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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit A.Historic Designation.211 W Hopkins Ave Page 1 of 6 Exhibit A Historic Designation and Benefits Criteria Staff Findings 26.415.030 Designation of Historic Properties. The designation of properties to an official list, that is known as the Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures which is maintained by the City, is intended to provide a systematic public process to determine what buildings, areas and features of the historic built environment are of value to the community. Designation provides a means of deciding and communicating, in advance of specific issues or conflicts, what properties are in the public interest to protect. C. Aspen Modern 1. Criteria. To be eligible for designation on the Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures as an example of AspenModern, an individual building, site, structure or object or a collection of buildings, sites, structures or objects must have a demonstrated quality of significance. The quality of significance of properties shall be evaluated according to criteria described below. When designating a historic district, the majority of the contributing resources in the district must meet at least two (2) of the criteria a-d, and criterion e described below: a) The property is related to an event, pattern, or trend that has made a contribution to local, state, regional or national history that is deemed important, and the specific event, pattern or trend is identified and documented in an adopted context paper; b) The property is related to people who have made a contribution to local, state, regional or national history that is deemed important, and the specific people are identified and documented in an adopted context paper; c) The property represents a physical design that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction, or represents the technical or aesthetic achievements of a recognized designer, craftsman, or design philosophy that is deemed important and the specific physical design, designer, or philosophy is documented in an adopted context paper; d) The property possesses such singular significance to the City, as documented by the opinions of persons educated or experienced in the fields of history, architecture, landscape architecture, archaeology or a related field, that the property's potential demolition or major alteration would substantially diminish the character and sense of place in the city as perceived by members of the community, and e) The property or district possesses an appropriate degree of integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship and association, given its age. The City Council shall adopt and make available to the public score sheets and other devices which shall be used by the Council and Historic Preservation Commission to apply this criterion. Page 2 of 6 Staff Finding: This Pan Abode home on 211 W. Hopkins is an excellent example of the pre-fabricated kit homes that were constructed in Aspen post World War II. It exemplifies this era of development in Aspen and is recognized as a contributing style of architecture to the local context. A context paper documents this method of construction in more detail. The home that is on this property has been minimally altered, therefore, clearly demonstrates the following key features of a Pan Abode: tongue and groove cedar log construction, overlapping notches, deep overhangs with a low-pitched roof, natural wood finish, and a one- story structure. The staff integrity score for this structure is a 19 out of 20 which put this property in the “best” range for historic integrity. Although the home is not directly associated with a significant individual, this is not a requirement. Staff finds that 4 of the 5 criteria for designation are met. Staff fully supports the designation of this property that contains one of the best examples of an Aspen Pan Abode home. 26.415.030.C.1 Aspen Modern Criteria. To be eligible for designation on the Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures as an example of AspenModern, an individual building, site, structure or object or a collection of buildings, sites, structures or objects must have a demonstrated quality of significance. The quality of significance of properties shall be evaluated according to criteria described below. MET NOT MET a.The property is related to an event, pattern, or trend that has made a contribution to local, state, regional or national history that is deemed important, and the specific event, pattern or trend is identified and documented in an adopted context paper; b.The property is related to people who have made a contribution to local, state, regional or national history that is deemed important, and the specific people are identified and documented in an adopted context paper; NOT MET c.The property represents a physical design that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction, or represents the technical or aesthetic achievements of a recognized designer, craftsman, or design philosophy that is deemed important and the specific physical design, designer, or philosophy is documented in an adopted context paper; d.The property possesses such singular significance to the City, as documented by the opinions of persons educated or experienced in the fields of history, architecture, landscape architecture, archaeology or a related field, that the property's potential demolition or major alteration would substantially diminish the character and sense of place in the city as perceived by members of the community, and e.The property or district possesses an appropriate degree of integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship and association, given its age. The City Council shall adopt and make available to the public score sheets and other devices which shall be used by the Council and Historic Preservation Commission to apply this criterion. Summary of Review Criteria for Section 26.415.030 - Historic Designation. The designation of properties to an official list, that is known as the Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures which is maintained by the City, is intended to provide a systematic public process to determine what buildings, areas and features of the historic built environment are of value to the community. Designation provides a means of deciding and communicating, in advance of specific issues or conflicts, what properties are in the public interest to protect. MET Designation of Historic Properties The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) shall evaluate the application and forward their recommendation to City Council to make the final decision. MET MET MET Page 3 of 6 The designation of properties as AspenModern is voluntary and allows the applicant to request benefits on a case by case basis as follows. 