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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcoa.lu.sp.Little Nell SPA.1986 I ~ ,-- -,~- -/,c, \ \ \. ,~ 'l" /'\ ^ ~ \ \~ (i March 26, 1986 Aspen City Council 130 So. Galena Street A.spen, CO 81611 design workshop, inc. 710 e. durant aspen, colorado 81611 3031925-8354 The following materials are hereby formally submitted for inclusion in your public hearing record dated March 26,1986 o Little Nell GMP!SPA submission dated December, 1985. o Supplemental drawing index submitted December, 1985. o Memorandum from Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, to Aspen City Council, dated September 17, 1985. o Ordinance of the City Council of Aspen, Colorado, extending the boundary of the SPA overlay across a portion of the Little Nell base area. o Resolution. No. 85-18 of the Aspen Planning and Zoning Co~~ission recommending conceptual approval of the Little Nell Base Redevelopment SPA. o Memorandum from Alan Richman, Planning Office, to Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission, dated January 21, 1986. o City of Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission evaluation L-1, L-2 GMI? score sheets dated January '21, 1986. o Memorandum from Ja.y Hammond, Public Services Director, to Alan Richman, Planning and Development Dix.ector, dated January 6, 1986. o Memorandum from Thomas S. Dunlop, Director, Environmental Health Department, to Alan Richman, Planning Office, dated December 14, 1985. o Memorendum from Jim Nilson, Chief Building Official, to Alan Richman, Planning Director, dated January 6, 1986. o Memorandum from Bill Ness, Parks Department, to Alan Richman, Planning Department, dated January 9, 1986. o Memorandum from Jim Markalunas to Alan Richman, Planning Office, dated Decewber 23, 1985. community development land planning landscape architecture ...." .... I \ ..-, o Memorandum from Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, to Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission, dated January 23, 1986. o Memorandum from Jay Hammond, City Engineering, to Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, dated January 20, 1986. o Memorandum from Tom Newland, Planning Engineer, to Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, dated January 24, 1986. o Letter from Jeffrey L. Hynes, Colorado Geological Su~~ey, to Alan Richman, Aspen/Pitkin Planning Office, dated January 6, 1986. o Memorandum from Jay Hammond, City Engineering, to Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, dated March 3, 1986. o Memorandum from A.J. Zabbia, Jr., Rea, Cassens, and Associates, Inc., to Jay Ha~nond, City Engineering, dated February 20, 1986. o Little Nell GMP/SPA Precise Plan submission, Executive Summary, dated March 14, 1986. o Memorandum from Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, to Aspen City Council, dated March 19, 1986. o Resolution #86-3 of th$Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission recommending Precise Plan approval of the Little Nell base redevelopment SPA o Letter from Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director, to Fred Smith, Planning Director, Aspen Skiing Co.,. dated March 18, 1986. o Resolution #2 (series of 1986) a resolution forwarding the 1985 City of. Aspen L-1/L-2/CC/CL and other zone district growth management score for the Little Nell base redevelopment lodge GMP application. o Four photographs of a computer simulation of the proposed gondola building dated March 24, 1986. . ... I \ o Index of Drawings SPA Illustrative Site Schematic Site Plan - Schematic Site Plan - Drop-off Option I prop-off Option II Drop-off Option III Drop-off Option IV Drop-off Option V Hotel Drop-off A. Hotel Drop-off B Proposed Skier Drop-off Lift Terminal Plan Lift Terminal Section Section at Durant Street West Wing Floor Plan West Wing 0 Level Plan Section at Durant St.-View Planes Section at Hotel Plaza West Wing Building Section Building Sections AA and BB West and North Elevations at West Wing Gondola Building Profile Plan. Phase One Completion Phase \ ,~ Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 Fig. 15 Fig. 16 Fig. 17 Fig. 18 Fig. 19 Fig. 20 Fig. 21 Fig. 22 ^ r-~ .J;(/tf,_ /:;"(1".;;,,- MEMORANDUM FROM: Aspen City Council Hal Schilling, City Manage~ Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director ~~ Little Nell Review Schedule TO: THRU: RE: DATE: March 19, 1986 ================:==================================================== Attached for your review is the Planning Office's analysis of the Little Nell Precise Plan. This comprehensive memo is the only one which we intend to produce for this stage of the review, and therefore should be brought to each of the following meetings (along with the applicant's executive summary which was provided to yoU-earlier). DATE TIME LOCATION Wednesday, March 19 5:00-7:00 PM Council Chambers Monday, March 24 Regular Meeting Community Center Wednesday, March 26 5:00-7:00 PM Council Chambers Monday, March 31 4:00-6:00 PM Council Chambers Tuesday, April I 5:00-7:00 PM Council Chambers Please call me if you have any questions about the sChedule or the attached memo. AR.l . 1""'"\ .,......, MEMORANDUM FROM: Aspen City Council /:~ Hal Schilling, City Manage~ Alan Richman, Planning and Development Little Nell Precise Plan ~) Director '\ \-" TO: THRU: RE: DATE: March 19, 1986 =============================================================== APPLICANT: Aspen Skiing Company ZONING/LOT SIZE: The base area of Little Nell is presently zoned CC/SPA and C. Ordinance No. 53, Series of 1985, ...lIIhich received first reading approval from Council at the conceptual stage, will place an SPA OVerlay on that portion of the base area zoned C. Final action on that ordinance should only be taken when Council is ready to take final action on the P reci se PI an. T he a rea zoned CC/SPA comprises 43,124 s.f., while the area zoned C requested for inclusion within the SPA OVerlay comprises 45,738 s.f., for a total lot size of 88,862 s.~. APPLICANT'S REQUEST: At this stage of the review process, the following land use reviews are before the City Council: 1. Final action on SPA Precise Plan; 2. Final action on Ordinance 53, .Series of 1985; 3. Final action on change in use GMP exemption to convert the HOliday House from lodging to employee housing; 4. Final action on encroachment (vendor's agreement) into Dean Street; and 5. Allotment of lodge units to the project (multi-year allotment requested; allotment for additional comme r- cial space not yet submitted, but anticipated on August I, 1986). Final actions taken by the Planning and Zoning Commission included the following: 1. Grant of Conditional Use Permit for hotel in CC zone and ski lifts in the C zone district; and 2. Grant of mountain viewplane and 8040 greenline ap- provals. .-' -. PLANNING OFFICE REVIEW: In order to provide Council with an organized sequence in which to consider this application, we suggest that issues be taken in the following order: A. Analysis of proj eCl:' s compliance with conditions of concep- t ual approval: 1. Architecture, site design and lift configuration. 2. Access, circulation and parking. 3. Geologic hazards, drainage, grading, utilities and employee housing. 4. Miscellaneous issues which have been resolved. B. Evaluation of consistency with precise plan reYiew criteria. C. Specification of zoning regulations to apply to the parcel, variations permitted, constr.uction schedule and mitigation of construction impacts. D. Growth Management allotments. E. SPA Overlay Rezoning (Ordinance 53, Series of 1985). Our review of these issues fOllows, and should be used alongside the executive summary provided to Council by the applicant which provides the graphics to illustrate the points contained herein. A. Compliance with Conditions of Approval. Council Resolution No. 85-33 set 2S conditions of approval of the applicant' s conceptual plan. These conditions set the framework within which the applicant and the P&~ have been working to develop a precise plan in keeping with the site's unique location and function. Therefore, our analysis of the applicant's compliance with these conditions forms an integral part of our evaluation o~ the suitability of the precise plan itself . 1. Conditions Concerning Architecture, Site Design and Lift Configuration. The issues to be discussed in this section are open space (Condition No.1), skier drop off (Condition No.7), visual impact (Condition No.4), shadows (Condition No. IS), pedestrian gateway (Condi- tion No. 19), encroachments (Condition No. 23), lift building design (Condition No. 12), lift service (Condition No~ 13), snow shedding (Condition No. 16) and FAR (Condition No.2). "I. The applicant shall amend the site plan to provide 2 ~ ~ ._.:l_ open space along the length of the Durant Street frontage of the hotel, so as to create a courtyard of at least 10 feet in depth. The open space requirement shall be considered in coordination with rather than in addition to the area to be set aside for the on-site drop-off facility required in condition *7 below." During the conceptual review, we raised a concern that the open space on the site, being at the rear of the building, did not meet the requirement of Section 24- 3.7 (d) that open space be open to the st reet. By the conclusion of that stage of the review we suggested that the open space along Spring Street could be justi~ied as technically meeting this requirement. Therefore, when the condition was rewritten, reference to the technical requirement was dropped in favor of a simple statement that open space be ~rovided along Durant to create a courtyard effect. When Condition No. I was written, we had in mind that the skier drop-off area could be set in the mi dst of open space, and that the two areas need not result in a total requirement for 20 or more feet of set back. However, we did not anticipate that the drop-off area would be designed to occupy the entire frontage, and would essentially be used instead of providing open space, as it was in the original design provided to the Planning Commission at the Precise Plan stage. The original Precise Plan reviewed by p&Z showed the building mOiled back the minimum of 10 feet which had been required by Council, with the skier drop-off thereby extending partly into the Durant Avenue right- Of-way. This aspect of the Plan received relatively low scores from P&Z in the GMP process, and caused the applicant to re-think the project's design. The revised plan, which was accepted by P&Z, was for the building to be moved back another 10 feet on the site, with the fOllowing results: o The skier drop-off is accommodated fully within the applicant I s property. o Views. to the mountain have been improved. o Shadow effects on Durant Avenue have been reduced. o Four hotel units and a limited amount of accessory space have been eliminated from the project. 3 ~ .~\ The major trade-offs for these several benefits are: o The image of the hotel on Durant Avenue is still influenced by the presence of the parking area. To mitigate this problem, the applicant proposes to continue the Hunter Street paving program into the drop-off area, and to do plantings in front of the hotel and along the drop-off lane. c The building no longer sits along Durant, but instead is placed well back from the street. To maxim.ize pedestrian activity in the downtown, and to be consistent w.ith the character ~f our victorian town, it is normally considered prefer- able to have storefronts directly on the street. BUildings such as Ajax Mountain and City Plaza are examples of how "dead" open space is not prefer- able to on-street building frontage.... The appli- cant demonst rated to the Planning Commission that the arcade in front of the building could serve the function of an active street front and would draw people walking in either direction along Durant or from the Hunter Street Plaza into this walkway. o There are potential conflicts from the drop-off onto Durant Avenue, which are discussed in detail below. Given the overlapping benefits which accrue from moving the building back to its proposed location, we feel that the proposal is a reasonable solution. We support the applicant's argument that the mall area through Hunter Street, and extending from the deck of the hotel to the deck at the Tippler is the best location to have peop~e gather, given its sun exposure, mountainside views and the skiing/socializing and shopping activi- ties which are planned there. Once it is accepted that a hotel is an appropriate use for the site, as was done by Council at the conceptual level, we feel that the orientation of the hotel and the pedestrian spaces has been properly planned. "7. The applicant shall revise the site plan to indicate an auto-taxi-limo drop-off facility of adequate siz e for. the needs of the ski area, which is in addition to any drop-off area for hotel guests. As the Council is concerned about maintaining adequate traffic flows on Durant Avenue, it is expected that the applicant will address the proper location for. this facility within the 4 I"""". t""\ project's property boundary." (/ In conj unction with pushing the bu ilding back an additional IO feet, the applicant presented several alternative designs for the skier drop-off area. The P&Z originally chose an alternative which totallY separated the traffic circulation in the drop-off area from that for the hotel. This solution pushed the entrance to the hotel off the Durant/Spring corner, ont,o Spring Street and created an impractical series of turning movements out of the drop-off area and into the hotel. A revised plan, which was presented to and accepted by the P&Z subject to final approval by the City Engineer has the fOllowing key features: o The drop-off function is contained within the applicant's property, and provides 9-10 spaces. o The planting island between the drop-off and the street is intended to buffer the vi~of the hotel frontage. A sidewalk has also beenpro~ided in the island to enhance pedestrian movement. o Parallel. parking for four cars will be permitted alongside the island. The edge of this parking is at the edge of the angle parking which now occurs at the North of Nell and Aspen Club Lodge Build- ings. The City Engineer has serious concerns about the impacts of this design, due to the presence of th ree curb cuts on Durant Avenue. Jay Hammond is reviewing the plan, and considering recommending that the curb cuts be reduced from three to two. As will be demon- strated to you at the meeting, either of these ap- proaches creates car turning conflicts, but with three cuts these conflicts are on the public street, while with two cuts the conflict is on the applicant's property. "4. The applicant shall continue to evaluate the impact of the hotel on the views of Aspen Mountain from Hunter Street, and propose any design changes which will reduce obstructions of the mountain from the corner of Cooper or Hyman Avenues on Hunter Street. Detailed architectural renderings and elevations shall be provided at the Precise Plan stage." The applicant has provided a computer simulated view of the hotel as it will appear from Hunter Street at the Durant and Cooper corners. These simulations are 5 ~ .~ evidence that the critical viewplane from the town to the Little Nell run and Bell Mountain will be preserved through the hotel's design approach. The Council should requi,re that. thes'e simulations be augmented-bY' t;headdition of~ the~proposed gondolclterlllTnalbuildlng to insure that this viewplane has been preserved."-~~It should also be recognized that the views presented from the east and west on Durant demonstrate that the building will fill in the one remaining open area along this st reet, and complete the "walled in" feeling from the Aspen Club Lodge and North of Nell Buildings. Finally, Council should be informed of the applicant's commitments to P&Z that no equipment on the roof of the building will be visible from Durant Avenue or the base area, and that no height variation from the 40 foot CC zone standard is required to build this project. "IS. The applicant shall provide a shadow study of the effects of the building along Durant Avenue and Spring Street, and. mitigate the problems caused by the building's shadows for pedestrians crossing the street." The applicant' s original shadow study stated that "Durant Avenue will be in .shade for most of the winter. In December, shadows from the Little Nell Hotel will shade the street north of the Hotel all day. By the end of February, most of the driving surface of Durant Avenue will be in the sun from 10: 30 - I: 30. The south side of Durant, adjacent to the Hotel, will remain in shade all winter." This study was revised after the building was moved back to demonstrate a significantly less, although. still apparent, shading effect on the st reet. The applicant' s response to this problem is that "a maj or pedest r ian crossing be const ructed at the intersection of Durant and Hunter Street" at the applicant's expense. Included in this plan is a neck down of the street to two travel lanes at the intersec- tion. We advised P&Z that with Durant acting as a maj or thoroughfare for downtown, this neck down may be ill advised, and may create turning conflicts into the drop-off area. The Commission considered our concerns, and the manner in which .the neck down in front of the courthouse functions, and determined that the neck down is a desireable addition to the plan. The Commis- sioners felt that if the neck down were pulled back I to 2 feet, it would allow pedestrians a chance to react to on-coming traffic, but would improve their view of that traffic. Further, they felt that much of the shading problem had been solved by the new building 6 . . ..-, ,-, location, and therefore, accepted the mitigation proposed as adequate. "19. The applicant shall make every effort, including working with the City of Aspen, to increase the extent of the pedestrian gateway to the mountain so as to make it a more "grand" entrance in the winter and summer." In essence, the plan .for the pedestrian gateway to the mountain is quite similar to that proposed at the conceptual level, and was not found by P&Z to be significantly more "grand." The ~pplicant made the following representations to the P&Z as to improvements in the gateway COncept: o Pushing the building back has slightly increased the width of the Hunter Street entrance to the mountain. o The roof on the western portion or .the building has been Sloped more than in other locations to increase the feeling of spaciousness in the pedestrian mall. o The mall paving/landscaping theme has been carried into the drop-off area in front of the hotel. o A paving link will be created between the deck at Little Nell and that of the Tippler, to include the maze area for the gondola, which will be a substantial milling area for apres-ski, events and summer visitors. o There will be formal landscaping at the rear of the hotel, which will transition into a more natural mountain environment in the vicinity of the lift towers. Council should be aware that the ASC has broken the mall proposal into Zone I, comprising all of Hunter Street. and that portion of Dean Street between Hun.ter and the Tippler, and Zone II, which involves the Tippler frontage to Galena Street. ASC intends to pay for the improvements in Zone I, and to participate with its neighbors in the improvements to Zone II. The likely vehicle for these improvements is the Lodge Improvement Dist r ict, but the ASC agreed that if Zone I is completed before the District is underway, they would pave Dean Street with materials consistent with the rest of Dean St reet, and rest rict the ent rance to the Street such that it is limited to authorized 7 .-- ........., vehicle access only (e.g., Tipple Inn residents and service vehicles for the Tippler). This arrangement appeared to satisfy both the Planning Commission and the Tipple Inn residents, who had previously objected to the ASC proposals in this area. "23. The applicant shall disclose at the Precise Plan stage all plans related to the Dean Street right-of-way, including any requests for encroachments as may be necess.ary." The applicant has disclosed the plans for Dean Street and made an encroachment request of the City Engineer- ing Department for paving, landscaping, street furni- ture, ski ticket sales booths and skier drop-off parking. We have, however, received a comment from the City Attorney that an encroachment may be the wrong tool to address these improvements. Pau~ suggests that the use of Dean Street by ASC for its ticket kiosk, landscaping and street furniture is similar to the arrangement by McDonalds to add facilities to, and use the mall, which was done by a "vendor's agreement" with the City. In this sense, we differentiate the en- croachment of a private building into a public right- of -way from the use of publiC space for public tYl?e improvements, to allow business to be conducted in these areas. .We, therefore, recommend that Council enter into a vEmdoi.' sUagreement. with theappl icant,--Jn whic:h....t:.he--iipl?licant-indemnif ies the- City for any liabil ity associated with its iml?rovements, - and agrees to maintain the mall for the period of the agreement. "12. The al?l?licant shall provide detailed drawings of the new base lifts, demonstrating that these buildings are visually coml?atible with the base area and that the principal storage area for either chairs or gondolas will not. be above grade at the base area.~ The al?plicant was only able to provide P&Z with the design parameters for ,the gondola building, as the structure itself is still in the design stage. The aPl?licant's presentat:ion identified some of the critical variables which defined the building's location, including the following: o It is essential that the gondola follow a route which keeps its profile as low to the ground as possible, to minimize wind disturbance. Given existing lifts and mountain forms, orientation of the lift building is relatively fixed. B _c......., .-. ~ o The gondola requires an extensive flat area, including a "negative" grade, to permit accelera- tion of the cars to necessary speeds. This area also serves- ,the function of skier slow down, mazing and entry to the building. The design of this area is intended to minimize skier climbing to get into the building. o The building's form is set by its function, including a height to cover the machinery and allow for maintenance work (about 22-25 feet) a width to provide not only for the lift, but also for the underground entry to the building of supplies for the mountain restaurant (about 40-45 feet) and a length to include the acceleration facilities (about 55-60 feet). It was noted that if the capacity of the lift were to be increased at SOme point in the future, the -length of the building would also increase (to~feet). o It is the architect's intention to create a building which uses primarily transparent materi- als to create visual interest and minimize its impact; on views. The Planning Commission deferred its consideration of th~ detailed design of the building to the Council Precise Plan review, recogniz ing that the required drawings would take some time to complete. As was noted above, the Council should pay particular atten- tion to the building's effect on the Hunter Street viewplane and make every effort to preserve that public view co.rridor. We also recommend that consideration be given to refraining from affecting the function of the gondOla by setting artificial building constraints which will be counter to the best interests of the community over the long-term. "13. The applicant shall reiterate the commitment as to how lift service will be provided on Little Nell for special events, ski instruc- tions and for secondary access to Lift 5. The applicant will show the location of all lifts proposed for the base area and will provide a commitment that their installation will be initiated in 1987. The applicant shall be required to specify to the City which ..1 ift system is intended to be installed prior to review of the Precise Plan by the City Council, also giving the Planning Office approximately two (2) weeks to review the proposal and obtain referral comments from 9 ,""-. ^ other agencies prior to the initial presenta- tion of the Precise Plan to Council." Since the applicant has chosen to install a gondola, rather than a detachable quad chair, the issue of lift service to. Little Nell has come into clearer focus. Attached for your information is a letter which I wrote to the ASC amending the Aspen Mountain Ski Area Master Plan (AMSAMP) to provide for the installation of a new lift #4A. The lift is expected to be a triple chair (although double or quad configurations are still under considerat ion), capacity of 1200 skiers at one time (SAar) which w ill not ope r.at e as an in i t ial access lift. The lift will function as a backup to the gondola, if the latter is out of service ~r running at reduced capacity, and will provide ski school and special event access to the Little Nell Run, but will not ope rat e unt il 10: 00 A. M., while the gondola will open at 8:30 A.M. If the ASC intends to alter the operation of the lift, this will be con~idered a major plan amendment, to allow the City and County to address the on-site and off-site impacts of any capacity increase which would result. The new lift program has been reviewed with, and found acceptable by the u.s. Forest Service, which is now considering the amendment to their Master Plan for Aspen Mountain. I have also received verbal comments from the USFS that their landscape architect has looked at the base area design for the ski area and feels that it will function properlY. Finally, the USFS has indicated that they are meeting with ABC to develop a program to bring the lift towers into conformance with applicable visual appearance criteria (i.e., painting) and would like a condition applied to the proj ect to insure that this occurs. "16. The applicant shall aemonstrate the techni- ques to be employea on the roof of the notel to manage snow sheading to insure that it does not interfere with or endanger pedes-. trians below. ~ The applicant has provided us with a schematic drawing of the features designed into the building to manage the snow on the roof. The techniques employed inClude a flat slope on the roof top to retain snow, avalanche guards at the edge of the sloped portions of the roof, use of dormers to protect ent rywaysand use of a flat roof on the arcade to protect pedestrians. This presentation satisfied the concerns of P&Z, and should be reviewed by Council to insure that you are also 10 ,~ A, comfortable with the proposed approach. "2. The applicant shall, in the Precise Plan submission, request a variation of the project's FAR if it is above 1.5:1, since the land zoned Conservation does not count toward the overall project FAR. The applicant may also request special review approval to increase the allowable commercial FAR of the property to 1.7:1 by providing employee housing in the appropriate ratio on or off site. " The applicant has indicated that the proj ect' s FAR is about 1.93:l, using the land area zoned CC, and about 0.94:1, using the land zoned CC as well as that zoned C. These numbers are based on the actual building size proposed at 81,265 s.f., plus 2,000 s.f. requested by the applicant to provide for miscellaneous building needs which may become apparent during frnal design and const ruct ion. Since the Conservation zone does not allow the hotel or retail uses, we continue to recommend that the same method of FAR calculation as was used for the Aspen Mountain PUD be applied to this proj ect. This rule states that we do not calculate the FAR using land in a zone in which the use is not allowed. Council should also note that Ordinance No.2, Series of 1986, elimi- nates the ability to obtain bonus FAR when off-site housing is provided. Therefore, the applicant should be viewed as requesting an FAR variation from 1.5:1 to 1. 