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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.joint.19990727 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 Special Joint Meeting with Aspen Planning & Zoning Sister Cities Room, City Hall Aspen, Colorado Approved August 31, 1999 INDIVIDUALS PRESENT: Pitkin County Commissioners Peter Martin IChalr) Peter Thomas Gayle Embrey City of Aspen Commissioners Bob Biaich Ron Erickson Roger Hunt Jasmine Tygre Roger Hanneman Staff Lance Clarke Applicant or Representatives for: Buttermilk Master Plan Aspen Highlands Village PUD Amendment for Highlands/Buttermilk Gondola I. CALL TO ORDER Peter Martin called the meeting to order and discussed the process for the meeting. Il. COMMENTS Commissioners: There were no commissioner comments. Planning Stqff : Agenda: Lance stated that this is the second in what would be a series of meetings this fall and he has tentatively set the next meeting for August 31, 1999. The next meeting will be schedule.d for September 28, 1999. Lance stated that he would call to make sure that there would be a quorum for those dates. Tonight's Meeting Goals: Lance stated that there are two hours allotted for the Buttermilk discussion tonight. At 7:00, the P&Z Commission is moving to another room for a discussion on the AACP. The goal tonight is to discuss the Buttermilk base area and how it fits into the general transportation context of the Entrance to Aspen. and what MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission , Tuesday, July 27, 1999 . "'~ role the improvements in Buttermilk will play into the Highway 82 improvements. The second goal is to discuss the summer use proposals. The proposal is for increased summer use of Buttermilk Mountain and the facilities and also the on-mountain improvements. There are minor ski nm changes, lift improvements as well as a new grading plan and a new CliffHouse at the top of Buttermilk Mountain. Lance suggested that the Ski Co should make their presentation first. Any of the above three issues that can not be covered tonight will be moved to the tentatively scheduled meeting on August 31, 1999. Lance stated that there would be no discussion on the gondola tonight; this will occur at separate specific meetings. Public Comments There were no public comments. III. MINUTES A. June 22, 1999 Peter stated that by unanimous consent these minutes were accepted as published. IV. DISCUSSION A. Buttermilk Master Plan Request: The applicant is requesting approval of an amended master plan for the Buttermilk Ski Area and an amendment to the Aspen Highlands Village PUD. This request includes Land Use Code amendments, rezoning, scemc review, 1041 Hazard Review, special review uses, conceptual subdivision review, growth management quota system competition for commercial expansion and growth management unit allocations for affordable housing. Applicant Comments: Bill Kane, on behalf of the Aspen Skiing Company, stated that they have submitted a Master Plan for Buttermilk, which is both a land use application and an AF Ski Master Plan. This application contains both elements of~ land use application and they fully recognize that it represents a major community-planning element. Their strategy in bringing this plan forward and presenting it to the Commission is to lay a foundation and talk about the transportation and recreational planning context and what they understand about land use change within the Highway 82 and the Maroon Creek corridor environments. He stated they would also like to talk about their on-mountain improvements tonight. Bill pointed out that there would be future meetings, which will cover more detail on these issues. Lisa McManigal. ~e Aspen Skiing Company's Project Manager for the Buttermilk Master Plan, commented that she would make her introduction very quick. She referred to an outline that covers the topics they would like to present tonight. In regard to tonight's discussion, Lisa stated they would talk about transportation until approximately 6:00pm and then answer any questions that may ar~se. She would then 2 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 like to move on to the second portion, which concerns the on-mountain improvemems. Lisa stated that they would not be discussing any numbers or having any technical discussions. The discussion tonight is intended as a refresher on some of the decisions involving transportation that have been made by this community in the past. Lisa included that they are providing this as contextual information as the larger context in which the Ski Company based some of their planning decisions for the Buttermilk Master Plan. She stated that they are mentioning the proposed gondola only as a concept as it fits in with the transportation and recreation component. Lisa introduced Dave Hatten as a transportation consultant with a planning firm based in Denver who has been working on transportation issues in this valley for many years and his firm has been involved in local transportation issues as long as twenty five years. She listed Dave as the principal author of the Castle Maroon Detailed Transportation Plan, which is a plan that examines links between Buttermilk and Highlands and was used for both the Aspen Highlands detailed submission and the Highlands AF Ski Master Plan a few years ago. Lisa also introduced Chris Kiley who is the Ski Company's Transportation Planner. She stated