HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo.233WBleeker.20220112
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427 Rio Grande Place, Aspen, CO 81611 | P: 970.920.5090 | Aspen.gov
Memorandum
TO: Aspen Historic Preservation Commission
FROM: Sarah Yoon, Historic Preservation Planner
THROUGH: Natalie Feinberg Lopez, Historic Preservation Officer
MEETING DATE: January 12, 2022
RE: 233 W. Bleeker Street – Conceptual Major Development, Relocation,
Setback Variations and Floor Area Bonus, PUBLIC HEARING
APPLICANT /OWNER:
233 West Bleeker Lots ABC LLC
REPRESENTATIVE:
BendonAdams
LOCATION:
Street Address:
233 W. Bleeker Street
Legal Description:
Lots A, B, and C, Block 51 City
and Townsite of Aspen, Colorado
Parcel Identification Number:
PID# 2735-124-40-001
CURRENT ZONING & USE:
R-6 (Moderate-Density
Residential); Single-family home
PROPOSED ZONING & USE:
Two detached Single-family
homes
SUMMARY:
The applicant requests approval for Conceptual Major
Development to restore the historic structures, relocate the two-
story Victorian home on a new basement foundation, and construct
a new addition to the east side of the property. A setback variation
to memorialize historic features projecting into the setback and a
500 s.f. floor area bonus is requested for this proposal. As a
historically designated landmark, this project is exempt from
Residential Design Standards Review (RDS).
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff supports the restoration efforts of this project but
recommends continuation to restudy the site planning of the
proposed addition.
Site Locator Map – 233 W. Bleeker
233
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BACKGROUND:
233 W. Bleeker is a 9,000 s.f. corner lot in the R-6 zone district
that contains a two-story Victorian era home and a historic
secondary structure. The 1904 Sanborn Map shows the
building footprint of both structures to be consistent with what
is seen on the site today (Figure 2). The building permit files
reveal a history of alterations made to the historic structures
over time. In 1968 the historic secondary structure was
converted into a separate living unit and the breezeway
connection was added in the 1980s. The property was
historically designated as an Aspen Victorian Landmark in
1992 (Ordinance 34-1992).
Photographs from the 1950s and 1960s document the appearance of the Victorian prior to the
impactful changes (Figure 3). As a corner lot in the West End, this property has a prominent visual
presence, but the non-historic additions heavily distort the historic characteristics of the resources.
REQUEST OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION (HPC)
The Applicant is requesting the following land use approvals:
• Major Development (Section 26.415.070.D) to remove non-historic additions, restore the
historic structures, and construct a new addition to the east side of the property.
• Relocation (Section 26.415.090) to relocate the two-story historic home on a new
basement foundation but maintain the same historic location on the site.
• Setback Variation (Section 26.415.110.C) for historic architectural features on the two-
story resource to remain in its historic condition.
• Floor Area Bonus (Section 26.415.110.F) a 500 s.f. floor area bonus for an 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 – 233 W. Bleeker, 2021
Figure 2 – Sanborn Map, 1904 Figure 3 – 233 W. Bleeker, 1963
Source: Aspen Historical Society
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PROJECT SUMMARY:
The applicant proposes to remove all detrimental non-historic additions and to restore both historic
structures by referencing historic documents and existing physical evidence. Altered architectural
details, including fenestration, will be restored and the historic structures will continue to occupy
their respective historic locations on the site. The two-story historic home will be placed on a new
basement foundation and no subgrade living area is proposed underneath the historic secondary
structure. The spatial relationship between the two resources will be preserved, and a new two-
story addition connected to the two-story Victorian is proposed to the west side of the property.
The front façade of the new addition is recessed behind the front façade of the historic home by
approximately 16’ and the connecting element is located 22’ back from the front façade of the
historic home. The historic secondary structure is proposed as a separate 460 s.f. detached
dwelling unit. A total of 3 parking spaces are proposed on-site. The applicant requests a side yard
setback reduction of 2’ to memorialize the historic bay window that extends into the west side yard
setback and a 500 s.f. floor area bonus for the project.
STAFF COMMENTS:
Staff supports the proposed plans for restoration with additional comments and the relocation of
the Victorian home on a new basement foundation. The requested side yard setback reduction
for the historic bay window meets the criteria for granting dimensional variations, and staff
commends the applicant’s design efforts to preserve the historic placement of the two resources
on the site. Staff recognizes the additional efforts needed to reverse the impactful alterations, but
recommends the applicant restudy the initial site placement of the new addition before
contemplating the request for a floor area bonus. The new two-story addition is set next to the
historic home in a side-by-side configuration in the middle of the lot and visually competes with
the historic home when viewed from Bleeker Street. To better comply with Design Guideline
10.10, staff recommends the addition be substantially setback on the property.
Staff recommends HPC further discuss the following topic in more detail.
1. Historic Landmark – Restoration and Alterations: A preservation plan that outlines existing
conditions and proposed treatments is required. The two resources will be preserved as
detached structures and all restoration details must accurately match historic documentation
and/or photos. This includes the restoration work on the historic secondary structure pertaining
to locations of openings and fenestration design, but the delineated vehicular pathway should
not be replicated. Engineering comments also point out the non-functional pathway to the
secondary structure from North Second Street as a conflict with curb cut standards. The
restoration of the screened side porch must reference historic photographs for an accurate
reconstruction; however, the proposed staircase is not consistent with the historic
photographs. Staff recommends restudy of this feature (Design Guidelines 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6).
