HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.19781214Joint Meeting Aspen City Council, Mall Commission, P&Z, PCPA December 14, 1978
A Joint Meeting was held on December 14, 1978, between the Aspen City Council, Mall Com-
mission, Planning and Zoning Commission and the Pitkin County Park Association. Members
present were Mayor Standley and Councilmembers Behrendt, Anderson, Parry and Isaac; Snell,
Plumley, Waggaman, Ulrych, Baa~, Bigalow and Stone of the Mall Commission; Anderson and
Klar of the P&Z; Hal Clark, Fritz Benedict and Max Aley of the PCPA. Also present were
Karen Smith, Curt Stewart, Jim Reents a~d Jolene Vrchota of the Planning Office, City
Manager Mick Mahoney and City Attorney Ronald Stock. Mayor Standley called the meeting
to order at 5:00 PM.
Smith began the meeting.explaining the main objective is to discuss Mall Planning over the
next several months. She outlined four elements of the planning program; 1) design con-
siderations for the Galena/Cooper Street extensions including resolution of problems with
existing Mall, 2) improvements to the existing Mall (delivery access, parking and circula-
tion, links to public transit), 3) downtown beautification (ways to carry core design ele-
ments to off-mall areas, landscape plan for between streets and sidewalks, matching prog-
ram for street improver~ents), 4) parking study and implementation plan. There is $15,000
budgeted for this Mall planning and she suggested other funding possibilities. She noted
a suggestion from the.Mall Commission that they plan a day long brainstorming session with
all interested persons and expertise. Mayor Standley asked Smith to identify the area to
be discussed. Smith said the area is generally the CC and C-1 districts, specifically out-
lined by Spring, the alley behind Main Street, Durant Avenue and Monarch Avenue. Council-
member Behrendt asked if they should consider more than one overlay such as lighting dis-
tricts and landscape districts, Mayor Standley felt they should definately identify the
boundaries. Smith felt that the,area she identified would be the center of their concern
with overlays to other outlying.areas.
Mayor Standley noted comments from various merchants that those merchants on the Mall get
substantially more benefits than those not on the Mall. Plumley, Chairman of the Mall
Commission,~agreed that they must extend these benefits and the beautification plan to
areas outs±de'th~ Mall. He felt there is an inconsistency between the intensely developed
Mall and the .surrounding neighborhoods. He noted a concern of the PCPA that the street
trees are dying because o6 abus~,.n~glect and inconsistencies of maintenance. He suggested
having a professional maintain:the trees through the City. He proposed a sample block for
one year. Mayor Standl~y felt ~at w.ith the money and planning proposed, they should do
the whole area. Plumley noted his concern with disrupting the City by tearing it all up
at one time. Mayor Standley felt they would do it block by block.
Fritz Benedict asked if the City would take on the watering responsibility. Hal Clark
noted that when trees die in the City, it is the City's responsibility to remove the tree
but the property owners responsibility to relandscape according to the nonexistent land-
scape program. PCPA has a strong concern for what is happening to the landscaping in the
downtown district. Mayor Standley agreed that they need a physical plan and a management
plan based on the level of maintenance the City can provide. Plumley did not feel there
would be much consistency if they laid the responsibility on the property owners. Plumley
noted that they must co~der some design that would protect the trees from damage from
cars, snowplows, etc. ~or Standley suggested making the non-mall streets narrower with
parallel parking, widen the sidewalks and add planters and trees. Bigalow suggested a
subcommittee of the boards present to make these specific decisions.
Stock set up the time frame from resolution to election. Mayor Standley asked Stock to
present the resolution at the December 18 Council meeting. Reents presented a plan for
the expansion. Mahoney noted that the Mall Commission was not too pleased with this plan
and would rather see a simpler plan; tear out the streets and curbs and brick in the rest.
Ulrych complained that they were not consulted in the design of the plan; he felt they nee
to work more on the design, possibly with a consultant. Baar felt they were spending too
much time and effort on the design.
Smith outlined what she felt should be done; the day long work session with Friedberg,
hire a redesigner with design expertise, hire a street landscaper that could also design
the off mall landscaping plan. Mayor Standley asked Mahoney and Butterbaugh to decide on
a reasonable budget.
Ulrych asked if the City could give the property owners some incentive to maintain their
sidewalks, trees, etc. Mayor Standley felt the Mall Commission should find out if the
owners are willing to try this. Dunaway noted that the merchants change frequently.
The boards and coI~issions all decided upon the boundaries for this district; Monarch
Street through Dean Street to Spring and through the alley behind Main. Mayor Standley
noted that the parking study is due February 24, 1979. Stock noted that he would draft
a resolution stating that Council intends to pay for this with 6th and 7th penny revenues
with a note that Council may opt to assess the property owners for periodic Mall improve-
ments. Mayor Standley asked Smith to,set up meetings or reports from PBQ&D for progress
on the parking study to allow for Council input.
The meeting adjourned at 6:15 PM.
Sheryl~mmen, Deputy City Clerk