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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.19831122 RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves F ORM'~ C. F. HOECK E L B. 9. II L. CO. Regular Meeting Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 Chairman Perry Harvey called the meeting to order with members Jasmine Tygre, Pat Fallin, Welton Anderson, Lee Pardee, David White, Roger Hunt and Paul Sheldon present. Commissioners Comments Roger Hunt said the Commission should speak to the department about their parking south of City Hall. said he would be willing to talk to them. police Hunt Paul Sheldon said there is a new transit agency, and they are effecting the transportation in Aspen. Sheldon asked if the agency would come to P & Z or Council for comments. Sheldon pointed out the route on Hyman Avenue was removed with no consultation from the city. Sunny Vann said this can be addressed in the transportation planning. The transit agency is trying to get going with no major change in existing service. Harvey asked the Commission how they would like to handle the scoring of the projects. Pardee said he would like the planning office, applicant, public hearing, and the planning office can be totalling the scores while the Board hears the next presentation. Sunny Vann told the P & Z that in addition to the scoring, one of the projects is requesting a multi-year allocation. Vann said after both projects have been scored, the Board will hear a presentation to the appropriateness of a multi-year allocation. Harvey said he would like the scores handed in and tabulated by staff. Harvey said he is employed as a consultant for the Hotel Jerome, and that could be construed as a conflict of interest in judging these applications. Harvey read a letter from the owner of the Hotel Jerome into the record. In the letter Gilmore stated he feels there is no conflict as he is support- ive of new lodge development if of quality, sensitive in scale, etc. Harvey read a letter from himself into the record disclosing his position as a consultant working with Gilmore on the upgrading of the Hotel Jerome. Harvey stated his dedication to the Jerome project derives from the con- viction that Aspen needs to upgrade its lodging inventory. Harvey said new lodging is in keeping with the work on the Jerome and his belief about Aspen's lodges. Harvey said he feels no conflict on his work on the Jerome and his position on P & z. Wright Hugus, attorney for Lyle Reeder, said he had no objection to Harvey hearing these applications. Art Daily, attorney for Commerce Savings Association, said he sees no conflict. Assistant City Attorney Gary Esary said the proced- ure outlined in the letter is consistent with conflict of interest questions. Anderson stated he is one of the credit- ors in the bankruptcy. Anderson said he does not feel biased in this. Hunt said he is in the same position and feels the same as Anderson. Hugus asked if either members had any specific creditor problems with this real estate. Hunt and Anderson answered no. Hugus said then he felt there was no conflict of interest in this application. Daily stated the Aspen Mountain Lodge does not feel these members have a conflict. Sheldon, the alternate member, said he is the manager of the St. Moritz lodge. Sheldon said the potential conflict is that additional lodge rooms in a limited market could effect him. On the other hand, eleimination of the Copper Horse Regular Meeting 1984 L-l/L-2 Lodge GMP Competition ...-.., ".......---...-,..... Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 and Alpina Haus from short term accommodations is significant to the St. Moritz as they could benefit from the elimination of dorm rooms. Sheldon said he participates in the P & Z as an individual but would listen to objections. Sheldon said this would only become relevant if he were to vote. Pardee said he feels this situation may be a problem. Pardee said if the vote is close, it is wiser to have someone step down. A manager of a competing hotel has a conflict to some degree. Esary read from Ordinance #50, 1979 (1) (h) the definition of substantial interest; "substantial means and includes a situation where, considering all of the circumstances, a reasonably prudent person would expect a marked tendency to make a decision other than an objective decision". Harvey said he would not be at the next meeting, and Sheldon will be in a voting position. Daily said he feels Sheldon does not have a conflict. Hugus said they have no problem. Hunt moved to not remove Sheldon from the Commission for the reason that the applicants and other Commission members have no objections; seconded by Fallin. All in favor, with the exception of Pardee. Motion carried. Sunny Vann, planning director, stated there are two projects before P & Z for consideration for a 1984 GMP lodge alloca- tion; The Lodge at Aspen, submitted by Lyle Reeder, and the Aspen Mountain Lodge, submitted by American Century Corpora- tion, Commerce Savings Association and Alan Novak. The process for this meeting will be an overview of each of the projects. Vann told P & Z that Reeder submitted and success- fully competed for a GMP allocation two years ago for a similar project on the same site. Alan Richman will give information on the implications of that prior GMP application. Vann said these projects are reviewed by individuals in the planning office. The recommendations are then reviewed by the entire planning office staff. The composite recommenda- tion is forwarded to P & Z as planning office scores under the various procedures. The P & Z does not have to concur with the planning office recommendation. Vann reiterated the staff will go through their recommendation, will then allow each application to make a presentation, P & Z can then ask questions, the public hearing will be opened, the