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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.agmc.20040217ASPEN/PITKIN GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2004 DECLARATION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST....................................................... 2 MAROON CREEK CLUB LODGE CONVERSION GROWTH MANAGEMENT SCORING CHART HOUSE LODGE GROWTH MANAGEMENT TOURIST ACCOMMODATIONS SCORING ........................... ■ ASPEN/PITKIN GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2004 Jasmine Tygre opened the Growth Management Commission Meeting. Members present were Jack Johnson, Steve Skadron, Dylan Johns, John Rowland, Ruth Kruger, Peter Thomas, Joe Krabacher, Steve Whipple, John Howard and Jasmine Tygre. Staff present were David Hoefer, Assistant City Attorney; Joyce Allgaier; James Lindt, Scott Woodford, Community Development; Jackie Lothian, Deputy City Clerk. DECLARATION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST John Howard stated conflict with the Maroon Creek Club PUD/SPA Scoring; he was present for the matter of a quorum for the County portion of GMC. Joe Krabacher stepped down for the Chart House Scoring. PUBLIC HEARING: MAROON CREEK CLUB LODGE CONVERSION GROWTH MANAGEMENT SCORING Jasmine Tygre opened the public hearing for the Maroon Creek Club Lodge Growth Management Scoring. James Lindt stated this application was submitted by the Maroon Creek Club Millennium Members requesting residential scoring from the Growth Management System to add kitchens to the lodge units converting them into four residential units. Lindt explained the residential scoring process; two scorings occur initial and final. There were four sets of criteria with scoring between 0 and 5 without fractions. There were guidelines on page 3 of the staff memo; the applicant needs an average score of 3 or better to obtain a passing score on each of the four sets of criteria. Staff recommended a minimum score of 3 for approval for this request with the conditions in the resolution; there were no adverse implications from the addition of kitchens. Sheri Sanzone, planners for the. applicant, stated the code language calls out a kitchen with anything that includes a stove; she said every other appliance was already in place except for the stove. Sanzone provided the history of the 12 lodge credits including mitigation from the original approvals with 40 affordable housing units, the bridge to the ARC, numerous walking and hiking trails, bus stops, the Tiehack Base plus more. In 1998 the developer requested building 8 units, which became the Millennium Members with 4 purchasers. These were the original four owners who struggled with these being lodge units without a front desk and without a place for breakfast. Sanzone noted that they had the ability to combine units and add kitchens with the exception of stoves. 2 ASPEN/PITKIN GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2004 Sanzone said the scoring was different since it was an existing project and the code was intended for new development. Sanzone explained a minimum score was 3 and projects shouldn't be penalized if the scoring criteria weren't relevant and it some cases it wasn't. In the area of transportation the Millennium members agreed to use a Taxi voucher system and shared bicycles for owners and guests. No public comments. Jack Johnson asked if there was any oversight to make sure the taxi voucher system was actually being used. Lindt responded that there was a condition of approval in the proposed resolution with a building permit trigger. Sanzone stated that they would provide any documentation from High Mountain Taxi necessary at the time of the request. Johnson asked if the Millennium owners were aware that the units that they were purchasing did not have stoves. Sanzone replied that they were very aware of that; the real value in the ownership was the membership in the club. Lindt stated that the ownership was still with the Maroon Creek Club and they were not condominimizing at this time and there was not fee simple interest. Sanzone said that this was even more nebulous than a fractional ownership. Ruth Kruger asked what was the number in the pool of allotments. Lindt replied that many of the allotment have been carried over from m previous years 8 residential allotments available per year. Joe Krabacher asked if there was a separate pool for the other application or were they all in competition. Lindt answered they were not in competition and there was a separate pool for tourist accommodation, which was what the Chart House was requesting and this was a residential allotment pool. Dylan Johns asked if this application covered all the units in the Maroon Creek Club that could submit this application. Lindt replied that it does because there were approvals with building permits to combine the four units. Tygre said to follow up on Dylan's question that there were 8 units and 4 Millennium members. Sanzone answered there were 8 units with 4 owners capped by the square footage; no additional units or expansions were allowed. Sanzone explained that one member owned 3 units, one owned 1 unit and two owned 2 units; the ones that could combine their units would but have no interest in trying to pursue subdivision or condominiumization. Tygre said the minutes from the August P&Z meeting regarding this property reflected that the project was annexed into the city in 1996, which allowed for the reduction in lodge units from 12 to 8 units but as a condition of approval no 3 ASPEN/PITKIN GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2004 kitchens were allowed therefore the applicant requested an amendment. The applicant did not go to council with the change in use request so they had to go through the scoring process to amend the PUD to allow for kitchens. Tygre asked why were no kitchens allowed in lodge units. Lindt responded that at that point in time no kitchens were allowed in lodge units throughout the city of Aspen prior to the Lodge Preservation Program, which updated the lodge units in town to allow for kitchens. Lindt said if they obtain a passing score they will become residential units. Tygre asked for clarification on why they were lodge units. Lindt explained that they were built with lodge credits from the Aspen Country Inn, which was now employee housing, as part of the PUD that was approved in the county. Krabacher stated that when the Maroon Creek Club PUD came in, the Aspen Country Inn was to be demolished, which generated lodge credits but it was converted into senior housing and the lodge credits were still given. Krabacher noted the Aspen Country Inn units did not have kitchens at that time so that's how they were transferred. Sanzone noted that the original approvals were in the