93: 1, a substantial increase of about 25 percent over the allowable FAR, although within the maximum 2.0:1 permitted in the CC z one when employee housing is provided on-site. This variation should, however, be permitted, if Council finds the design of the building to be suitable for this site as presented. The Planning Commission supported the Planning Office in its calculation methodology, and recommended that you grant the requested FAR variat ion to the proj ect. 2. Conditions Concerning Access, Circulation and Parking. The issues to be discussed in this section include parking needs (Condition No.3), adequacy of streets (Condition No.9), service areas (Condition No. B) and trails (Condition No. 18) . "3. The applicant shall provide a detailed, technical study of the parking needs of the facility to meet 11 (-" A, the demands ~rom the lodge rooms, skiers, adminis- trative offices, commercial spaces' and skier support facilities, and shall increase the number of spaces to be provided at the Precise Plan stage." TDA has accomplished the requested study and based on their recommendations, the number of parking spaces has been increased from 77 to 116. (Note: There are, 83 spaces, hot 85 on Level -22, and 33 on Level -12, for a total ofl16 and not 118 spaces, as represented.) Following is a category by category calculation of the applicant's proposal as compared to the Code requirements: CATOOORY STANDARD APPLIED SPACES PROPOSED* TYPICAL CODE STANDARD** CODE REQIfr Lodge Units (92) Administrative Offices (4883 s.f.) Retail (20,553 s.L) Restaurant (5196 s. f. ) Skier (1300 skiers added) 0.55-0.7 spaces/unit Replace Existing 53/67 27/7 l/unit 3-"lt/1000 s.L 92 17 0.1-0.8 per 1000 s.f. 1/1000 s.f. 2/17 5 4/1000 s.L 4/1000 s. L 82 20 AMSAMP approval 46*** (off-site) N/A N/A * ** Range reflects winter vs. summer. No parking is required in the CC zone for lodge or commercial uses. These standards reflect those of the most similar zone for the proposed mix of uses, the L-I/L-2 zone districts. As a condition of AMSAMP, ASC agreed to provide 46 spaces either at Little Nell, off-site (no location designated) or via cashcontribu- tion to parking or transit facilities of at least $460,000, but not more than $690,000 (based on $10-15,OOO per space, to be specified by a City study). The condition also stated that "under no circumstances will the automobile parking requirement of Pitkin County be increased unless ASC proposes additional daily capacity increases on Aspen Mountain in the future." *** Based on the standards applied by the consultant, the applicant argued that 92-101 spaces will be demanded for the project in the winter versus the summer (92 = 53 + 5 + 27 + 2 + 5; 101 = 67 + 5 + 7 + 17 + 5) ,and, therefore, some credit should be given to ASC against the 46 space require- ment. The P&Z rej ected this request, but a pproved the proposal to provide 118 spaces subgrade on site as meeting the project's needs. It should be noted that in the discus- sion of the impact of the project on City streets, the cons,ultant stated that 67 cars would be generated by the ski 12 ,;:-.... ^, capacity increase approved by P&Z considered increasing the additional 21 spaces, but this vote. Pit kin County in 1985. The 46 space requirement by an motion waS defeated by a 4-3 Staff has numerous comments on the information provided by the consultant, including the following' o The parking standard applied to the Aspen Mountain Lodge and to the hotels at the Highlands base of 0.7 spaces per unit is the minimum which we can justify for this facility. o It is reasonable to assume that many of the visitors to the shops will already be on the site for other reasons. However, the standard of one space per 1000 s.f. of restaurant is exceptionally low. We would expect some guests to the luxury dining facilities to arrive at the port cochere and expect valet parking to be available. Further, no space has been provided-for visitors who may attend a conference on the site, whether they be in-town residents or guests from other lodges. Invariably, some limited parking will be needed for such facilities. The accessory parking need for conference is included in the above-noted standard of 0.7 spaces per unit but not in the lower standard proposed by the applicant. o Parking for ski area employees, based on 40 percent of employees driving, is reasonable, given the Ski Company's excellent bus service for employees. o The 46 space requirement from AMSAMP represents a very low standard applied only to the capacity increase for the mountain. No provision was made for the increased attractiveness of the Little Nell Base Area due to the high speed lift to be installed. No provision was made for any parking with respect to existing skiers on the mountain. While we do not suggest a reassessment of the on- mountain parking commitment which emerged from the Master Plan, we strongly suggest that you rej ect any request to meet some of this requirement by requiring any less than the 118 spaces proposed for the hotel and other uses. We recommend that at a minimum the Council require the same number. of parking spaces as did the Planning Commission, in addition to the 46 spaces required by AMSAMP. o Council should be aware that a condition of AMSAMP 13 ;-., A from the City's referral review was that "ASC shall agree to maintain the existing parking lot (of at least 30 automobile parking spaces) located on Aspen Street within the City of Aspen for skiing area parking or transit related uses. The Agreement shall be in the form of a recorded covenant on the property to the benefit of Pitkin County and the City of Aspen." This par:cel of land has passed from the ASC to John Roberts, who has since provided an option to purchase the lot to Hans Cantrup as part of his 601 Aspen Street Residential G~IP project. ASC has a lease with Roberts which recognizes that 30 parking spaces must be provided on this site, p~oximate to the site, or underground and proximate to the site. The lease does not, however, recognize the City's desir'e to consider the lot for transit related uses. We recommend that this issue be addressed by the applicant as part of Council's review and that an appropriate condition be carried forward with this project. o Another condition of AHSAHP was that "ASC shall institute a taxi-limo-auto drop-off facility at Lift lA within the time frame of the three year improvement program for Aspen Mountain." This Condit ion seems particularly important if we are to continue to have a v iable second ent ry poi nt for Aspen Mountain for the near: term. Also valuable would be a shuttle between the Little Nell Base and IA to respond to overcrowding at the gondola and to otherwise betteJ; distribute s.kier impacts on the town. We recommend that Council also carry this condition forward in its review of the Precise Plan, and further ask the applicant to make representations as to any auto disincentives such as vans which are being designed into the hotel and the remainder of the base area. "9. The applicant shall provide a detailed, technical study of the adequacy of Durant, Spring and Dean Streets to handle the vehicle traffic volumes associated with skiers, hotel guests, employees, service vehicles, and visitors to the commercial uses and shall propose appropriate mitigation measures to address any traffic problems which will result from the project. The applicant shall also take into account the access needs of emergency vehicles, inCluding, but not limited to ambulances and fire trucks. 14 t"""-. i""\ The TDA "study of streets shows a daily net traffic increase on Durant of about 250 trip ends per day in winter (60 trips at the peak hour) and about 375 trip ends per day in summer (42 trips at the peak hour). However, in the original study, no accounting was made of the approximately 300 vehicle trip ends per day due to the mountain capacity increase. The implementation of this increase, through constructing the new high- speed lift, is clearly a part of this project, and was not accounted for in AMSAMP. The consultant provided an updated review of the street impacts to P&Z, demonstrating that even with the inclusion of the ski capacity increase, Durant could accommodate expected vehicle trips, particularly since the skier drop-off has been moved out of the right-of-way. Spring Street was also demonstrated to have sufficient capacity, and is discusse-d in further detail below with respect to service and emergency vehicle access. "S. The applicant shall provide a detailed analysis of the proposed servtce yards on Spring St reet and Dean St reet, demonst rat ing that adequate space has been provided for truck stacking and that proper turning movements can be accomplished ~dthin these streets. The applicant shall also confer with the E.nvironmental Health Department as to any air' and water quality devices which may need to be installed in these areas (and in the parking facility for cars). The applicant shall work w,ith. the North of Nell and Tippler management entities and shall try to accommodate the service delivery needs of these buildings in a single location off Dean Street. Finally, the applicant shall demon- strate that the service delivery area on Dean Street will not cause safety problems for pedestrians on Dean Street or nuisance problems for the residents of the North of Nell, and that the needs of the facility could not practically otherwise be met by a single facility on Spring Street." There have been two maj or improvements to the service yard proposal since Council reviewed this application at the Conceptual stage. First, the service area adj acent to the Tippler on Dean Street has been entirely eliminated, which will significantly benefit pedestrians in this area. Service to the hotel is proposed in a covered area off Spring St reet, as. is receiving for on-mountain restaurants, which will be transported beneath the site, to the gondola building IS ~ ,A and up the mountain. This solution will substantially reduce Snow-cat traffic to the base area, as will the plan to remove the maintenance facility and move it up to the mountain location. The second change came about during the P&Z'S review of the proj ect. The applicant agreed to construct a modif ied "cu.l-de-sac" at the end of Spring St reet which would improve the turning capabilities of trucks in the service area, and allow the largest likely service vehicle to maneuver past vehicles parked at the new entrance to the Aspen Club LOdge. Although the modified cul-de-sac would remove two of the Aspen Alps' parking spaces adj acent to the Little Nell property, its benefit to that facility is that it would reduce or eliminate the through traffic which is currently experienced at the Alps' drop-off are.a. It should be noted that the ASC has a 30 foot circulation easement;\(O i:?u/.. over that portion of the property zoned "park" over6'f1'4~ which a portion of the cul-de-sac WGtiI-d be built. Finally, it was agreed that the applicant wou.ldbe responsible for providing landscaping to buffer the Alps from any visual impact from the service yard and cul-de-sac. The Council should be aware that the utility/trash service area requires a variation, as permitted by the SPA regulations. There is a minimum rear yard require- ment for the utility/trash service area in the area and bulk requirements chart for theCC zone, referenced to Section 24-3.7 (h) (4), stating that the a rea be on an alley and setting standards for its dimensions. It appears that an area for this building would require a minimum length of 20 feet for the fi rst 6,000 s. f. of building area and 5 feet for eaCh addition 6,000 s.f., resulting in a length' of about S3 feet for the s!!rvice area. The P&Z recommends that you grant a variation of this requirement to 36 feet which more accurately represents the needs of the project. . "IS. The applicant shall provide a trail easement through the property connecting the trail near the Aspen Alps with the Dean Street trail and will include any required ramps for bicycles or other year-round trail facilities in their site plan at the precise plan stage. The applicant will also examine the potential for creating a pedestrian trail connecting to the Aspen Mountain Road within the context of the base area regrading and provide an alignment for said trail if it is found to be feasible." 16 . ^ ^ The original proposal by the applicant was to provide a trail which swung from the Aspen Alps, to the south of the lift, in the flat portion of the site, connecting to a ramp and to the Dean Street trail. However, the location of the gondola, and its associated structures, makes a trail in this location infeasible. The applicant now proposes to connect the Dean Street and Aspen Alps trails through the base area, using the paving area behind the lift and providing signs for connections as needed. The applicant has also expres- sed a willingness to provide an unpaved, graded trail connection to Aspen Mountain Road for summer hikers out of the base area, but no design has been provided to date. Finally, we have been informed that the appli- cant has been working with the Nordic Council to provide a trail across Aspen Mountain above the Aspen Alps near Aspen Mountain Road. The applicant should be required to provide a year-round trail easement to the City for this trail, and to accommodat-e -the needs of the trail in the slope regrading program. 3. Conditions Concerning Geologic Hazard, Drainage, Grading, Utilities and Employee Housing. The issue.s to be discussed in this section include geologic hazard (Condition No. 10), grading (Condition No.5), drainage (Condition No. 22), pumphouse relocation (Condition No. II), and employee housing (Condition No. 14). "10. The appl icant shall provide a detailed, technical study of the geologic hazard on Aspen Mountain as it affects this site and shall demonstrate that any haz ard posed to the property can and will be fully mitigat- ed. The applicant shall also investigate the soils hydrology in the area to demonstrate the suitability of the site for development purposes." Chen and Associates has prepared two studies of the base area subsurface, slope regrading and the on-mountain geOlogic hazard during this phase of the project. The two principal recommendations of their first study concerning subsurface conditions were that: o A program of test holes should be drilled and observa- tion wells installed to provide information on ground- water. o A subSurface investigation program should be conducted to provide information on subsurface soil conditions and to analyze slope stability. 17 ~ I 1"',,\ The later study recommends that: o Monitoring of groundwater conditions be done through the spring run-Off period. o Additional design level foundation study be performed. o Additional slope stability analysis be performed for fill placement areas. o Further surface water hydrology study be performed when aerial topographical information can be obtained in the spring. Jay Hammond, City Engineer, feels that there are not any unsolvable subsurface geological problems for the site and recommends that you find that this condition has been met if: 1. The additional studies recommended by Chen are com- pleted; and 2. The final structural design and graoIng plan is certified by the geotechnical engineer as not impacting slope stability and surface hydrology to the detriment of this project or its neighbors. With respect to the potential off-site impacts from flood or debris flow from Copper/Spar Gulch, and Vallejo Gulch, Jay states that: "Additional information is also required regarding the flood and debris flow risk from the Vallejo Gulch area onto the proj ect site and adj acent sites. Adequate mitigation should be provided to protect the prOject and any adjacent properties impacted by new grading, Related to the work undertaken by Chen to evaluate the geological hazard and mud flow risk for the Little Nell redevelopment site is the ongoing effort to evaluate the hazards and mitigation across the entire base of the mountain. To the extent that the Aspen Skiing Company is the maj or. land holder within the upslope source areas and since a failure to mitigate the prOblems in the upslope area could affect Little Nell and other downslope sites, we would recommend ,that ASC be required to commit to ongoing hazard study, engi- neering and mitigation construction in those areas under their control via direct ownership, leasehold, or other usage agreement as a condition of the Little Nell approval." IS /......... r'\ This language should be carried forward in the agreement to be written between the applicant and the City. "5. The applicant shall provide detailed grading plans for the earth work which is proposed to occur at the base area, including any activity associated with the base of the new lifts which may fall outside of the SPA boundary, and shall identify the locations for any material deposition which is to occur." The current grading plan for the site calls for a balanced cut and fill program between the material to be removed from the lower portions of the Little Nell slope and the material which will be placed at the upper end of the slope, princi- pally in the vicinity of Aspen~lountain Road and at the top of the new Lift. #4A terminal. The regrading of Aspen Mountain Road is intended to create no more than a 14 percent grade on the road, in keeping with cu~entgrades on the road. The applicant will need to obtain an encroachment permit f rom Pit kin County for the work on this County road prior to initiating any regrading activities. Further, Jay's comments with respect to geologic stability should also address the proposed grading program. "22. The appl icant shall prov ide a drainage plan at the Precise Plan stage which meets the standards of the Engineering Department concerning,the 100 year storm and which addresses drainage from Aspen Mountain as it affects the site and drainage from_ the development site itself." During the course of P&Z's review, the applicant's represen- tative, A.~. Zabbia, provided the City Engineer with adequate information to indicate that this condition had been met. The basic detention facility will be a 12 foot deep trough, 24 feet wide, and 90 feet long, in front of the gondola building, which will be fenced or otherwise pro- tected against any skier or hiker crossing. Incidentally, the trough helps in the functioning of the gondOla by providing the negative grade needed for the acceleration of compartment s. "ll. The applicant shall provide a solution to the pumphouse relocation problem and shall agree to implement said solution at the applicant' s cost." The applicant's has made the following representation with respect to this problem: "The pumphouse relocation and well modification will 19 ,'-" ,.......". occur in essentially two phases. In 19S6 the facil i- ties providing pumping capability to serve the Little Nell 0.5 MG steel tank; control and telemetry equipment to serve the tank; and controls for the motorized butterfly valve at the well will be relocated inside a new proposed pumping station thus eliminating the 12 inch steel line up the Little Nell slope. In conjunction with Hotel cons.truction .and final improvements in Hunter Street, the Little Nell well will be modified by pulling the existing turbine pump, cutt i ng the casing below grade, and installing a submersible pump and controls. The existing wellhouse will be removed and a subsurface vault with a removable access lid constructed in its place. The chlorinator and necessary control eqUipment will be relocated in a room provided in the commercial structure with an outside door.' - The water produced by the Little Nell- well will be pumped directly into the system through the existing motorized butterfly valve." The City Water Department supports this solution, provided that all plans, equipment and access easements are viewed in advance of any construction. Council should also be aware that the applicant has committed to undergrounding all utilities on the site east of Galena Street. "14. The applicant, shall provide housing for employees of the proj ect in a manner accept- able to the Housing Authority and Planning Commission. The number of employees to be housed will be determined at the Precise Plan stage, based on the applicant's commitments as part of the growth management plan application. " The applicant's proposal is to house 30 employees, repre- senting 36 percent of the net new employees generated by the project. The Housing Authority concurs with the generation figures submitted by the applicant, and the method by which the employees are to be housed. The Planning Commission recommends that you grant the requested change in use of the Holiday House from lodge to residential use. We would also note that the AMSAMP requirement that four additional employees be housed is proposed to also be met at the Holiday House. Therefore, 17 units (2 persons per unit) will be converted at this time, while 5 other units were .previously required to be deed-restricted by Hans Cantrup. The remaining six units on the site will likely be used to off-set the employee hOUSing impacts of the commercial 20 ..~" .~ development at the Little Nell base area. 4. Conditions Concerning Miscellaneous Issues Which Have Been Resolved. The fOllowing issues were fully resolved during the course of the P&Z'S deliberations. "20. The applicant shall demonstrate in the Precise Plan submission that all questions as to the ownership of the Hunter Street right-Of-way are in the process of being reSolved, to insure that permanent guarantees of the availability of Hunter and Dean Streets for pedestrian access will be provided. The Precise Plan shall not be approved until the pedestrian access issue has been resolved to the City's satisfaction. The appli- cant will also demonstrate that the boundary questions adjacent to the Tippler have been resolved, and the SPA boundary designation shall be adjusted accordingly." The applicant has obtained title to the contested land in Hunter Street. The Tippler boundary problem has been resolved by only including in the SPA plan that land which is not subj ect to any dispute. If the boundary issue is resolved in the favor of the ASC, the added land will only enhance the project. "6. The applicant shall evaluate the applicability of the City's 8040 greenline and mountain viewplane review procedures to the proposed development. Should it be found that either rev iew procedure applies, the applicant will submit the necessary materials at the Precise Plan stage. demonstrating compliance with the .review criteria of the Code." The Planning Commissionga'Ve final S040 G reenline and Mountain V iewplane approval to' the proj ect at the time of its Precise Plan review. "17. The applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed buildings do not encroach into the land within the Park zone near the Aspen Alps.. Th.e applicant proposes no building activity on the property in question. Emergency skier service is proposed through this site, with ambulance pick up on Spring Street. Further, the cul-de~sac will encroach into this land, but on the portion of the site which has an easement over it for circulation. These uses would not. appear to affect the status of the land in the Park zone district. "21. The applicant shall provide the Environmental 21 !"""- .r-, Health Department with detaiLed information on any fireplaces which will be included in the project, demonstrating their compliance with applicable Code provisions." . The Environmental Health Department is quite pleased at the applicant's proposed use of "gas log" type fireplaces, which meet or exceed current woodburning device legislation. "24. Final approval of the proposed SPA boundary change shall only occur in conj unction with final approval of the Precise Plan for the proj ect . " This procedure is being followed by the tabling of Ordinance 53, Series of 19S5, at second reading until the Little Nell project completes its Precise Plan review. "25. In the event that the growth allocat'ions for the project shall expire, the boundary of the SPA shall revert to its prior configuration." This item should continue forward as a condition of ap- proval. B. Evaluation of Consistency with Precise Plan Review Criteria. The evaluation of the project's consistency with the Precise Plan review criteria should be conducted using the fOllowing language from Section 24-7.7 as the standard of evaluation. "(b) The burden shall rest upon an applicant to demonstrate the reasonableness and suitability of the Precise Plan, its conformity to the require- ments of this article, that the adverse effects of the proposed development have been minimized t.o the extent practicable, and that it complies with the City Council's intent in originally designat- ing the site with an SPA overlay, including the reasonable conformance of the Precise Plan with the approval granted to the conceptual plan." Each of the criteria in the Code are considered with respect to this proj ect below. I. Compatibility with Neighboring Development - The proposal is surrounded by other short-term tourist uses. Its height is 40 feet, in compliance with underlying zoning and lower than the North of Nell or Aspen Square. Its FAR of l.93:1 is well below that of the North of Nell Building and its mass is offset by use of various architectural techniques. Problems noted at the P&Z review stage concerning open space, shadows and skier drop-off as they affect this site 22 ~, ,..-." and the neighborhood have been adequately addressed by the applicant. 2. Utilities and Roads - The project will upgrade water, sewer and fire service to the area, underground existing utili- ties, and provide for detention of stormwater from the site and the mountain and routing to the City's storm sewer. The proj ect wilL.'l:c).9i~l~i9!li.Uca~t volllmes.ofo_t[Clf"fi.C.t:<LJ:>\U:9-_l!L Avenue, although WIthIn avaIlable street c;lpacItIes. The City Engineer remains concerned about traffic conflicts between cars entering and exiting the skier drop-off and those on Durant itself. 3. Environmental Suitability - The applicant has initiated studies of the identified hazards affecting the site. If the recommendations of the consultant and City Engineer, summarized above, are followed, the site appears to be suitable for development. 4. Land Planning Techniques - The techniques eIllployed by the appJ,icant include the use of subgrade space for the support services to the hotel and ski area, removal of the mainte- nance function from the base area, use of stepped back architectural form to preserve the Hunter Street viewplane, provision of substantial open space at the rear of the parcel, and upgrading of Hunter and Dean Streets into pedestrian malls. The design of the gondola terminal is an important factor which has yet to be reviewed but must be sensitively accommodated on the site. 5. Conformance with Aspen Area Plan - The 1973 Aspen Land Use Plan designates this site as "recreation/accommodati ons", which is intended "to allOW for .the recreation and accommo- dation needs of the visitor to Aspen in an area that is especially suited for this because. of its unity with, and identity to, the proposed transportation system, ~he ski area and the central area." The conformance of the proj ect with the Growth Management pOlicy Plan has been discussed at the conceptual stage, and is reviewed again below. 