that Chris has spent a lot of time involved in local transportation meetings with local staff and elected officials. Dave Hatten stated that they'd like to give a broad overview of the transportation planning aspects. The general theme is that Buttermilk isn't fully utilizing all of the opportunity that the transportation system presents. The Master Plan tries to address the fact that Buttermilk is an under-utilized resource. He stated that during the presentation ,~ they would like to answer four basic questions. · What are the previous planning efforts and how have they affected Buttermilk? · What is happening in the Buttermilk area in the near future? · What are.the key elements of the Buttermilk Master Plan itself from a transportation standpoint? · What are the new program elements at the base area that will enhance the Master Plan and the transportation aspects? Going through the regional and community transportation plans, Dave pointed out that these four studies have been done over the last ten years and the last study is still ongoing. Referring to the Aspen Area Community Plan (AACP), he suggested that this plan helped to set planning guidelines for the Aspen Area. He stated that this was first adopted in 1993 and is in the process of being updated right now. He stated that they had reviewed the transportation action plan when they were developing their Master Plan. Dave quoted this statement from the 1993 intent of the action plan. "The community seeks to provide a balanced and integrated transportation system for residents, visitors and commuters that reduces congestion and pollution." From the 1999 draft he stated that it adds "and reduces overall dependence on automobile as the primary means of travel." He noted that there are really two themes within this plan, reducing auto impacts and developing a multi modal, valley wide transportation system. He stated that one vf ~ the specific action items is to develop intercept lots at Brush Creek Road and Highway 82 at Buttermilk Ski Area and other appropriate locations and to provide frequent, effective 3 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July27, 1999 and free transit services between the lots in the City of Aspen. Dave stated that the philosophy section of the update states that residents, guests, visitors and base skiers should have multiple options for their trips. Local and regional land use development patterns should enable and support travel by alternative modes of transportation and new developmem should take place only in areas well served by transit. He added that some of the general policies.that implement this are limiting traffic on Highway 82 into Aspen m 1993 levels, and structuring new growth in the community in compact patterns that enable and support travel by foot and bicycle, as well as transportation for all types of tourists, and ensuring that local and regional land use policies and decisions are mutually supported. Dave commented on two environmental studies that had been accomplished. The Basalt to Buttermilk study that was approved in approximately 1993 or 1994 and the Entrance to Aspen Record of Decision, which was approved in 1998. Dave stated that these studies really implement a transportation vision in many ways for the community. Dave stated that the transit station at Buttermilk is flexible at this point because they don't know what type of mass transit on Highway 82 will be implemented. He stated that they could accommodate whatever the community decides through the CIS process. He stated that the intercept parking has been an important part of the Highway 82 Master Plan environmental studies. Referring to the Aspen Highlands Village Master Plan study, Dave stated that he had worked on the Maroon Creek Corridor detailed transportation plan and the results of that were parking at Aspen Highlands be limited to 450 spaces, which is quite a bit less than is out there historically. There would be a daily charge for parking as well as an intercept shuttle (coming this year) between Buttermilk and Highlands te move skiers and employees on peak days. The Corridor Investment Study is a little behind schedule, but as he mentioned earlier. the Buttermilk Master Plan is flexible and can accommodate whatever type of technology is chosen. He stated that the Ski Company is working closely with CDOT and the City of Aspen so that the Master Plan accommodates whatever is chosen. Chris Kiley stated that he would like to bring everybody up to speed on the projects and improvements that are scheduled to take place over the next few years, lie stated that these changes would alter the character of the area around Buttenuilk and require the Ski Company m respond and react accordingly. He stated that there would be two major highway changes occurring over the next two years. First, CDOT will complete the four-laning of State Highway 82 from Shale Bluffs to Buttermilk, permanently locating the up-valley wormhole at Buttermilk. This puts pressure on Buttermilk to function as an intercept parking location in order to take Aspen and Highlands bound cars off of the'two-lane emrance to Aspen. Chris listed the second major Highway 82 project would be the re-location of Owl Creek Road and West Buttermilk Road and the construction of a new signalized intersection. He noted that this work will be completed by November 2000 and is slated to begin construction next spring with utility