HomeMy WebLinkAboutordinance.council.051-03ORDINANCE NO. 51
(SERIES OF 2003)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY'OF ASPEN APPROVING~
AMENDMENTS TO THE RESIDENT MULTIZFAMILY HOUSING REPLACEMENT
PROGRAM, CHAPTER 26,530 OFTHE CITY OF ASPEN LAND USE CODE OF THE
CITY OF ASPEN MUNICIPAL CODE. i i
WHEREAS, the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of
Aspen directed the Director of the Community Development Department to propose amendments
to the Land Use Code related to the Infill Report, a report developed by a city-commissioned
advisory group, the Infill Advisory Group, pursuant to sections 26.208 and 26.212; and,
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Infill Program is to implement many of the action items
identified in the 2000 Aspen Area Community P1an, Barriers to Infill DeVelopment (a report
commissioned by the City of Aspen in 2000), recommendations of the Infill Report (a report
produced by the Infill Advisory GrOup in January, 2002), and the Recommendations of the
Economic Sustainability Committee (a joint' project between the City of Aspen, the Aspen
Chamber Resort Association, and the Aspen 'Institute Community Forum concluded in
September, 2002) that call for:
intensification of land uses within the traditional townsite.
focusing of growth toWards already developed areas and away from undeveloped areas
surrounding the city.
· revisions to, or elimination oL identified barriers to successful infill development such as
the costs of develOpment exactions, growth management penalties for redeveloping
buildings, and the length and uncertainty of approval processes.
· balance between the community and the resort aspects of Aspen.
· sustainability of the local social and economic conditions.
· The creatiOn of a development environment in which private sector motivation is
leveraged to address community goals; and,
WHEREAS, the amendments requested relate to Chapter 26.530, Resident Multi-Family
Housing Replacement Program, of the Land Use Cod~; Title 26 0f the Aspen Municipal Code;
and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 26.310, applications to amend the text of Title 26 o£ the
Municipal Code shall be reviewed and recommended for approval, approval with conditions, or
denial by the Community Development Director and then by the Planning and zonihg
Commission at a public hearing. Final action shall be by City COuncil after reViewing and
considering these recommendations; and,
WHEREAS, the Community Development 'Director recommended approval of the
proposed amendments, as described herein; and,
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 1
WHEREAS, the Planning and Zoning Commission opened the public hearing to
consider the proposed amendments to the above noted Chapters and Sections on September 3,
2002, continued to September 17, 2002, continued to September 24, 2002, continued to October
i, 2002, continued to October 8, 2002, continued to OctOber 15, 2002, continued to October 22,
2002, continued to October 29, 2002, continued to November 5, 2002, continued to November
12, 2002, continued to November 19, 2002, continued to November 26, 2002, continued to
December 10, 2002, and continued to December 17, 2002, took and considered public testimony
at each of the aforementioned hearing dates and the recommendation of the Community
Development Director and recommended, by a five to one (5-1) vote, City Council adopt the
proposed amendments to the land Use code by amending the text of the above noted Chapters and
Sections of the Land Use Code, as described herein; and,
WHEREAS, the Aspen City Council has reviewed and considered the recommended
changes to the Land Use Code under the applicable provisions of the Municipal Code as identified
herein, has reviewed and considered the recommendation of the Community Development Director,
the Planning and Zoning Commission, and has taken and considered public comment at a public
hearing; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the proposed text amendments to the Land Use
Code meets or exceeds all applicable standards and that the approval of the proposal is consistent
with the goals and elements of the Aspen Area Community Plan; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that this Ordinance furthers and is necessary for the
promotion of public health, safety, and welfare.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF ASPEN, COLORADO as follows:
Section 1:
Chapter 26.530, Resident Multi-Family Housing Replacement Program, which Chapter shall
regulate the redevelopment of multi-family buildings, shall read as follows:
Chapter 26.530
RESIDENT MULTI-FAMILY REPLACEMENT PROGRAM
Sections:
26.530.010
26.530.020
26.530.030
26.530.040
26.530.050
26.530.060
26.530.070
Purpose and intent.
Application of Title.
Certificate of compliance/exemption.
Housing replacement requirements.
Resale restrictions.
Enforcement.
