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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0066.2006.ASLU 0066.2006.ASLU/243600-P&Z Exhibits_062907.0.pdfC:\DOCUME~1\stephenh\LOCALS~1\Temp\BGPlot_5576\243600-P&Z Diagrams_062807.0.dwg Museum Alternate A (1) 0066.2006.ASLU/HPC Reso Approval 8 06.pdf 0066.2006.ASLU/July 10 Meeting Packetfinal.pdfMicrosoft Word - July 10 Meeting Packetfinal.doc 24398 State Highway 82 ▪ P.O. Box 4560 ▪ Basalt, Colorado 81621 ▪ 970/927.9000 phone ▪ 970/927.2834 fax June 29, 2007 Joyce Allgaier Deputy Director City of Aspen Community Development Department 130 S. Galena Street, 3rd floor Aspen, Colorado 81611 Re: Lift One Lodge – Conceptual PUD Application Dear Joyce: This attached information is written to provide background on the specific meeting topics for the scheduled July 10, 2007 Planning and Zoning Commission Review Process for the subject project. Per the meeting schedule that was provided, the discussion topics for the July 10th meeting are: • Site and Infrastructure Constraints/Opportunities • Public Experience Throughout the Site • Site Plan, Uses, Massing and Zoning • Historic Preservation Commission Conceptual Review for Willoughby and Lift One Parks Many of these items warrant an interactive discussion with the Planning and Zoning Commission that will occur at the July 10th meeting. We will have additional graphic presentation material to review with you and the Commission at that meeting. We look forward to the discussion and are available to meet with you in advance of the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting if you have any further questions. Sincerely, Robert E. Daniel, Jr. Roaring Fork Lodging Company Roaring Fork Lodging Company Page 2 of 7 Lift One Lodge Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting July 10, 2007 Site and Infrastructure Constraints/Opportunities In the overall design of the master plan for the properties included within the PUD application for the Lift One Lodge there were several constraints and opportunities. Our project team tried to address each constraint and opportunity with an intention to further our master plan goals related to History, Accessibility, and Vitality. As presented during our initial meeting, those goals are: History Changes will honor the ski heritage and reinforce the role of skiing in the future Accessibility Changes will lead to increased safety, better connectivity, and more mobility Vitality Changes will increase the activities and use of the area for more residents and visitors. Changes will lead to more hot beds at base of ski area. 1. Lift 1 – As discussed in the master plan presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 19, 2007, the presence of the original Lift 1 ski lift is a primary design consideration for Willoughby Park and Lift One Park. These structures are listed on the Local and National Historic Registries. At Willoughby Park in particular, enhancing the opportunity for the general public to view and access this piece of Aspen’s skiing history is a major design consideration. The master plan is designed to increase activity and vitality at Willoughy Park so that residents and guests will interact with the historical assets rather than merely seeing them as artifacts. The view corridor, ski access, and pedestrian trails from the Lift 1 bottom terminal at Willoughby Park up to the towers above Gilbert Street in Lift One Park are currently obstructed by the existing parking, the ‘Soccer Club’ building, the Deep Powder Cabins and the non-historic addition to the Skier’s Chalet Steakhouse. The master plan moves parking underground, removes the non-historic portions of the Soccer Club building and Steakhouse, and relocates the Deep Powder cabins. The improvements open up views into and through the park, improve ski access, create a more park-like setting, and improve access to historic assets. 2. Parks – Prior to the development of a master plan for this area, the Applicant met with the City of Aspen Parks Department staff to understand their priorities for Willoughby and Lift One Parks. During those discussions, we learned that the Parks Department envisioned Willoughby Park becoming more of a destination within the overall system of parks throughout the City. Additionally, there was an expressed desire to maintain Lift One Park much as it is today, passive green space that could possibly be used in the winter for skiing. Currently there is little or no ‘community’ usage of the Lift One Park parcel in the summer. Page 3 of 7 The history of Lift One Park goes back to the relocation of Lift 1 to the current location of Lift 1 A. The land for the park was donated to the City of Aspen in 1971 by the Aspen Skiing Company with the encumbrance of a skiing easement to the benefit of Aspen Skiing Company. It is our understanding that after the donation, the City of Aspen established the 51 foot by 130 foot parcel (6,630 square feet) as a part of the City park system. 