P & Z will then score the project. Vann said the Aspen Mountain Lodge is requesting a multi-year allocation, and the planning office does have a presentation on the pros and cons, if the project is successful. Harvey said this is a competition for 1984, and asked how many units are available for allocation. Vann said this is a competition in 1983 for construction in 1984 and there are 35 units available. Harvey asked what the holdover of units is. Vann said approximately 50 units. Harvey asked if the Aspen Mountain Lodge were successful, and they convert units in the Copper Horse and Alpina Haus from lodge to residential, will that affect the multi-year allocation. Vann said the Copper Horse will be a change in use and will have a separate review as it is going from L-3 lodge to residential. The Alpina Haus is R/MF and will go to deed restricted employee housing and no change in use will be required. Vann said the quota will be affected and there will be an adjustment. The Copper Horse units will be credited to L-3 quota, and the residential quota will be debited. ... , FORM 10 C. F. ~OECK(L B. B. 8t L.. C~. , ' RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves Regular Meeting The Lodge at Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission -3- November 22, 1983 Alan Richman said the P & Z scored this project a few years ago, in a similar but somewhat different configuration. This is a proposal to build an entirely new facility on the corner of ute and Original next to the Aspen Alps. The proposal is for 46 tourist rooms and six employee units. The units are about 216 square feet each. The lot size is slightly of 15,000 square feet; it is a small, constrained site. Richman said previously, the applicant won an alloca- tion to build 31 tourist units and four employee housing units. Richman said the planning office feels this project has a net effect on the quota of 15 units. The applicant would relinquish the previously awarded 31 units, if he is awarded the 46 units requested in this submission. Richman said there are some desirable and some undesirable features in the project. Richman said important aspects are underground parking, 1 per bedroom; the lodge is quite close to the ski area. Richman said the applicant has proposed some on-site amenities for guests, dining and health facilitiel although the staff has some problems with some of the quality of those. The applicant is proposing to house about 80 per cent of the lodge employees. Richman said the proposed rooms of 216 square feet are extremely small. The previous rooms were 320 square feet. There is a question if these are the type of units that are desirable in the Aspen lodging market. Richman told P & Z there is a substantial degree of paving on the site. Richman said there is a landscaping plan. There is no outdoor recreational or open space amenities of any magnitude on this site. Richman said in the water system, there was a commitment by the applicant to sharing the cost of a looped water system. Richman said the applicant is willing to provide the cost for the loop involving this particular project; therefore, the applicant is improving the level of service for this project only. Richman said it is unlikely the quality of service to the area would be improved by this proposal and the city does not have any funds to share in this project. The planning office scored this area a one (1). Richman said in storm drainage and fire protection there are substantial upgrades. There is a proposal to extend the storm sewer up Aspen mountain road, which would improve a neighborhood drainage situation; therefore this got the maximum rating of two (2). In fire protection, the applicant proposes the installation of a hydrant, which would improve fire protection services. Richman said the road proposal is simply a proposal to black~ Aspen mountain road, which is only cosmetic, not service ~ related. Harvey noted the applicant proposed the fire hydrant in the northwest corner and the fire department prefers it at the northeast corner. Richman said the P & Z may find that the hydrant located in the northwest corner would primarily benefit the site and not the general area. Richman said the staff scaled the height of the building and found the peak of the roof too high allowed in the L-l zone district; therefore, there is a major flaw in design. Richman said the applicant may be able to technically clarify the position regarding the height. The information provided to Regular Meeting ,,<""'_"~"n_'''"',__' Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 staff indicated a design flaw. Richman said this would not be considered a design flaw it the roof were brought within the heighth limitations. Richman said within the conceptual nature of an applicant's presentation for growth management approval, the staff would not typically reject an application exceeding the code by a few feet. The applicant would have an opportunity to clarify the situation. Richman pointed out in site design there are three curb cuts proposed; two on Ute avenue and one on Aspen mountain road. The engineering department does not feel three curb cuts on a site of this size was necessary and not a desirable site design. Richman said the staff feels this is a major design flaw in terms of site design. Richman said the proposal has an ambitious parking scheme with two levels of underground parking. The engineering department is questioning the turning radius, it may not be adequate. Richman said there was no information provided on the trash facility,it's location and the extent of it. Richman told P & Z for the guest amenities, these are rated with the size of the lodge, size of the facilities and quality of facilities. The planning office finds the common meeting facilities somewhat inadequate; there are only meeting areas in the lounge and lobby. The