HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit T_Applicant's letter dated 2.2.17Landscape Architecture
Planning
Urban Design
February 2, 2017
Jennifer Phelan
120 East Main Street Community Development Department
Aspen, Colorado 81611 City of Aspen
970.925,8354 130 South Galena Street, 3rd Floor
970.920.1387 fax Aspen, CO 81611
Dear Jennifer:
Asheville
Aspen The Gorsuch Haus team looks forward to discussing the key ideas of the project with City
Council on February 13th, 2017. We are providing this letter to re -cap the steps of the
Austin Project Level Review and suggest the most important areas for the Council's assistance. It
Chicago will be useful to focus the upcoming hearing sequence so that the Applicant and City Staff
Denver are coordinated for each Council meeting and relevant information may be planned for and
prepared.
Dubai
Houston In that spirt, we suggest the series of review meetings be organized around the following
Lake Tahoe topics:
® First Meeting: Presenting the purpose of the project, major ideas, and crucial
Los Angeles information to City Council. This opportunity will allow City Council to ask questions
Shanghai and request any additional information they need.
® Second Meeting: Focusing on the areas of the project that may need greater
alignment with Council's direction.
ksnn�.com e Third Meeting: Reviewing any proposed revisions to the project plan and/or
program. This meeting could address the revisions proposed and the support
details needed to begin a draft ordinance.
® Fourth Meeting: Summarizing the project and reviewing the formal ordinance, which
will allow City Council to define the project and take action.
We believe this process would be a constructive way for Council to review the project, and
at the same time, allow appropriate communication to assist the evolution the project. We
anticipate that the following are pertinent questions for the initial review:
1. Does Council consider the site to be appropriate for Mixed -Use Lodging?
2. Does Council think the location of the skiing components are correctly
configured to define the ski base, accommodate skiing and create a functional
new portal to Aspen Mountain?
3. Does Council support the publicly accessible ski base as proposed?
4. Are the Public Right -of -Way vacations requested, with the exchange of private
land and easements, viewed as an acceptable way to develop the site?
5. Is the site plan configuration and placement of the proposed building
appropriate for the site and the surrounding neighborhood?
6. What is the Council's opinion of proposed height, mass, and scale in
relationship to the proposed uses and a revitalized base area?
DESIGNWORKS] 01)
The review may also spark new questions and we would like to provide the answers to
Council thoughtfully and expediently. Should these come up in the first meeting, we would
strive to answer them at the City Council's next meeting. As suggested above, if the
essential elements of the project can be discussed early in the process, it is likely to forge
an understanding of what the nature of the project may be, thereby allowing us to respond
comprehensively.
Sincerely,
Richard Shaw FASLA
Principal, Design Workshop, Inc.
Representative for Norway Island, LLC