3. Lift 1 A Relocation – As a part of the master plan, the Applicant worked with the Aspen Skiing Company on the relocation of the new Lift 1A. As you are aware, a new lift was originally proposed during the review of the Lodge at Aspen Mountain. In addition, there has been a long-standing need for a cul-de-sac at the top of Aspen Street. A cul-de-sac would improve emergency access, bring order to the current traffic mayhem at the base of the lift caused by a lack of an appropriate drop-off/pick-up area, and create the opportunity for a more enticing access to the mountain. Various scenarios were explored relative to lift location. Everything from bringing a new lift down to Willoughby Park, running a fixed guideway system in Aspen Street from Durant to a new lift location, and moving the lift slightly uphill were examined. The Aspen Skiing Company is finalizing a letter that outlines the technical and regulatory restrictions that go into the design of lift and ski corridors. In short, the constraints of the corridor and the existence of the Historic Lift 1 prohibit the creation of a terminal with appropriate skier access for a lift system in Willoughby Park. A diagram is included as Exhibit 1 to provide a graphic representation of these constraints on the property. After review of the constraints and opportunities for maintaining ski-in access, providing a cul-de-sac and meeting current ski industry safety and design standards, the master plan has evolved into relocating the lift, improving ski-in access, dedicating project land for a cul-desac, and providing pedestrian and transit improvements. Public Experience Throughout the Site As presented at the June 19th Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, two of the primary objectives of the master plan are to increase accessibility and vitality in this part of Aspen. This will be accomplished through several components of the plan. 1. Willoughby Park – The existing surface parking lot along Dean Street creates a barrier to public access to the historic structures that are a part of this property. Our observation, after working in the neighborhood over the last two years, is that few people are aware of or drawn to the assets. Many people only know the site as a parking lot. The master plan offers new pedestrian connections to the Dean and Aspen Street corridors and brings park amenities to the streets. Additionally, the plan improves views into the park, provides a destination in order to draw people to the park, and removes surface parking. We believe that these improvements will increase the opportunities for the public to engage in the historic resources, including Lift 1, the relocated Deep Powder Cabins, Lift Ticket Building, Boat Tow and Outhouse. This is further explained in the section regarding the Historic Preservation Commission approval of the Conceptual Application. Page 4 of 7 2. Skiers Chalet Steakhouse – The removal of the non-historic addition to the Skiers Chalet Steakhouse opens up the corridor for skiers and provides a greater visual connection to the to the historic aspects of the building and lift towers adjacent to the Steakhouse. The adaptive reuse of the Steakhouse for employee housing offers additional vitality in the area and provides for rehabilitation of the asset. 3. Lift One Park – Currently there is no real connection from Willoughby Park to Lift One Park due to the interruption of the non-historic addition to the Skiers Chalet Steakhouse. The removal of this structure creates a greater visual connection to Lift One Park from Willoughby Park. In response to comments from Community Development Staff regarding an alternative plan for Lift One Park, the Applicant has developed an alternative plan to leaving Lift One Park unimproved. Attached as Exhibit 2 to this memorandum are two potential improvement plans for Lift One Park that the Applicant will review and discuss with the Planning Commission at the July 10th meeting. 4. South Aspen Street – A major focus of the master plan has been the experience along South Aspen Street from the Durant Avenue intersection to the top of the street in front of the Shadow Mountain Town Homes. At the July 10th meeting, the Applicant will present information delineating the existing conditions and the proposed relationship between the street and lodge from a pedestrian perspective at several critical points along South Aspen Street. 