lounge area will also be a dining area as well as a sitting area. There is no area for conference facility. There are lodges in Aspen of this scale with common meeting'~The planning office finds this to be a design flaw with not even a small area of the lodge dedicated to meeting areas. Richman told P & Z the lodge does provide restaurant facilitief for guests, which is fairly standard. The problem with the recreational facilities - the saunas and exercise room - is their location, in the parking area below grade. Richman said the staff does not feel the quality of those facilities meets the standard of Aspen. Harvey said in amenities a score of one (1) indicates services which are deficient in terms of quantity or spaciousness. Harvey asked if the planning office had standards of square footage per person for amenities. Vann said the staff does not have a quantitative measure. The staff looks at the number of rooms provided and address whether the applicant has included the space for the sole purpose of gaining points or whether they have tried to come up with an area, through design, which tries to provide an amenity for the guest. Richman pointed out the L-l, L-2 district requires 25 per cent of the lodge to be non-unit space, not rentable, not employee housing. This facility has 27 per cent, which meets the requirement. Esary said there is a standard, total non-unit space should be 25 per cent. This project has 27 per cent. The P & Z can look at this application and come up with a ratio which can be determined of rooms to square footage. Richman said another comparison the planning office used was evaluation of similarly sized facilities in the community and the amenity package provided. Richman said he had visited many of the lodges in the 40 to 50 room size and moast of them have meeting rooms and outdoor recreational facilities. Richman said the application indicates it will house all 15 employees of the project on and off site. The on-site proposal is for 12 employees in 6 rooms. The off-site housing proposal contained no information as to specifics of location. Richman said no progress has been made in firming up a specific proposal. Pardee said the P & Z cannot expect an applicant to go buy 3 condominium unit in the expectation he will get an allocation. 'J , I FOllM" C.F.HOECKtl8.9.IlL.CJ. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves Regular Meeting Planning and Zoning Commission -5- November 22, 1983 Vann noted the housing office must review the specifics of a proposal to determine if it complies with the guidelines. Harvey said there are two applications before the P & Z. One application estimates its employee requirement for one for every two rooms; the other, one for every three rooms. Harvey asked if this estimate for this project of 15 employees is the staff's estimate, or the applicant's. Richman said this is the applicant's figure, which was reviewed by the housing office. Harvey asked if it were fair for P & Z to consider two applications with different requirements for employees. Richman said the housing office has standards it uses for number of employees per hundred beds. The standard the housing office feels comfortable with is for every 100 beds, between 13 and 23 employees will be generated based on the level of service the lodge is trying to provide to its guests. Richman said the difference in the two applications is probabl) level of service. Richman said the P & Z would not want to have all lodges with the same level of service as there is a variation of market. Harvey asked if the number of employees takes into considera- tion the widely varying occupancy rates during the year. Richman answered this is dealing with peak, fulltime equiva- lency. Richman pointed out the P & Z had difficulty with this application in 1981 with the number of employees proposed. The applicant said he would house 100 per cent of his employeef but it did not appear he had identified 100 per cent of his employees. The new lodge quota system was written to reflect the concerns of P & Z, with detail listing of employees required to serve the lodge. Richman said the housing office finds 15 employees to be adequate. Vann said it is suggested the applicant contact the housing office to discuss reason- ableness of employees needed and discuss any problems. Usuall) the staff and applicant wind up with a mutually agreed upon number. Lyle Reeder presented a model of the project and passed out comments in written form. Reeder said he would like to comment, generally, about the P & Z competition, and to address the specific deficiencies that planning did in scoring this project. Reeder said the Lodge at Aspen is a 52 room project, 46 lodge rooms and 6 employee rooms. This project will cater to ski clubs and budget-minded skiers. Reeder said he feels that the proposed demolitition of the Continenta and Aspen inn, to be replaced with a first class world hotel will create a deficiency in the low and medium price range. The Lodge at Aspen with smaller rooms can offer more reason- able price accommodation than a hotel offering large rooms, energy consuming swimming pools and elaborate health facilities which some guests may never use. Reeder said he has some objections to the Aspen Mountain Lodge project. The first regards Ordinance #35, 1983. Harvey said this is not pertinent to the review of the Lodge at Aspen. Harvey said he would like Reeder to clarify any points. Reeder presented a summary of the planning office scoring, showing where rated below the maximum, the multiplier and the total number of points he has not received. Reeder, in his memorandum, then addresses each category of review. Reeder said the city's water department director has indicated a neighborhood deficiency, and the Lodge as Aspen's proposal to share the cost of the looped water main would bring about Regular Meeting .......