Appeals
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 2
26.530.010 Purpose and Intent.
The City of Aspen's neighborhoods have traditionally been comprised of a mix of housing types,
including those affordable by its working residents. However, because of Aspen's attractiveness
as a resort environment, and because of the physical constraints of the upper Roaring Fork
Valley, there is constant pressure for the redevelopment of dwellings currently providing resident
housing for tourist and second home use. Such redevelopment results in the displacement of
individuals and families who are an integral part of the Aspen work force. Given the extremely
high cost of and demand for market-rate housing, resident housing opportunities for displaced
working residents, which are now minimal, will continue to decrease.
Preservation of the housing inventory and provision of dispersed housing opportunities in Aspen
have been long-standing planning goals of the community. Achievement of these goals will serve
to promote a socially and economically balanced community, limit the number of individuals
who face a long and sometimes dangerous commute on State Highway 82, reduce the air
pollution effects of commuting and prevent exclusion of working residents from the city's
neighborhoods.
In the Aspen Area Community Plan the city has established a goal that affordable housing for
working residents be provided by both the public and private sectors. The city, through its
housing designee, has provided affordable housing both within and adjacent to the city limits.
The private sector has also provided affordable housing through the GMQS process.
Nevertheless, as a result of the replacement of resident housing with second homes and tourist
accommodations, and the steady increase in the size of the workforce required to assure the
continued viability of Aspen area businesses and Aspen's tourist based economy, the city has
found it necessary, in concert with other regulations, to adopt limitations on the demolition of
existing multi-family housing in order to minimize the displacement of working residents, to
insure that the private sector maintains its role in the provision of resident housing, and to
prevent a housing shortfall from occurring.
26.530.020 Application of Chapter.
This Chapter shall apply to the demolition of any resident multi-family housing ("RMF
housing"), as defined herein, in the City of Aspen, excluding any parcel consolidated as a
Specially Planned Area (SPA).
For the purposes of this Chapter, demolition of a RMF Housing Unit shall include any
development action which constitutes Demolition, as defined, and also any action which
penetrates demising walls or floors between RMF Housing Units or which converts a RMF Unit
to a non-residential use, independent of whether or not such action is undertaken to combine or
rebuild the units or for any other purpose.
No owner shall cause the demolition of any RMF housing unit without first obtaining a
certificate of compliance or a certificate of exemption in accordance with the provisions of this
Chapter. The Community Development Department shall not issue a permit for the demolition of
any multi-family dwelling unit unless the owner has obtained either a certificate of compliance or
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 3
a certificate of exemption issued in accordance with this Chapter. A certificate of compliance or
a certificate of exemption shall only be issued by the Community Development Director if the
applicant has complied with the provisions of this Chapter.
Any RMF housing unit which is ordered to be demolished by any public agency, including the
city, as a result of damage caused by civil commotion or natural disaster shall not be subject to
the terms of this Chapter. The City Council, at their discretion, may exempt non-profit agencies
or organizations from the provisions of this Chapter.
26.530.030 Certificate of compliance/exemption.
Any applicant, prior to applying for a building permit from the Community Development
Department for the purpose of demolishing any multi-family dwelling unit, must first obtain a
certificate of compliance or a certificate of exemption from the requirements of this Chapter.
A. Certificate of Compliance. In order to obtain a certificate of compliance, the owner shall:
1. Submit to the Community Development Director a statement, certified by the City
of Aspen Zoning Officer, declaring the number of RMF housing units, bedrooms, and the
net residential area to be affected by demolition.
2. Where required, secure necessary land use approvals and development orders for
the project to be developed on the site of the demolished building or on such other
location as may be approved.
3. Execute a housing replacement agreement with the City of Aspen setting forth the
terms and conditions upon which any replacement housing required by this Chapter shall
be developed, which agreement shall be in a form acceptable to the City Attorney. The
agreement shall burden the property and be recorded in the records of the Clerk and
Recorder of Pitkin County. ' The obligation to provide replacement housing as set .forth in
the agreement shall be secured by a bond, letter of credit, or other security acceptable to
the City.
Certificate of exemption. In order to obtain a certificate of exemption, the owner must
submit a statement certifying that the dwelling unit(s) is exempt from the provisions of
this Section, the basis upon which exemption is claimed, and such additional
documentation as may be required by the Community Development Director in order to
establish the exemption. If the Community Development Director is satisfied that the
dwelling unit is exempt from the provisions of this Title, a certificate of exemption shall
be issued.