6. Expenditure of Public Funds - The proj ect does not appear to directly require the expenditures of additional public funds, although there will be costs to the improvement district to upgrade that portion of Dean Street not addres- sed by the appl icant. The appl icant will enhance serv ices to the neighborhood in a variety of categories. The Planning Office ~nd the Planning Commission find that the proj ect is generally consistent with the intent of the above six review criteria. C. SPECIFICATION OF ZONE DISTRIcr REGULATIONS, VARIATIONS 23 ;' T ;,. /"'"", ,~. PERMITTED AND CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE: Section 24-7.6(c) requires that the application specify the zone district regulations and variations which are to apply to the development, while Section 24-7.6 (d) requires the provision of a schedule specifying the timeframe of the development. The zone district, regulations recommended by the Planning Office and Planning Commission are a combination of those of ,the two underlying zones (CC and C). In all cases, however, the regulations are limited by the Precise Plan as it has been presented to the P&Z and Council, since Section 24- 7.5 (b) states that "the plan (including all conditions of approval and representations of the applicant) shall constitute the development regulations for the parcel. " 1. Area and Bulk Requirements (with variations from underlying zone noted) c. d. e. f. g. h. 1. j . k. I. a. b. Minimum lot area Minimum lot area per dwelling unit Minimum lot width Minimum front yard Minimum side yard Minimum rear yard Maximum height Minimum distance between primary and accessory buildings Percent of open space required for building site (minimum) External floor area ratio (maximum) Internal floor area ratio Utility/trash service area 2. Off-Street Parking Spaces a. b. Int,ernal to the project building E,xternal to the proj ect building 3. Permitted and Conditional Uses 3,000 s.L No ,requirement No requirement 26 feet No requirement No requirement 40 feet No requirement 25 percent 1. 93 : 1 (S3,265 s.f.) (variation) No requirement 36 feet in length (variation) llS IS (9 in drop- off lane, 4 in par a lIe 1 par'king along drop-Off island and 2 service delivery bays) The following uses for the project will be permitted, unless identified as conditional uses (variations from 24 ,-.... i~ underlying zone requirements noted) a. Hotel (conditional use, variation allowed for hotel protruding into C zone), b. Retail commercial c. Ski accessory retail to include ski shops, repair, rental and storage d. Open use recreation e. Restaurant f. Additional retail commercial as specified under permitted uses in the CC z one Sect i on 24-3.2 of the Aspen Municipal Code g. Ski area administrative ofeices h. Shipping and receiving for hotel and mountain food service i. Storage of materials accessory to the above j. Cabaret and night club k. Activities associated with emergency medical service for treatment of inj ured skiers 1. Ski lifts and lift buildings (conditional use) m. Ski mazes and milling areas n. Hotel accessory ~etail As noted above, the variations which the Planning Commission recommends you grant are: 1. FAR from 1.5:1 to 1.93:1; 2. Utility/trash service area from S3 eeet in length to 36 feet in length: and 3. Hotel protruding into the C zone district. The reason for continuing to identify the hotel and ski lifts as a conditional use is that a public hearing is required for substantial modieication oe a conditional use, but not for an SPA amendment, and so in this manner the City will retains its greatest review powers over the' two most sensitive, and potentially impactive uses at the base area. 25 ~. ~ The construction schedule originally proposed by the applicant has been altered by the decision to construct the gondola and the new Lift #4A this season. Generally, following is the intended schedule: Summer/Fall 19S6, - Excavation and structural work for the ski administration area (hotel, west wing) . Utility relocations, regrading of Little Nell slope. Construction of gondola and Lift #4A with the former to be operational by Christmas and the latter by Thanks- giving. Interim skier services plan to be implemented. Spring/Summer/Fall 19S7 - Demol ish Little Nell complex, complete work at western wing of new complex to provide skier services for the 19S7-19SS season, initiate hotel and commercial construction. Winter 19S7-winter 19S5 - Complete interior and exterior of hotel, complete landscaping'- sidewalks and plaz as. Since the construction site is intended to continue in use for initial skier access and commercial support services throughout the construction period, we feel it is important for us to fully understand how, circulation will occur and what the base area will look like during construction. The applicant has submitted a preliminary plan for the base area as it will function in the S6/S7 season which includes the following features: o The new ticket kiosks will be in place in Dean and Hunter Streets, and the ski corral will be recon- structed in its current location. o Regrading will take place in the mall areas, temporary steps will be construct,ed to allow access to the lifts, and planters will be installed with temporary plantings accomplished. The surface treatmeht on the site will be asphalt. The pumphouse will remain in place until the hotel is built. o The ASC office and ski school buildings will remain in operation. The maintenance building will remain for receiving of goods, but most maintenance functions will occur on the mountain in the new building. Since these plans are quite schematic at this time, we recommend that the appli Cant should be r equi red to prov ide the Planning Office and the City Engineer with the following materials prior to the issuance of a building or excavation permit during each construction season: 26 ,..., ,~ l. Specific design and location of pedestrian barricades and walkway structures. 2. Traffic and pedestrian circulation routes during construction. 3. An agreement on the part of the,applicants to properly maintain the barricade and walkw~y system throughout the course of construction, including repairs and removal. 4. Provision of a plan addressing site access and material and equipment storage areas during construction. 5. Scheduling and design detail regarding utility reloca- tions, replacements and undergrounding. 6. Further detail regarding the limits of excavation, construction easements and shoring needs_ . 7. Proposed landscaping of areas where demOlition is contemplated without immediate reconstruction., A final issue for Council's information has to do with the construction of the ski area administrative offices this year. The Planning Office and City Attorney have determined that this office space requires receipt of a growth allot- ment in the "CL and Other Zone district" commercial competi- tion. The date for submission of applications for such projects is August I, yet the applicant will need to have a building permit for this space this spring if the new gondOla is to be built. We, recommend that, Council allow t;EJ~__~ pa c~~__I?-~__~o.E_f)_t r !!.<::!:_eE]."rl:~J.oj~~=f<ii:JiI-=:s>L a:::h"()_t:~_~_~():r: sn area accessory "sheU" (whiCh doesn't, need an allotment ) and that -- ffs---OCcu pancy--as--commer Ci af"spa ce ' on ly---be--pe rmitfed-rr growth allotments are obtained. Adequate assurances to protect the City in this regard should be written into the SPA agreement. D. Lodge Development Allotment: As you recall, the issue of a multi-year lodge, development allotment was discussed extensively at the conceptual plan stage, at which time Council indicated "its willingness to, consider granting a multi-year allocation to the proj ect upo,n approval of the applicant's' precise plan . . . II Since so much time was spent on the policy aspects of this issue at the earlier review stage, we will merely provide you with a brief numerical analysis of the implications of awarding the 92 units requested by this project. Before we address the numerical analysis, Council should be 27 ;-.. ,~ aware that at a public hearing on January 21, the P&Z scored the Little Nell project at 55.2 points, just above the 54 point minimum threshold. P&Z Resolution No.2, Series of 19S6, is attached, providing you with documentation of the scores awarded by P&Z to the proj ect. Further, Council should note that during its review of the development allotment issue, the P&Z declined to make a recommendation either in favor of or opposed to the mUlti-year allocation request. In the nine years since the adoption of the lodge GMP, following is a history of what has taken place in the L-l/L- 2/CC/CL zone districts: QUC7l'A AVAILABLE I 977/ Sl (5 yrs) @ IS units/yr. = 90 units 1982-S5 (4 yrs) @ 35 units/yr. = 140 units QOC7l'A AWARDED 1977 (Aspen Inn - 36 units) 19S1 (Lodge at Aspen - 31 units) TarAL 230 units 1982 (Carriage House - 26 units) 19S3 (Aspen Mtn. Lodge - 172 units) T C7l' AL 265 units The above summary demonstrates that we have awarded all of the units available through 19S5, plus the 35 units available in 19S6. It is also obvious, given the four projects involved, that no units have been built under this quota system in nearly a decade. Beyond the above units, two lodge proj ects have received GMP exemptions as historic structures in this development category, including the 20 units at the Sardy House and the 67 units to be added at the Hotel Jerome. If we also account for these units in the quota, as required by the Code, then the quota has been allocated for 19 S7, 19S5 and 17 of the 35 units in 197 S. The 92 units request,ed by the Little Nell proj!!ct therefore takes the IS units in 19S9, 35 in 1990, 35 in 1991 and 4 in 1992. Obviously, these numbers presume that (i) the anticipated amendment to the Hotel Jerome will not increase the number of rooms in the addi- tion, which is not likely to be the case, as an ,increase of 10-20 rooms is expected; and (ii) the four projects which are approved but, unbuilt will be constructed, rather than forfeit their units, 2S ;..." ,.-, which may also be unlikely. There is one important mitigating factor to this quota analysis. There are four L-3 lodges which are to be converted to employee housing as part of the lodge development ,activities, as follows: Copper Horse Alpina Haus Cortina Lodge Holiday House 14 units (part of Aspen Mtn. Lodge project) 40 units (part of Aspen Mtn. Lodge project) 11 units (Hotel Jerome Addition, Aspen Club Lodge,) 17 units (Little Nell and AMSAMP) Total 82 units There are also 6 units remaining at the' Cortina Lodge and 6 units at the Holiday House which are being held for future projects but are also expected to be converted. The total of 94 units at these four small lod~s completely offsets the increase in lodge units from the Little Nell project and indicates that if the four approved lodge projects and the Little Nell project were built, and the conversions took place, we would still be right on track for our overall projected lodge growth rate in the community. Given the fact that it will take 2-3 years at a minimum for these projects to be occupied, it can be seen that even including the Hotel Jerome GMP exemption; if no other projects are approved over the next few years, we will be back on our lodge quota target by 1990, at which time the hotels will be in operation. We, therefore, recommend that Council direct the Planning Office to credit the L-l/L-2/CC/CL and Other zone category with the units from the change in use of the above four L-3 lodges, in order that the quota effects of the approved lodge development can be addressed. The newly converted employee units will have to be deducted from the residential quota in the year of their conversion to address the growth impacts of this additional housing which is created by each of the lodge pro- j ects. E. Ordinance 53, SPA Rezoning Ordinance 53, Series of 19S5, extends the SPA Overlay designation across the lower portion of the site (approxi- mately 1 acre) which is zoned C - Conservation. The Ordinance was approved on first reading on September 17, 19S5 and then tabled until the Precise Plan could be submitted and reviewed. The applicant's zoning boundary change differs Significantly from that which was considered and eventually denied by City Council in 1983. The extent of the area requested for SPA designation is considerably less than that previously 29 ,~ ~, identified and corresponds directly to that area in which the hotel, commercial and ski support facilities are to be located at the toe of the slope. In fact, by extending the boundary, we insure that the location of the lifts is considered at the same time as the remainder of the base area development. We find that the increase in the SPA boundary meets the test of being unique and providing pUblic benefit in that it permits integrated planning of the lift locations in conjunction with the remainder of the base area development. Without the SPA Overlay, our review of the ski lifts would be limited to the conditional use review process. The Planning Office supports the proposed boundary adj ust- ment with the following qualifications: a. The area designated C-SPA is not used in the calcula- tion of the FAR for the project, since the hotel is not an allowed use in this zone. b. In the event that final approval of the project expires, the boundary of the SPA should revert to its prior configuration until a new conceptual and precise plan is submitted. ' F. PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION RECOftMBND~IOR On March IS, 19S6, by a motion of 5 in favor, 2 opposed, the Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission adopted the attached Resolution S6-3, recommending that you approve the Little Nell Base Redevelopment SPA. We also attach for your consideration a minority position statement submitted by four members of the Commission, either opposing or com- menting upon the majority action. We anticipate that members of the Commission will be present at your meeting to express their concerns with respect to particular aspects of the proposal. G. SUMMARY The above analysis provides you with material for your upcoming meetings on the Little Nell Precise Plan. Staff is working with the applicant to develop a draft SPA Agreement, which will be the device used to tie, together all of the applicant's commitments into a coherent document . This document will be presented for your review at the conclusion of your deliberations. AR. ll5 30 r", ,"'""', Aspen/Pitkin Planning Office DO south galena street aspen, colorado 81611 March 18, 1986 Me Fred Smith Planning Director Aspen Skiing Company 0060 Atlantic Avenue P.O. Box 124B Aspen, CO S1612-124S Dear Fred, I am in receipt of your March 4, 1986 letter which requests that insubstantial modifications be made to the Aspen Mountain Ski Area Master Plan (AMSAMP). The Planning Office has rev iewed the improvements proposed by the Aspen Skiing Company (ASe) for construction during the 19S6 off-season and compliments ASC for aggressively working to improve the skiing experience on Aspen Mountain. The Planning Office has reviewed your proposal to amend the AMSAMP to include a new Lift #4 at the base of Aspen Mountain serving Little Nell. As you know, the Board of County Commis- sioners recommended certain improvements to the AMSAMP proposed as part of Resolution No. S5-44. Specifically, the Board proposed that theASC be given the option of retaining Lift #4 or a similar lift system with certain operational restrictions as part of the AMSAMP. Since the Board made this recommendation I consider ,your proposal to construct a new Lift 14 to be an "insubstantial change" to the AMSMIP as long as Lift #4 is operated in accordance with ~he operation plan as set forth in this lette r. Pitkin County's major concern regarding Lift #4 relates to the impacts upon the City of Aspen from an increase in the daily capacity to Aspen Mountain and potential safety problems which could occur on the Aspen Mountain trails system particularly at the end of the skier day. Therefore, the conditions of the . " .,!", ~ !"""\ MEMOR~DUM TO: Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director FROM: Jay Hammond, City Engineering March 3, 1986 DATE: RE: Nell Precise Plan ================================================================== This is to inform you of progress on several of the technical items discussed in my memo of January 20 on the Little Nell S.P.A. precise plan. This memo is intended to update my previous memo on those items f or which I have received new information from the applicants through meetings with Dave Ellis of Design Workshop and A. J. Zabbia of Rea, Cassens and Associates. Any items not discussed herein have not changed from my comments of January 20. UTILITIES All of the concerns related to utilities are responded to via . A.J. Zabbia's memo of February 20 (attached). Subject to approvi:lI"I'''''" by Jim Markalunas, I would recommend that the representatives~in A.J.'s memo be included in the S.P.A. agreement. Detailed plan$ and specifications for all City utility ~elocations will need to be submitted to the City for approval prior to construction. GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS We have received a second prel iminary report from Chen dated November 27, 19S5 regarding foundation conditions and proposed grading for the project. The phase II report raises concerns regarding proposed fill areas on the conceptual grading plan as well as groundwater conditions in the area of proposed structures~ The phase II report recommends: a. Monitoring of groundwater conditions through the Spring runoff pe,riod. b. Additional, design level, foundation study. c. Additional slope stability analysis for fill placement areas. d. Further surface water hydrology study, which is dependent on aerial topographical information which must be flown in the Spring. . -- . ^ ^ Page Two Nell Precise Plan March 3, 19S6 The applicants have demonstrated that they are in the process of revising some of the slope grading plans to minimize the potential problems identified by Chen. The evidence would seem to suggest that there are not any unsolvable geological problems for the site. At this point, I would be willing to support a conditional approval sUbject to: 1. Completion of the additional studies recommended by Chen. 2. Certification of the final structural design and grading plan by the geotechnical engineer as not impacting groundwater, slope stability and .surface hydrology to the detriment of this project or its neighbors. STORM DRAINAGE Storm drainage concerns raised in my prior memorandum are also addressed in Mr. Zabbia's memo of February 20. Once again, appropriate representations in that memo could be included in the S.P.A. agreement. PARKING AND CIRCULATION )( Service Access - The information presented by the applicant to the City Planning and Zoning Commission and to this office appear to have addressed the service access concerns. Committment by the applicant to participate in the construction of a reduced "cuI de sac" may be appropriate. Skier drop-Off - Concerns of this office have not been fully addressed by the current solution to the skier drop-'off design. Further demonstration by the applicants and their consultants that a three curb cut design is less impactive to Durant Street than a two cut design would be helpful in this area. x Parking - This remains a concern and we would continue to recommend that the applicant ,be required to present a solution to the skier capacity increases agreed to in the ski area master plan process. This concern becomes all the more strident in view of the plan to construct the new capacity improvements this year. Please feel free to Jcontact me' if any of the above items raises' questions. I will be available at the City P & Z meeting of March 4 and will be back at work on March 10. JH/co/NellPrecisePlan Enclosure cc: Dave Ellis ~ ~ MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: RE: Jay Hammond, City Engineer A.J. Zabbia, Jr., Rea, Cassens and Associates, Inc. ~ February 20, 1986 Memo from Jay Ha!l1(nond to Alan Richman dated January 20, 1986. Little Nell S.P.A. Precise Plan UTILITIES Pumphouse Relocation: The pumphouse relocation and well modification will occur in essentially two phases. In 19S6 the facilities providing pumping capability to serve the Little Nell 0.5 MG steel tank; control and telemetry equipment to serve the tank; and controls for the motorized butterfly valve at the well will be relocated inside a new proposed pumping station thus eliminating the 12" steel line up the Little Nell slope. In conjunction with Hotel construction and final improvements in Hunter Street, the Little Nell well will be modified by pulling the existing turbine pump, cutting the casing below grade, and installing a submersible pump and controls. The existing wellhouse will be removed and a subsurface vault with a removable access lid constructed in its place. The chlorinator and necessary control equipment will' be' relocated in a room provided in the commercial structure with an outside door. The water produced by the Little Nell well will be pUlllped directly into the system through the existing motorized butterfly val've. Spring Street Line: The Aspen Ski ing Company currently proposes installation of the 12" DIP waterline in Spring Street as an upgrade and system improvement at no cost to the City of Aspen. Nell Slope Line: The current plans for Little Nell regarding utility improvements and relocations incorporates the installation of the City furnished 6" DIP parallel to the 12" DIP proposed to serve the Aspen Alps project. Items in the waterextensionjrelocation proposal have been added for transporting the 6" DIP from the Water Department yard to the construction site, steam cleaning the i.nside of the pipe, providing rubber gaskets and cad welds, additional trench excavation, additional bedding, additional compacted backfill, and any additional fittings for the construction to incorporate the 6" DIP with the 12" DIP installation. After the contract proposal is finalized the cost of the aforementioned - " "-,,.-.- "'- $- 1""'\ ,,-., items will be forwarded to the City for review and if acceptable, will be incorporated into the work. The City will be billed accordingly based on the total cost of installation of the 6" DIP through an agreement between the City of Aspen and the Aspen Skiing Company. Easements: The Aspen Skiing Company agrees to provide new easements for the relocated water mains and ,the new extensions in accordance with the' forms provided by the City of Aspen. The City of Aspen in turn is requested to formally abandon any existing easements previously provided by the Aspen Skiing Company, othtr individuals, or entities for \later facilities no longer needed or relocated as result of the construction. Electric: The Aspen Skiing Company agrees to relocate at their expense all Aspen electric lines and facilities directly affected by the project in accordance with specifications and approval of the City Electric Department. Holy Cross has been retained to design the system modifications and oversee the contract construction. STORM DRAINAGE The Storm Water Drainage Study prepared for the project submittal was based on existing topographical information and the proposed development site plan at the tilite of submittal. The applicant is currently revising the grading plan for the Little Nell Ski Slope and the site plan will be modi fi ed in accordance wi th the resu 1 ts and recommendations of the approval process. Additional topographical information will be ascertained this spring for the area at and around the base of Lift Terminal No.5. The Ora i nage Study and recommendati ons fot" detenti on volumes and location, as well as calculations for developed run-off will be revised in accordance with the new grading plan, fina:li;:ed site plan and new topographical information. ,The applicant requests that approval be given to the project contingent on a revised and City approved Drainage Study if one is not finalized by the end of the approval process. One noted comment is that basin A-3 and its subsequent discharge mentioned in Mr. Hammond's memo is historic in nature and depicts the existing condition. The new grading plan for the Ski Slope and subsequent developed drainage Hlay or may not reduce this discharge toward the Aspen Alps, but in no case will it ~Qgravate the si~~ation. , ,---- The applicant feels it is unfair and unreasonable to expec~ ,~, solve or, mit;9'" "o';t;o", '"" '" ,,;,t;09 00' ""';"'",, "~ historical, and do not directly affect the project. .~,lt~ -'~ :'\ .~ , i . '0- AGENDA ASPEN PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION February 4, 1986 - Tuesday 5:00 P.M. city Council Chambers City Ball REGULAR MEET ING I. COMMISSIONERS I COMMEN'l'S II. MINUTES III. PUBLIC BEARING A. Little Nell Base Redevelopment Precise plan/Conditional Use/Mountain Viewplane/8040 Greenline Review IV. RESOLUTION A. ReSOlution forwarding P&Z GMP Scoring of Little Nell project to Council V. ADJOORN MEETING " , . ....:p- ,"-';' .~ ".0. ...._.._______~,_ . . Sd/ "G?~ ~ AGENDA ASPEN PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION January 21, 1986 - Tuesday 5:00 P.M. City Council Chambers City Ball REGULAR MEET ING I. aJMMISSIONJ::RS' aJMMENTS I I. MINUTES III. PUBLIC BEARING A. Little Nell GMP Scoring Session IV. OLD aOSINESS A. ,",uni Code Amendment: Lot Split Resolution v. ADJOURN MEETING lo.-' ;-.., ^ MEMORANDUM \, TO: Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director Tom Newland, Planning Engineer FROM: RE: Little Nell Base Development SPA DA'rE: January 24~ 19S6 ==================================================================== I have reviewed the applicant's submission and wish to forward to you the following comments: Relocation of County Road: In the applicant's submittion the grading plan shows the Aspen Mt. Road (County Road t14) relocated approximately 25 feet above it's present alignment on the ski slope known as "Little Nell". This county road is a Class V or primative roadway that traverses the face of the Aspen Mountain ski area. Since the Aspen Ski.ing Company is completely responsible for the maintenence of this road, it is not necessary to require any cUlverting or other upgrading to compensate for effects the proposed grading plan might have on this realigned road. However, an escavation permit should be secured through the county for this work. This permit is obtainable through the County Road and Bridge Department. . "!- ~ ,-", MEMORANDUM FROM: Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director Little Nell Precise Plan/Conditional Use Public Hearing January 23, 1986 TO: RE: DATE: ==============~================~===================================== APPLICANT: Aspen Skiing Company ZONIOO/Lar SIZE: The base area of Little Nell is presently zoned CC/SPA and C. Ordinance No. 53, Series of 19S5, will place an SPA Overlay on that portion of the property zoned C. This Ordinance has received first reading approval from Council and will be heard at second reading when the Precise Plan is before Council. The area zoned CC/SPA comprises 43,124 s.f., while the area zoned C requested for inclusion within the SPA Overlay comprises 45,73S s.f., for a total lot size of SS,862 s.f. APPLICANT'S REQUEST: The fOllowing requests are before the Planning Commission at this time: I. Recommendation to City Council for Precise Plan Review. 2. Grant of Conditional Use Permit for hotel in CC zone. 3. Grant of Mountain Viewplane Review. 4. Recommendation to City Council for Change in Use GMP Exemption to convert units at the HOliday House from lodge to employee housing. 5. Grant of 8040 Greenline, Review to regrade the Little Nell slope and install new lift towers. 6. 