HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit O_Applicant addendum memo 8.8.16Design Workshop, Inc.
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120 East Main Street
Aspen, Colorado 81611
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designworkshop.com
August 8, 2016
Jennifer Phelan
Community Development Department
City of Aspen
130 South Galena Street, 3rd Floor
Aspen, CO 81611
This letter amends the Gorsuch Haus Project Review Application currently being
considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission. These changes to the plan seek to
respond to the comments expressed from the Commissioners, staff and public and at the
Planning and Zoning hearings on July 5 and July 16, 2016. The following is a summary of
the Gorsuch Haus project revisions which correspond with the revised Site Plan, Exhibit A.
1. Site Planning:
The north-eastern portion of the proposed building has been removed with
some of the building’s mass relocated to western side of the site in a porte
cochere configuration. This will result in a ground level opening two stories
tall, framing a visual connection to the lift and the mountain.
The porte cochere will maintain a minimum of a 13.5-foot clearance, as
required for fire access to comply with city engineering standards. This will
accommodate an increased amount of covered pedestrian and vehicular space
associated with the turnaround.
The approach from the turnaround to the snow surface of the replacement lift
will be more direct and the corridor experienced by pedestrians will be
focused upslope, unimpeded in terms of visibility to the ski lift, with a direct
route to the milling area and the lift. This replaces the configuration in which
the building encompassed the lift with the eastern wing of the building fully
removed.
The overhanging porte cochere portion of the building would be incorporated
into Lot 1, with permanent easements to the city and the public provided.
This change to the building footprint accommodates the historic ski corridor
from Dean Street to the mountain and relocates the building from encroaching
into the upslope view as generally established by Lift One Park.
2. Lift location, access and visibility:
The reduction of the northeastern portion of the proposed building enables
the new Lift 1A to be relocated approximately 20 feet closer to the downtown
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or downslope from the alignment identified in the March 29 plan set. This
places the new lift load location approximately 66 feet upslope from where
the existing double chair loads today, however it will be much more easily
accessed.
The combination of changes to the building and the adjustment in the lift
location make the lift as visible upon arrival and as publicly accessible as can
be achieved with any site plan. A skier arriving by transit or on foot will begin
at the 7999 elevation where tickets and restrooms are provided, up the
stairway to the snow level at 8016.5 where the milling and mazing area begins.
Accessible lift access to the snow surface/lift load location has been
reconfigured to be accomplished with an elevator adjacent to the pedestrian
route. With this revision, the ADA access is no longer a prominent visual
feature in the historic ski corridor. The previous retaining walls associated with
the ADA access route have been removed.
3. Ski return / historic corridor:
The plaza and associated retaining wall previously included to adjust the grade
between the lift level and the return ski level has been reduced.
The grading on the eastern side of the ski return, adjacent to the Caribou
Condominiums has been reconfigured to preserve the trees requiring only one
tree to be removed rather than eight with the previous design. The face of the
wall is located a minimum of eight feet from the base of preserved trees. The
wall supports the return skiing connection to Lift One Park and allows for
return skiing to the Caribou units along the northern edge.
Retaining walls along the northeastern edge of the property are necessary to
maintain the snow level and facilitate the return skiing to Lift One Park as well
as supporting Ski Company mountain access.
4. Architectural program and floorplans:
The hotel’s proposed interior program remains closely aligned with the
original application. The floor plans have been adjusted to consolidate hotel
amenity and public spaces including the lobby, check-in/arrival, restaurant and
bar and living room spaces into the northern portion of the building, adjacent
to a reconfigured skier plaza. Hotel rooms have been relocated to the area
where the restaurant was previously envisioned.
With the changes to the internal configuration of the building’s uses, the
exterior access-ways, stairs and plazas along the buildings eastern edge have
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been revised to reflect the uses internal to the building, eliminating the
stairway and structure between the lift and the lodge.
The changes improve upon some of the inefficiencies in the March 29 design
resulting from locating the restaurant upslope at the southern end of the site.
In the revised design, spaces dedicated to circulation within the building are
minimized.
5. Turnaround at the South Aspen Street terminus:
The turnaround has been redesigned to incorporate the city’s engineering
standards, accommodating a 50’ radius, additional loading and unloading
capability for the hotel and proposed shuttle service.
Pedestrian space has been increased on the northern side of the turnaround
providing a 13-footwide sidewalk which will further enhance the public
approach to the lift and direct pedestrian traffic to the mountain.
Along the southern side of the turnaround a minimum 6’ sidewalk has been
included to accommodate pedestrian traffic, primarily from existing
neighborhood uses located west of the turnaround.
6. Vesting Period
The previously requested vesting period of 10 years is proposed to be
amended to a 5-year vesting period.
These application amendments represent significant changes from the original submission
and more time is required to fully resolve the internal building program and application
revisions to the relevant sections of the land use code. We are working to prepare
additional materials that will help to illustrate the proposed changes and intend to provide
these in advance of the August 16 P&Z meeting.
Sincerely,
Richard Shaw, Design Workshop
On behalf of Norway Island, LLC