Staff supports restoration of both historic structures but recommends the removal of
the non-functional pathway leading to secondary structure from North 2nd Street and a
restudy of the staircase leading to the restored screened side porch.
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427 Rio Grande Place, Aspen, CO 81611 | P: 970.920.5090 | Aspen.gov
2. Site Planning and Parking: This corner
property consists of three townsite lots and the
historic structures are mostly contained within
Lot A. Given the design decision to preserve
the location of the historic structures, which
staff fully supports, the new addition extends
to the east side of the property. In this context
staff supports positioning the addition to the
side of the historic home, however, staff finds
the addition needs to be set back further from
the front of the property than what has been
represented to meet Design Guideline 10.10
and 10.4. The centrally sited two-story
addition and connecting element competes for visual prominence on the lot when viewed from
Bleeker Street (Figure 4). It also minimizes site porosity by reducing meaningful open space
on the site (Design Guidelines 1.1 and 1.7).
The proposed site plan shows a significant amount of hardscaping on the property with
minimal information about on-site drainage and stormwater mitigation. Staff recommends
more details be provided regarding the preliminary plans for on-site stormwater mitigation to
be reviewed by staff and relevant City Departments (Design Guideline 1.8). In the referral
comments provided by the Engineering Department, clarification is requested for the proposed
parking space that appears to be on an easement. According to underlying zoning
requirements, 3 parking space will be required for the proposed design.
While staff supports the preservation of the historic resources in their current location
and the side-by-side configuration of the addition as it relates to the historic home, staff
recommends the new addition and connecting element be further recessed to the rear
of the property to enhance the visual prominence of the Victorian home. The applicant
must also provide clarification regarding the on-site parking configuration since a
minimum of 3 spots are needed for the 2 dwelling units proposed.
3. New Addition – Form, Materials and Fenestration: The proposed new addition is a two-
story structure that is roughly 2’ feet taller than the historic resource when measured from the
ridgelines of the gable roofs. The addition is connected to the historic home with a 12’ long
connecting element that faces Bleeker Street. Many design aspects of the new addition such
and the building footprint and the overall floor area is similar or less than the historic home.
Form: A 12:12 gable roof at the front façade creates a sense of compatibility between the old
and the new structure but the form of the building changes with the introduction of an extended
dormer and a flat roof massing that extends 6’ to the east side of the addition. Although this is
Figure 4 – Rendering of Proposed Addition
(Viewed from Bleeker Street)
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a corner lot, these changes to form occur towards the internal portion of the lot making it less
visible. Staff finds the design demonstrates compatibility but recommends adjustments be
made to the site placement to reduce the visual prominent of the addition.
Fenestration: The proposed fenestration is a combination of historic and modern dimensions.
The front façade dimensions closely relate to historic proportions, but the south and east
elevations deviate to a more contemporary configuration of glazing.
Materials: The selected building materials for the main elevation is wood siding and metal
panels are introduced to the flat roof portion of the massing, and a standing seam metal roof
is proposed for the addition.
Staff finds that the design of the new addition reaches an acceptable level of visual
compatibility but recommends strengthening two of the three characteristics to achieve
a stronger relationship to the historic structures since a floor area bonus is requested.
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 specific design reviewed for compatibility and appropriateness.
Setback Variations: The applicant requests a 2’ reduction of the west side yard setback for the
historic bay window that extends into the setback. This variation is necessary to memorialize
the protruding architectural feature on the Victorian home to remain where it is currently. No
other setback variations are requested for this project, including the proposed new addition.
Staff supports this request because it allows for the historic home to remain in its historic
location and not make any adjustments to historic architectural features.
Figure 5 – Proposed North Elevation
(Viewed from Bleeker Street)
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427 Rio Grande Place, Aspen, CO 81611 | P: 970.920.5090 | Aspen.gov
Floor Area Bonus: 500 s.f. is the maximum allowable floor area bonus for this property. The
applicant will need to conduct an extensive level of restoration to bring the Victorian era home
and the secondary structure back to its period of significance. According to the floor area
calculations provided in the application, the two historic structures account for roughly 2,500
s.f. of floor area. When comparing the floor area of the proposed new addition to the two-story
Victorian structure, the new addition is 117 s.f smaller than the historic home. Although this
project has the potential to earn the full floor area bonus, staff finds the site placement of the
new addition does not meet the Design Guidelines and the design compatibility could be made
stronger, therefore, restudy is recommended. The request for a floor area bonus should be re-
evaluated after the design of the new addition is found to be compliant with the Design
Guidelines. See Exhibit A.4 for staff findings.
Staff finds all criteria for setback variations are met and supports the request. The
proposed restoration for the project will greatly benefit the historic resource but staff
recommends the restudy of the new addition before evaluating the request for a floor
area bonus.
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.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) continue this application with the
following direction:
1.) Restudy the site placement of the new addition to better comply with Design Guidelines
10.4 and 10.10.
2.) Restudy the proposed staircase leading to the screened side porch that faces 2nd Street.
3.) Remove the delineated pathway to the inoperable garage door on the secondary historic
structure.
4.) Provide clarification on Engineering’s comments regarding the transformer, existing
easement that impact on-site parking.
5.) Provide a more detailed stormwater and drainage plan that is acceptable to all relevant
City Departments.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution #____, Series of 2022
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
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Exhibit B – Referral Comments
Exhibit C – Application