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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.20251015 REGULAR MEETING ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION OCTOBER 15TH, 2025 Commissioners in attendance: Max Twarjan, Deana Juskys, Richard Lai, Charlie Tarver, Maryann Pitt, Eric Knight, Ken Canfield and Teraissa McGovern. Staff present: Daniel Folke, Planning Director Jeff Barnhill, Senior Planner Ben Anderson, Community Development Director Jim True, Special Counsel Tracy Terry, Deputy City Clerk Commissioner Comments: Ms. Pitt asked if there is a date to meet with City Council. Mr. Anderson said he recommends the commissioners make a list of agenda items. Staff Comments: None. Public Comments: None. Minutes: None Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Ms. Juskys will need to recuse herself from the second item on the agenda. Mr. Twarjan has a conflict with the first item. Submission of Public Notice for Agenda Items: Notice was provided. Public Hearing: 844 Roaring for Rd. – Special Review Ms. Varga said that there was a request to continue this item until October 29th for a special meeting. Motion: Ms. Pitt moved to continue this 844 Roaring Fork Rd Special Review to October 29th, 2025; Mr. Canfield seconded. Roll call vote: Ms. Juskys, yes; Mr. Tarver, yes; Ms. Pitt, yes; Mr. Knight, yes; Mr. Canfield, yes; Ms. McGovern, yes. Motion passes. Public Hearing: Aspen Meadows Affordable Housing Project - Major Planned Development Amendment - Use Variation - Certificates of Affordable Housing Credit - and Other Relevant Reviews Public Comment: Meaghan Rubey spoke about traffic and construction concerns, curb cuts, and walkability issues. Dave Walbert said he is in favor of this development. Ricki McHugh said she thinks the project is moving too quickly. Stacey Reed said she is concerned for public safety. Gloria Christal said she has to put out traffic cones to keep people from parking on her property and blocking her in. She does not believe this project is in the best interest of the City of Aspen. REGULAR MEETING ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION OCTOBER 15TH, 2025 Jessica Moore works for the Music Festival and has had to move down valley for lack of housing options. She is in favor of the project. Steve Falender said the deed restriction does not say how often these units will be occupied by on campus employee’s vs others. Loyal Durand said there is an existential crisis in housing. He said the parking issues are from construction vehicles and does not have to do with the Institutes. Val Stevenson said she would have no problem housing employees who work there twelve months out of the year, but not for housing for people who only visit a couple months a year and the other time it will be empty or open like a hotel. Emily Kolbe said she thinks there needs to be more time spent on this project. She said there were many misrepresentations with the project, including the easement. Jared Goulet said this is an important project. Ryan Dougherty represents the Fourth Street Pedestrian Preservation Coalition. He made 3 points: The new parking lot entrance from fourth street will turn fourth street into a main thoroughfare and is unsafe. The project size and design is incompatible with the neighborhood. The vested rights is triple the normal and would expose the West End to potentially 10 years of construction disruption. They urge the city to deny the application as it stands today. Lisa Markalunas said very little of this entire project is affordable housing. The physics is a boutique hotel with little to no additional parking. She spoke about parking, traffic and trail easements. Seth Berger said this proposal introduces short-term transient housing uses that are incompatible with the character and continuity of the West End. Each of these projects should have been evaluated independently. He spoke about traffic, parking, and vesting. He urges the commission to slow this process down, and separate the applications, require that use, standards, and impacts be clearly defined and revisited once the relevant information sexists Haley Carmer represents her client at 802 Roaring Fork Rd. They think keeping the intersection at 4th and Gillespie will be much more appropriate for the neighborhood. The entrance at 3rd will be restricted to buses and residents. Additional screening along the residential units in the parking lot area. Keeping the reconfigured parking lot and coordinating construction schedule to mitigate construction as much as possible. Elise Elliot is concerned about parking. Applicant Presentation: Jessica Garrow-Design workshop Ms. Garrow went over some project information that she went over at the first meeting, including dimensions, essential public facility space, parking, transportation, trails and easements. She spoke about the statistics related to how the participants of the Physics Center get around. 25% of participants have to commute in, 91% of participants said they would commit to not bringing a vehicle if they would live on campus, and 60% of participants said they never use the ACP lot and the majority are using other modes of transportation and not parking in the neighborhood. She explained who will be using these units in order of priority for each institution. REGULAR MEETING ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION OCTOBER 15TH, 2025 The Aspen Institute: 1. Full time staff, part time staff, seasonal, and visa staff. 2. Other partner organizations. 3. Pitkin County nonprofits staff members. 4. Pitkin County Employers. Aspen Music Festival: 1. Full time staff, part time staff, faculty, and program participants. 2. Other partner organizations. 3. Pitkin County nonprofits staff members. 4. Pitkin County Employers. Aspen Center for Physics: 1. Academic program participants and their families. 2. Staff. 3. Other partner organizations. 4. Pitkin County nonprofits for staff members Board Questions: Mr. Canfield asked what was done as part of the level one traffic analysis. Ms. Garrow responded and they went back and forth about traffic. Ms. McGovern asked how many on street public parking spaces the entrance from 4th street will eliminate. Ms. Garrow replied six spaces. The commissioners continued asking questions about parking. Motion: Mr. Canfield moved to continue this application to November 5th, 2025; Ms. Pitt seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Lai, no; Mr. Twarjan, yes; Mr. Tarver, yes; Ms. Pitt, yes; Mr. Knight, yes; Mr. Canfield, yes; Ms. McGovern, yes. Motion passes. Adjourn: Mr. Canfield moved to adjourn; Ms. Pitt seconded. All in favor. Tracy Terry, Deputy City Clerk