5. Slopeside/Après Ski – As a part of increasing both the accessibility and vitality of the neighborhood, the master plan provides improvements to increase the general public’s use of the Lift 1 A side of Aspen Mountain. At the July 10th meeting, the Applicant will provide specific information relative to the public experience and utilization in and adjacent to the ski area. 6. Lift One Lodge – As a part of the presentation on July 10th, the Applicant will provide diagrammatic information representing the portions of the facility that are open to the general public and those that are open to guests and members of the lodge. Page 5 of 7 Site Plan, Uses, Massing and Zoning Many of the components of this topic are best presented and discussed during the meeting using graphics at a large scale. Below is a description of the existing zoning and the zoning proposed in the master plan. 1. Existing/Proposed Zoning – Parcels A, B and C, which are presently owned by the SKICO, are zoned C, Conservation; these parcels house the existing Lift 1A base area. The unimproved Summit Street right-of-way, which separates Parcel A from Parcels B and C, is also zoned C, Conservation. Hill Street, which the Applicant proposes to vacate, is zoned L, Lodge, as are Parcels D, E and F. Parcels G and H, which contain Lift One Park and Willoughby Park, respectively, are zoned Park, Historic. The immediate site area surrounding the proposed Lift One Lodge is zoned L, Lodge. To accommodate the Lift One Lodge and associated improvements to the project site' two existing parks, the Applicant proposes to rezone Parcels A, B and C and vacated Summit and Hill Streets to L, Lodge, and Parcels G and H to Pub(H), Public, Historic. The rezoning of Parcels A, B and C is required as a lodge is not a permitted use in the C, Conservation, zone district. The Applicant further proposes to place a PUD overlay over the entire project site to permit a unified approach to development and the establishment of dimensional requirements for the two Public zoned parcels. A PUD overlay is also required for the development of a timeshare lodge. Parcel Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning A C L B C L C C L D L L E L L F L L G Park, Historic Public. Historic H Park, Historic Public, Historic Summit Street ROW C L Hill Street ROW L L Parcels A, B, C, D and E, and the Summit Street and Hill Street right-of-ways will be replatted as Lot 1 of the proposed PUD. This parcel will contain the proposed timeshare lodge. Proposed Lot 2 will contain the existing Skiers Chalet Restaurant which is to be converted to affordable housing. Lots 3 and 4 will contain the Lift One Park and Willoughby Park, respectively. The 8040 Greenline traverses Aspen Mountain immediately above the project site. The Aspen city limits line roughly parallels the 8040 Greenline further up Aspen Mountain. In general, the C, Conservation zone district is confined to those areas of the City which are Page 6 of 7 located above the 8040 Greenline. The only areas within the city limits which are located below the 8040 and zoned C, Conservation, are the Little Nell and Lift 1A base areas. The existing and proposed zoning districts are shown on Exhibit 3 to this memorandum. Page 7 of 7 Historic Preservation Commission Conceptual Review for Willoughby and Lift One Parks As previously mentioned, the master plan that is a part of the Lift One Lodge Conceptual PUD/Timeshare Application has components that are a part of the “Aspen Inventory of Historic Landmark Sites and Structures”; the Boat Tow, Lift 1 – Tower and Skiers Chalet Steakhouse. These structures and the sites on which they sit are subject to the review of the Historic Preservation Commission. In March 2006, the Applicant submitted an application for a Major Development (Conceptual) Relocation, Demolition and Variances for these properties. The application was reviewed and approved by the Historic Preservation Commission in Resolution 12, Series of 2006. A copy of this Resolution is attached as Exhibit 4. 1. Willoughby Park – The location of the Aspen Historical Society Museum was a significant part of the aforementioned Historic Preservation Commission review. The major consideration was the placement of this facility and its relationship to Dean Street as well as the surrounding historical assets of Lift 1 and the Ticket Building. Attached as Exhibit 5 are two diagrams which provide context for the discussion that led to the ultimate approval by the Historic Preservation Commission. Alternative B represents the general location of the Museum that was approved as a part of Resolution 12. Further discussion regarding the review process will be presented by the Aspen Historic Preservation Officer, Amy Guthrie at the July 10th meeting.