26.415.025.C. AspenModern Properties. Properties associated with Aspen’s 20th century history shall be called AspenModern. Properties identified on the AspenModern Map shall be eligible for certain preservation benefits without being designated by City Council and may be awarded preservation incentives above and beyond those identified at Section 26.415.110, as follows. Property owners are encouraged to meet proactively with the historic preservation commission before undertaking development plans to receive preliminary feedback on appropriate development and benefits. 1. Ninety-Day Negotiation Period. In the case that the owner of a property on the AspenModern Map submits a land use application which includes voluntary landmark designation, a negotiation period of up to 90 days shall be initiated. A letter from the property owner indicating an understanding of this ninety-day negotiation period shall accompany the land use application. The ninety-day negotiation period may be extended an additional thirty (30) days upon a resolution adopted by the Council, or longer if mutually acceptable to both the Council and the property owner. Nothing herein shall prevent the City from reviewing any land use application or building permit affecting the subject property during the ninety-day negotiation period. Within the ninety-day negotiation period, the following shall occur: a) The Community Development Director shall offer to meet with the property owner to discuss the City's Historic Preservation Program and benefits that the property may be eligible to receive upon designation as a Historic Landmark. b) The Community Development Director shall confer with the Historic Preservation Commission, at a public meeting, regarding the proposed land use application or building permit and the nature of the property. The property owner shall be provided notice of this meeting. The Historic Preservation Commission, using context papers and integrity scoring sheets for the property under consideration, shall provide Council with an assessment of the property’s conformance with the designation criteria of Section 26.415.030.C.1. When any benefits that are not included in Section 26.415.110 are requested by the property owner, HPC shall also evaluate how the designation, and any development that is concurrently proposed, meets the policy objectives for the historic preservation program, as stated at Section 26.415.010, Purpose and Intent. As an additional measure of the appropriateness of designation and benefits, HPC shall determine whether the subject property is a “good, better, or best” example of Aspen’s 20th century historic resources, referencing the scoring sheets and matrix adopted by City Council. c) The Community Development Director shall confer with the City Council regarding the proposed land use application or building permit, the nature of the property, and the Page 4 of 6 staff and Historic Preservation Commission's assessment of its historic significance and the effects of the application or building permit. The property owner shall be provided notice of this meeting. d) The City Council may negotiate directly with the property owner or may choose to direct the Community Development Director, or other City staff as necessary, to negotiate with the property owner to reach a mutually acceptable agreement for the designation of the property. The City Council may choose to provide this direction in Executive Session, pursuant to State Statute. As part of the mutually acceptable agreement, the City Council may, at its sole discretion, approve any land use entitlement or fee waiver permitted by the Municipal Code and may award any approval that is assigned to another Board or Commission, including variations. Council shall consider the appropriateness of benefits in light of whether the property is identified as a “good, better, or best” example of Aspen’s 20th century history and shall also seek to be equitable in the benefits awarded through the negotiation process. The monetary value of benefits being requested shall be defined, to the extent possible. Council shall seek compatibility with the neighborhood surrounding the subject property. When benefits are awarded as part of the negotiation, Council shall require that the property be designated as a Historic Landmark, pursuant to the standards and limitations of Section 26.415.030, Designation of Historic Properties. As part of the mutually acceptable agreement, the City Council may choose to require the land use application or building permit that initiated the negotiation to be withdrawn by the property owner if said application or permit would have negatively affected the historic significance of the property. Once a property identified on the AspenModern Map is designated to the Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures, additional negotiation under this section is not allowed. e) If, upon the passage of 90 days or any extension thereof, the City and the property owner have failed to reach a mutually acceptable agreement, affected land use applications shall be issued a Development Order upon compliance with all applicable provisions of the City of Aspen Land Use Code. The City Council, or the property owner, may choose to terminate negotiations at any time. Staff Findings: The applicant has requested benefits related to voluntary designation, as follows. Tree Mitigation Fee Waiver: The project involves removal of a number of trees that line the back of the property, cutting off alley access. The applicant has met on site with the Parks Department and have calculated the tree mitigation fee to total $20,122.75. This is requested as a fee waiver. Staff supports this as a reasonable request. Many of the trees are placed too closely together, and alley access is necessary. Large street trees at the front of the property are preserved. Page 5 of 6 Expedited permit review: The applicant requests review under the City’s expedited policy. This provides quicker response time to the initial review and processing of the building permit. Staff supports this as a reasonable request. Floor area bonus: Under