated and provided with site specific incentives tailored to the significance
and characteristics of the property. In Aspen’s development environment, this voluntary,
incentive-based system carries risks, and some important reflections of the community’s history,
most notably The Given Institute, have been lost.
The effort on the whole has been very successful, and 211 W. Hopkins is the 20th voluntary
designation. While 45 landmarks representing this period of history is an admirable
accomplishment for the community, it falls short of the 250 Victorian era resources preserved. (It
is noteworthy that the Victoria Era in Aspen reflects a much shorter period in time than the modern
era.) In a community with on-going pressure for change, the topic of what to protect, and how to
accomplish this, remains very important. The development restrictions that come with designation
must be balanced with incentives, or the motivation to volunteer will not occur. The date, the
City’s policies and regulations are based on a balance between preservations controls and
incentives to provide owners with the motivation to preserve our identified historical resources.
Regarding the benefits requested for this specific project, the waiver of tree removal fees has
been accepted by the Parks Department. The tree removals are primarily focused on a row of
closely spaced evergreens that block the property from being able to locate parking along the
alley, as preferred in the Municipal Code and Engineering standards. Staff believes this applicant
request is appropriate relative to the preservation outcome.
The applicant has also requested expedited permit review. The process for this is covered in a
policy adopted by the Building Department. In short, a permit being provided with this status
receives special attention from review agencies who “trouble-shoot” the permit with the applicant
before submittal. Agencies then provide review comments for “Round 1” and “Round 2” (if
needed) review, responding within four weeks of the applicant’s request, whereas there is no set
response time for non-expedited permits. It is Council’s discretion to identify which projects
receive this service. Expedited permit review allows projects with community value to proceed at
a faster pace, with no monetary cost to the city, but with a potential financial benefit to the property
owner due to a speedier construction schedule. Staff believes this applicant request is
appropriate relative to the preservation outcome.
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130 South Galena Street Aspen, CO 81611-1975 | P: 970.920.5197 | cityofaspen.com
The applicant has requested a floor area bonus, which HPC has found can be accommodated on
the site without negative impact to the historic resource, which is to be preserved intact with no
above grade addition. Restoration work, including removing non-historic paint from the structure
and related actions have also been deemed as earning the requested bonus. Staff believes this
applicant request is appropriate relative to the preservation outcome.
Finally, the requested rear yard setback reduction of 2 feet (resulting of a rear yard set-back of 8
feet) is a result of leaving the historic resource in its historic location and providing adequate
distance between it and the new home proposed along the alley. Staff believes this applicant
request is appropriate relative to the preservation outcome.
Each AspenModern designation has involved a different package of incentives. Some have
included significant waivers of affordable housing fees, permit fees, and floor area incentives. It
is up to Council to determine the appropriate balance to achieve designation, where appropriate.
RECOMMENDED MOTION: “I move to adopt Ordinance #022, Series of 2020.”
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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ATTACHMENTS:
Ordinance #022, Series of 2020
Exhibit A – Historic Designation and Benefits Criteria/Staff Findings
Exhibit B – Application