re-locates as early as this fall. In addition to these projects the new intersection will move the Buttermilk entry point approximately 400 feet down-valley, MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 which will require a re-design o£not only the parking entrance but also the parking layout and the skier shuttle access and drop offat Buttermilk. Ski area changes at both Highlands and Buttermilk are going to take place this coming season. At Highlands they will open up the 450-space day skier-parking garage, which contains fewer parking spaces than has historically been provided. As part of the Management Plan for Aspen Highlands Parking Garage, they will implement a daily paid parking fee in addition to free parking for high occupancy vehicles. This is intended as a strategy to help increase the number of people that are actually parking in the garage while discouraging single and double occupancy vehicles. Chris stated that at Buttermilk they would be creating 135 new intercept-parking spaces that will be set aside for Aspen Highlands guests. A free skier shuttle that will be dedicated to running be~veen Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands during the day will serve these parking spaces. Chris stated that in the Buttermilk area, demand for recreation opportunities is increasing as new housing for both permanem and seasonal residents and visitors is coming. Chris stated that all of these changes; Highway 82, ski area, housing and recreation opportunities will significantly alter the role that Buttermilk plays over the next two years. Chris stated that he'd invited Ralph Trappani to join them at the meeting tonight to verify the schedule of the Highway 82 improvements, however, he was unable to attend. He stated that they were able to cord'mu that these are still on track to start as early as this fall and be completed with the four lane and intersection improvements by the end of November 2000. Dave stated that although the gondola is provided primarily as way for skiers and guests to get from Highlands to Buttermilk it would have some transportation benefits. Primarily this will reduce trips from both guests and employees. He stated that they do not view the gondola as an exclusive arrangement, k would be another option that employees and guests could use in addition to buses to get around the area. He stated that the bus and rail system is very important to Buttermilk and the valley, but he'd like to re- emphasize that skiers utilizing the skier shuttle are probably the biggest users of the transit system during the winter. He stated that at Buttermilk, 42% of the skiers arrive and leave the ski area using the skier shuttle. Dave stated that the intemept parking would have many users. The Buttermilk skiers, Highlands employees and skiers as well as Aspen Mountain employees and skiers find Buttermilk parking more convenient as it's hard to find parking downtown. He stated that parking at Buttermilk would be managed to encourage this. Chris Kiley stated that the Buttermilk Master Plan is built in large part on the transportation management concepts that Dave previously spoke about as well as the goals elaborated in the Entrance to Aspen environmental impact statement in the Aspen Area Community Plan. He stated that the first element is centralizing the Aspen Ski Company offices. They've proposed to consolidate their offices from the seven locations that they currently have in Snowmass, the Aspen Airport Business Center, Buttermilk. Highlands and Aspen and place them all at the base of Buttermilk. In addition to eliminating the need. to travel back and forth between ail of these offices on a daily basis just to communicate with their own staff, the Buttermilk location will provide an 5 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27. 1999 incredibly easy commute both for their employees living in Aspen and Down Valley. Another benefit of placing the offices at Buttermilk is that they will reduce a certain amount of trips on Brush Creek Koad to their offices at Snowmass as well as some trips on the two-lane Entrance to Aspen Corridor for their offices in Aspen. Another element being proposed is employee housing that will be very close to the workplace at Buttermilk and the connection over to Highlands where it's a quick rail or bus ride into the workplaces at Aspen Mountain, Little Nell and the Aspen Institute. This is also close to the services provided at the AABC in Aspen and it's next to the recreational trail system as well as the regional P,_FTA system. One of the major proposals is the children's center. He added that this is another logical element to place at Buttermilk. In combination with the gondola link, the children's center will provide the ability for parents to avoid the dreaded jaunt that has to be made today. Finally, in the Buttermilk Master Plan, they are proposing surmmer activities and community access to the large facilities at Bumps and up on the mountain at the Cliff House. He pointed out that these activities would be able to take advantage of the transit and parking infrastructure that they are building primarily for the winter ski season. In summary he stated that he and Dave had talked about the history of the transportation planning decisions in the upper valley area. They've reviewed those decisions that have now become program elements and are actually going to occur over the next couple of years