~'''_._.''''.._....',_.- Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 correction of the neighborhood water system inadequacies. Reeder stated the water consumed by this project will be metered and paid for resulting in increased revenues to the city. Reeder stated he feels a two (2) rating would be appropriate. Reeder said the applicant will pay sewer tap fees and the sewer assessments. Harvey asked the applicant if he was sticking to the commitment to share the cost of the water improvement. Harvey pointed out of Markalunas says there are no city funds available to construct any portion of the water system, there is a problem. Reeder told P & Z this comes from two years ago when Markalunas indicated the city was willing to pay a share. Reeder said he feels sharing the cost is adequate and other people will benefit from the loop, and the city should share the cost of providing for the loop. Harvey asked if Reeder was going to do anything to improve the service beyond the scope of his project, or just take care of his specific needs. Reeder said the water line is in the street; he could run to the water line and not even contribute to the loop. Harvey said it appears to him that the Lodge would be adequately serviced by providing the loop but not just be adding into the water line. Richman read from the referrals, "If the applicant is willing to provide the referenced improvements (the loop) at its own expense without any concrete assurances the city would participate, we would certainly endorse the application as an improvement to the water distribution system". Reeder said the costs would be paid for all sewer construction and the sewer facilities seem to be adequate and a two (2) rating is appropriate. Reeder said he feels the Aspen mountain road is more important than indicated in the planning office report. It is access to the Ajax condominiums and a house, and continues over Aspen mountain and is used in the summertime. Reeder said he feels a score of two (2) would be more appropriate. Reeder said the proposed lodge will be built within the legal constraints of the 33 foot height limitation. Reeder pointed out PUD procedures are not available to the Lodge at Aspen, restrictions are imposed which limit architectural design potention. Reeder said compatibility with existing neighbor- hood developments is to be considered in evaluating archi- tectural design. Also size of rooms is not a factor. Reeder said he believes the design fits in well and should have a higher rating than that given by the planning office. Reeder said the site design was prepared observing the setback requirements of the city. Reeder said he is willing to reduce the curb cuts from three to two. Reeder said it appears that concentration of tourist rooms at the base of the mountain will have desired results such as reducing automobile use by lodge guests. Harvey asked which curb cut the engineering department wanted removed. Richman said one on ute most adjacent to the Alps. Sheldon asked where the entrance would be. Reeder said on Ute avenue. Pardee said a technical clarification is acceptable, but to change from 3 to 2 curb cuts is in response to rating. People come in with a presen- tation not knowing what the competition is and are rated accordingly. Pardee said the P & Z cannot accept the fact the curb cuts will go from three to two. Richman agreed changing the site design does put this process into some question. Reeder said the trash removal was not gotten into the original presentation because normally it is no big deal. The trash '- , , FORM" C. F. HOECKH B. B. 8t l. C~. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves Regular Meeting November 22, 1983 Planning and Zoning commission -7- facility will be located near the southeast corner of the property. Hunt pointed out that area is grated down for the parking. Reeder said there would be a retaining wall. Hunt asked how it would be accessed. Reeder said by Aspen mountain road. Hunt asked how the people from the building would get to the facility. Reeder pointed out the sidewalk area. Reeder said for snow control, the lodge will have engineered snow stops installed to retain snow on the roof; heat tape system installed on the edge of the roof to control ice build up; heat systems will be installed in the sidewalks and driveyway and on site dry wells will handle any runoffs. A snow plow will be kept on site for clearing snow, and contract snow removal will be used for emergencies in heavy snow fall. Reeder said parking for the project is provided of one space per lodge and employee bedroom, which is a requirement of the L-l and L-2 area and bulk requirements. Reeder said the turning radius for cars in the parking area was laid out according to the city's parking standard. Harvey said in the application an auto elevator into the parking garage was mentioned and asked if that was because the site constraints are such that a ramp cannot be constructed. Reeder said in doing engineering work, if a ramp is not adequate, they will go to an elevator. Hunt asked about the snow and ice control on the ramp. Reeder said there will be heat in the concrete with drains at the bottom. Reeder said the height of the building will be reduced slightl to stay within the area and bulk requirement. Reeder said the Lodge at Aspen sits back off Ute avenue in order to enhance the visual appearance from the street. Reeder said in the amenities section, 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. Reeder said it appears that a smaller lodge will be limited in its ability to provide amenities. Reeder said he feels that a common area of 1120 square feet of lounge and lobby is sufficient for a 46 room lodge. Reeder pointed out the restrictive nature of the area and bulk requirements, conference facilities in a small lodge are unrealistic. Reeder said in