'Recommendation to City Council for encroachment into the Dean Street right-of-way. Copies of the applicant's entire submission have been provided directly to the Planning Commission, therefore, the Planning Office's memo will concentrate on the comments of review agencies rather than summarizing the applicant's proposals. Comments are not provided herein on any growth management issues. We have already provided the Commission with our recommended lodge allotment scoring in an earlier memo. The applicant has not yet applied for commercial allotment, although such a request is anticipated on August 1, 19S6. Finally, we have not again provided you with comments on the multi-year allotment issue, preferring tCil await your direction to determine if it is necessary to spend additional time on this issue. PLANNING OFFICE REVIEW: following sequence: A. Analysis of compliance with conditions of conceptual approval. Our review of this proj ect is organized in the B. Review of, applicable precise plan and conditional use evaluation criteria. C. Specification of zoning district regUlations to apply to the parcel, variations permitted, and a SchedUle for construction. A. COMPLIANCE WrrB CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL: Council Resolution No. 85-33 set 25 conditions of approval of the applicant I s concept ual plan. An ana lys i s of the appl icant 's response to each condition is contained below, organized into the following three broad topical areas: 1. Conditions concerning access, circulation and parking; , "-:~--_."'---_.. '-';' , 2. Conditions concerning building design; and 3. Conditions concerning miscellaneous technical issues. I. Conditions Concerning Access, Circulation and Parking: The issues to be discussed in this section include skier drop off (Condition NO.7), parking needs (Condition No.3), adequacy of streets (Condition No.9), service areas (Condition No. S), trails (Condition No. IS) and encroachments (Condition No. 23). "7. The applicant shall revise the site plan to indicate an auto-taxi-limo drop-off facility of adequate size for the needs of the ski area, which is in addit ion to any drop-off area for hotel guests. As the Council is concerned about maintaining adequate traffic flows on Durant Avenue, it is, expected that the applicant will address the proper location for this facility within the project's property boundary." In our review of the proj ect in the GMP scoring process, we indicated that the skier drop-off facility represents one of the principal design flaws in the project. This comment was reinforced by the relatively low scores given to the project by a majority of the Commission in t'he categories of site design and parking and circulation. The principal problems we see with the present solution include the following: o Potential turning conflicts for cars entering and exiting from the area with cars on Durant Avenue. o The area extends into the public right-Of-way, contrary to the intent of the condition. o There is a loss of approximately 12-14 public parking spaces on Durant, which are being replaced by the 12 skier drop-Off spaces. This problem could be mitigated through management of the spaces to allow public usage during other than peak skiing periods. o The area creates a poor image for the entrance to the mountain/front of the hotel. The entrance in this area is neither open space, nor is it a lively street facade, but instead is a parking lot. The area should either truly be an open space area, or should create pedestrian interest through stores fronting directly on the street. The Planning Office recommends that the applicant be required to submit alternative designs to resolve the identified problems with the drop-off area. "3. The applicant shall provide a detailed, technical study of the parking needs of the facility to meet the demands from t he lodge rooms, skiers, administ rat iv e offices, commercial spaces and skier support facilities, and shall increase the number of spaces to be provided at the Precise Plan stage." TDA has accomplished the requested study (Appendix 3) and based on their recommendations, the number of parking spaces has been increased from 77 to 116. (Note: There are S3 spaces, not S5 on Level -22, and 33 on Level -12, for a total of 116 and not lIS spaces, as represented. However, there are also 12 spaces in the skier drop-off which are to replace those lost on Durant.) Following is a category by category calculation of the applicant's proposal as compared to the Code requirements: 2 ~ ,~ SPACES TYPICAL CODE CODE CATEX>ORY STANDARD APPLIED PROPOSED* STANDARD * * REQ!fl' Lodge Units (96) 0.55-0.7 spaces/unit 53/67 l/unit 96 Administrative Replace Existing 27/7 3-4/1000 s.f. 17 Offices ( 4SS3 s.f.) Ret a 11 (20,553 s. f.) o .l-O. S per 1000 s.f. 2/17 4/1000 s.f. 82 Restaurant 1/1000 s.f. 5 4/1000 s.f. 20 ( 5196 s. f,) Skier (1300 skiers 0.05/skier 46 N/A N/A added) (off-site) * ** Range reflects summer vs. winter. No parking is required in the CC zone for lodge or commercial uses. These standards reflect those of the most similar zone for the proposed mix of uses, the L-I/L-2 zone districts. Based on the standards applied by the consultant, 92-l01 spaces will be demanded for the proj ect in the winter versus the summer ( 92 " 53, + 5 + 27 + 2 + 5; 10 1 = 67 + 5 + 7 + 17+ 5). Considering that the project removes 45 on-site existing spaces, and provides 116 new spaces, supply has been calculated to exceed demand in the winter by 11 spaces. Therefore, the applicant requests that II spaces be applied to the 46 spaces requirement in the Aspen Mountain Ski Area Master Plan. (AMSAMP) that offset the ski capacity increase of 1300 skiers per day. Staff has numerous comments on the information provided by the consultant, including the following: " o The parking standard applied to the Aspen Mountain Lodge of 0.7 spaces per unit is the minimum which we can justify for this facility. The consultant did propose a standard of 0.66 spaces/unit. for summer use for the Aspen Mountain Lodge, which was not accepted. The proposed winter standard of 0.55 spaces per unit should be rej ected unless adequate reasons are provided for its usage. o It is reasonable to assume that many of the visitors to the Shops will already be located on the site. However, the standard of one space per 1000 s.f. of restaurant is exceptionally low. We would expect some guests to the luxury dining facilities to arriv'e at the port coche,re and expect valet parking to be available. Further, no space has been provided for visitors who may attend a conference on the site, whether they be in-town residents or guests from other lodges. Invariably, some limited parking will be needed for such facilities." . iil. ' (, o Parking for ski area employees, based on, 40 percent of employees driving, is reasonable, given the Ski Company's excellent bus service for employees. o The 46 space requirement from AMSAMP represents a very low standard allied only to the capacity increase for the mountain. No provision was made for the increased attractiveness of the Little Nell Base Area due to the high speed lift to be installed. No provision was made for any parking with respect to existing skiers on the mountain. While we do not suggest a reassessment of the on-mountain parking commitment which emerged from the Master Plan, we are very discouraged at this effort to meet some of this 3 --,,7""-,-----' ,""----~-" requirement by proposing unreasonably low parking standards for base area uses. We recommend that the Planning Commission request the use of more realistic parking standards and continue to require that 46 skier spaces be provided on site, or as part of City initiated parking plan off-site (see attached condition approving AMSAMP). o p&Z should be aware that a condition of AMSAMP was that "ASC shall ag,ree to maintain the existing parking lot (of at least 30 automobile parking spaces) located on Aspen Street within the City of Aspen for skiing area parking or transit related uses. The Agreement shall be in the form of a recorded covenant on the property to the benefit of Pit kin County and the City of Aspen." We were very disturbed to review the 601 Aspen Residential GMP project and find that ASC placed this property under option to that project's developer, without covenanting the property as required. The developer of the 601 Aspen Project intended to place the spaces underground, contrary to the intent of that condition. We recommend that the P&Z carry forward the AMSAMP condition as part of this review and set a specific date for the implementation of this condition. "g. The applicant shall provide a detailed, technical study of the adequacy of Durant, Spring and Dean Streets to handle the vehicle traffic volumes associated with skiers, hotel guests, employees, service vehiCles, and visitors to the commercial uses and shall propose appropriate mitigation measures to address any traffic problems which will result from the project. The applicant shall also take into account the access needs of emergency vehicles, including, but not limited to ambulances and fire trucks. The TOA study of streets shows a daily net traffic increase of about 250 trip ends per day in winter (60 trips at the peak hour) and about 375 trip ends per day in summer (42 trips at the peak hour). However, no accounting is made of the approximately 300 vehicle trip ends per day due to the mountain capacity increase. The implementation of this increase, through constructing the new high-speed lift, is clearly a part of this project, and was not accounted for in AMSAMP. The applicant should be required to address these impacts, and propose appropriate mitigation techniques. Further, the applicant should be required to remove the skier drop-off area from the Durant Avenue right-of-way, as this proposal is viewed as adding to the circulation problems on Durant Avenue, which is a major through street in the downtown area due to the existing mall closures on Cooper and Hyman Avenues. Finally, the applicant should provide comments on the emergency vehicle situation, which does not appear to have been addressed in the submission." "S. The applicant shall provide a detailed analysis of the proposed service yards on Spring St reet and Dean Street, demonstrating that adequate space has been provided for truck stacking and that proper turning movements can be accomplished within these streets. The applicant shall also confer with the Environmental Health Department as to any air and water quality devices which may need to be installed' in these areas (and in the parking facility for cars). The applicant shall work with the North of Nell and Tippler manage- ment entities and shall try to accommodate the service delivery needs of these buildings in a single location off Dean Street. finally, the applicant shall demonst rate that the service delivery area on Dean Street will not cause safety prOblems for pedestrians on Dean Street or nuisance problems for the residents of the North of Nell, and that the needs of the facility could not practically otherwise be met by a 4 "......, i~ single facility on Spring Street." The applicant is proposing a single, coveI"ed shipping and receiving area off Spring Street to handle the needs of the hotel and on-mountain restaurants. While we prefer the single access pc:lint to, the prior dual service area concept, we have the following comments to make: o The schematic drawing contained in the submission does not constitute a "detailed analysis". Conclusive drawings and calculatio'ns should be provided to the City Engineer, demonst rat ing the adequacy ,of the turning radi us. o The applicant's drawing of the Dean Street area does not respond to the request that cooperative planning be accomplished for service delivery to the North of Nell and Tippler/Tipple Inn properties. While we understand that the draw ing has been abandoned, and responsibil ity given to the improvement dist rict, we f eel that a conceptual proposal by all three entities is needed at this time. Without a service access plan suitable to the entry to De,an Street, we believe that the entire concept of the Dean Street mall will be flawed. Therefore, a design of this area is an integral part of this SPA plan, although responsibility for accomplishing the improvements should fall on the improvement district. o There is a minimum rear yard requirement for the utility/trash service area in the area and bulk requirements chart for the CC zone, referenced to Section 24-3.7(h)(4), stating that the area be on an alley and setting standards for its dimensions. It appears that an area for this building would require a minimum length of 20 feet for the first 6,000 s.f. of building area and 5 feet for each addition 6,000 s.f., resulting in a length of about 135 feet for the service area. We recommend that the applicant quest P&Z's variation of this requirements since the area shown on the plans is about 35 feet in .length and does not abut an alley. The request should provide adequate justification for the area as proposed. "lB. The applicant shall provide a trail easement through the property connecting the trail near the Aspen Alps with the Dean Street trail and will include any required ramps for bicycles or other year-round trail facilities in their site plan at the precise plan stage. The applicant will also examine the potential for creating a pedestrian trail connecting to the Aspen Mountain Road within the context of the base area regrading and provide an alignment for said trail if it is found to be feasible." The illustrative site plan shows a trail connection from Spring Street to Dean Street across the base area. There do not appear to be any ramps or other facilities required to implement the trail. The applicant further commits to "an informal pedestrian trail" to the Aspen Mountain Road. "23. The applicant shall disclose at the Precise Plan stage all plans related to the Dean Street right-of-way, including any requests for encroachments as may be necessary. " The applicant has disclosed the plans for Dean Street and made an encroachment request of the City Engineering Department for paving, landscaping, street furniture, ski ticket sales booths and skier drop-off parking. Jay Hammond' s comments with respect to this application are that the reqUired submittal materials and fees have not been received. The applicant should get together with Jay to provide him the necessary materials. 5 -" ^ 2. Conditions Concerning Building Design: The issues to be discussed in this section are open space (Condition NO.1), visual impact (Condition No.4), shadows (Condition No. IS), pedestrian gateway (Condition No. 19), snow shedding (Condition No. l6), FAR (Condition No.2) and lift building design (Condition No. 12). "1. The applicant shall amend the site plan to provide open space along the length of the Durant Street frontage of the hotel, so as to create a courtyard of ~t least 10 feet in depth. The open space requirement shall be considered in coordination with rather than in addition to the area to be set aside for the on-site drop-off facility required in condition #7 below." During the conceptual review, we raised a concern that the open space on the site, being at the rear of the building, did not meet the requirement of Section 24-37. (d) that open space be open to the street. By the conclusion of that stage of the review we suggested that the open space along Spring Street could be justified as te,chnically meeting this requirement. Therefore, when the condition was rewritten, reference to the technical requirement was dropped in favor of a simple statement that open space be provided along Durant to create a courtyard effect. When Condit ion No. 1 was w r itt en, we had in mind that the skier drop-off area could be set in the midst of open space, and that the two areas need not result in a total requirement for 20 or more feet of set back. However, we did not anticipate that the drop-off area would be deSigned to occupy the entire frontage, and would essentially be used instead of providing open space. It is not reasonable to consider the drop-off area as an open space courtyard, and we do not approve of the street image which is created by this proposed solution. In our opinion, there are two distinctly different ways of looking at the open space requirement. If, on the one hand, the building were trUly set back from Durant by open space, its impact on the street would be softened, the pedestrian entrance be made more grand, the shadows on Durant might be reduced and a more positive image created for the hotel. On the other hand, the historic character of our victorian town is that. commercial buildings front directly on the street, creating active people places on the adjacent sidewalks. Therefore, if we are given a choice between a parking lot and no setback at all, the street frontage might be preferable. Our preference is that the applicant should be made to provide true open space on the front of the site, moving towards (although not necessarily duplicating) the open ba,se area concept advocated by Hans Gramiger, and creating the several complimentary benefits noted above. However, we recognize that this redesign should fall within the parameters of the conceptual approval upon which the applicant has relied in preparing the Precise Plan, and suggest that a reasonable compromise be proposed by the applicant. "4. The applicant shall continue to evaluate the impact of the hotel on the views of Aspen Mountain from Hunter St reet, and propose any design changes which will reduce obstructions of the mountain from the corner of Cooper or Hyman Avenues on Hunter Street. Oetailed architectural renderings and elevations shall be provided at the Precise Plan stage." The applicant has provided a computer simulated view of ,the building as it will appear from Hunter Street at the Durant and Cooper corners. These simulations are evidence that the critical viewplane from the town to the Little Nell run and Bell Mountain will be preserved. On the other hand, the views shown looking 6 ,1""'\ ^ east and west on Durant demonstrate that the bUilding will fill in the one remaining open a rea along this st reet, and compl et e th e "walled in" feeling f rom the Aspen Club Lodge and North of Nell BUildings. The applicant has provided renderings Clnd elevations of the building on its four sides which I consider to be relatively schematic for this final stage of the review process, although nearly identical in detail to that provided by the Aspen Mountain POD at the preliminary review stage. It would be helpful if the applicant identified the materials to be used in each location in the building during your review so as to give a better picture of the way the building will truly look. "IS. The applicant shall provide a shadow study of the effects of the building along Durant Avenue and Spring Street, and mitigate the' problems caused by the building's shadows for pedestrians crossing the st reet . .. The applicant I s shadow study states that "Durant Avenue will be in shade for most of the winter. In December, shadows from the Little Nell flotel will shade the street north of the Hotel all day. By the end of February, most of the driving surface of Durant Avenue will be in the sun from 10: 30 - 1: 30. The south side of Durant, adjacent to the Hotel, will remain in shade all wi nt e r . " The applicant's response to this problem is that "a major pedestrian crossing be constructed at the intersection of Durant and Hunter Street." Included in this plan is a neck down of the st reet to two t ravel lanes at the int ersect i on. We feel that with Durant acting as a major thoroughfare for downtown, this neck down is ill advised, and will create turning conflicts into the drop-off area. It is also unclear from the applicant's presentation whether the ASC will take responsibility for placing the proposed sidewalk paving matetials across the street to indicate pedestrian zones. Finally, it should be noted that the icing problem which now exists from the Aspen Club Lodge and North of Nell Buildin9s is likely to be repeated on this block as well, causing additional problems for vehicular traffic. The only real solution to this prOblem would appear to be a maj or design change in the hotel by either (a) stepping the building back from one story to the next or (b) setting it back much further from the s,treet than has been proposed. "19. The applicant shall make every effort, working with the City of Aspen, to increase of the pedest r ian gateway to the mountain so it a more "grand", entrClnce in the winter and including the extent ClS to make summer." We do not see any improvements in the plan for either flunter or Dean Streets which are any more "grand" than the proposal made at the conceptuCll level. Clearly, the improvements to both streets will make a vast difference in terms of better skier circulation, visual image and functional support of recreation at the base area. These elements of the plan were present Clt the conceptual level, and Clre nOw committed to be paid for fully by ASe, with the exception of the area in "Zone II" on the IClndscape plan, whose cost is to be sha,red with other owners having property along Dean Street. "16. The Clpplicant shall demonstrate the techniques to be employed on the roof of the hotel to manage snow shedding to insure that it does not interfere with or endanger pedestrians below." ' The applicant has provided us with a schematic drawing of the features designed into the builG1ing to manage the snow on the roof. The techniques employed include a flat slope on the roof top to retClin snow, avalanche guards at the edge of the sloped portions of the roof, use of dormers to protect entryways and use 7 I'~ ^ of a flat roof on the arcade to protect pedestrians. In our review of the elevations and perspectives for the building, we see large sloped areas on the roof which. appears to be capable of allowing snow to slide beyond the arcade area. We feel that this design problem should be reviewed visually by the P&Z with the project architect. "2. The applicant shall, in the Precise Plan sUbmission, request a variation of the project's FAR if it is above 1.5:l, since the land zoned Conservation does not count toward the overall proj ect FAR. The applicant may also request special review approval to increa,se the allowable commercial FAR of the property to I. 7: 1 by providing employee housing in the appropriate ratio on or off site." The applicant has indicated that the project's FAR is 1.96:1, uSing the land area zoned CC, and 1. 05: I, using the land zoned CC as well as that zoned C. Since the Conservation zone does not allow the hotel or retail uses, we continue to recommend that the same method of FAR calculation as was used for the Aspen Mountain PUD be applied to this project. This rule states that we do not calculate the FAR using land in a zone in which the use is not allowed. P&Z should also note that Ordinance No.2, Series of 19S6, eliminates the ability to ~btain bonus FAR when off-site housing is provided. Therefore, the applicant should be viewed as requesting an FAR variation from 1.5:1 to 1.96:1, a substantial increase of over 30 percent of the allowable FAR. This variance should, however, be permitted, if P&Z finds the design of the building to be suitable for this site as presented. "12. The applicant shall provide detailed drawings of the new base lifts, demonstrating that these buildings are visually compatible with the base area and that the principal storage area for either chairs or gondolas will not, be above grade at the base area." The elevations provided in Appendix 7 include a drawing from the Hunter Plaza, showing the proposed lift building. The lift building should meet the representation made in the Master Plan that it will be a minimal structure, as generally represented by several conceptual drawings provided at that time. Instead, the building has been scaled at 25 feet in height, which seems quite 'sub,stantial. Further, the sketch provides little detail as to the building design, including no indication of building materials. The applicant has indicated, however, that storage of gondola cabins will beat the top terminal, but that limited "work rail" storage will be at the bottom. This representation should be clarified as we do not know what "work rail" storage means. 3. Conditions Concerning Miscellaneous Technical Issues: The issues to be discussed in this section include geologic hazard (Condition No. 10), grading (Condition NO.5), drainage (Condition No. 22), rights-of-way ownership (Condition No. 20), lift service (Condition No.3) S040 Greenline and Mountain Viewplane (Condition No.6), pumphouse relocation (Condition No. 11), employee housing (Condition No. 14), potential park zone encroachment (Condition No. 17), fireplaces (Condition No. 21), and SPA Boundary Change (Condition Nos. 24 and 25). "10. The applicant shall provide a detailed, technical study of the geologic hazard on Aspen Mountain as it affects this site and shall demonstrate that any hazard posed to the property can and w ill be fUlly mitigated. The applicant shall also investigate the soils hydrology in the area to demonstrate the suitability of the site for development purposes." 8 ,r~ ....-..., Chen and Associates has prepared a study, contained in Appendix 1, which reviews the geologic hazards to the site. On-site impacts include potentially shallow groundwater, steep slopes and mine subsidence. In this regard, the consultant recommends: o A program of test holes should be drilled and observation wells installed to provide information on groundwater. o A subsurface investigation program should be conducted to provide informatiOn on subsurface soil conditions and to analyze slope stability. In this regard, Jay Hammond notes that the regrading and subsurface work on the site will likely require the use of a pile retaining system, adj acent to South Spring Street, which is a difficult construction technique, involving noise and disruption to the neighborhood. Jay would like to see more detailed investigation of the design of this system prior to any construction on the site. More Comments on construction impacts are provided in a later section of thismemo. o No action is recommended relative to mine induced subsidence due to the low risk posed to the site. The potential off-site impacts to the proposed development include the potential for flood or debris flow from Copper/Spar Gulch, and Vallejo Gulch. According to Jay Hammond: "Additional information is also required regarding the flood and debris flow risk from the Vallejo Gulch area onto the project site and adjacent sites. Adequate mitigation should be provided to protect the proj ect and any adjacent properties impacted by new grading. Related to the work undertaken by Chen to evaluate the geological hazard and mud flow risk for the Little Nell redevelopment site is the ongoing effort to evaluate the hazards and mitigation across the entire base of the mountain. To the extent that the Aspen Skiing Company is the major land holder within the upslope source areas and since a failure to mitigate the problems in the upslope area could affect Little Nell and other downslope sites, we w~uld recommend that ASC be required to commit to ongoing haz ard study, engineering and mitigation construction in those areas under their control, via direct ownership, leasehold, or other usage agreement as a condition of the Little Nell approvaL. "5. The applicant shall provide detailed grading plans for the earth work, which is proposed to occur at the base area, including any activity associated with the base of the new lifts which may fall outside of the SPA boundary, and shall identify the locations for any material deposition which is to occur." The grading plan for the site calls for the creation of a 160 foot flat area between Dean St reet and the uphill end of the acceleration wheels on the detachable lift system. The plan indicates that approximately 66,600 cubic yards (c.y.) of dirt will be cut, in the lower potions of the slope and 51,350 c.y. will be filled, in the upper portion of the slope. This leaves approximately 15,250 c. y. of dirt which is not addressed by the plan, with our assumption being that this dirt will be removed from the site. If other plans for the dirt are proposed, these should be disclosed by the applicant. We would also note at this time that the regrading involves a proposed relocation of Aspen Mountain Road, a County Road which is maintained by ASC by agreement with Pitkin County. The applicant should be required to obtain an encroachment permit for road work from Pitkin County prior to initiating any regrading activities. 