and change the character of the area. They've discussed the parking transit and gondola transportation concepts in the Buttermilk Master Plan and the program elements for the base. In conclusion. Cin'is stated that the Buttermilk Master Plan responds to all of these public transportation decisions and policies that are in place by placing activities along the State Highway 82 Mass Transit Corridor. by providing a full mountain experience close in to Aspen and visitor and residential bed base and provides intercept parking at the transition from four lanes to two which is going to be a key element in maintaining some sense of peace on the two lane segment from Buttermilk on into Aspen. Lance mentioned that people are very interested to see the movement of the intersection and he asked if they'd brought any graphics to show where it will be located. Chris stated that they have been working very closely with CDOT, however, the Ski Co has just received their final plans and in turn they are going back and incorporating those plans into their base area plans. Unfortunately they did not bring any large size graphics to show. For the benefit of those not familiar with the proposal, Chris described the existing and new location of the intersection. Owl Creek Road and West Buttermilk Road will be combined 400 feet down valley of where the current West Buttermilk Road is and feed into a new traffic signal. This is about the halfway point between where Owl Creek Road and West Buttermilk Road enter into the Highway 82. A member of the City P&Z asked for clarification on the location of the wormhole, he stated that they've heard both that it will be at Buttermilk and at new stage road. Ckris responded that in the wormhole that exists today as you are heading up- valley and entering into Snowmass Canyon, you abruptly go from four to two lanes. 6 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 Within the permanent solution that CDOT will be constructing, at the new Buttermilk intersection, there will be signage that will tell people that High Occupancy Vehicles are to merge into two lanes, but there will be about 700-800 feet of transition to allow people to do that. He stated that it would be two lanes by the time it hits the Maroon Creek Bridge. The same member asked if there would be a skier shuttle from the Buttermilk intercept lot to Snowmass. Chris responded that currently the Snowmass Skier Shuttles on their way out of Ruby Park and on their way back into Ruby Park stop at Buttermilk if somebody requests a stop. The same member asked why a private enterprise like the Ski Company is funding what is essentially a public use project, the parking garage. Chris responded that funding is still a question that's out there. He stated that the intercept function was identified in the Environmental Impact statement and they are responding to that and incorporating that into the Buttermilk Master Plan. Chris stated that as a condition of their Aspen Highlands Village approval they have a requirement from the Pitkin County Conunissioners to begin building intercept parking at Buttermilk. City Commissioner Bob Blaich clarified that the information that the Ski Company gave them regarding the wormhole is a variance from what they have in their earlier drafts. Chris responded that the drawings that are in there aren't the specific engineering drawings, those were produced at a more conceptual level. More discussion occurred regarding the moving of Owl Creek and West Buttermilk Road and the new signalized intersection. Bill Kane stated that as parr of this process it is important to note that they currently have a driveway and an access control point where they are permitted to take access on and offof Highway 82 now. In the Highway Master Plan that access is removed so they no longer have the ability to mm freely offofHighway 82. Public Comments There was discussion between Jackie Merrill and the Ski Company regarding the numbers of cars that will need to be parked there and the number of cars that will be traveling by Owl Creek West Buttermilk Road. The Ski Company stated that they were not prepared to get into that type of discussion tonight however they do plan to have ~his discussion at a subsequent meeting. Another member of the public asked why the access from the current Ski Company parking lot is removed. Chris responded that this is part of CDOT's Entrance to Aspen GIS study process. They are uy~ng to reduce the number of accesses to and from State Highway 82 and consolidate those at intersections to improve not only the traffic up and down Highway 82 but also access on to it from roads. Lela Marcus stated that her concern is that 750 are a gross underestimation of the amount of parking that is going to be needed there. John Kane, representing the West Buttermilk Homeowners Association, stated that he is also concerned with parking and he's a little offended at the reference to the worm-hole happening at Buttemilk. He stated that he has seen copies from CDOT on the 7 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 four lanes going to Maroon Creek Bridge. He believes that is where the wormhole will occur. He stated they are also concerned with the uses of West buttermilk Road. They would like it designated for residential use. Start Clauson stated that at the request of John Kane and for the Buttermilk Homeowners Association he has been asked to look at some of