C.
Procedure. A Certificate of Compliance or Certificate of Exemption shall be obtained
prior to the submission of a building permit.
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 4
Form of Certificate. A Certificate of Compliance or Exemption shall be in a form
approved by the Community Development Director. The Certificate shall constitute a
Development Order issued pursuant to Section 26.304.070, Development Orders.
26.530.040 Housing Replacement Requirements.
One-Hundred Percent Replacement - No Expansion, In the event of the demolition of
free-market resident multi-family housing, the owner shall have the option to construct
replacement housing consisting of no less than one-hundred (100) percent of the number
of units and one-hundred (100) percent of the number of bedrooms demolished. The units
shall be replaced with like-type units (i.e. each one-bedroom unit is replaced with a one-
bedroom unit, each two-bedroom unit is replaced with a two-bedroom unit, etc.). Studio
units may be replaced with either studio or one-bedroom units. The project's total net
livable area may not be expanded. When this one-hundred (100) percent standard is
accomplished with no expansion of the project's total net livable area, the replacement
housing shall not be required to be deed restricted as affordable hOUsing.
One-Hundred Percent Replacement - Unit Expansion. In the event of the demolition of
free-market resident multi-family housing, the owner shall have the option to construct
replacement housing consisting of no less than one-hundred (100) percent of the number
of units and one-hundred (100) percent of the number of bedrooms demolished. The units
shall be replaced with like-type units (i.e. each one-bedroom unit is replaced with a one-
bedroom unit, each two-bedroom unit is replaced with a two-bedroom unit, etc.). Studio
units may be replaced with either studio or one-bedroom units. The project's total net
livable area may be expanded if a portion of the project, commensurate with the
percentage of net livable space expansion, is deed restricted according to the Aspen/Pitkin
County Affordable Housing Guidelines. The required amount of units, bedrooms, and net
livable area to be deed restricted as affordable housing shall be no less than the
percentage of the project's net livable area expansion over the existing development.
Affordable housing meeting this requirement shall be deed restricted in accordance with
the requirements of section 26.530.050, Resale Restrictions (below). No more than 50%
of the original project's units, bedrooms, and net livable area shall be required to be
replaced as affordable housing. (For example: a project replicating an existing
unit/bedroom mix for which the aggregate net livable space is increased by 15 percent
shall include affordable housing equal to 15 percent of the original units, bedrooms, and
net livable area.) A project both increasing and decreasing individual units sizes for
which no aggregate expansion of the project's net livable area occurs shall incur no
affordable housing requirement. When this expansion and replacement percent standard
is accomplished with affordable housing commensurate with the expansion of net livable
space, the remaining units replaced on-site shall not be required tO3 be deed restricted as
affordable housing.
Fifty Percent Replacement. In the event of the demolition of free-market resident multi-
family housing and replacement of less than one-hundred (100) percent of the number of
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 5
C.
DJ
previous units and bedrooms as described above, the owner shall be required to construct
replacement housing consisting of no less than fifty (50) percent of the number of units,
fifty (50) percent of the number of bedrooms, and fifty (50) percent of the square footage
of net residential area demolished. The replacement housing meeting thiS requirement
shall be deed restricted as affordable housing in accordance with the requirements of
section 26.530.050, Resale Restrictions (below), The remaining units replaced on-site
shall not be required to be deed restricted as affordable housing.
Location of Replacement Housing. Multi-family replacement units shall be developed
on the same site on which demolitiOn has occurred, unless the owner shall demonstrate
and the City Council determines that replacement of the units on-site wOuld be
incompatible with adopted neighborhood plans or would be an inappropriate planning
solution due to the site's physical constraints. When either of the above circumstances
result, the owner shall replace the maximum number of units on-site which the City
Council determines that the site can accommodate and may replace the remaining units
off-site, at a location determined acceptable to City Council. When replacement units are
proposed to be built off-site, the owner shall be required to obtain a development order
approving the off-site development prior to issuance of a Certificate of Compliance for
the original parcel.