the recently revised floor area bonus criteria for landmarks, this project is only eligible for a 15 square foot bonus. The project receives a 360 square foot floor area boost by taking advantage of the allowance for a historic property to have a duplex on this lot size. In order to avoid the floor area bonus becoming a “double dip,” the duplex increase of 360 square feet is deducted from the 375 square foot bonus allowance, leaving only 15 square feet. Staff supports award of the 15 square foot bonus. As a negotiated AspenModern benefit, the applicant also requests 135 square feet of floor area for enclosed space and 115 square feet of deck bonus. Typically, to be considered for the bonus, it must be demonstrated that the project meets all of the following criteria: a) The historic building is the key element of the property, and the primary entry into the structure, and the addition is incorporated in a manner that maintains the visual integrity of the historic building; and b) If applicable, historically significant site and landscape features from the period of significance of the historic building are preserved; and c) The applicant is undertaking multiple significant restoration actions, including but not limited to, re-opening an enclosed porch, re-installing doors and windows in original openings that have been enclosed, removing paint or other non-original finishes, or removing elements which are covering original materials or features; and d) The project retains a historic outbuilding, if one is present, as a free standing structure above grade; and e) The applicant is electing a preservation outcome that is a high priority for HPC, including but not limited to, creating at least two detached structures on the site, limiting the amount of above grade square footage added directly to a historic resource to no more than twice the above grade square footage of the historic resource, limiting the height of an addition to a historic resource to the height of the resource or lower, or demolishing and replacing a significantly incompatible non- historic addition to a historic resource with an addition that meets current guidelines. Staff finds that the preservation approach in this project is ideal and deserving of the requested bonuses. This is a voluntary landmark designation resulting in the Pan Abode being preserved in place with no addition. The application proposes removal of non-original addition and restoration of the rear facade, removing non historic paint and shutters and restoring windows. The new construction is completely detached. Separate from the floor area bonus described above, on a lot that contains a historic resource, HPC may exempt wall exposed by a light well that is larger than the minimum required for egress from the calculation of subgrade floor area only if the light well is internalized such that it is entirely recessed behind the vertical plane established by the portion of the building façade(s) closest to any street(s), the light well is screened from view from the street by building walls or fences, and Page 6 of 6 any addition that is made to the affected resource simultaneous or after the construction of the light well is entirely one story. The applicant requests a 17 foot floor area bonus for a lightwell on the east side of the new unit. Staff questions whether this bonus benefits the landmark. The lightwell also requires a setback variation. HPC discussion is needed. 1) Tongue and groove cedar log construction Character Defining Features of the Rustic (manufactured) Style 4) Low-pitched roof, usually gabled but occasionally shed 7) All or most of features 1-6 must be visible at the front façade. Total Points, 0 –10 8) Natural, stained wood 2) Overlapping notches at corners 3) Original wood framed, multi-light picture window 5) Deep overhanging eaves Check box if statement is true. One point per box. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A building must have 6 of the 10 character defining features, either present or clearly documented through photographic of physical evidence to qualify as Rustic (manufactured) Style. Restoration may be required as part of the award of incentives. If the property earned 6 or more points, continue to the next page. If the property earned less than 6 points, scoring ends. 9) Simple, rectilinear footprint 10) One story 6) Recessed entrance with rounded or squared corners 8 9 10 INTEGRITY SCORING If a statement is true, circle the number of points associated with that true statement. Integrity Score (this page) maximum of 10 points: HISTORIC ASSESSMENT SCORE: Best: 15 up to 20 points Better: 12 up to 15 points Good: 10 up to 12 points Not Eligible:0 up to 10 points Character Defining Features Score (first page) maxi- mum of 10 points: LOCATION OF BUILDING ON THE LOT: The bui l di ng i s i n i ts ori gi nal l ocation.2 poi nts The bui l di ng has be e n shi ft e d on the ori gi nal parce l , but mai ntai ns i ts ori gi nal al i gnme nt and/or prox i mi ty to the stre e t.1 poi nt SETTING : The prope rty i s l ocate d wi thi n the ge ographi cal are a surrounde d by Castl e Cre e k, the Roari ng Fork Ri ve r and A spe n Mountai n.1 poi nt The prope rty i s outsi de of the ge ographi cal are a surround by Castl e Cre e k, the Raori ng Fork Ri ve r and Aspe n Mountai n.1/2 poi nt DESIG N: The form of the bui l di ng (f ootpri nt, roof and w al l pl ane s) are unal te re d f rom the ori gi nal de si gn.3 poi nts a.) The f orm of the bui l di ng has be e n al te re d but l e ss than 25% of the ori gi nal wal l s have be e n re move d, OR b.) The al te rations to the f orm al l occur at the re ar of the subj e ct bui l di ng, OR c.) The f orm of the bui l di ng has be e n al te re d but the addi tion i s l e ss than 50% of the si ze of the ori gi nal bui l di ng, OR d.) The re i s a roof top addi tion that i s l e ss than 50% of the footprint of the roof. 2 poi nts MATERIALS Exteri or mate rial s The original e x te ri or mate ri al s of the bui l di ng are stil l i n pl ace , wi th the e x ce ption of normal mai nte nance and re pai rs.2 poi nts 50% of the e x te ri or mate ri al s have be e n re pl ace d, but the re pl ace me nts match the ori gi nal condi tion.1 poi nt Windows and doors The ori gi nal wi ndows and doors of the bui l di ng are stil l i n pl ace , wi th the e x ce ption of normal mai nte nance and re pai rs.2 poi nts 50% of the ori gi nal wi ndows and doors have be e n re pl ace d, but the re pl ace me nts match the ori gi nal condi tion.1 poi nt