these ideas which can o~y be looked at on a conceptual level. He stated that it is important to a~iculate these concerns so that the Planning and Zoning Commissions can be mindful of them He stated that there is concern over the 750 car-parking adequacy. The concern is that a garage accommodating 750 cars might have to be expanded upwards or outwards at a later date. In so doing this once again throws into chaos what the Buttermilk Homeowners Associations hopes will be a final plan. He stated that the issue of expansion is an important one and there needs to be a commitmem to traffic demand management to ensure the continmng adequacy of 750 cars. The entrance and egress ro the garage has not been developed enough in significant detail to make any comments ax this point. He suggested that the Ski Company needs to start to introduce detail to enhance the comfort level of the Buttermilk Homeowners and other people using these roadways that in fact it's not going to be chaotic. The maintenance facility is a big question mark. It must be included in the traffic analysis and there is some questiofi as to whether Snowmass is in or out, in other words, will this maintenance facility serve all of the mountains or will Snowmass handle it's own maintenance facility. He stated that deliveries and truck traffic need tc have adequate provision made within the traffic flow and this also needs to be accounted for in the traffic planning. He stated that the alternative access design is something that the Buttermilk Homeowners have been interested in providing. He stated that they would be providing a plan showing an alternative that provides a signalized separate access to the Ski Company and the Inn at Aspen facilities. He stated that the point of this is to show that perhaps there should be alternatives considered even though the Record of Decision is out. He noted that the Record of Decision is out but shows a inter-modal cross transfer platform facility that is presently excluded from the plans. Stan stated that they believe the gondola as it's presently configured has almost no transportation value and might be better considered in the context of other gondola alternatives such as a base to base. Chris stated that these are all issues that they have been discussing with Start and the West Buttermilk Homeowners and they will continue to take into account as they finalize the base area design. He stated that it was premature to respond to these points today as they haven't finalized. Alan Marcus stated that there has been no traffic management of this development done by CDOT by the Ski Company or anybody. He stated that these issues have to be addressed now. He stated that he hasn't seen any surveys done that will tell them about the new Owl Creek Road and West Buttermilk Road moving into one intersection. Chris stated that they had submitted in the appendixes of the Buttermilk Master Plan a detailed transportation generation analysis, that Alan is welcome te view. He stated that they would be re-submitting that when they take a look at the new base plan and the new road alignment. MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 B. Aspen Highlands Village PUD Amendment for Highlands/ButtermilkGondola Applicant Comments Glenn Horn, representing the Aspen Ski Company. stated that he is supposed to provide a context on how the on-mountain improvements fit in to place with the Highway 82 corridor. Lisa McManigal will talk about the summer operations on the mountain and recreational opportunities that will be offered on the mountain. Victor Gordon will talk about winter activities on the mountain. Glenn referenced a map for his presentation. He stated that the map is intended as a future land-use map and they are trying to illustrate land use distinctions and not precise boundaries. Glenn stated that they consider Buttermilk to be a tremendously under-utilized area both in winter and summer with respect to the recreational opportunities that are available there. There is quite a bit of change occurring in the Castle Creek. Maroon Creek, and Highway 82 corridor areas that place increased pressure on recreational facilities. Glenn discussed some of the changes that have occurred within this corridor that have affected the demand for recreational facilities, such as the development of the Truscott Place, the conversion of the Pomegranate Hotel. the Burlingame Affordable Housing project directly across from Buttermilk as well as many others. Glenn also discussed relevant public and private capitol improvements that would influence planning in the future. Regarding the concept of community balance, Glenn noted that that is discussed in many planning documents. He listed vahous ways that these balances have been presented such as balance between: · Ski area capacity and the bed base in the community. · Development and the development impacts in the community. · Land use and transportation. · The permanent population and the visitor population. · The recreational opportunities and the cultural opportunities. · Demand for recreational opportunities in the Aspen area and the opportunities that exist. Glenn stated that what they are noticing is developing, particularly on the West Side of Aspen. is an imbalance between demand for recreational opportunities and existing opportunities. He noted the conflicts on Smuggler Mountain Trail between dogs, hikers, bikers, ere... He stated that