Replacement units may be redeveloped on a separate parcel which is part of a multi-
parcel Planned Unit Development that includes the original parcel. In this Case, the
location of redevelopment units, both free-market and affordable' shall be determined by
the City through adoption of a Final PUD PI~i pursuant to chapter 26,4451
Cash-in-Lieu Payment. When the Owner's affordable housing replacement requirement
of this section involves a fraction of a unit, cash in lieu may be provided to meet the
fractional requirement only. The amount of a cash-in-lieu shall be determined by the
Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority accOrding to the apPliCable Affordable HOusing
Guidelines.
Timing and Quality of Replacement Units. Any rePlacement units required .to be deed
restricted as affordable housing shall be iSSued a Certificate of OccUPancy, according to
the Building Department,. and be available for occupancy at the same time as, or prior to,'
any redeveloped free-market units, regardless of whether the replacement units are built
on-site or off-site. Replacement units required to be deed restricted as affordable housing
shall contain fixtures, finish, and amenities required by the Affordable Housing
Guidelines of the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority.
Growth Management Replacement Credits. The existing number of free-market
residential units, prior to demolition, may be replaced exempt from growth management.
The redevelopment credits shall not be transferable separate from the property unless
permitted as described above in subparagraph C. Free-market residential units in excess
of those originally on the parcel shall be subject to growth management, Chapter 26.470.
The affordable residential units required to be developed shall be exempt from growth
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 6
management, provided the units conform to the requirements of this Chapter. Additional
affordable dwelling units shall be subject to growth management, Chapter 26.470.
26.530.050 Resale/Rental Restrictions.
Replacement units required to be deed restricted as affordable housing shall be "for-sale units"
and shall be deed restricted in a form and substance consistent with the Affordable Housing
Guidelines established by the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority. Such deed-restricted
units may only be sold in compliance with the current Affordable Housing Guidelines established
by the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority. The owner may be entitled to select purchasers,
subject to the aforementioned qualifications, with approval from the Aspen/Pitkin County
Housing Authority.
Replacement units required to be deed restricted as affordable housing shall be allowed to be
rental units if a legal instrument, in a form acceptable to the City Attorney, shall guarantee their
permanent affordability in accordance with the Aspen/Pitkin County Affordable Housing
Guidelines. No resale or rental restrictions shall apply to free-market replacement units.
26.530.060 Enforcement.
Any person who violates any provision of this Chapter including violation of any provision of a
deed restriction executed for the benefit of the City of Aspen or the Aspen/Pitkin County
Housing Authority shall be liable to the criminal and/or civil penalties and remedies set forth at
Section 26.104.040.
26.530.070 Appeals.
An applicant aggrieved by a decision of the Community Development Director in the
administration of this Section may appeal such decision to the Aspen City Council in accordance
with the appeal procedures set forth at Chapter 26.316. An applicant aggrieved by a
determination made by the City Council, pursuant to this Section, may appeal the decision to a
court of competent jurisdiction.
Section 2:
This Ordinance shall not effect any existing litigation and shall not operate as an abatement
of any action or proceeding now pending under or by virtue of the ordinances repealed or
amended as herein provided, and the same shall be conducted and concluded under such
prior ordinances.
Section 3:
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Ordinance is for any
reason held invalid or unconstitutional in a court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall
be deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision and shall not affect the validity of
the remaining portions thereof.
Ordinance No. 51 Page 7
Series of 2003.
Section 4:
A public hearing on the Ordinance was held on the 27th day of October, 2003, at 5:00 p.m.
in the City Council Chambers, Aspen City Hall, Aspen Colorado, fifteen (15) days prior to
which hearing a public notice of the same was published in a newspaper of general
circulation within the City of Aspen.
Section 5:
This ordinance shall become effective thirty days following final passage.
INTRODUCED, READ AND ORDERED PUBLISHED as provided by law. by the City
Council of the City of Aspen on the 14th day of October, 2003.
Attest:
Kaihryn ~. ,~f~'~ity Clerk
I-(elen~ K] Klan~d~r6~ayor
FINALLY, adopted, passed and approved this 26th day of January, 2004.
Attest:
Kathryn S. ~~i~lerk '~ /Helen K. K~lal~l~eru~ayo r
Approved as to form:
Ordinance No. 51
Series of 2003.
Page 8