the L-l zone, restaurant for public use is prohibited except as a conditional use. This lodge is located within walking distance of the commercial core. Harvey asked if the applicant intends to serve food to the guests. Reeder said there is a kitchen, they will serve breakfast, after ski snacks, etc. Reeder said being located so close to town, he does not want to be in competition with restaurants in town. This is more of a convenience item. Harvey noted that the applicant seems to have changed the marketing from the original application where it is going to be a small, elegant lodge catering to an affluent market. Reeder agreed after considering the original application, in the sense they have small rooms, they will change the approach. Regular Meeting Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 Reeder said as far as the recreational facilities, this is a small lodge site. There are two athletic clubs within walking distance. The indoor hot tub at the garden level will look out at a landscaped area, and will be much more energy efficient. Vann pointed out in upgrading the L-l, L-2 scoring the issue of providing amenities was debated at length, and P & Z felt they should be provided in size and relationship to the specific project. Sheldon asked if Reeder proposed to be a moderately priced lodge. Reeder said yes. Reeder said the Lodge at Aspen proposes to house 100 per cent of its employees. Three employees will be housed off site. The Lodge at Aspen will either enter into long term leases or purchase three condo- miniums. Reeder feels this will provide a better lifestyle for employees, particularly if they have families. Harvey asked if this project passes threshold, is the applicant prepared to enter into an agreement with the city regarding this housing. Reeder said he is, and will have the units stay within the housing guidelines. Reeder told P & Z the employee unit at garden level will be built to meet building code requirements for habitation. A door to the outside of the building will be provided, and minimum window requirements will be designed into the unit. Reeder said he feels this project qualifies for 15 points for employee housing. Reeder said this applicant represents the first attempt since GMP adoption to construct an entirely new lodge. The submission addresses the upgrading of a key corner location with proximity to the base of Aspen mountain and the proposed Little Annie ski area. Reeder said the design of this lodge represents an attempt to develop an intimate scale lodge, in keeping with a mega structure approach. Reeder said the project can be built within any deficiencies in water, sewer, storm drainag,e fire protection, sidewalks, etc. The location is within walking distance to the commercial core and public transportation. Reeder said the design of the proposed lodge will not interfere with the pedestrian traffic sight line of Aspen mountain. These address bonus points considerations. Harvey opened the public hearing. Jerry Hewey, manager of Aspen Alps, presented a letter to the Commission. Hewey presented pictures of Ute avenue and the general area and said it is quite difficult to park in the area during the ski season. Hewey said the roads in the area are very narrow and is concerned about safety. Hewey said this is a nice, small lodge. He has been in the lodge business 39 years and the economics of running a small lodge are very difficult, particularly a new development. Hewey said if the lodge is going to have three limosines running 16 hours a day, it will take 7 employees just to run the limosines. Hewey said he did not three limosines were needed anyway. Alan Shaffer, realtor, said he does not think that a fairness doctrine with respect to hotels is in this scoring. Shaffer said there could be a lodge without any amenities to guests and still be a nice place. Shaffer said he feels amenities is an improper and subjective scoring area. Wright Hugus, attorney for the applicant, presented a letter for the record containing technical and legal comments and objections to the entire GMP procedure in general and the Mountain Lodge in particular. Hugus said some of his legal objections are directed toward scoring and the point system; therefore, he would like his letter considered prior to the \", " ; FORM '.G C. F. HOECKEL B. B. 8: L. ~O. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves Regular Meeting November 22, 1983 Planning and Zoning Commission -9- Lodge at Aspen. Hugus said he would be guided by the P & Z pleasure. Harvey said this a not a comparative process where the projects are analyzed together; they are rated by the criteria in the scoring categories. Hugus said his objections are to irregularities and basic procedure in connection with the lodge GMP proceedings. Hugus first objection is that the Aspen Mountain Lodge is being considered as both a PUD and a lodge competition and has certain advantages. The second objection is that amenities scored 9 in Reeder's application and 21 in the Mountain Lodge. Hugus said it is difficult to equate the amenities for 480 rooms versus 46. The third objection is eliminating 269 rooms means the Mountain Lodge only needs 211 units from the GMP. Hugus said it seems to him that the Commission should only consider 211 units. Hugus said a project the size of the Mountain Lodge is diffi- cult to conceive in this small town. It seems to be a compari- son between projects. The fifth objection requires that an applicant for a GMP lodge competition has certain standing, either owner, contract purchaser, option to buy, etc. Hugus said the applicant for the Mountain Lodge is an assignment for the rights of the owner to file an application. Hugus said he did not feel this is proper. The sixth point is the request that the Mountain Lodge receive units for the next five years, which would insure using up the