it's gotten to the point where it is just a little over-crowded. The same goes for the Rio Grande Trail, which is very crowded and busy during the summer time. Glenn stated that Buttermilk has tremendous potential for summer use and it is under-utilized, noting the increased activity that takes place on Buttermilk in the wimer. In summary, Glen stated that they think there is a demand for increased utilization of Buttermilk Trails and recreation in winter and summer. He stated that there are many changes happening in the valley that will increase demand. He concluded that they have 9 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 a resource that should be utilized in a more intensive way and they would like to see the Buttermilk Plan integrated with the community plan that's taking shape around the base of Buttermilk. Regarding the summer use program, Lisa McManigal referenced a map for her presentation and oriented on-lookers with Highway 82, Buttermilk Ski area, and it's facilities. She stated that as other local recreational and wilderness areas are increasingly used, they see Buttermilk as an obvious under-utilized recreational resource for the community and for visitors. The summer use plan includes: Separate hiking and biking trails throughout the main part of the mountain. ·Operation of the Summit Express during daylight hours to transport people and their bicycles up and down the mountain. ·Daytime use of the Cliff House for dining during the same hours that Summit Express is in operation. · Use of the gondola to transport people. ·Children's program based out of the new children's facility that is proposed to be built. · Use of some of the rental and retail facilities at the base in support of this program which, would offer things that visitors might find useful for their visit such as bike rental, bike repair, ere... · Use of Bumps facility for special events during the summer. Lisa stated that most of this plan is not new. some of the proposed improvements were approved by the Forest Service in 1994. In 1994 the Ski Company submitted a master development proposal to the Forest Service for short-term improvements at Buttermilk. She stated that the Forest Service issued a decision notice on their proposal which, gave them the following approvals: · Operation of Summit Express in summer. · Hiking and biking trails. · Dining at the Cliff House during Summit Express hours. · No summer program on West Buttermilk. Lisa stated that they have since updated the plan and brought forth some other parts of the proposal. She stated this combination of programs and uses offers many different scenarios for both locals and visitors. Many of the visitors that come here come here for the beauty, but many of them actually never venture too far into the wild ~laces, yet, they still feel that they've had an experience in the wilderness. The Ski Company believes that Buttermilk offers another such experience where people can actually experience the views and experience the wilderness nature without actually setting foot in the wilderness. Regarding the West Buttermilk area, Lisa stated that this is the side that is less developed and does not have the recreation infrastructure. Lisa noted that there is a lot of interest in the community to make sure that human impacts to this area are mitigated. The Ski Company has been working to figure out what they can do as part of this proposal to mitigate their impacts. -- t0 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 Wanting to give some history on this, Lisa stated that in 1994, before the Ski Company submitted their plan to the Forest Service, a group called the Tiehack Joint Design Committee came together as representatives from the Ski Company, local government and environmental groups, outfitters, Forest Service etc... They sifted through a lot of possibilities for West Buttermilk. Some of these were rejected as not appropriate for our community, others were tabled for further review later and others were identified as feasible and potential possibilities for Buttermilk. This group also spent time discussing potential conditions of approval. All of this information fed into the Forest Service process so that when the decision notice was issued some of this information was used in terms of mitigation on West Buttermilk. She stated that they have decided to look at mitigation again where this group had left off. She stated that the results after some discussions and site visits are detailed in the memo within the packet tonight. She stated that this summarizes where they are at in terms of policies for summer management. In summary, Lisa stated that they have spent a lot of time not only in looking at what they'd like to do with Buttermilk but also how to mitigate potential impacts to Buttermilk. Victor Gerdin, representative of the Aspen Ski Company, stated that he'd like to review the on-mountain improvements as they've talked about in the Master Plan. He stated that in the interest of time, they would go through the four areas quickly. These are; Lift upgrades · Trails · Improvement of the utilities and facilities on the mountain · The summit plan. In regards to the lift upgrades, Victor stated that they have improvements/upgrades to all of the lifts on Buttermilk. In regards to trails, Victor stated that as part of the 1994 EA that the Forest Service engaged in, they have approval for Uncle Chuck's glade, which