9 ~, .,.-" "22. The applicant shall provide a drainage plan at the . Precise Plan stage which meets the standards of the Engineering Department concerning the 100 year storm and which addresses drainage from Aspen Mountain as it affects the site and drainage from the development site itself. " Appendix ,5. contains the drainage study prepared by Rea Cassens and Associates. The scope of the study was to determine drainage requirements for the site, including those due to runoff from Vallejo Gulch, which appears to flow down the Little Nell slope and to handle runoff from the development site itself. The City Engineer's comments on this plan are that: "Rea Cassens and Associates has provided a thorough analysis of the various basin impacts from the 5 year and 100 year storms. Conceptually, they appear to be both, conservative and in keeping with City policy of detaining major flows and releasing them off-site at historic rates. The site plan, however, does not address the specific location of proposed detention facilities and channels. Precise plan approval should include adequate location and capacity for storm routing and detention. In addition, Basin A-3 on the drainage plan indicates a discharge onto the Alps property. To the extent that this discharge has been increased due to grading or other site activity it should be detained by the Nell developer and released at historic rates." "20. The applicant shall demonstrate in the Precise Plan submission that all questions as to the ownership of the Hunter Street right-of-way are in the process of being resolved, to insure that permanent guarantees of the availability of Hunter an,d Dean Streets for pedestrian access will be provided. The Precise Plan shall not be approved unt il the pedest rian access issue has been reSOlved to the City's satisfaction. The applicant will also demonstrate that the boundary questions adjacent to the Tippler have been resolved, and the SPA boundary designation shall be adjusted ac- cordingly. " We received a letter from Gideon Kaufman indicating that ASC would provide the City with ,funds to purchase or condemn the west half of vacated Hunter Street and would defend the City's right to acquire this land through condemnation. This matter was taken up by City Council on their regular agenda on January 27, at which time it was decided that the City Attorney should research this matter, and provide the Council with a recommended course of action at their meeting on February 10. When a decision is reached, we will provide you updated information on this matter. As to the Tippler issue, we are informed by the applicant that resolution of the boundary location is proceeding and does not affect the site plan due to relocation of the service yard. However, in a conversation with the representative of the Tippler we were informed that, no contact has been made with them by ASC since the conceptual approval. This issue should be resolved by the applicant. "13. The applicant shall reiterate the commitment, as to how lift service will be provided on Little Nell for special events, ski instructions and for secondary access to Lift 5. The applicant will show the location of all lifts proposed for the base area and will provide a commitment that their install;:ltion w ill be initiated in 19S7. The applicant shall be required to specify to the City which lift system is intended to be installed prior to review of the Precise Plan by the City Council, also giving the Planning Office approx- IO ,-' ""'" imately two (2) weeks to review the proposal and obtain referral comments from other agencies prior to the initial presentation of the Precise Plan to Council." The Master Plan ~rovides two options for the new high speed lifts on Aspen Mountain, as follows: ' 1. Detachable grip, quad chair, capacity of 1800-2000 skiers per hour, terminating at the top of Tourtelotte Park. Access to Little Nell and Lift is is committed to via a midway unload station or separate lift system similar to the present Lift H. 2. Gondola system, capacity of 1800 to 2000 skiers per hour, terminating near the Sundeck. Access to Little Nell and Lift is is committed to via a separate lift system similar to the present Lift 14. We would expect a choice between these two systems to be made and presented to the Planning Office following the completion of p&Z I s review. "6. The applicant shall evaluate the applicability of the City's 80 40 greenline and mountain viewplane review procedures to the proposed development. Should it be found that either review procedure applies, the applicant will submit the necessary materials at the Precise Plan stage demonstrating compliance with the review criteria of the Code." The applicant has determined that both review procedures apply to the project and included appropriate review materials in Appendix 4. The S040 greenline review applies to the placement of two lift towers and regrading of the Little Nell slope, and not to the base area construction. We tend to agree with the applicant that this type of development is not the kind which resulted in 8040 review being implemented by the 'City. Nonetheless, the regrading will substantially change the view of the mountain, will affect the drainage on the site and is affected by the site geology. In general, the benefit to the community of installing the new high speed lift justifies, in our opinion, the regrading which must be accomplished to allow the detachable chair/gondola to gain speed out of the base area. Drainage and site stability concerns are addressed elsewhere. Therefore, we concur with Jay Hammond that there appears to be no problem with the proposed regra~ing or lift tower construction, subject to appropriate utility relocations, accomplishment of necessary drainage/slope stability investigations and reseeding of disturbed slopes. The Mountain Viewplane issue also does not bring particular concerns. Although the site does fall within the Wagner Park, Cooper Avenue, Courthouse U and 12, Wheeler Opera House and Main St reet Viewplanes, only the Wheeler Viewplane presents any limitations to the height of the development. Further, due to the existing buildings on the Hyman and Cooper malls, there is no further degradation of the view of Aspen Mountain from the Wheeler due to this proj ect. Although, as Jay notes, if the foreground obstructions were redeveloped and brought into compliance with the Viewplane, there would be an intrusion by the hotel into the viewplane, given its minor nature and its position in the backdrop and not the foreground, this effect is minimal. The Planning Office and Engineering Department recommend approval of the S040 Greenline and Mountain Viewplane reviews. "II. The applicant shall provide a solution to the pumphouse relocation problem and shall agree to implement said solution at the applicant's cost." The applicaryt' S solution to relocating the pumphouse in Hunter II .,-, ~ Street is to install a submersible pump with a remote chlorination station. The City Water Depa,rtment supports this solution, provided that all plans, equipment and access easements are viewed in advance of any construction. "14. The applicant shall provide housing for employees of the proj ect in a manner acceptable to the Housing Authority and Planning Commission. The number of employees to be housed will be determined at the Precise Plan stage, based on the applicant's commit- ments as part of the growth management plan applica- t ion. " The applicant's proposal is to house 30 employees, representing 36 percent of the net new employees generated by theproj ect. The Housing Authority concurs with the generation figures submitted by the applicant, and the method by which the employees are to be hOllSed. We would note that the applicant has not applied for a Change in Use approval for the Holiday House Lodge conversion to residential status. The applicant should sllbmit a letter of application, site plan and drawings of internal configuration so that the adequacy of this facility can be determined. "17. The applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed bllildings do not encroach into the land within the Park zone near the Aspen Alps." The applicant proposes no building activity on the property in question. Emergency skier service is proposed through this site, with ambulance pick up on Spring Street. This use would not appear to affect the status of the land in the Park zone district. "21. The applicant shall provide the Environmental Health Department with detailed information on any fireplaces which will be included in the project, demonstrating thei~ compliance with applicable Code provisions." The Environmental Health Department is quite pleased at the applicant's proposed use of "gas log" type fireplaces, which meet or exceed cllrrent woodburning device legislation. "24. Final approval of the proposed SPA boundary change shall only oCCur in conjunction with final approval of the Precise Plan for the project." This procedure is being followed by the tabling of Ordinance 53, Series of 19S5, at second reading until the Little, Nell proj ect completes its Precise Plan review. "25. In the event that the growth allocations tor the project shall e~pire, the boundary of the SPA shal.l revert to its prior configuration." This item should continue forward as a condition of approval. - B. REVIEW OF APPLICABLE PRECISE PLAN AND CONDITIONAL USE EVALUATION CRITERIA: As noted above, there are six rev iew procedures which need to be addressed in this process. 80 40 Greenline, Mountain Viewplane, Change in Use, and Encroachment were addressed a,bove. The purpose of this section is to address the following: 1. Conformance, with standards for review of Precise Plan (Section 27-7.7). 2. Conformance with conditional use review criteria (Section 24- 303) . In our review, the following provision from Section 24-7.7 should be 12 f'""'. ^-' the governing review criterion: "Ib) The burden shall rest upon an applicant to demonstrate the reasonableness and suitability of the Precise Plan, its conformity to the requirements of this arti,cle, that the adverse effects of the proposed development have been minimized to the extent practicable, and that it complies with the City Council's intent in originally designating the site with an SPA overlay, including the reasonable conformance of the Precise Plan with the approval granted to the conceptual plan." I. Conformance with Precise Plan Review Standards. a. Compatibility with Neighboring Development - The proposal is surrounded by other short-term tourist uses. Its height is 40 feet, in compliance with underlying zoning and lower than the North of Nell or Aspen Square. Its FAR of 1. 96:1 is well below that of the North of Nell Building and its mass is offset by use of various architectural techniques. Problems noted elsewhere in this memo concern open space, shadows and skier drop-off as they affect this site and the neighborhood. b. Utilities and Roads - The project will upgrade water, sewer and fire service to the area, and provide for detention of stormwater from the site and the mountain and routing to the City's storm sewer. As noted above, we are most concerned that the road system analysis by, the consultant discounts the impact of the mountain capacity increase on the City streets, and feel this issue should be more thoroughly studied. c. Environmental Suitability - The applicant has initiated studies of the identified hazards affecting the site. If the recommendations of the consultant and City Engineer, summarized above, are followed, the site appears to be suitable for development. d. Land Planning Techniques - The techniques employed by the applicant include the use of subgrade space for the support services to the hotel and ski area, removal of the maintenance function from the base area, use of stepped back architectural form to preserve the Hunter Street viewplane, provision of substantial open space at the rear of the parcel, and upgrading of Hunter and Dean Streets into pedestrian malls. e. Conformance with Aspen' Area Plan - The 1973 Aspen Land Use Plan designates this site as "recreat i on/a ccommodat ions", which is intended "to allow for the recreation and accommodation needs of the visitor to Aspen in 'an area that is especially suited for this because of its unity with, and identity to, the proposed transportation system, the ski area and the central area." The conformance of the project with the Growth Management pOlicy Plan has been discussed earlier, and will be reviewed again at the conclusion of the Precise Plan review. f. Expenditure of PU,blic Funds - The proj ect does not appear to directly require the expenditures of additional public funds, although there will be costs to the improvement district to upgrade that portion of Dean Street not addressed by the applicant. The applicant will enhance services to the neighbo,rhood in a variety of categories. Issues not adequately addressed at this time include parking and road impacts and associated costs. 2. Conformance with Condition Use Criteria. 13 ,~\ ,-." a. Compliance, with zoning Code Requirements - The proposed use of the property complies with most of the standards of the underlying CC zone district. The proposal strictly complies with the 40 foot height limitation, substantially exceeds the 25 percent. open space requirement and provides a front yard of 16 feet, where no setback requirement exists, and provides 116 subgrade and 12 at grade parking spaces where no Code requirement exi st s. The only var iations requested are in terms of FAR, from a Code allowance of 1.5: I to a proposed 1.96:1; and in the rear yard trash area, from about 135 feet in width to about 35 feet in width. The applicant also requests a use variance to allow the hotel to occupy land zoned C - Conservation. All other uses appear to be in conformance with the limitations of their underlying zones. b. Consistency with Intents and Purposes of CC Zone - The intent of the CC zone is "to allow the use of land for retail and service commercial, recreation and institutional purposes, with customary accessory uses to enhance the business and service character in this central core of the City. Accommodation and residential uses are limited to an accessory status." Based on this intent, the project is consistent with the intent of the zone in terms of its ret ail and recreat ion uses. The accommodat ions uses, which are the principal use of the property rather than accessory, are more in keeping with the surrounding properties and nearby CL, L-l, and L-2 zone districts. Nevertheless, since this CC property is not located in the central commercial area, but instead is more closely associated with the base of Aspen Mountain and its tourist accommodations, the hotel use can be viewed as appropriate to the site. c. Compatibility with Surrounding Land-Uses - This revi,ew criterion has already been covered under the Precise Plan review standards. Based on the above analysis, the Planning Office finds that: 1. The proj ect meets the conditional use review criteria; and 2. There is a substantial amount of material which must be provided by the applicant before it can be demonstrated that the project complies with Precise Plan standards of review. C. SPECIFICATION OF ZONE DISTRICT Rro OLAT IONS, VARIATIONS PERMl'l'TED AND CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE: Section 24-7.6(c) requires that the application specify the zone district regulations and variations which are to apply to the development, while Section 24-7.6(d) requires the provision of a schedule specifying t,he timeframe of the development,. Based on the preceding review, it is clear that several of the zoning district requirements will need to be set following the review by the Planning Commission, including trash area access and parking, and possibly minimum front yard. The proposed uses listed on Page 13-14 of the SPA Precise Plan portion of the application appear reasonable, with the exception that the hotel should continue as a conditional use for the property, to give greater review power over any alterations or modifications which may be proposed after it is constructed (1. e., public hearing is required for substantial modification of a condition use, but not f or an SPA amendment). We would expect to specify the zoning regulations for the property within the final resolution concerning the project. The applicant has provided a construction schedule on Page IS-19 of the GMP submission. The schedule provides for the fOllowing: Summer/Fall 19S6 - Excavation and structural work for the commercial structure and lower lift terminal, along with the regrading of the, Little Nell Slope to permit future lift construction/operation. The regrading would be done in such a way as not to disrupt the footings of the existing lift towers so as to maintain the existing Lift #4 in 14 ,- r""'\ operation for the time being. Spring/Summer/Fall 19S7 - Demolish Little Nell complex, complete work at western wing of new complex to provide skier services for the 1987- SS season, construct new lifts, initiate hotel and commercial construction. Winter 19S7fWinter 19S5 - Complete interior and ~xterio% of hotel, complete landscaping, sidewalks and plazas. Since the construction site is intended to continue in use for initial skier access and commercial support services throughout the construction period, we feel it is important for us to fully understand how circulation will occur and what the base area will look like during construction. We feel that the applicant should submit both graphic materials as well as a detailed written description of the proposal for the interim base area. The applicant should also be requ,iredto demonstrate that the regrading of the slope can be accomplishe~ without disrupting the lift service or otherwise endangering visitors to the area. Finally, in keeping with our approach to the Aspen Mountain PUD, the applicant should be required to provide the Planning Office and the City Engineer with the following materials: 1. Specific design and location of pedestrian barricades and walkway structures. 2. Traffic and pedestrian circulation routes during construction. 3. An agreement on the part of the applicants to properly maintain the barricade and walkway system throughout the cour se of construction, including repairs and removal. 4. provision of a plan addressing site access and material and equipment storage areas during construction. 5. Scheduling and design detail regarding utility relocations, replacements and undergrounding. 6. Further detail regarding the limits of excavation, construction easements and shoring needs. 7. Proposed landscaping of areas where demolition is contemplated without immediate reconstruction. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: As noted earlier in this memo, SPA Precise Plan review puts the burden on the applicant to demonstrate the reasonableness and suitability of the project, including the minimization of its adverse effects to the extent practicable, and its compliance with the Council's intent in designating the site with an SPA overlay. Given the strategic location of this parcel and its crucial importance to the success of Aspen as a resort, we have been most careful to work within the applicable prov i sions of the Code to try to obt ain the best possible proj ect for the residents of and visitors to Aspen. Based on our review to date, we feel that substantial work must be done to demonstrate to the Planning Commission that the project is reasonable and suitabl,e for the site and has minimized its adverse effects to the extent practicable. We recommend that the following work be accomplished -during the course of p&Z'S review of this submission. /1. The applicant should be required to submit alterna,tive designs to address the skier drop-Off problem. /2. The applicant should review the parking and circulation studies with the Planning Commission. If the consultant's assumptions cannot be justified, additional mitigation in terms of parking and roads should be required. /3. The applicant should provide detailed drawings and calculations as to 15 W4. ~. A. ./7. ,/8. , 11. ,-.. ,""" I / the service area turning radius. ASC should work with its neighbors to develop a design concept for the entrance to the Dean Street Mall and present this concept to the P&Z. The applicant should investigate and present alternative designs for the hotel which provide true open space along Durant Avenue. The applicant should propose ways to mitigate the shading effects of the building on Durant Avenue. 0~he Planning Commission should review the snow retention plan and detailed architecture (including materials) with the architect. The applicant should agree to the requests by the City Engineer with respect to geol,ogic concerns, grading and drainage, and provide the Commission with the necessary review materials. The applicant shall make appropriate submissions with respect ,to the change in use of the Holiday House" the request to vary the size of the trash access area, ,and the encroachment licenses. The applicant shall submit the requested materials with respect to the construction at the base area. ./9. '10. Other miscellaneous requests and comments made throughout this memo should be reviewed and addressed by the applicant and the Planning Commission. The Planning Office has no final recommendation on the entire application unt il these concerns have been addressed. AR.5 16 " .-, ,- MEKlRANDO M FROM: REi Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission Alan Richman, Planning Office Little Nell Base Redevelopment plan - Lodge GMP Scoring Se ssion TO: DATE: January 21, 1986 ===================================================================== PCRl'OSE: The purpose tonight's meeting is to score the only project which was submitted in the 1985 L-l/L-2/CC/CL Zone District competition for lodge units -- The Little Nell Base RedeveloIXTlerit Plan. Although the Municipal Code provides for such applications to be submitted to the City on October 1 of each year, and reviewed by P&Z in November, Ordinance 42, Series of 19S5, adopted on August 12, changed these dates to December 1 and January, respectively. Tonight's public hearing will focus only on the GMP scoring issue. On February 4, we have advertised a public hearing to initiate discussion of the precise SPA plan and hotel as a conditional use in the CC zone issues. Other issues to be addressed at that, or subsequent meetings, include S040 greenline, mountain viewplane and right-of-way encroachments. Finally, at the conclusion of all of your considerations, we would expect you to make a recommendation with respect to the applicant's request for a multi year allotment of 96 lodge \.lnits. PROCEDURE: The standard procedure used by the Planning Commission in scoring GMP applications can be sununarized as follows. The Planning Office will initiate the meeting by summarizing the project and providing a suggested number of points for the scoring of the application. At this time, we will also review any procedural issues which ma,y arise from questions by Commission members, the applicant or members of the public. Next, the applicant will give a brief presentation of the proposal, including any clarifications or rebuttal of Planning Office comments. A public hearing will be held to allow interested citizens to comment. At the close of the hearing each commission member will be aske,d to score the appl icant' s proposal. The total number of points awarded by all member s, divided by the number of members voting, will constitute the total points awarded to the project. A project must score a minimum of 60% of the total points available under categorie's 1, 2, 3 and 4, amounting to 54 points, a minimum of 30% of the points available in each category 1, 2, and 3, and provide housing for 35%' of the employees generated by the project to meet the basic competitive requirements. The minimum points are as follows: Category I" 3 points; Category 2 = 11.7 points; Category 3 = 6.3 points and Category 4(a) = 9 pts.' Should the application score below these thresholds it will no longer be considered for a develoIXTlent allotment and will be considered denied., Bonus points cannot be used to bring the application over.this minimum thre shold. PLANNING OFFICE ~INGS The Planning Office has assigned points to the application as a recommendation for you to consider. The staff met to assess the' ratings of the reviewing planner and objectively scored the proposal. The following is a summary of the ratings. A more complete explana- tion of the points assignment for each criterion is shown on the attached score sheets, including rationales for the ratings. /' ~, ~, Public Facilities Quality Guest and Services of Design Amenities Public policy Goals Total 7.5 19.5 16 14 57 In our rating of this project, we have used a slightly 'different standard than would otherwise be the case.' When reviewing all previous GMP applications, the project has been at the concept ual level, and our expectations in terms of level of detail and degree of: problem solving haS been set accordingly. In this case, the SPA regulations require that the GMP submission occur at the precise plan level. Therefore, iq cases where the applicant simply commits to addressing an issue ~i.e., drainage) without adequately presenting, a design solution, we have been more conservative in our rating than. would otherwise be. the case. We feel that problems must be solved at.. this stage of the review, since it represents the Planning Commission's final opportunity to consider the project. SUMMARY OF ISSUES To help the Plannin9 Commission in understanding our thinking on this project, following lS a category-by-category summary of some of the principal issues identified in our proposed scoring! 1. Adequacy of Services - The applicant has provided a utility plan 1 which demonstrates that the project will benefit the community by .,\i" upgrading water and sewer service not just for the project, but I' ,J for the surrounding neighborhood. The drainage proposal for the ," site intends to provide for detention of mud flows from Aspen lr'~'i i' ,,Mountain, but has not provided a design demonstrating where or I"" I.e,'this runoff will be handled and tells us that in any case, it liP}'""I, iV} "t'Will fi~ally be diyerted to the City's storm se~ers. Fire J\if>'jJ, it protectlon needs wlll be met by two new hydrants ln the area, U },"/' M$tLll necessary for the project and neighborhood, and sprinklers in the , J(' t/ "',,f 'bu~ld.ing, since a~cess cannot be provided to all sides of the ~\}J \~~t(:" bUlldlng. No road lmprovements are proposed for the area. ') ,"'2. Quality of Design - The project will provide significant design \-i" )1 improvements to the gateway to Aspen Mountain, but also exhibits significant site design flaws. The architects have attempted to reduce the perceived mass of the building, but have not provided true open space along Durant Street and have creat,ed Ii. significant shading problem for a major thoroughfare. The proj ect will upgrade the Hunter Street entrance to the mountain and a portion of Dean Street, but leaves costs for the remainder of Dean Street to neighbors., The skier drop off along Durant Avenue does not meet our expectations from the Conceptual review, and it would be preferable to have the building truly front on the street or be moved back on the site dramatically, rather than to accept this solution. The proposal may cause ,significant traffic conflicts on Durant and stacking problem.s on Spring Street. Service access has been significantly improved by one covered access point on Spring Street. Parking has been increased to 116 spaces but still may not be in excess of proj ect needs. 'A major circulation and access problem ,has been created for the Tipple ,Inn and the Tippler. Maintenance functions will be removed from the base, helping circulation and creating a positive visual image. Views frOm key public places have been preserved. 