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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExibit S_ Engineering dept letter dated 2.3.17L/t�jv!s Memorandum From: Hailey Gugliehno, FIT Civil Engineer I City of Aspen Engineering Department To: Richard Shaw Design Workshop i-shaw@designworkshop.com 970-925-8352 Jennifer Phelan, AICP Deputy Planning Director Jenn fifer. phelan @c ityofaspe n. com 970-429-2759 Date: February 3, 2017 RE: Gorsuch Hans Engineering Review The Engineering Department does not support the vacation of City ROW in this area, nor the proposed layout of the drop off area. The Engineering Department is not opposed to reconfiguring the ROW to best suite the area but what is proposed in the application does not demonstrate that all mudflow, utility, maintenance, and traffic concerns are accounted for. Mudflow: The South Aspen Street corridor functions as a mud flow path. The existing encroachments into this pathway already constrict the area in a mudflow event. By restricting the corridor even further it exacerbates the issue and can cause increased mud and debris depth elsewhere. This would result in increased damage to private property. At this time it is unknown what, if any, mudflow mitigation measures will be installed uphill of the Aspen Street corridor. Restricting the South Aspen Sheet corridor limits the available options to mitigate mudflow uphill and decrease potential damage in the event of a mudflow. Utilities: Before considering any ROW vacation and proposed easements the applicant should submit for review a full utility design. The design must demonstrate there is adequate space for all utilities and show that all COA standard separation distances and depths are met. The design should also account for future utility uses and leave open corridors to prevent restricting potential utility alignments. The utility plan should include drainage components, both surface drainage and storm sewers. Specifically, there is a large drainage grate and storm pipe along Hill St. This appears to be in conflict with the latest proposed waterline easement. Maintenance: Maintenance at the end of the street in the cul-de-sac would require a greater effort for snow removal than what is currently performed in other locations throughout town. There is no snow storage area around the cul-de-sac. The alignment and configuration of the cul-de-sac along with the steep slopes of South Aspen Street creates a difficult area for snow removal. The use of the area throughout the day would make snow removal incredibly difficult. The removal of snow at night would be noisy and disruptive to hotel guests. The project must verify there is adequate clearance distance for snow removal below the proposed overhang. Traffic: South Aspen Street is currently not set up for the type of use the project is proposing. The steep slopes and dead end configuration create limitations on the area. The flat 4% slope cul-de-sac transitions quickly to a 16% steep slope on South Aspen Street. This transition, especially in icy conditions is a concern for vehicles. Currently the streets Department places signs requiring four wheel drive or chains for vehicles on South Aspen Street when conditions become icy. It has not been addressed how hotel guests would navigate the steep, icy road. The increased use for a hotel has not been sufficiently addressed. The proposed bus drop-off length does not appear adequate for a bus loading area, even for the smaller shuttle bus proposed. In reality the bus will overhang into the adjacent car loading area. This essentially leaves one vehicle loading/unloading area. For the anticipated use of the hotel and skier drop off, one spot is not sufficient. The likelihood of vehicles staging up around the cul-de-sac and down the steep slope of South Aspen Street is very high. A viable solution is to find a way to utilize the proposed Dean Street drop-off where infrastructure is available and the ROW layout and road slope is able to accommodate the traffic demand that is anticipated in this area. The project is not fully thought out from a transportation perspective nor from a ROW management standpoint including utility alignment and snow removal. At this time, and until these issues are resolved, the Engineering Department does not support the ROW vacation.