will connect trails. He stated that they also have a proposal to widen and make more user friendly the Homestead Road in some areas for beginning skiers. In regard to the utilities and facilities improvements, Victor stated that there is a definite need for a utility corridor from top to bottom at Buttermilk, much like the utility corridor that was developed at Highlands a few years ago. He stated that electricity goes from top to bottom, but there is no sewer line that goes m the bottom. He stated that the telephone line and the water line need to be upgraded to the CliffHouse Restaurant as well as a gas line upgrade. Finally, the summit plan for the Buttermilk Ski area. Victor stated that the summit has remained unchanged for as long as Buttermilk has been around except for the including of the Summit Express chair lift. He stated that when they put the chair lift in they were planning to incorporate the plan that they have now. He stated that the four elements of the Buttermilk summit plan are: · The existing Summit Express lift I1 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 · The relocate and remodel of the Tiehack Quad · The gondola in conjunction with the area of the Cliffhouse Restaurant · The new Cliffhouse Restaurant' Victor stated that the existing Tiehack establishmem sits high on a knob. Their proposal is to flatten the knob. use the dirt for fill and have the elevation of the unload areas for the Summit Express, the gondola, the Tiehack Quad, etc.., be on the same elevation so that the skiers can move easily back and forth. Lance stated that people would be interested to know the differences of the size and height of the Cliffhouse. Victor responded that the size of the Cliff House would remain the same, he noted that they have approval in the 1994 EA to increase it by 10%. He stated that the proposal right now is to have a 14,000 square foot restaurant on two levels. He stated that they would increase the height by 10 feet. The total height from finished floor elevation of the upper floor to the peak would be 25 feet. He stated that the current building is an old-style building that has very low 8 ft side walls and a very low pitched rood that is only 15 feet high. Comments and Questions Addressing Glenn Horn, Ron Erickson asked if Aspen Mountain figured into the summer trail p. lans at all. Glen stated that the problem with the Ute Trail and the Aspen Mountain Road is it works for very strong hikers and bikers but it doesn't work for a lot of people because they are so steep. Regarding daycare, Ron asked if the Ski Company has analyzed the impact on other existing daycare facilities in town when the Children's facility is opened. Bill Kane responded that their understanding is that there is a virtual sea of demand for childcare. Ron also asked how many people work at Buttermilk today. Lisa responded that this was included in the Master Plan. Chris stated that in the high period of the wintertime they have a total of 521 people on the payroll of Buttermilk. This includes full-time and part-time employees. Chris stated that today it's around 20 people. Sloan Shoemaker with the Aspen Wilderness workshop, asked what type of daycare is going to be provided. Bill Kane responded that the intent is to create a fully integrated children's center that places infant carethrough level four or five skiers, s6 probably kid's up to 13 years old. He stated that the trend now is to develop a facility that provides everything from infant care to food service and a whole host of recreational outdoor things for children to do including skiing. Sloan asked why these facilities couldn't be provided in the lower angle at Highlands. Bill stated that it's well known that the best teaching terrain for kids is at Buttermilk. Toni Kronenberg stated that she is a private citizen and has been a permanent resident of Aspen for the last 25 years. She commended the Ski Company on their efforts to provide an experience for Aspen that is not only for people that live here to enjoy but also for tourists. She stated that she has been very active in the transportation policies and programs. Toni suggested to the Ski Company incorporating a pedestrian overpass that would connect Buttermilk with the other side of the road. She stated that she had met with CDOT and that they would not be against putting in this type of overpass if it 12 MINUTES of the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, July 27, 1999 was in agreement with everyone in the area. She stated that there are a couple of people working on munbers to provide to the Ski Company to consider working on the overpass. Michael Conviser of the Castle/Maroon Caucus stated that there is a little inconsistency in what they've heard in the last few meetings. He stated that Bill took a lot of time at the last meefmg talking about how down the business is at Highlands and Buttermilk and then Glenn took a lot of time today talking about the tremendous amount of new growth coming. He stated that maybe those two things should balance and they could go from meeting to meeting and try to make some sense of this. There was some discussion regarding possible ways to make these meetings more efficient. Lance noted that one of the problem is that the City P&Z likes to stop their meetings at 7:00 and the County P&Z can't begin theirs until 5:00. V. ADJOURN There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned, 13