3. Guest Amenities - The project provides conference, lobby, restaurant, bar and recreational space befi~ting a project of this magnitude but not to the point of being superior for the community when compared to other lodging developments we have experienced. The new lift at Little Nell, to be either a detachable quad or gondola, is of crucial significance to the continuing superiority of Aspen as a ski resort: 2 ,~ ,~ 4: Employee Housing - The appiicant meets the mlnlmum threshold by housing 30 employees at the Holiday House, to be converted from lodging to deed restricted status. In summary, the project scores slightly above the minimum threshold and is eligible for an allocation. The applicants have taken on an ambitious project in a highly sensitive location and have been successful in their efforts to enhance the skier experience and develop a quality lodging/commercial/administration complex directly adjacent to Aspen Mountain. However, in taking on a project of this magnitude, they have also created impacts on the neighborhood for which they are responsible. We expect that in the coming public hearings re9arding the precise plan and conditional use, considerable attention wlll be given to issues such as open space, skier drop off,' j;:edestrian malls, service access, public views, shading, drainage, parking and roads. We feel that these issues can and should be resolved during the cour se of the upcoming review procedure, and must be successfully handled before we get to your recommendation to Council on allotment of 96 lodge units. PLANNING OFFICE RECOMMENDATION we recommend that the Planning Commission direct the Planning Office to draft a Resolution which: 1. Forwards to Council the Commission's scores on the GMP project; and 2. Recommends that City Council not act on the issue of allotment o,f 96 lodge units until such tillle as the Commission completes its review of associated submissions, and forwards its complete recommendation to Council. The applicant should be aSKed to submit a letter to the Planning Office, in a form to be established by the City Attorney, waiving the procedural deadlines of Section 24-1l.6(f) as amended by Ordinance 42, Series of 19S5, that Council must award a developllent allotment to the proj ect prior to March 1st of 19S6. AR.2 3 , . /" ..-.. ..,.. --... ~, CITY OF ASPEN PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION EVALUATION L-1, 1.-2 GMP SCORE SHEE'rS PROJ ECT : Little Nell Base Area Rerlevelopment Date: January 21. 1986. , l. AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES (Maximum 10 point s) . Th'e Commission shall consider each application with respect to the impact of the proposed building or the addition thereto upon public facilities and services and shall rate each development by assigning points according to the following formula: o Project requires the provision of new services at increased public expense. ' Project can be handled by the existing level of service in the area of any service improvement by the applicant benefits the project only and not the area in general. Project in and of itself improves the quality of service in a given area. 1 2 The following services shall be rated accordingly: a. WATER - Considering the ability of the water system to serve the development and the applicant's commitment to fi nance any system extensions or treatment plant upgrading required to serve the development. RATING, 2 (Multiplier: 1) POINTS: 2 COMMENTS: Jay Hammond and Jim Markalllna!'l view the following activitieR a!'l ay!'<tem upgradeR' abandon the 12" Little Nell steel line, relocate and reinforoe the 12" DIP oonnection from the pllmpholl!'le to the reRervoi r. relocate pumpi nq fad1 itieR to the snowmaki"IiI plant:! r~locat:~. well C'!ont:rol and t:rpa~m@nt:faci 1 itie~ from the Hunter Street: pllmphouRe into the staiNer'l. maintain Rupplv to Aspen Alps and !'ltora'ile tank. Appl icant ha!'l not committed to over!'lizing the fire main in Spring Street from 6" to 1 2". bllt will in!'ltall the l2" based on the Ci ty pickin'il up the additional co!'<t for the Ute Avenlle interconnect. b. SEWER - Considering the ability of the sewer system to serve the development and the applicant's commitment. to finance any system extensions or treatment plant upgrading required to serve the development. RATING: 2 (Multiplier: 1) POINTS: 2 COMMENTS: Hei ko Kuhn feel s that relocation and uP'ilradin'il of the 10" main which rllns from Sprin'il Street-Ute Avenue acro!'l!'l the maze te Gal PM Strpet-Dean Street with a 12" PVC main in Sprin'il Street to Durant and then a 15" PVC to Gal ena Street will tlpqrade the sy,,;tem hy 1) crpatinq a better qrade than the' flat R1epe in the exi "ti ng 1 ine!'l.' and 2) allowinq for better maintenance by redtlCing the depth (exi!'<tinq is 10-15' deep). c. STORM DRAINAGE - Considering the degree to which the applicant proposes to retain surface runoff on the develop- ment site. If the development requires'use of the City's drainage system, considering the commitment by the applicant " r--. ~ to install the necessary drainage control facilities and to maintain the system over the long-term. RATING: I (Multi pli er: 1) POINTS: I COMMENTS: The ap,,] icant' s stormwater runoff stuny recommends on- "ite netention be increa"en ny 50% to allow for mud flow from ~r~~: ~~~~ta~r;ectTh: ~~~orr\t;l "~f "~~tee"rl~~~if r:~~~~in~r;~:n:~~ affect" the A"pen Alps to the hotel base area and Sprinl/ Street, storm "ewer. which can pre"ently hannl e the flow. Althoul/h the' appl icant "commits to in"tall, and maintain storm drainal/e faeil itie" for thl" "ite and trihutary nrainaqe to the "ite". no ne"il/n has heen prepared at this prl"cise plan level for what will be a "i I/nificant detention facility. Jay Hammond. in a phone eonvprMl"ion on 1/14. al/rl"ed that without Mid desil/n. we cannot in,,"rp that the drainal/e commitment can actually he provided and ehanl/ed his recommendation to a "core of "1". with which we cOnetH. F'urthprmore. in a conversation with thp applicant's repre"entative on 1/16. it was' "taten ,that althoul/h a suhl/rade netpntion facility had heen evaluated for the "ite to addre"" mountai n flow", thp intpnt i" not to fully retilin the rllnoff hut' to detai n it ann route, it to the City "torm sewer "ystem. Therpfore. a "core of "I" is also justifiah1e on this hasis. ' d. FIRE DEPARTMENT - Considering the abil ity of the Fi re Department to provide fire protection according to i~~ established response without the necessity of establishing..! new station or requiring the addition, of major equipment to an existi~g station, the adequacy of available water pressure and capacity for providing fire fighting flows; and the commitment of the applicant to provide fire protection facilities which may be necessary to serve the project, including, but not limited to, fire hydrants and water storage tanks. RATING: 1.5 (Multiplier: 1) POINTS: 1.5 COMMENTS: The applicant has aI/reed to install a fire hydrant at the south end of Sprinl/ Street. which will serve the project and prov ide a mea sllre of improvedserv ice to the Aspe n C11lb Lodl/e and the 200 Buildin\/ of the Aspen Alps. A "econdhynrant. on Dean Street hphind the North of Nell Buildinl/' will "erve the project only. Water pre""ure in the area is adeQllate and the appl icant, has committed to placinl/ a new 6" line in Sprinl/ Street to serve the first hydrant. hilt not to oVl"rsize the lineVasrequested Qy the pllhl ic servicl"s al/ency ( Jay Hammond fee]" that th~ fact 1 iti e" to he in"ta11ed are mandatory for the project and, de"erve a rati nl/ of "1" only. Jim Wi] son notes that since fin' acee"s i" not avail ahle to all "ides of the huildi nl/. it rnll"t be "prillkled. as provided Qy the allpl icant. We conclude that the hydrant s are both needed hy the proj ect and the nei9hhorhood and recommend a f::corp of "1.5". e. ROADS - Considering the capacity of major linkages of the road network to provide for the needs of the proposed development without substantiillly altering the existing traffic patterns, creating safety hazards or overloading the existing street system; and the applicant's commitment to finance the necessary, road system improvements to serve the increased usage attributable to the developnent. RATING: I (Multiplier: I) POINTS: 1 ;:~ , -' 1""'\ i"""'\ COMMENTS: TDA's analy",iR appear" to indicate that ex!!'<tin\1 :oads IHP aneQllat;e. ann no improvemer;t'" are pro~sed.. Clty En\11neer Que",tion", peak winter trafflc \1eneratlon fU.IlHe", used ny conRultant. Trafficf10w on Durant Street will likely be, impacten ny URe of City ri\1ht of way for Rkier dropoff. pIllS the increa"p in the traffic by appro"imately 10% projected by the con"u1 tant. P&Z "hould recoQni7.e that the TDA "tuny does not inclune any annen traffic from the mountain capacity increase (see Appenni" 3. paQe 14l. estimated to be 300 trip ends per day. despite the fact that the new lift is an inte\1ral part of this project. and the County review of the Ski Are>a Ma"ter Plan did not conf'ider effects on City !'<treet",. Further. the addition of, the \londola or detachable Quan will and to the attractiveness of usin\l Little Nell to acces", the mountain and \1enerate traffic on City !'<trpet", over ann above the capacity increase resultin\1 from the new lifts on the mOUntain. 2. QUALITY OF OR IMPROVEMENT TO DESIGN (Maximum 39 points). The Commission shall consider each application with respect to the quality of its exterior and site design and any improvements proposed thereto, and shall rate each developnent by assigning points according to the following formula: 0 Indicates a totally def ici ent design. I Indicates a major design flaw. 2 Indicates an acceptable (but standard design) . 3 Indicates an excellent desi gn. The following shall be rated accordingly: a. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN- Considering the compatibility of the proposed building or any addition thereto (in terms of size, height, location and building materials) with the existing neighborhood developnents. RATING: 1.5 (Multiplier: 3) pOINTS: 4.5 COMMENTS: 1'he techniQues employed in the desi'Jn. incl udi n\1 the ,,10ped roof. stepped roof forms. use of dormers. balconies and pedp"trian arcade. partial flat roof and an'Jled buildin'J corners All tenn to renuce the perceiveclmass and hei\1ht of the builclin\1' Neverthple",,,,, the hotel will be a lar\1e structure. cban\1in\1 the' open perception of the base area from the eastern portion of DllrAnt Street. The buildin\1 appro"imates the hei\1ht of the neighborin\1 bllildin\ls IWoodstone. North of Nell and A"'pen SQuare). ha", a perceived size that is les" thAn its neighbors. Ann contai n", a simil ar setback on the lot from the street to tho"e of its nei\1hhors. A flaw in the desi\1n is that the appl iCAnt' s shadow !'<tudy "tates that III Durant will he in ",hade for mo",t of the winter! and 12] Sprin\1 Street will he shaded in t'hp aft'ernoon from the buildin\1' and i", already "haded in the mornin\1 from the l"oodstone. hilt does rE>ceive some sun durin\1 mid- day. Finallv. oVE>rall. the architecture 'i" ",till far too Rchpmatic for thi" "ta',lE> in the review process. b. SITE DESIGN - Considering the quality and character of the proposal or the improvements to the existing landscaping and open space areas, the extent of undergrounding of utilities, and the provision of pedestrian amenities (path, benches, etc.) to enhance the design of the ,development and to provide for the safety and privacy of the users of the dev el opn ent . RATING: I (Multiplier: 3) pOINTS: 3 " ,~ -. COMMENTS: The mall in Hunter and Dean Streets is a Ri~nificant im!;)rovement to the area, however. necesRary to Rerve the project ann not to he fully paid forhy ASC. as area near Tippl!>!: is reRpooRibility of improvement di!'ltrict. Parks Dept. Questions who will maintain the mallR over ~ime. Two significant flaws in tho> program include tho> propol'<ed skier dropoff. extendinll into nurant Street potentially creating turning conflicts with traffic, and creatinQ an entrance image on Durant of parking. and the lack of any true open space on nurant. with the parking suhstituting for open space. not meeting Connition .1 of Conceptual Approval. . c. ENERGy CONSERVATION - Considering the use of insulation, solarener gy devi ce s, pa ssive solar orientation and, simi;Lar techniques to maximize conservation of energy and use of. solar energy sources in the lodge or any addition thereto. ' RATING: 3 (Multiplier: I) POINTS: 3 COMMENTS: Ener9Y conservation ,mea ",ure", are standard for the curr,ent, Rtate-of-the-art. and include ",olar orientation. sub'ilrade con!'ltruction. heat exchange recovery aystemR in high ventilation areas. heat retentive glazipg. ultra efficient light sourceR and insulation meeting or exceeding codes. We would like to r eco \In i ze th every Ri gni f i "ant cont r i hut i on hY thi s appl icati on to air Qual ity hy inRtall ing "gas log" type fireplaces in the hOb'l units. and feel that this category i!'l the mORt appropraite pI ace to do RCl. d. PARKING AND CIRCULATION - Considering the quality and effiCiency of the internal circulation and parking system for the proj ect, or any additi on thereto, including the proposed automobile and service vehicle access and loading areas, and the design features to screen, parking from ~blic views. RATING: I (Multiplier: 3) PO INTS: 3 COMMENTS: The single covered service acce!'l'" point on Spring Street- i", preferable to the two points shown at thp Conceptual level. Parkin<,l haR heen increaRed to 116 (not 1181 spaces. all under ground hut i R ba Red on unusually low demand rateR (l. e.. 0.7 Rpaces/longe room. .S Rpaces/IOOO s.f. retail. 1 Rpace/lOOO restaurant/bar) a Th@ rEmoval. of ,th~ maintenance flln"ction from the haRe will hE!lp circulation on the sitE!. aR well as have visual benefits. However. design flaw... a!'l noted by Jay Hammond ann the Planning Office are plimination of public pinking on Durant. potential traffic flow problemR in the Rkier dropoff.,v effect", on nurant Avenue. parking. circulation and access,/ problem'" created for the Tipple Inn and the Tippler (Ree aIM / letter from Jack Crawford). and a potential !':tacking prohl em on v Spring Street from carR I eaving the porte cochere and turning onto Durant rather than entering the parkin<;l garage (i.e.. taxi dro!;) offs t-o hotel or bar1. e. VISUAL IMPAC1' - Considering the scale and location of the proposed buildings or any addition thereto, to maximize public views of surrounding scenic areas. RAT ING: 2 (Multiplier: 3) POINTS: 6 COMMENTS: The most crucial view of' th.. site. from Hunter Street to A Rpe n Mounta i n. ha", been preRe rv ed. Vi ewpl ane impact s from de",i<;lnated puhlic location", are totally avoided. N..vertheless. the project will drastically change the view of the mountain from the eastern end of Durant Avenue. This IORR of viewR will be' ~, ~ offl'let by the nramatic vil'lual America' s premier l'lki mountain recreational rel'lource. improvement to the hal'le of ann Al'lpen I s most impo rtant 3. AMENITIES PROVIDED FOR GUESTS (MuimUlll 21 points). The Commission shall consider each application with respect to the quality and spaciousness of its proposed services for guests' as compared to the size of the proposed lodging project or any addition thereto. The Commission shall rate each developllent by assigning points according to the following formula: o Indicates a total lack of guest amenities. 1 Indicates services which are judged to be deficient in terms of quality of spaciousness. 2 Indicates services which are judged to be adequate in terms of quality and spaciousness. 3 -- Indicates serv ices which are judged to be exceptional in terms of quality and spaciousness. The following shall be rated accordingly: a. Availability of or improvements to the existing on-site common meeting areas, such as lobbies and conference areas, in relation to the size of the proposed lodging project or any addition thereto. RATING: 2 "L~ r. I',IY' ., I, ;\J.~ \,- (0'\() ll.'/COMMENTS: The hotel provides a l'lingle conference room of ahout \lY','jI" 1000 l'l.f. in the l'luh\7rane area. A multi purpol'le room on the Il'y il" ',lohny level il'l also to he ul'led for meetings. as is a third room. /i' ',lr' the "Boa rd" room. These latter two area s pro"; ine an andi ti onal rS I,n~ ,v 1000 l'l.f. of meeting space., The 10hl1Y appears aneQuate for the c'vV' hotel'l'l nel'!ds. It is impnssibll'! to evaluate the Quality of any !.\0-Q,ll' of the amenity l'lpaces nUl" to the sketchy drawings 'provinen to lY \ date. although reprel'lentationR arp that this will he a "firRt, ~~) :~a""":v:::ialbiit;~ty of or improvements to the existing on-site dining facilities, including any restaurants, bars and banquet facilities, in relation to the size of the proposed lodging project or any addition thereto. (Multiplier: 3) POINTS: 6 RATING: 2 (Multiplier: 2) POINTS: 4 if COMMENTS: Four nining/drinking spaces have heen inentified in the pl an. There arl'! two sllbl'ltantial reRtaurants at the lohhy level. ann a har/lounge. A nightclub. npscrihed in the plan nil'lClll'll'lion. couln not he locatpn on thp drawingl'l. The rpl'ltaurant ann har l'lpacPl'l al l'l0 have outdoor areal'l to continue the present experienN> on the neck at Little Nell. The n!ning experience' shoul d he an upgrade. al though the "funk! ness" of the present eatin'ol and nrinking areas at the hal'le may be 10l'lt. It should he notE'n that there are presently two reRtaurants on thE' site ann a bar. all of which have a n!Rtinctly local flavor. The change in , style to "luxury" rel'ltanrant. al'lnoted in the plan. will serve0 one type of quest. hut displace ariQt;her. and !l'l thereforI' not' jungento hI' an improvement. hut rnerply a Rtandard amenity. " 1", - c. Availability of or improvements to the existing on-site accessory recreational facilities, such as health clubs, pools and other active areas, in relation to the size of the proposed lodging project or any addition thereto. RATING: 3 (Multiplier: 2) l'OINTS: 6 COMMENTS: The applicant~ are providin<;/ an outdoor pc:> 0 1 of ahout ~ S5' x 35' and deck. a jacuzzi and a I=mh<;/rade health club of ahout 2200 ~.f.. with acce~~ to the decks. all for hotel <;/uests. The improvement~ for the 90mmunity in <;/eneral include the pllblic ski locker,~ in the compl ex. the propo~ed improvement~ to hiki n<;//bi ki nil trail ~ and. most impc:>rtantly. the commitment to, in<rt:all pither a detachable <;Illad 1 ift or \j:ondola at the base with a capacity of 1S00 to 2000 ~kiers per hour. 4. CONFORMANCE TO LOCAL PUBLIC l'OLICY GOALS (Maximum 15 points in Category A, normally 5 points in Category B) The Commission shall consider each application and its degree of conformity with local planning policies, as follows: a. PROVISION OF EMPLOYEE HOUSING The Commission shall award points as follows: o to 40% of the additional lodge employees generated by the project who are housed on or off-site I point for each 4% housed. 41 to 100% of the additional lodge employees generated by the project who are housed on or off-site I point for each 12% housed. (Multiplier: I) l'OINTS: 9 9 RAT ING : COMMENTS: The a ppl ica nt pro];O~e ~ to hou~e 30 of the S 4 net new employees <;/enerated b,y the deve1opnent. eQuivalent to 36 percent of net new ,emp1 Qyees. Empl oyee~, will be housed at the Hol iday House on W. Hopkin~ Avenlle. to be converted from lodqe to housin<;/. and will be hOllsed at hi<;/hly affordah1 e monthly low income rental prices of about SlOO per person. b. CONVERSION OF EXIS'l'ING UNrrS The Commission shall assign points to those applicants who guarantee to provide a portion of their low-, moderate-, or middle-income units by purchasing fully constructed units whi ch are not re st ri cted to Aspen 's ho using guidelines and placing a deed-restriction upon them in compliance with Section 24-11.10. Points shall be assigned according to the following schedule: PoINTS 1%-33% 34%-66% of all low-, moderate- and middle-income units proposed by applicant are to be purchased and deed-restricted of all low-, moderate- and middle-income units proposed by appl icant are to be purchased and deed-restricted 1 3 iI""'.. - 67%-100% of all low-, Illoderate- and middle-income units proposed by applicant are to be purchased and deed-restricted 5 RATING: 5 (Multiplier: I) POIllrS: 5 COMMENTS: All employees will he houspn in converted IlnitR. PleaRe notp that thi" cateqory Rhoulrl he "coren this ypar; althollqh P&Z recommennation and Ordinance 62. Series of 19S6 will el fro i na t~ th i R' l!at:~tjfory hpncef orth a 5. BONOS POIllrS (Maximum 6 points) The Commission members may" when anyone determines'that a project has not only incorporated and met the substant ive criteria of Section 24-1L6(b)(1), (2), (3) and (4), but has also exceeded the prov:isions of these subsections and achieved an outstanding overall design m eritfng recognition, award additional bonus points not exceeding ten 10) percent of the total points awarded under Section 24-11.6(b (I), (2), (3.) and (4), prior to the application of the corresponding multiplier. Any Commission member awarding bonus points shall provide a written justification of that award for the public hearing record. RATING: NIA (Multi pli er: 1) POIllrS: 6 . TOTAL POIllrS Point s in Category 1 : 7.5 (Minimum of 3 pts. req ui red) Poi nt s in Category 2: 19.5 (Minimum of 11.7 pts. required) Poi nt s in Category 3 : 16 (Minimum of 6.3 pts. required) Poi nt s in Category 4a: 9 (Minimum of 9 pts. required) Poi nt s in Category 4b: 5 (No minimum thresh,old) SUBTOTAL: 57 (60% threshold = 54 pts. ) , Bonus Point s: TOTAL POIllrS: ' 57 (Total' of 96 Avail abl e) Name of Commissioner member: Aepen/PitkinPlanning Office AR.l ,- ," ' ,-,., llEllORl\NDllll !:'ROH: l\lan Richman, Planning and Development Director .Tay Hammond, City Engineering~ ~'o: DA'l'E: January 20, 19S6 RE: Little tlell S.P.A. Precise Plan ~. ~- - ~-.. - ~.-~ - - -- -.- -- --.-.- -- - _.- -- ---- -- _.-- -.... --- -.-.. - - -- - - -- --.- _.- -~ .---~. -.- -. -- -- - -. --- _.___________________.._______----------------.------------______0______-------- Having reviewed the above application for precise plan approval of the Little Nell S.P.A., the City Engineering Department ~Iould offer the following comments; UTILITIES t'later - Generally, l'le are pleased ~Iith the and relocations presented by the applicant. informed of: svster:l improvements ~ie Ii ill neec:] to be Pumphouse Relocation - Conceptually, this does not appear to create problems though the City will need to approve all plans, equipment and access easements to all relocated facilities. 'Spring Street Line - We would recommend the upsizing of the proposed Spring Street water line to a 12 inch line with a valve at Durant and a valve, plug and kickblock at Ute .\venue to provide for fu~ure extension by the City. ' tlell Slope Line - The City ~/ould like to coordinate ~Iith the applicant the placement, by the City, of a parallel 6 inch main crossing the Nell slope adjacent to the nel1 12 inch proposed by the development. Easements - Relocation of water and other utilities will require nel1 easements from the ski Company. Also, sone existing easements will need to be formally abandoned by all utilities currently utilizing them. Electric ~ Relocation of City electric facilities in the area shall be at the applicant's expense with relocation and equipment design subject to approval by the City Electric Superi- ntendent. GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS Precise plan approval should be, subj ect to further geotechnical investigation to investigate slope stability and groundl./ater conditions in the areas of the proposed cut slopes and foundation and groundwater conditions in the areas planned for structures , ,-, ^ Page TI~o Little Nell S.P.A. Precise Plan January 20, 1906 per the Chen report. involves the potential South Spring Street. One important construction related concern need :{or retaining structures adjacent to Additional information is also required regarding the flood and debris flow risk from the Vallejo gulch area onto the project site and adjacent sites. Adequate mitigation should be provided to protect the project and any adjacent properties impacted by ne\~ grading. Related to the work undertaken by Chen to evaluate the geological hazard and mud flow risk for the Little Nell redevelooment site is the ongoing effort to evaluate the hazards and nitigation across the entire base cf the mountain. To the extent that the Aspen Skiing Company is the major land holder within the upSlope source areas and sin,ce a failure to mitigate the problems in the upslope area could affect Little Nell and other downslope sites, we \'/ouldrecommend that M3C be required to commit to ongoing hazard study, engineering and mitigation construction in those areas under their control via direct ownership, leasehold or other usage agreement as a condition of the Little Nell approval. STORH DRAINAGE Rea Cassens and Associates has provided a thorough analysis of the various basin impacts from the 5 year and 100 year storms. Conceptually, they appear to be both conservative and in keeping with City policy of detaining major flo\'iS and releasing them off-site at historic rates. The site plan, hO\'/eller do!!s not address the specific location of proposed detention facilities and channels. Precise plan approval should include adequate location and capacity for storm routing and detention. In addition, basin 1\-3 on the drainage plan indicates a discharge onto the Alps property. To the extent that this discharge has been increased due to grading or other site activity it should be detained by the Nell developer and released at histcric rates. PARKING AND CIRCULATION Service Access - Further detail with respect to appropriate turning radii for truck access and egress are needed. naintaining public parking on the east side of Spring adjacent to the Aspen Club Lodge is a concern as is the limited right-Of-way in Spring Street. Skier Drop-Off - The skier drop-Off proposed involves elimination of public on-street parking and an unworkable curb line extension adjacent to the Hunter Street, right-of-~Iay. \1e would recor.mend e:,ploration of al ternative designs that maintain on-street tJublic ~ I.. , ^ Page Three Little Nell S.P.A. Precise Plan January ~O, 1906 parking and revision of the curb design adjacent to the llorth-of- Nell. Parking - \1hile the parking provided on-site appears reasonable for the needs of the lodge and skier support facilities, we remain concerned about the adequacy of parking for the nell restaurants and for the increased skiers attracted to Little Nell by the proposed ne\~ lift and general area expansion. Expansion a!)proval by the County required 46 additional parking spaces and some indication of where these are to be located may be appropr- iate. SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT The appl icant should be required to commit, to participation in the Lodge Area Special Improvement District #HG-I pursuant to the representations in the application and appendix IO as a condition of the SPA agreement. ENCROACHMENTS Despite the representations in the application, lie have not received appropriate submittal materials or the fee for encroachment application. 8040 GREENLINE Subject to appropriate utility relocations, as represented by the applicant, as .,ellas reseeding of the revised slopes, \'le have no particular problems .,ith the proposed regro...ding or lift to\'ler construction under the 8040 criteria. VIEW PLANE Again, \~e are not particularly concerned about the Vie\'l plane issue. I \'lould suggest that one of the theories of the view plane \1aS that foreground obstructions may eventually be redeveloped and brought into compliance. Given the distance fror.l the I'1heeler and the minor nature of the intrusion, ho\~ever, \'le are not particularly concerned. Jill cOlLi ttleNell2 cc: Jim Ilarkalunas Rich Cassens o ,,-..,\ ^ I1EMORANDUM TO: Alan Richman Planning Dept. Bill Ness Parks Dept. Landscape Development Plan Little Nell January 9,1986 FR011: RE: DATE: ----------------~~------------------------~--------- After viewing the landscape conceptual site plan,I believe it to be a big improvement and should fit into the citys overall design.All the plants the architect will be using are indigenous with this elevation.My only concern is,Hho will be responsible for the maintenance of the trees along Durant St.,and the snow removal on Spring St.sidewalk in front of the hotel? ,'-" ^ RICHARD D, LAMM GOVERNOR PI-86-00 13 JOHN W, ROLD DIHECTOR January 6. 