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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20260408 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION APRIL 8TH, 2026 Chairperson Thompson opened the regular meeting of the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission at 4:30pm. Commissioners in attendance: Roger Moyer, Barb Pitchford, Dakota Severe, Duncan Clauss, Kim Raymond, and Kara Thompson. Staff present: Daniel Folke – Planning Director Ben Anderson – Community Development Director Michael Tunte – Landscape Architect and Construction Manager Wyatt Young – Engineering Project Manager I Luisa Berne - Assistant City Attorney Mike Sear – Deputy City Clerk MINUTES: Mr. Moyer motioned to approve the minutes of 3/11/26. Ms. Pitchford seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Moyer, yes; Ms. Pitchford, yes; Ms. Severe, yes; Mr. Clauss, yes; Ms. Raymond, yes; Ms. Thompson, yes. 6-0 vote, motion passes. Ms. Surfas entered the meeting at 4:32pm PUBLIC COMMENTS: None COMMISSSIONER MEMBER COMMENTS: Ms. Raymond thanked Mr. Tunte and Mr. Young for the site visit this afternoon. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: None PROJECT MONITORING: None STAFF COMMENTS: Mr. Folke noted that Historic Planner Thanh Vo has resigned and his last day will be April 24th and they will be advertising for his position soon. He also noted that an item would be in front of City Council to historically designate the farmhouse at Bar X Ranch off Coach Rd. He reminded the commissioners of the joint work session with City Council set for Monday, April 13th and detailed the topics to be discussed. CERTIFICATE OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT: None CALL UP REPORTS: None SUBMIT PUBLIC NOTICE FOR AGENDA ITEMS: Ms. Berne confirmed that public notice was completed in compliance with the Code as needed for the agenda item. OLD BUSINESS: 212 N. Monarch St. - Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Major Development Conceptual Review, Relocation, and Benefits. Mr. Folke noted that the applicant has requested an additional continuance to June 24th to allow for more time to work on the updated design based on direction from the HPC. REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION APRIL 8TH, 2026 MOTION: Ms. Thompson motioned to continue the item to June 24th, 2026. Mr. Moyer seconded. Roll call vote: Mr. Moyer, yes; Ms. Surfas, yes; Ms. Pitchford, yes; Ms. Severe, yes; Mr. Clauss, yes; Ms. Raymond, yes; Ms. Thompson, yes. 7-0 vote, motion passes. NEW BUSINESS: Project Specific Questions on Pedestrian Mall Brick Staff Presentation: Michael Tunte – Landscape Architect and Construction Manager & Wyatt Young – Engineering Project Manager I Mr. Tunte began his presentation with some history and context about the historic Pedestrian Mall and said the historic brick that lines the Mall areas is a very important element. He noted that they wanted to discuss the Bidwell Project request, Wheeler node security project, the ongoing maintenance needs of the Mall and address the current stockpile of historic bricks. He continued by detailing the Bidwell Building project and noted that it encompassed about 4,000 square feet of historic brick in front of the new building at the corner of Cooper and Galena, including the area around the Info Booth. He noted the work was required to bring the general area along those streets up to ADA accessibility standards. Next, he detailed the Wheeler node project and highlighted the area of historic brick there that would be impacted by the security updates planned for that intersection. He also noted that the City has about 16,000 historic bricks in its stockpile that, when figuring in about a 10% loss rate, would result in about 3,200 square feet. He said that with the deteriorating condition of the existing historic brick in the Mall and the dwindling supply of the stockpile, they were approaching a critical supply shortage of historic brick which puts us at risk of a fractured, inconsistent patchwork that devalues our pedestrian malls. With this in mind, he proposed that a thoughtful approach moving forward would allow the City to maximize the existing supply and ensure a cohesive standard. Mr. Tunte went on to describe the 2020 Pedestrian Mall Schematic Design and went over the improvement timeline and the steps taken in getting to the current situation. He showed a schematic drawing (included in the agenda packet) of the malls that highlighted various areas. The areas in yellow were what was considered the nodes of the malls where a change in the brick pattern is seen. He noted the areas outside the nodes were all a running bond pattern and when you get to the nodes, the pattern shifts to a purposeful grid. He noted that the schematic design called for the consolidation of original historic brick materials to those node areas and the areas outside the nodes would be replaced in kind with a compatible modern brick. He then described the recent Wagner Alley project that was used at the time to study the overall brick coloring, percentages, and patterning to identify a modern brick standard that most closely matches the historic pedestrian malls. He detailed the findings from this study and showed a picture of the finished product of the updated Wagner Alley project. He concluded by emphasizing that the Pedestrian Malls and the bricks are now at a point where something must change and noted that with the large Bidwell Building project, it may be time to switch to a new standard. The commissioners then discussed the various projects and the 2020 Schematic Design with Mr. Tunte and Mr. Young, addressing the current brick stockpile, the brick coloring options for a new standard, as well as the prioritization of the main nodes and Bidwell Project. REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION APRIL 8TH, 2026 The commissioners agreed with moving forward with the 2020 Schematic Design and prioritizing the historic nodes. There was some discussion about the areas where historic brick would eventually meet the new modern brick standard and whether it should be a feathered transition. They felt it may be better to draw distinct lines between historic and new brick where larger areas are affected and potentially feather them together in smaller areas. There was support from the commissioners to simplify the color pallet of the brick mix and to eliminate one or two of the existing colors. There was also support to proceed with replacing the brick in front of the Bidwell Building with a new modern brick standard as well as support for the 2020 Schematic Design, consolidating the historic brick to the nodes. The commissioners requested that the Parks Department come back with a more detailed plan for the Wheeler node. NEW BUSINESS: Discussion on Best Practices for Quasi - Judicial Boards Ms. Berne went through her training presentation that included an overview of quasi-judicial boards and their procedures. She also touched on ex-parte communications and gave some examples of various scenarios to avoid. Ms. Berne also talked about the deliberation process and what should be weighed and applied when making a decision. She stressed using the review criteria when making decisions and evaluating a project and not going on personal feelings. ADJOURN: Ms. Thomspon moved to adjourn the regular meeting. Mr. Moyer seconded. All in favor, motion passes. ____________________ Mike Sear, Deputy City Clerk