future. It is difficult to predict what Aspen will need. Point seven, in September 1983, the City Council received a proposal to change the law pertaining to city owned property in applications. Hugus said the law at that point required an applicant who was including city owned property to have the consent in the application of the city, and required the scoring process to be done with the city owned property and without the city owned property. Hugus said this was tabled until an October meeting, and passed changing the law so that if an applicant had city owned property included, the city did not have to approve in the application. Hugus said the Mountain Lodge has city owned property within it, and the application had to be in the planning office October 3. At the time the application was received, the city had not approved it. Esary said it is clear in the GMP process that scoring in front of P & Z is not a reliance event. Esary pointed out that an award of an allotment in front of Council is not a reliance event. Esary recommended that scoring proceed. The P & Z has accepted Hugus's letter. Harvey closed the public hearing regarding the Lodge at Aspen. Hunt questioned the energy conservation and asked how many hours of sunlight in the winter the project receives to use solar collectors. Sheldon estimated 4 to 5 hours. Harvey said in the pre-application, back up on number of employees, back up on solar research should be gotten so the P & Z can evaluate these. Richman agreed; however, the planning office did not do a pre-application because this project had been presented before. -- Regular Meeting Aspen Mountain Lodge -. Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 Vann said the P & Z will hear the planning office recommenda- tion on a multi-year quota, if appropriate, this evening. The P & Z is scheduled to hear the additional review require- ments on the Aspen Mountain Lodge next week. The recommenda- tion.that will go forward to Council is the scoring on the GMP application, recommendation on multi-year quota, and a recommendation on PUD conceptual and associated review requirements. Sunny Vann told P & Z this consists of 11\ acre site on land located between Galena street and Monarch street south of Durant avenue, with a piece of land located on Mill street at the base of Aspen mountain. Vann said the PUD is a multi- phased project. The applicant is competing at this time for a lodge portion of the project. There is a separate residen- tial at the top of Mill, there is a residential at the old 700 South Galena site, adjacent to the hotel site. Some of these will require a GMP allocation, which will not be submitted until December. The Board is considering only the appropriateness of the lodge GMP application and consistency with GMP scoring criteria. Vann said the site is currently zoned L-l, CL, R-15/PUD-L, and conservation. The actual hotel is located on L-l and C-L which allow construction of a lodge. The application is requesting several rezonings to take advantage of area and bulk requirements permitted in those zone districts. These will be considered at the conceptual PUD review. The request for rezoning is not germaine to the GMP scoring categories. Vann told P & Z the lodge portion consists of 480 unit resort hotel; this involves reconstruction of 269 existing units located at Continental Inn, Aspen Inn and Blue Spruce lodge. The application is requestion exemption from GMP for the reconstruction of those existing units. This request will be heard at the next meeting. The additional reviews are rezonings, exemption from GMP for employee housing, request for reconstruction of existing units, change in use exemption for conversion to deed restricted employee housing, street vacations, a possible view plane review. Recommendation to Council for any allocation will be contigent upon Council's approval of additional reviews. Vann said he would like to discuss architectural design and visual impacts of this project. Vann said the site plan is very well done; however, the planning office is concerned about the bulk of this project on Durant street facade. The lodge wings on Mill, Monarch and Galena are basically consis- tent with the surrounding uses in the lodge district. The height varies, and they have taken advantage of architectural techniques to reduce the bulk. The facades on Durant and Dean streets are substantial in terms of height and bulk. In the PUD process, the applicant will be requesting a variation from the FAR and from the height restrictions of the underlying zone districts. The intent of PUD regulations are to provide that flexibility. As far as the GMP scoring categories, the architectural design which considers impact on the adjacent neighborhood, in the visual impact, there are a major design flaws. These issues can be addressed as part of the conceptual PUD submission. The applicant would have an opportunity to deal with site specific architectural concerns. '- ",I FORM ~I C. F. H O~CKEL B. 8. 