1986, COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY D' @ tr:> IC? DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES r--1i ~ l.S Q~ @"fi\\ 715 STATE CENTENNIAL eUILDING"';';' 1313 SHERMAN STREE I !ll i I DENVER, COLORADO 802031'HONE 1303) 866-2611 I' JIAll !i: , . I f1I1 - 9 /986 :,: ill ,. I 1 " 1, :'L (}Jj Mr. Alan Richman Aspen/Pitkin Planning Office 130 South Galena St. Aspen, CO 81611 Dear Mr. Richman: RE: LITTLE NELL LODGE, GMP We have reviewed the pertinent portions of this application and the general and engineering geology of the area. We concur with the findings and recom- mendations found in the Chen & Associates, and Rea-Cassens & Associates re- ports (Appendix 1 & 5 respectively). The potential problems associated with high watertable and slope instability are resolvable based upon detailed, site-specific design studies as recom- mended by Chen. These studies should be accomplished prior to actual con- struction or grading activities commence. The recommendations found in the Storm Water Drainage Report appear adequate for the water/mud floods anticipated. The observation for the need to update and revise the entire city plan is well taken. In summary, we see no adverse conditions of a geologic nature which should affect GMP approval. The detailed studies regarding slope stability and water table problems should be conducted prior to final approval. :::::.~ Senior Engineering Geologist bcr:JLH-86-049 GEOLOGY STORY OFTHEPAST", KEYTOTHE FUTURE -.. , ' MEMORANDUM t""", D ~~, @~D~~IIT I JAN - 7 1986 I U Date: January 6, 19S6 TO: Alan Richman, Planning Director FROM: Jim Wilson, Chief Building Official-;.v""'" Little Nell Lodge GMP/Precise Plan SUBJECT: The following fire, life, safety deficiencies are evident at this stage of the design: /' 1) Fire Department access to all sides of the building has not been provided, therefore the building must be protected throughout with an automatic fire sprinkler systc.. 2) Class III standpipes shall be provided as required by building code. 3) A stairway (centrally located) shall extend to the roof, while access via roof hatches is permissible at the other stairways. 4) The atriu. area must meet the requirements of the 1982 U. B.C., including a smoke removal system. / 5) The fire-safety code discourages day care centers in basement levels. A building permit will not be issued for the proposed child care center as it is currently designed. , 6) The north end of the corridor at Level ~12 exits into the parking garage, a violation of building code. 7) Any wood roofing material must be fire-retardant, Class B rated. In addition, the developer should be aware of the possibility of an effective building code change. [n 1986, the Building Department will be submitting the 19H5 U.B.C. to City Council for adoption. The building code in effect at the time of building pel"mit application will be applied to this project. cc: Peter Wirth, AVFD JW/ar ,-.., 1"';;., , . MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director Jay Hammond, Public Services Director ~ January 6, 19S6 Little Nell Base Development GMP Submission FROM: DATE: RE: =============:====~======~=======================~================ Having reviewed the above application for Growth Management Plan scoring of the Little Nell Base Development, ,the City Engineering Department would offer the following comments: WATER Subject to the commitments elCpressed by the applicant to: a. Abandon the Little Nell 12 inch steel line. b. Relocate and reinforce the Little Nell 12 inch gravity line (per Marky's letter of November 27, 19S5). c. Relocate pumping facilities to the snowmaking plant. d. Relocate well control and treatment facilities from the Hunter Street pumphouse into the lodge structure And, subj ect to the appl icant I swill ingness to assist and coordina te with the City in its installation of an additional line to the Aspen Alps, as well as upsizing of the proposed Spring Street line, we would view the proposal as a substantial upgrading of the area water system. We are currently analyzing some of the additional items above and will be more specific in our recommendation as soon as possible. Recommended Scoring -L SEWER Based on the development plan, and pursuant to the comments in Heiko Kuhn's letter of November 20, 19S5, the plan represents an improvement to the Aspen Sanitation District's system in the area. Recommended Scoring --.L S'l'ORM DRAINAGE The proposal responds to current requirements with regard to on-site detention of storm flows. In addition, it responds, at least conceptually, to the need for upsizing of detenti.on to accommodate potential mud flows and i.s beneficial to the area in general in that regard. Subsequent information , """ -, Page Two Little Nell Base Development GMP Submission January 6, 19 S6 regarding the specific location of detention facilities should be required. Recommended Scoring ---L FIRE PROTECTION The application provides for two new fire hydrants and is responsive to Peter Wirth's letter of November 21. The hydrants are recommended to serve the project and represent a standard solution to the needs of the new development. Recommended Scoring -L ROAD SYSTEM TDA's analysis would appear to indicate that the existing network is adequate. We are concerned that traffic generation figures for the winter months may be low anticipating the increased use of Little Nell as a skier access following completion of the Gondola. Generally, however" the road system should be adequate to provide some flexibility in the trip generation figures. Greater concerns resolv,e around parking and will be discussed later. Recommended Scoring -L SITE DESIGN The site plan calls for extensive utility relocation and proposes to place all .pro"(X>sed utilities" underground. We would ~equest some further detail regarding any existing utilities slated for undergrounding. Recommended Scoring ---L PARKING AND CIRCULATION Generally, parking provided for the lodge and base facilities, taken in consideration of a firm commitment to proposed van service, valet parking, employee shuttles, etc., would appear to be adequate. Problems include: a. Elimination of public parking on Durant to accommodate controlled skier drop-off and parking on the site. b. Parking, circulation and service access problems created for the Tipple Inn and the associated bar and restaurant. r--. Page Three Little Nell Base Development GMP Submission January 6, 19 S6 -. We would recommend further work in these areas to maximize public and require private parking. Recommended Scoring JH/co/LittleNellGMPSub -L . ,~, r---, ASPEN WATER DEPARTMENT T~:~\r? (C: ~ 0 W ~ ~~ "I ' ,'.:> 'C/ LS . I~I OEC24~ Ie; MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: ALAN RICHMAN, PLANNING OFFICE JIM MARKALUNAS LITTLE NELL LODGE GMP!PRECISE DECEMBER 23, 19B~ ~ ---.J/ ~ PLAN )1/j r:. ~f(A I-UtJ A. 5- This is to advise you that we have reviewed the Little Nell Lodge GMP/Precise Plan, and at this time, we do not have any additional comments. We do wish to reference our letter of Nov. 27, 19S5, and note that we have been in c,lose contact wi th the developer and engineers regarding this project. It has been suggested that the, 6" fire main in Spring St. be increased to a 12" for future connection to Ute Ave. We have no further comments to make at this time, except that the Water Department wishes to be advised of any changes in the overall plan and the scheduling of construction work, so we can properly schedule the necessary changes to our operations and construction activities. JM:ab '-\ .,-." , ASPEN.PITKIN ENVIRONMEN'TAL HEALTH CEPARTM,ENT MEMORANDUM CANl REV 1 F:~; FROM: Alan Richman, Planning Office Tho'mas S.' Dunlop, in rector ISD " Env ironmental Heal th Depart.n,"'nl TO: DATE: December 14, 19S5 RE: Little Nell Lodge GMP/Precise Plan =======~============================~====================~=:~=~~~.== The above-referenced submittal has been reviewed by thi:; ofUce for the following environmental concerns. AIR POLLUTION Solid Fuel Burning Devfces: The applicant has committed to install only "gas .i 09" Lyp': fireplaces in hotel suites and one wood-burning [ir,~pla"'l.' j,p the main hotel lobby. This approach is in conforffi'lnce willi policies of this department. The a'pplicant should be commended in this novel design feature to address the fireplace issue. As the result of many air pollution studies which have been perfornll~d in thE:' Aspen ~ietro area, it is well documented that every development., large or small, has the potential to negatively imrK'tct, ai I quality. The Aspen Skiing Company's progressive approach to this very sensitive issue should be considered as a Illodel for other fu~ure developments to follow. The applicant has met and/or exceeded their required comrli,lI1ce with current woodburning device legIslation. Construction Air Pollution Prior to any demolition of existing buildings, the iijJl'l i ..-ant V' shall certify through a qualified source that there i" no asbestos present in those buildings. Inspect.iN', ~;dlllp] i ng and analysis of any suspected asbestos material" will be required. If asbestos is present in the buildings, the appl ieant. ~;hall retain qualified asbestos removal personnel to [e,.,"ve the material. It shall be handled as a hazardous waste and di"pnsed nf in a designated landfill after the removal plan "...t'; ;,';U. 130 South Galena Street Aspen, Colorado B1G11 303/925-2020 ,""', ,-" Page Two Little Nell Lodge GMP/Precise Plan December 14, 19S5 approved by this 'department and the Colorado Health Departm- ent. Colorado Air POllution Control laws, Regulation 8 Section n,.3.4' dictates the need for this action. Further, during demolitio,n and construction the applicant will be required to remove any mud and dirt carry-out onto City streets by vehicle traffic from the site. This soLI. sball be removed by means of a mechanical street sweeper which will use a water/brush method. The soil contained within the machine shall be re-deposited on the applicants property. Daily cleaning of the impacted streets will be tbe applicants res,ponsibility. DEMOLITION t/ During actual razing of buildings, the applicant will be required to prevent windblown (fugitive) dust from leaving the property. This control may take the form of spraying the immediate demolition site with water. Other examples of acceptable control techniques include dust suppression chemicals, fencing the site, shrouding the work area, etc. v Contact by the project sponsor shall be made with the Colorado Health Department to determine if an emission permit and/or a fugitive dust control plan is reqUired for both the demolition and construction phase of the project. That determination is relative to the estimated emissions which will be generated (tons per year). Contact Mr. Scott Miller, Colorado Health Department, 222 S. 6th Street, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501, or phone him at 24S-7150 to inquire about Regulation 1, Section III; D,2,h titled "Demolition Activities. of the "Colorado Air Quality Control Regulations and Ambient Air Quality Standards," Revised March 19S3. ONDERGROOND PARKING It will be a requirement of this office that adequate air handling facilities be designed into the complex to eliminate any buildup of air contaminants inside the underground parking structures. NOISE ABATEMENT The applicant will be required to comply with City of Aspen J Ordinance 2 series 19S1 ti tled Noi se Aba temen t. All demol i tion and construction noise related activities shall be covered under the maximum decibel levels as directed by the ordinance. A project of this magnitude can be expected to generate persistent ,-." ,,~ Page Three Little Nell Lodge GMP/Precise Plan December 14, 1985 sound levels that'may be annoying to the neighborhood. The applicant must be aware of this and be conscious of methods and approach to minimize generation of complaint? to this office. ,Time of day, duration 'of specific activities and using the most technically quiet equipment are a few mitigating measures that may be involved. If complaints are 'received, the referenced ordinance will be the,governing document used in enforcement~ The submittal details plans for a night club to be included in the project. Construction techniques shall be employeed which will not allow sound generated from this facility to exceed the noise abatement ordinance maximum allowable decibel levels. Such sound levels would be measured at the property line. ^s a point of information, the applicant should also be considerate of guests at the lodge and design the night club to not interfere with their comfort. CONTAMINATED SOILS No evidence of mine dumps or mine tailings being present on the project site are indicated in the Chen and Associates report. However, during demolition, excavation and construction if such soil types are discovered the following shall apply. All suspected mine waste materials shall be sampled and evaluated for Lead, Zinc, Arsenic, Cadmium and other metals commonly found in mine dumps or mine tailings. The sample analysis shall be provided to this office from a qualified laboratory for evaluation. If elevated levels of heavy metals are identified. mitigating measures will be required. Professionally competent people in the field of geoloyy wi.ll be required to develop the mitigation plan. SF;WAGE DISPOSAL Service to this project of a public sewage collection system as provided by the Aspe.n Consolidated Sanitation District i!: in conformance with pol-icies of this office. This will include installation and maintenance of grease traps as ((:qui (cd by the District. WATP.H suppr.y Service to this project by the distri.bution lines as provided by the City of r\~pen Vitltcr Department i1; in <':OJlf<"HllIallc(.~ wi tJi policie:..; ,~ ,,-, Page Four Little Nell Lodg!! GMP/Precise Plan December 14, 1965 of this office. FOOD SERVICE All food service establishments shall comply with Colorado Rules and Regulations governing such 'facilities. This will include not only restaurants, bars and lounges,' but also mountain restaurant food storage areas. Proper licensing of these facilities through this department will be required prior to service of food to the public. ' ~ Compliance with Section 11-2.4 of the Aspen Municipal Code titled "Restaurant Grills" will also be required. This section addresses the type of cooking dev ices which can be installed and operated in new or remodeled food service establishments. SWIMMING POOLS/SPAS Swinuning pools and spas must comply with the Rules and Regulations governing such facilities as required by Colorado standards. Throughout this review reference has been made to various rules, regulations, ordinances and laws. Copies of "UI of them may be found in this office. It is recommended that architects under contract to this project become famil i a r with them du ri ng the design phases. TSD/co/LittleNell TO: FROH: RE: DATE: ^ """" ~IENORI\NDUM Ci ty J\ttor l1ey City Engineer Housing Director Aspen l'later Dept. Environmental r!ealth DeFt. ,Aspen "Consoiidated Sanitation, Dist'ti"Ct Parks Department Fire Chief Chief Duildir.o Official Zoning Enforcement Officer 1\I"ah Richman, PI anni ng Off ice Little Nell Lodge GI'W/precise Plan December II, 19S5 ====~=============================~======::===========~==============~= Attached for your revie\\' is an application subrr.itted by Peter Forsch of the Aspen Skii.ng Cor.:p:lny. This application consists of a request for a 96 unit Lodge Gnp quota allotment, Precise Plan revie\, (since the property is located in the CC zone district with an SPA overlay), Conditional Use, 8040 Greenline Review and l:ountain Viewplar.e Review. \'Ie are referring this application at this [.Oint in time although there are additional materiels el:pected from the applicant (c.g., addi- tional drawings to be submitted around 1st of year), ~lhich \,.'e will provide to appropriate referral agencies at the time they are submit- ted. Also, please note that we are referring full scale plan sets to a select group of the ref erral agencies. If other agencies are interested in seeing full scale plan set't;, they are available here in the Planning Office. He I,'ould appreciate if you would please limit your cOlilnents to your o~m parti cul ar ar ea of e xperti se. If you have any questions a s to IV hy this application Has referred to you and Hhat comments we may be looking for from you, please contact me. This application is unusu- ally complel( and has a great deal of politicCll importance.. I-Ie, therefore, need your CO,c:H2nt.s on time, and in ani' case, no later thCln J<:<nunry 6, 1986.' l'le cannot. accept delays in this case. Thank you for your cooFcration in advance. -r(V~ /-i5/'Je..:.- CO-S)L-'...."'ref) .i,A_4r"'I".~""" 1d.1 '. I~ I.. j"L I ... I~ :.:.. .t1. -- ~e A..""",~ _ t _~::. 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' , /, In[:'~, ::..(-..- t/t/':'- " MEK>RANDU M FROM: Aspen City Council Hal Schilling, City Manager Alan Richman, Planning and Development Director ~ TO: TH 1<IJ : DATE: Conceptual SPA Submission - Little Nell Base Redevelopment September 17, 19S5 RE: --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- APPLICANT'S REQUEST: The Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) requestsconcep- tual SPA approval for the redevelopment of the Little Nell base area. The applicant also requests that the boundaries of the area designated as, SPA be expanded. Presently, the SPA Overlay covers that portion of the site (about 43,000 square feet) which has a "ce" - Commercial core zone designation. The applicant requests that the SPA overlay be expanded across about 45,000 additional square feet which is now designated "c" - Conservation, with no change in the underlying C-zone designation being requested. APPLICABLE CODE SECl'IONS: There are several sections of the newly adopted Ordinance 20 which are particularly pertinent to the a ppl i- , cant's request, including the following: "Section 24-7.2 Procedure for Designation of Sites as SPA (a) Parcels of land shall be designated with a Specially Planned Area (SPA) overlay or the boundaries of parcels already designated with' an SPA shall be adjusted only following the procedures and requirements for amendments to the zoning map described in Article XII of this chapter, and by submitting a conceptual plan for development of the parcel, as described below." (c) In designating parcels with an SPA overlay, the Planning Commis- sion and City Council shall make findings as to the unique characteristics of the parcel which justify its designation with an SPA overlay, including how the parcel complies with the intents and purposes of this Article." "Section 24-7.3 Conceptual Plan (a) An applicant for any site designated, or proposed to be designat- ed with an SPA Overlay shall submit a conceptual plan, for the purpose of establishing the Objectives which the SPA designation is to achieve. The conceptual submission shall include a statement of the intent and a conceptual description of the type of development which is proposed to take place on the parcel, including but not limited to use categories, overall ,-" ^' proj ect density, and design concepts to be employed. The applicant shall consult with the Planning Directqr as to the submission requirements prior to the submission of the conceptual plan; however, as a general guide, it is not intended that the submission go into the technical detail required of conceptual subdivision or conceptual IUD." ' In my opinion, the key p:>ints regarding conceptual review which are contained in the above statements are as follows: 1. Adj ustment of the boundar ies of an SPA requires that rezoning procedures (Le., pUblic hearing before P&Z, Ordinance adoption by City Council) be followed. We attach a prop:>sed Ordinance for your first reading consideration. 2. If Council supports the alteration of the Little Nell SPA boundaries, it must identify "the unique characteristics of the parcel which justify its designation with an SPA overlay." Therefore, we must make such findings wi th respect to the new area requested for designation if we are to support this request, ,as was done by P&Z in their attached resolution. 3. Conceptual SPA is a very broad review process, intended princi- pally to identify the overall type and form of development which is to take place on the parcel. In this respect, it is closer to a zoning process, which establishes the uses and area and bulk requirements for a parcel, than a subdivision or IUD process, which deals with design standards and technical feasibility of the project. These detailed COncerns are more properly to be addressed at the precise plan stage which follows conceptual approval by Council. PLANNING OFFICE REVIEW: The Planning Office review of this project can be broken down into the following categories: 1. Major design issues, inCluding referral comments; and 2. Growth rate issues. Following this review, a summary of the pros and cons of the project is presented, and a Planning Office recommendation is made. For a detailed summary descrip:ion of the project and an analysis of the existing deficiencies of the base area, we refer you directly to the materials provided by the applicant. ~ MAJOR DESIGN ISSUES: 1. Use - The conceptual plan is the appropriate time to review the use categories proposed for the project. The uses proposed in the Little Nell Base Redevelopment are as follows: o Hotel - 96 rooms (approximately 77 ,700 sq. ft. above grade 2 ^ ^ and 15,700 subgrade). subgrade spaces serving rooms. Included in the hotel are various skiers such as lockers and rest- o COlIIIDercial - Approximately 16,100 sq. ft., of which about 13,400 sq. ft. is requested for verification as existing space. (Note: This square footage is included in the above hotel size estimate.) o Ski Area Support Facilities - Approximately 10,000 square feet of subgrade space, some of which is a reconstruction of existing space (note: the applicant should clarify the breakdown of uses within this space and how much is a rebuild of existing offices and support areas for the purposes of establishing the commercial quota for which the applicant will be applying). This area is principally ski administration space, but also included in this category are the new lifts at the base area, for which no FAR has been provided. o Parking - 77 subgrade spaces are proposed, at a rate of .7 spaces per room (96 x .7 = 67) plus 10 spaces for key employees, in an area of about 30,000 square feet. The Planning Office believes that the proposed mix of uses is an appropriate one for this SPA site. The .,!1ote.l is a conditional ~_,tJl__j:.P:~__c:.Cz()nE?' while the commercial uses are permitted in this zone. The ski area support facilities are an appropriate use of the land in the Conservation zone district. More will be said about the appropriateness of the proposed uses in the section of this memo concerning the proposed boundary change to the SPA overlay. However, at this point it is clear that the intrusion of the hotel and commercial area into the portion of the site zoned C, with an SPA overlay requested, would be a variation in the uses allowed in that district. ':'':',/'. /:'i"i:.~ It 2. o,~~ I 2. Area and Bulk Requirements - The key area and bulk requirements of the CC zone district which apply to this developnent ,are as follows: o Maximum Height - 40 feet - The building has been scaled at 46 feet to the top of the roof and appears to be able to meet the 40 foot limit to the midpoint of the roof. Final determination of compliance would be made at the preci se pI an stage. o Percent Open Space - 25% If we include both the present and proposed SPA areas, the site contains about BS, S62 sq uare feet, of which 61, 003 sq uare feet are to be kept in open space (approximately 6S.5% open space). However, according to the definition of open space in Section 24-3.7 (d), open space must be open to the street and unobstructed 3 ^ .-, from ground level and have a mlnlmUm street frontage of 100 feet and a minimum depth of 10 feet. The purpose of these provisions is to provide visual relief along the street from the mass of the building. Since the pedestrian plaza is not within the applicant's ownership, there is no area along the Durant Street frontage ,which meets this provision. However, the open spaces does front on Dean Street. As a condition of P&Z I s reconunenda- tion, the applicant has been asked to verify with the Zoning Official that this open space meets the requirements of the Code. In any case, the building as proposed has an exten- sive facade mass, and by not having open space along Durant Street within the applicant's ownership, will particularly ,affect views from the Aspen Square Complex. Also important in this regard are the shadow effects on Durant Street, as noted in condition 15 of the' P&Z resolution. o External FAR - 1.5:1 There are two possible methods to calculate the external FAR for the project. First, the FAR can be calculated based on the existing CC/SPA site, which would ,involve 43,124 square feet of lot area and 77,71S square feet of building, amounting to an FAR of I.SO:l. A second approach would be to include in the calculation the area zoned C, and proposed to have an SPA overlay placed on it. In this case, the site would be SS, S62 square feet and the FAR would be 0.S7:l. Based on the precedent ,set in the review of the Aspen Mountain Lodge, the land zoned C should not be included in the FAR calculation, since the uses proposed (hotel, conunercial) are not permitted or condition- al uses in the C zone. Therefore, the applicant is request- ing a variance from the CC FAR from 1.5:1 to about I.S:l. The applicarit can also' request Special Review approval to increase the allowable conunercial FAR on the site to 1.7:1 by providing employee housing in the appropriate ratio on- or off-site. o parking There is no requirement for parking for lodging or commercial uses in the CC zone. There is also no parking requirement for lodge uses in the C zone, but the Code 'does require that parking for "all other uses," (i.e., the commercial space) receive Planning Commission review. Both the Engineering Department and the Planning Office have serious doubts about the adequacy of 77 spaces for a project of this magnitude. The application references "recent downtown parkihg studies" (presumably those for the Aspen ~Iountain roD) to justify this level of parking provision. We would like to see additional study of this issue to justify that the 'parking needs of the lodge rooms, adminis- trative offices, commercial spaces and skier support facilities are being met by this proposal. We would al so note that the building is proposing to displace approxi- 4 ^ ^ mately 30 parking spaces which now exist on the property, although only about 10 of these spaces are used year-round. The parking issue is addressed by Condition 113 of P&Z Resolution 85-IS. 3. SPA Boundary Change The applicant prop::>ses to adjust the boundary of the area designated with an SPA overlay. The applicant does not request any change in the extent of the area designated as CC. Instead, it is proF.