county and the county code did not have kitchens in lodge units. Steve Skadron asked what was the impact on the community with designation of residential units as opposed to lodge units. Lindt replied that in terms of growth. impacts, which were what you were looking at tonight, there would not be significant traffic impacts or additional parking; housing reviewed the request and did not think the units were changing by operation and were similar in use. Lindt distributed the Residential Scoring Sheets and utilized a power point presentation. The initial and final scores did not meet the threshold with an average of 3 or 27 because there were 9 voting members therefore the Application was DENIED by the Aspen/Pitkin County Growth Management Commission at its special meeting on February 17, 2004. Discussion of scoring: Joe Krabacher stated that he scored high because there were transportation options provided; he did not see how maintaining design quality, historic compatibility and community character even applied because everything was happening inside and no one would see it. Jack Johnson stated that he scored it low because 0 said the project will contribute nothing to implementation of the articulated vision and may move the community farther away from its stated goals; the next 2 criteria would add value to their property and criteria 4 was irrelevant. Jasmine Tygre said the interpretations of the criteria and the way each criterion applies to a particular application was a matter of individual judgment. Sheri Sanzone stated that the Millennium owners felt that it was more comfortable to spend more time in their units if they had kitchens thus more time in the community. Sanzone reiterated that these were not lodge units because they 0 ASPEN/PITKIN GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2004 did not have the infrastructure to be lodge units, they were not slope side so they can't be marketed as lodge rooms and they were trying to make the best situation out of the product that they own. Johnson said the criteria reads as follows the residents of the Aspen Area have long recognized the need to preserve the community's character and identify more than just a resort, a collection of second homes and a tourist shopping mecca. PUBLIC HEARING: CHART HOUSE LODGE GROWTH MANAGEMENT TOURIST ACCOMMODATIONS SCORING Jasmine Tygre opened the growth management public hearing; proof of notice was provided. James Lindt noted letters were received from Patrick and Marjorie Smith, Aztec #5; Carl Levy, Southpoint; Eleanor Thompson, Southpoint. Lindt stated that some material was received after the packet deadline. David Hoefer asked James to explain the project aspects being discussed tonight. Lindt stated the application was submitted by LCH, LLC represented by Stan Clauson requesting Growth Management Tourist accommodations scoring for developmental allotments from the growth management system to construct a 14- unit timeshare lodge at 219 East Durant. The applicant has also applied for PUD approval, which will not be discussed tonight but will be reviewed at a later date by City P&Z and City Council. Lindt utilized drawings to illustrate the floor plans for the 14 three -bedroom units with a lock -off bedroom in each unit on each floor. The first floor street level has a restaurant lounge facility, which was open to the public, accessed off the corner of Monarch and Durant; there was also a lobby with a check -in area and 2 timeshare lodge units. The second and third floors each had 4 more three -bedroom timeshare lodge units; the third floor was stepped back in certain instances to create patio type areas around the building. The fourth floor had 4 three -bedroom timeshare lodge units. The fifth floor contained a public restaurant accessed through an elevator and/or stairs and a rooftop garden around the entire restaurant. There were 3 floors proposed below grade with the 1 st level below grade containing deed -restricted employee units as category one, two, three and four with a recreation room and staff facility. The 2nd floor below grade proposed storage units for the estate owners, a small meeting room and mechanical room. The lowest level below grade contained the parking garage with 25 parking spaces and bike storage area; the applicant proposed valet parking to stack a portion of the spaces with an elevator accessed off of the Southeast corner of Monarch. 5 ASPEN/PITKIN GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 17, 2004 Lindt presented the elevation drawings from the view from the St. Regis, from the Southpoint Condos to the west, from the Aztec Condos and Durant Street. The height was 62 feet 3 inches at the midpoint; the applicant proposed to improve the right-of-ways at Durant Avenue and Monarch. There were 5 existing cottonwood trees along Durant to be maintained and there was an outdoor seating patio area proposed. There were renditions of what the building would look like. Lindt said the applicant proposed almost twice what was required for employee housing mitigation on site; staff recommended a score of 4 on the first set of criteria. On the second set of criteria the applicant proposed several different alternatives; maintaining a bicycle fleet on site; proposed fee bus passes for employees; proposed on -site lockers and shower for employees to encourage them to use alternate means of transportation, staff recommended a score of 4. The 3rd set of criteria spoke to environmentally sustainable development, the applicant consented to green building material in developing the lodge (the material provided after the packet deadline) and staff recommended a score of 4. The 4th set of criteria related to the design quality and maintaining the historic character of town, staff believes several of these criteria were not applicable. Staff had concerns about the height but believe that they can be taken care of and more appropriately reviewed as part of the PUD request. Peter Thomas mentioned that the County had a meeting with the County Airport at 6pm. Jasmine Tygre stated that it wasn't fair to the public or applicant to rush through the presentation but the commission could go as far as it could now and continue to a date certain. David Hoefer noted that a date had to be chosen and agreed.upon. Tygre stated that she wanted the hearing to be fair to everyone. Peter Thomas said that he would not be able to attend any meetings until after March 15th. The county members agreed that there should be enough for a quorum. MOTION: Ruth Kruger moved to continue the Growth Management Commission public hearing for the Chart House Lodge Tourist Accommodations Scoring to March 9, 2004; seconded by John Howard. APPROVED 9-0. Adjourned at 6pm into the regular Aspen P & Z jackie Lothian, Deputy City Clerk el