8t l. CO, RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves Regular Meeting Planning and Zoning Commission -11- November 22, 1983 The planning office feels the variances from the height regulations, which would be required for these facades, are inconsistent with the surrounding development and would block views of Aspen mountain. Harvey said he is concerned and unclear about the number of units requested, number of units to be reconstructed, the Alpina Haus being lost to employee housing, calculation of net employees. Vann said the applicant is requesting recon- struction of the Aspen Inn, Blue Spruce, and Continental. The Code requires the applicant submit for staff consideration inventory of the units to be demolished for verification. The staff reviewed the request for reconstruction of 277 units and physical survey and documentation, the number was reduced to 269 units. The discrepancy involves the legality of some of the units the applicant was claiming for reconstruction. Vann said the Code, in addressing employee housing, it require the applicants provision of the net increase in the number of employees, those units that are being added. The employees for the units being reconstructed is not discussed. Harvey asked if the applicant puts employee housing on the Benedict land, what does that do to Little Annie ski area. Vann said the employee housing for this project is provided off-site, and the applicant proposes to house 60 per cent of the net increase of employees. Some units will be provided by conversion of existing structures. Fifty units will be provided on the Benedict site, these units were considered as part of the Little Annie proposal and are located on the same portion of the site. Should Little Annie ever build, they would be looking for other employee housing. John Doremus, representing the applicant, presented drawings and photographs and told P & Z they have been presenting these to the public for three weeks to acquaint them with what is being proposed. Doremus pointed out the employee housing in three locations. Doremus pointed out the hotel site and the buildings overlaid on it. The hotel site is over 5 acres. Doremus pointed out all the land the applicant has acquired, showed where the residential projects are proposed. Doremus said large projects do have impacts but they can also provide "goodies" that small projects cannot. There are trade offs. This project is able to provide considerable amount of open space, trails, underground parking. Doremus said the applicant would like to see the implementation of the lodge improvement district. The applicant is upgrading the utilities and underground the utilities. Joe Wells addressed the relationship of this proposal to the scale of the neighborhood. Many buildings are 35 to 40 feet and two are over 60 feet. Wells showed a drawing of elevation perspective. Wells said architecturally, they had tried to minimize the bulk of the building, as it is a large building. The facade is varied in height, ranging from two to four stories. The building has been set back from Durant street for the entrance and to prevent excessive shading of Durant. Doremus said he would like to review the GMP scoring points as they feel they deserve some bonus points. They are adding a 12 inch water main, which will upgrade the distribu- Regular Meeting -......-, Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 tion network in the area. This will also increase fire flows in the area. This provides a third 12 inch V for the city. The project will add 3 or 4 fire hydrants. The applicant requests bonus points in water. The applicant requested upgrading from 1 to 2 in sewer points as they are going to put in a new line and eliminate two on Durant that have caused maintenance problems. This will improve the capacity of the main and allow more treatment. Joe Wells said in storm drainage, the applicant deserves not only an upgrade to 2 but bonus points. Wells said in additior to handling the 100 year run off and the 5 year historical run off, which is an upgrading because the run off is presently being dumped into the street, the city needs to retain 2.5 acre feet of water. The applicant is offering to construct that facility in the upper portion of the PUD. The control of it will reduce the flow to no more than 13 cfs at a given time. Wells said he feels they are helping the city solve a significant problem. Pardee asked why the planning office scored this area 1 point. Vann said the representation was that it was not construed this upgraded the city's collection and discharge system. Vann said he will look at the drainage study. Wells said in fire protection, they are offering additional hydrants to service this and adjacent projects. The building will be fully sprinklered; there will be a computer smoke alarm system, with stand by power and back up. This will be state of the art in fire protection. The applicant requests bonus points in this category. Larry Stricker, architect, addressed quality of design and visual impact. Stricker pointed out they will excavate and submerse the buildings to mitigate the heighth of the build- ing. Stricker said this is an innovative design, it is not standard on grade building. Stricker showed visual lines from Durant. stricker pointed out the building is set back 50 feet from the curb at Durant. Stricker showed the view from the Mill street mall, how the building fits in and other surrounding buildings. Harvey asked the height at the main entrance. Stricker said the mean height is 42 feet and peak height is 47 feet. The applicant is still in the process of mitigating wherever possible, diminishing the height. Harvey asked for a discussion of square footage, floor area ratio and that below grade area. Wells said the rooms below grade as a result of excavation are counted in the floor area ratio. The rest of the space below grade which is non-habitable is exempt. Vann said the handling of the wings, stepping them back and fitting them in with surrounding buildings works quite well. However standing to the east, the building creates a canyon effect and blocks the view of the upper mountain. There will be a 50 foot wall where there is a vacant parking lot now. The planning office raises the problem of the facade along Durant street. Vann said he feels through further design refinement, the design flaw can be fixed and lessen the impacts. Harvey recommended the Commission take a site visit before the next meeting. The applicant told P & Z they are prepar- ing an elaborate model that should be ready for the next meeting. Vann said the assistant city engineer, Jay Hammond has looked at the drainage study in this application. Vann said the improvements in the application for storm drainage would be eligible for scoring. '"', , , FOIlM'. C_F,HOECKEla.B.