()sed that an SPA desig- nation be placed over approximately I acre of property currently designated only as conservation. The applicant's zoning boundary change differs significantly from that which was considered and eventually denied by City Council in 19S3, The extent of the area requested for SPA designation is considerably less than that previously identified and corresponds directly to that area in which the hotel, commercial and ski support facilities are to be located at the toe of the slope. In fact, by extending the boundary, we insure that the location of the 1 ift s is considered at the same time a s the remainder of the base area development. We find that the increase in the SPA boundary does meet the test 'of being unique and providing public benefit in that it permits integrated planning of the lift locations in conjunction with the remainder of the base area development. Without the SPA Overlay, our review of the ski lifts would be limited to the conditional use review process. Furthermore, the site itself is unique' due to its location at the gateway to Aspen Mountain, and the year- round recreational benefits to the community which can be provided there. The Planning Office supports the proposed boundary adjustment with the following qualifications: a. The area designated C-SPA is not used in the calculation of the FAR for the project, due to the rationale noted above. b. Final approval of the boundary change should only occur in conjunction with final approval of the precise plan for the project. Therefore, the City Council should accomplish a first reading of the ordinance, and table second reading until a precise plan submission is reviewed in 19S6. c. In the event that final approval of the project expires, the boundary of the SPA should revert to its prior configuration until a new conceptual and precise plan is submitted. Each of these qualifications was accepted by P&Z and included in their attached Resolution. 4. proj ect Visibility There are at least three aspects of the 5 ^ 1""">, project's visibility which we believe are of concern to the community. First, there is a concern about the historic ability of residents and visitors to view the base of the mountain from various points in town. In my opinion, the view corridor up Hunter Street provides the least cluttered sight lines which must be preserved. I have reviewed a computer simulation prepared by the applicants which will be included in their slide show. This simulation appears to demonstrate that because of the pedestrian pla:z;a, the hotel will not cause a signiJicant impact on the Hunter Street view. However,"r have asked the applicants to move the reference point for this view back down Hunter Street from Durant to Cooper and even to Hyman to better evaluate this impact, and feel that this information could be requested at the conceptual review stage. P&Z addressed this concern in Condition #4 of Resol ution S5-IS. Detailed architectural renderings and elevations would not be expected until the precise plan stage. A second visibility question has to do with the regrading of the Little Nell slope. I have been informed that either the new quad lift or the gondola will require an extensive flat area to allow the I ift motor s to bring the chair or the gondola up to the necessary minimum speed. This flat area will also have the significant benefit of allowing easier pedestrian access to the lifts, drastically improving circulation at the base area. We will need to see a detailed grading plan to evaluate the extent of th,e cut which will be required and to obtain a clearer idea of the degree to which the historic appearance of the base of the mountain will be altered. This concern is addressed as Condition #5 of Resolution S5-lS. A final vi sibil ity question has to do with the City's mountain viewplane and S040 review criteria. It appears that a portion of the site may technically fall within the Cooper Avenue viewplane, or possibly even be affected by the Courthouse or Wheeler viewplanes. It also is unclear from the applicant's presentation whether or not the project falls within 50 yards below the S040 greenline. The applicant should stUdy these viewplane and greenline concerns and, if review is required, submit the necessary documentation at the precise plan stage of review. 5. Circulation Several conceptual circulation issues have been raised by our review of the conceptual site design. First, the resolution of the Board of County Commissioners approving the Aspen ~lountain Ski Area /fJZlster Plan (AMSAMP) requires that the taxi-limo-auto drop-off facility at Little Nell be maintained. We do not see where provision for this facility has been made on the conceptual drawings. This issue received extensive attention at the P&Z level and was finally addressed as COndition #7 of Resolution S5-lS. The applicant also has not made provision for the 46 off-street, skier automobile parking, space's required to mitigate the, effects of the 1,300 daily skiers-at-one-time capacity increase, on Aspen ~lOuntain. However, the BOCC Resolu- 6 1"""'\ !""""\ tion states that this requirement can be met either at the base of Little Nell, through a cash contribution, or through an off- site solution by ASC. A second circulation question has to do with the location of service delivery areas on Spring Street, opposite the Woodstone Inn, and on Dean Street, behind the North of Nell building. These two entrances are intended to serve the ,vehicles bringing goods to the hotel-commercial facility, and for the restaurants on the mountain, respectively. The City Engineer questions whether it is appropriate to have two such service yards, or if a single area can be provided to consolidate these operations. 'Given our recent experience with the Aspen Hountain Lodge service yard on Monarch Street, we want to insure that these facilities impact the least number of sur- rounding residents. Condition liS of ResolutionS5-IS states that we would like the applicant to demonstrate that adequate room has been left for stacking trucks within the service yards and for making necessary turning movements, without causing interference with traffic on either Spring Street or Dean Str eet. With respect to overall traffic circulation, the aJ212J,.iJ;,aot_!:uui~ pr ov i de d_l!~.ti.,1:h._,.n9.~j,n~gIIll3! tJ.'OIl.".w:!1?,j:"l>.Qe,v e r" .on th~" a, d eq l.la cy()f Durant '__~~.mE9.,._<,l.I}~L,R~,?n.$J;I.eet.l>.,to,.handle,.the traff ic vol u!l}J':s, fiOm"SKJ.ers" guests, emplOYees and ,users of thecommeroal spac'(s':"""coiidit:COn'1I9' of'Resol uti on S5-18 requi res that ". sucn te'cfiiiical inf ormation be provi ded in conj uncti on with pre ci se pI an review. One .of the most positive aspects of the applicant's proposal is the improvement to pedestrian circulation ,which is expected to resul t form the, plazas on Hunter and Dean Streets. The appl icant appears to have given thoughtful attention to the placement of the ticket booths, the lift and the entrance to the mountain. We are conceptually pleased with this effort, but note that neither Dean Street nor Hunter Street is owned by ASC, although the applicant states that it does have easements over these pro- perties. The ASC must clarify its intent with respect to these right-of-ways at the time of precise plan review, and provide us with copies of these easements as soon as possible, since with.out these areas, there is certain to be inadequate access for pedestrians to the mountain. P&Z has requested that efforts be made including coordination with the City, to increase the extent of this pedestrian gatelvay to the mountain. We also need to clarify the kinds of vehicles which will be permitted on Dean Street, since the applicant already intends to have service vehicles, here, and possibly emergency (fire, ambulance, etc.) vehicles as well, which could affect the pedestrian character of, the street. Finally, the applicant has 7 ,-., ~\ been asked in Condition i18 of facilities connecting to Ute through the site. Resolution S5-IS to provide trail Avenue and Aspen Mountain Road 6. Miscellaneous Technical COncerns - From our review of the Aspen Mountain roD it has become clear that we must take a much closer look at geologic hazards in the review of any developllent at the base of Aspen Mountain. Cond'ition no of Resolution S5-IS requires that a conclusive, technical study demonstrating that no hazard is posed to this project, or that any hazard can be fully mitigated, be provided prior to the review of the precise plan. 'I'he applicant has also been asked to address off-site drainage as it affects this site and on-site drainage in Condition #22 of P&Z Resolution 85-IS. A memo has been received from Jim Markalunas of the Aspen Water Department noting the presence of City water 'pumping facilities in the east half of Hunter Street., Jim ,feels that relocation of this facility is technicJ.lly possible and should not bean impediment to the project. Condition HI of Resolution S5-18 requires that technical details of the proposed solution to this problem be provided at the precise plan stage. There appear to be no problems whatsoever with the provision of sewage disposal service for this project by the Aspen Consolidated Sanitation Di st rict. Several_.~~~c!:_~._Qf.-,,,.1::l:!.'L.P?l:i~Lj;J;<<=_a_planrelate to, cOmmitments mad~ during- the review of MlSAMP, Fir sf: ; Ai3C'comriiitted to'a""seneral- rz'ed'de'sigii"'f-or--th~eITh- Structure at the base which would insure that it not be a large, obtrusive building in which hundreds of chairs would be stored. Compliance with this condition should be' demonstrated at the preci se plan review stage, as noted in Condition 112 of P&Z' s attached Resolution. The applicants also committed to provide lift service on Little Nell for special events, ski instructions, and secondary access to Lift 5. The applicants agree at this time to provide such service via a mid-way unloading station (if a detachable quad chair is implemented) or via a relocated number 4 lift (if a gondola is implemented). -_,'-" Finally, the applicants agreed to removing the snowcat mainte- I'" A'''') nance shop from the base area and relocating it to the mainte-"'i/'#J" nance facility on the mountain. Accomplishment of this commit-71IM/"!,.. ment will significantly improve the look of the base area, as\V~t'nli'I will the consolidation of the snowcat loading dock function in a or.!. <,', much less obtrusive location. Both of these commitments are qfl~1:tII- contained in the conceptual SPA plan. '7 One amenity requested by the Planning Office but not made a condition of approval by the County was the provision of public ski storage facilities on site. We felt that such storage would S ,..., ~ be an auto disincentive by making it easier for people to travel about town without excess baggage before and after skiing. We are pleased to see the inclusion of public lockers and ski lockers in the hotel plan. We would like the applicant to clarify that these lockers will be available for public overnight storage of skis, boots and accessories. A concern raised by the City Engineer and the P&Z in Condition Ji16 relates to snow shedding from the roof. The applicant has been a ske d to addr ess th is probl em to insure that pedestr ians are not affected by snow from the hotel. A last technical issue is that of employee housing. The app- licant has put this issue off to the precise plan review stage, and indicate that the requirements will be satisfied at an off- site location. The Planning Office does not object to this approach at the conceptual stage, pending review of the location, quality and quantity of the proposed housing. GROWTH RATE ISSUES A. Problem Statement Under the provisions of Ordinance 20, the applicants will not submit their growth management a ppli cation unt il the preci se plan is submitted. Council recently changed the due date for 19S5 lodge allocation submission other than LC-3 from OctOber I to December I. Therefore, you can expect a lodge GMP application to be submitted by this applicant on December I of 19S5 or OctOber 1 of 19S6. Even though we are not yet reviewing the GNP application at this time, the Planning Office believes that the question of the allocation itself is a conceptual issue. Presuming for the moment that the applicant is succe ssf ul in meeting the competi- tive threshold, we feel the Council should provide the applicant with an indication of the likelihood of obtaining an allocation for this project. We pose this issue because of the unique circumstances associated wi th this year I s lodge competition. As you recall, the City granted an allocation of 172 lodge units to the Aspen Mountain roD. This allocation consisted of 32 lodge units unallocated from prior years, and the full 35 unit per year allocation for 19S3, 19S4, 1985 and 19S6. In effect, the lodge quota available for this year and next year i.s o. Section 24-11.3 (b) of the Municipal Code provides that: "(b) The City COlincil may (but need not) grant a developuent allotment for an entire project to be constructed over a period of years provided that !!ach year during the scheduled construction the annual allotment provided for in Section 9 ^ ~ 24-ll.1 shall be reduced by the amount of construction permitted by the approval." Therefore, it is clear from the above language that the City can award an allocation to this project from the 19S7, 19S5 and most (26 of 35) units of the 19S9 quotas. Therefore, the question for us to analyze is whether the City should, from a planning and development perspective, award such an al.location. B. Numerical Analysis In the opinion of the Planning Office, one key consideration in awarding a future allocation is that we have approved a series of lodge projects in recent years which have not yet been occupied and whose impacts have yet to be felt. Included within this list are the following projects: 1. Aspen Mountain Lodge (275 rebuilt units, 172 new units) 5i"c,.)j",'x::..-2. Hotel Jerome PUD (2S rebuilt units in phase I,ll ., 1,1 >"rebuilt and 67 new units in phase II). ~ VI 3. Sardy House (20 new lodge units) . )..)01'" IP (,..1.),),.,;;.;., 4. Highlands Inn Renewal ( 37 rebuil t un its, 136 new units) . tJ("i {.t'("'dP'/,_ 5. Hot el Aspen (13 new units). The above projects amount to about 350 rebuilt units and over 400 new units in the Aspen Lodging inventory, none of ~lhich have yet been occupied. Other projects which have recently been occupied and which demonstrate the level of activity in Aspen's lodging market include the 14 rebuilt and 4 new units at the Hotel Lenado, the 35 rebuilt units at the Hotel Aspen (Nugget Lodge), and the 35 rebuilt and 3 new units at The Aspen (Applejack). Units which are approved to be removed from the inventory include the 14 at the Copper Horse and 40 at the Alpina Haus. -S1;0,:",.(j Ie'"", t./ y , (ff'~"{t,:'{/ ;r...; (Note: When the units at these two facilities are deed-restrict- (0 ;-11,; ed, the change in use provisions of the Code will require us, to'n": credit the L-3 quota with these 54 units, and to deduct 54 units l)".,'""~,,, from the re-sideriEfal quota.) 1//1i( (r/t rl.''''~ 'I' 711ft 4":1);1' The Council should also be aware that the Code (Section 24-11.2) !II,'/', 'c'" requires that when a building permit is issued for the new units Q~6{/''''' in the Sardy House (this occurred in August, 19S5) and Hotel Jerome projects (expected in Spring" 19S6), we will have to deduct those units from the lodge quota. This requirement means that, in effect, these projects have taken the availabl e quota for 1987, 19S5 and part (17 units) of the 19S9 quota. Therefore,,: the Little Nell Base Redevelopment project could be seen as 10 I"" ,-, requestin.g the remainder of the quota for 19S9, 1990 and 1991 (less 2 units). C. Policy Analysis During the Planning Commission's review of this project, quite a controversy was created when the Planning Office presented the above numerical analysis. Some members of the Commission felt that additional study of the lodging inventory should be done, since there have been assertions of an overall loss of short-term pillows over the last 10 years which have not been addressed by the formulation of the lodge quota. The applicant provided some data to support this claim,al though admittedly not a comprehen- sive study of this issue. The ,appl icant al so provided a numerical analysis of the lodge quota. This analysis found that if the 54 units in the Copper Horse and Alpina Haus are credited to the L-l/L-2/CC/CL and Other zone quota (as was originally recommended by the Planning office and Planning Commission in the P&Z Resolution recommending con- ceptual approval of the Aspen Mountain Lodge) and the 20 units at the Sardy House are deducted from this quota, then 34 of the 35 units in the quota would be available beginning in 19S6. On this basis the applicant's request would be to obtain 34 units from the 19S6 quota, the 35 unit,s from the 19S7 quota and 27 units from the 19S5 quota. Since the facility is planned to open in 19S5 or 19S9, the applicant feels that no inconsistency with the growth management quota system is being proposed. However, the problem with this rationale is that Council did not accept the recommendation to credit the L-I/L-2 quota for those units, and the L-3 quota will, theref ore, receive the lodge unit credi t. The Planning Office believes that this type of numerical analysis is one indication of the impacts of the 96 unit allocation request by the applicant, but that it should not be the sole determinant of Council's decision. As' noted on page 41 of the Growth Management Policy Plan, "Growth management would be a meaningless exercise in the manipulation of sterile numbers if some hi gher goal wer e not in mind ". Our under standing is that the higher goals were (and continue to be) community balance and quality of life. A principal reason that the community chose to regulate its rate of growth was to avoid the boom conditions of the prior decade, where the construction of a multitude of projects at a single time would take us across major service thresholds and require the government to intervene in a time frame in which it cannot respond. We, theref ore, establi shed a growth phasing mechani sm to smooth out the growth cycles, so that projects do not occur at the same time which would profoundly change the community before the public sector can develop plans and react to the service problems the growth has caused. II Ji ?t-yrf;'J~ foR- ~rl~ ~ ,-' r-\ Despite this philosophy, we know that there are problems in this community right now which we are not yet solving. Rather than present an endless list, we can simply identify some of the most critical, incl uding: o Highway Entrance to Town; o Parking - Intercept Lots or Downtown Structures; o Air Quality; and o Bus Terminal. While it is certainly not this applicant's responsibility to solve these problems, we believe that it is incumbent upon' the community to identify how it will s<;llve them if it is to continue to grow. By asking us to give out tomorrow's alloca- tions today, this project seeks to accelerate our rate of growth, yet does not similarly speed up our ability to solve our pro- blems. In fact, each time we move forward with development approvals, without putting into place the public facility solutions to accommodate the projects, we may be foregoing possible alternat,ives without ever realizing their potential. If we haven 't solved these problems during our recent era of moderate growth, how will we do so following the downtown lodging boom? We recognize that the project before us offers some very appeal- ing amenities wi th respect to the very dilapidated a,rea at the base of our mountain, just as the Aspen Mountain PUD offered us an opport uni ty to upgrade the core of our lodge di stri ct and the Hotel Jerome to repair our historic hotel. We feel that the reconstruction of old lodgihg units, along with the renovation of existing commercial space and the Aspen Mountain skiing area, are desirable developments because they contribute to the revi tal i- zation of our resort complex. However, when the Aspen Mountain Lodge, Hotel Jerome addition and Li ttl e Nell Ba se Hotel are all scheduled to come on line in a 2 or 3 year time frame, we can anticipate a massive change in our lodge sector, which is likely to have spinoff effects which we cannot predict for years to come. The Growth Management policy Plan postulated that growth in any sector has interdependent and cyclical effects on the other sectors, as lodge development leads to ski area and commercial growth, which influence residential development, and so on. As we compress the rate at which we create new lodge units, we wonder how we will respond to the secondary impacts on our other sectors, and where the accelerated rate will end. The question of secondary imp:lcts is a confusing one, and, in fact, the, GMPP noted on page 3 that "Growth is composed of a variety of elements with connections that are only poorly 12 ,-.., .-" under stood." Since we recognize that we cannot accurately predict the effects of growth on the town, we have chosen to grow at a regulated rate so that the mistakes we make will not be compounded. Having three maj or hotel proj ects going on downtown will not give us the chance to monitor and respond to the impacts of growth in an orderly manner. Further:more, it will mean that we will be adding to our congestion and to our problems in that portion of town which is already the most dense and exhibits many of our problems. As we all know, we have just approved the largest tourist project in the history of the town, and we are in the process of occupying the largest residential project in our history, and we have yet to experience the impacts of either. Given the moderate rate of growth of our recent past, and the fact that several projects have been approved but not yet built, many in town seem unconcerned that another large project such as this is following right after the approval of the Aspen Mountain PUD. Current residents seem to have forgotten what it is like to live in a boom growth period and have been lulled i-nto a false sen seof security about growth. However, if we don't take this opportun- ity to see how the town will change as a result of the impacts of the Aspen Mountain PUD, and those of the Hotel Jerome, when will we evaluate what happened and how we must respond? More importantly, what kind of prece,dent with respect to our rate of growth will we be setting with respect to the Aspen Me,adows development, which is likely to follow this project and which will also be requesting a multi-year allocation? One of the arguments made in the numerical analysis is that we 'have not been growing in the lodging sector over the past decade and that accelerated growth is therefore appropriate. ,There are at least two fallacies in this argument. First, in response to the lack of activity in the first 5 or 6 years of the lodge quota, we increased the L-I/L-2 quota from IS to 35 units, and created the L-3 zone, with its ten unit auota. These actions increased the overall City lodge quota from" IS to 45 units per year, ,and help to explain some of the more recent activity in the lodge sector. Second, and more importantly, because of the slow growth in lodging in this period, we felt comfortable in approving major employee housing developments exempt from the system (Castle Ridge and Centennial) an excess commercial growth rate, and the expansion of the Hotel Jerome. Is it reasonable to then argue that the slowed lodge growth of the prior year s is a basi s for allowing three major projects to be built during such a confined period of time? Moreover, do you still have a meaningful growth management system when you are approving major projects that are exempt from the system and others which borrow from future year s' quotas, so that you are simply accounting for rath er than phasing growth? 13 .""'" ,-.. SUMMARY: The Little Nell Base Redevelopment presents the community wi th a very important set of tradeoff s to consider. On the one hand, the community is presented with an opportunity to upgrade the entry point to its most important recreational asset. Key improvements include the visual benefits of removing the surface parking and maintenance functions; circulation benefits of better pedestrian access to the lifts and ticketing function; and recreational benefits of improved skiing and commercial facilities at the base area. There are a variety of technical issues which must be addressed to insure that the project "can be planned and developed in a manner which prov ides th e greatest publ ic benef it II as is th e purpo se of it s designation as an SPA. Issues to be resolved include parking, open space, FAR, hazards, transit, service delivery, employee housing, utility relocations, roads, grading and visibility. None of these issues is technically beyond resolution, although they do tend to indicate the magnitude of the impacts this project will have on the community. The growth J;Olicy issue, is, in our opinion, a threshold question with regard to this project. Al though we could def er consideration of thi s issue until such time as the project has been scored and an allocation is pending, we feel this is the wrong course to take. The applicants will be expending a great deal of time and effort if this conceptual SPA is approved. We feel that they deserve the full benefit of our thinking at this time, before further studies are authorized. Furthermore, we think that the issue of future allocations is crucial to the basic concept proposed herein and is justifiably to be consid- ered at this time. As noted above, the Hunicipal Code provides a mechanism by which a future lodge allocation can be granted to the applicants. It is the Planning Office's finding that such an allocation is inappropriate at this time. We feel that the Council should consider the following four questions in its consideration of the growth rate issue, and only give a favorable response to the ASC on this issue if it can positive- ly answer the following: 1. Does the government have the ability to solve its service (highway, parking, bus terminal, etc.) and environmental (air quality) problems at an accelerated rate to address an accelerat- ed growth rate? 2. Can you still have a meaningful growth management system when you are approving major projects that are exempt from the system and others which borrow from future years' quotas, so that you are simply accounting f or rather than pha sing growth? 3. What kind of precedent would granting this request set with respect to other requests which may be made for multi-year all ocati ons? 14 ,-" ,......, 4. Can we accommodate the likely growth which will spin off from this project in the skiing, commercial and residential develop- ment sector s? Based on these considerations, Council has the following alternatives available for action: 1. Approve the conceptual SPA and provide the applicant with an indication that you are willing to entertain a request for a mul ti-year allocati on. 2. Approve the conceptual SPA and provide the applicant with an indication that you are concept ually oPPO sed to the m ul t i-year allocation request. 3. Deny the enti re concept ual SPA due to your concept ual opposition to the multi-year allocation request, or for other technical review concerns. The Planning Office strongly supports and recommends approval of the reconstruction of the commercial, administrative and skier support spaces, the replacement of the base lift, the upgrade of the pedes- trian circulation corridors and the removal of the maintenance facil ities from the base a,rea. However, we are concept ually opposed to the applicant's multi-year allocation request. Since the Council cannot formally consider this request until a 'growth management application is submitted, l'i!L_.r_ec}?EI!!1_~ng_j;hE_j;YOu,JolloW Alternative 2 and make your final decision on-the growth issue when and--if a preise developnent plan is before you. AR.12 15 ,-' ~ U> ~ '" '" ~ " " .. :0 N 8 < '" '" 0-" 8 no- . ,. It) 0.0 0" n. 0 rt) a. 0 O",QI ;g fl G ~ ill . . . . . c . . . . . z ,. '" ~ c (3 z ... ... z z '" ::l ::l ~ 0 ,. 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