&L.CO. , , RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves Regular Meeting Planning and zoning Commission -13- November 22, 1983 Wells said the applicant feels they should be considered for bonus points under site design. Wells said all surface parking has been eliminated. utilities will be undergrounded The trees on Durant will be preserved or relocated. The applicant will construct a major trail link in the trails master plan; provide ski access. The proposal includes a major open space commitment. Hunt asked what happens to the nine parking spaces at this site for the woodstone lodge. Vann said the problem is whether Cantrup had the right to deed restrict parking spaces to the city, what the effects those agreements have as a result of the bankruptcy proceedings. Wells said if it is found to be the legal responsibility of the applicant, they will fulfill it. Pardee asked if the applicant has addressed the question of management. Alan Novak said they have been looking carefully at hotel operators, with the criteria for the best reputation Novak said Aspen is such an attractive place, there has not been a shortage of hotel managers who have expressed an interest in running this hotel. Wells brought up energy conservation, the planning office scored the maximum points. The room orientation was chosen to take advantage of passive solar gain. There are limita- tions to active systems in the area. Insulation exceeds the minimum requirements. The subgrade space will minimize the energy requirements. The HVAC system will be computerized so when rooms are vacated, there will be an adjustment in the system. They would like bonus points. Doremus said if any project should get full bonus points for amenities for guests, it should be this project. The three areas, dining, conference, and recreation facilities deserve bonus points. Harvey opened the public hearing. Spencer Schiffer said in years past, it was the intention of the P & z (of which he was chairman) to encourage the development and reconstruction for lodges in this precise location. Schiffer said he feels this applicant is deserving of the P & Z's approval and allocation. Schiffer said a facility like this is needed in town. Carolyn Doty, committee to preserve open space, said the committee recognizes the need for a quality hotel. They congratulate them on good design, landscaping, trail propos- al, much needed conference facility, undergrounding utilities and the courtyards. However, they are concerned over some issues; the commercial plan inside the hotel, as Aspen is presently over built. The project will double the density in the neighborhood, which will have negative impacts. The building will cause visual impact in the view plane of Aspen mountain, cut out sunshine for surrounding buildings, and take away open space. The open space figure of 32 per cent is misleading because some of this is above the 8040 greenline and is not intended to be built upon. The project is too high for the area. 480 units is over building for the present need of Aspen. They oppose the employee units being ,""'-~III' Regular Meeting Planning and Zoning Commission November 22, 1983 for this project when Silverking phase IV is being built at the same time. They oppose the bridge and restaurant over Mill street as it will further block the view of Aspen mountain. Ms. Doty read some recommendations to P & Z. One is that a comprehensive plan be submitted for all parcels owned by this group. The committee recommends that the applicant be allowed to replace the existing rooms and 36 units allocated to the Aspen Inn under existing zoning and a normal GMP process. Aspen has maintained its quality because of quaintness, beauty and open space. They feel a 480 room hotel at the base of the mountain and blocking views is not preserving the quality of Aspen. Fred Pierce asked for the planning office recommendations on employee housing, especially in the Little Annie area. Vann said the area at Little Annie will require an exemption from growth management; the conversion of the Copper Horse will require a change is use. These will be considered on November 29. Vann said the review is not complete at this time and will be available for the next meeting. Vann said a lot of these concerns will be addressed through the PUD process. Mike Otte said them perfect. points and few he has seen a lot of applications, However, this application has more negative points. none of positive Lyle Reeder said the Aspen Mountain Lodge height exceeds the height of the North of Nell building by 16 feet. Reeder asked if a person could come all the way down the ski trail to the Durant bus stop. Wells said the ski trail ends at Mill street. Harvey continued the public hearing. Esary advised the Commission that if anything said in the public hearing would have changed the scores on the first application, they should change the scores before the scores are announced. P & Z scored the application. Richman announced the Aspen Mountain Lodge received 59.6, and the Lodge at Aspen received 49.5. The Lodge at Aspen did not make the 51 point thresh- hold and is not eligible for an allocation. Vann said tomorrow copies of the score sheets will be available. The recommendation will be forwarded to Council. The Lodge at Aspen did not meet the threshold but has an opportunity to appeal. P & Z will meet next week to discuss the rest of the requirements for Aspen Mountain Lodge. Anderson moved to forward the results of the scores to Council with the caveat the Commission is now forwarding any recommendations pending further review; seconded by Ms. Tygre. All in favor, motion carried. Anderson moved to adjourn at 8:45 p.m.; seconded by Ms. Fallir. All in favor, motion carried. ,~xI ~~ Kathryn Koch, City Clerk '-' , ,