Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.19790320 BRADFORD PUBLISHING CO., DENVER RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Aspen Planning and Zoning Conunission March 20, 1979 Regular Meeting The Aspen Planning and Zoning Conunission held a regular meeting on March 20, 1979, at 5:00 PM in the City Council Chambers. Members present were Charles Collins, Welton Anderson, John Schuhmacher and Perry Harvey. Also present were Karen Smith, Joe Wells, Jim Reents and Curt Stewart of the Planning Office and City Attorney Ronald Stock. Aspen Institute, Public Hearing Collins noted that this is a continued public hearing to consider an application from the Aspen Institute for pre- liminary PUD and Subdivision and Final SPA approval. Wells said they have dropped consideration of the prelimi- nary PUD and Subdivision because of the amount of technical questions remaining to be addressed by the applicant. He asked that P&Z continue with their SPA consideration and the Planning Office will reschedule and renotice for the public hearing on the rest of the application. The first concern of the Planning Office is transportation. He noted Curt Stewart, Transportation Planner for the City and County, was present to address this issue. Wells noted their concern of possible impacts on events at the music tent. They prefer an intercept parking lot at the peri- meter of the site. They also prefer to maintain the existing access to the site. The second concern was the employee housing. He noted a survey at Snowmass that determined average numbers of employees generated by certain facilities. The survey determined that 100 beds generates 24 employees and .3 employees for each restaurant seat. Applying that to the Institute, Wells averaged the Institute would need 147 employees QY the bed ratio and 52 for the restaurant facility for a total of 199 employees. This figure does not include the conference needs, transportation needs, recreation needs, etc. They are also concerned with the population proposed for the employee housing. They have assigned 2 persons per studio, 4 persons per 2 bedroom unit and 5 persons for each three bedroom. The Planning Office feels this density is too high to assure a quality level of service associated with the application. Wells noted that approximately 37% of the work force is married which is included in the applicants figures but the possi- bility of other family members is not anticipated. He also noted that secondary employees are not considered in the application although they are not expected to acconuno- date these employees. Wells said the Council asked the Institute to design a program that balanced the existing academic facilities rather than design a program for 356 bedrooms with meeting space to acconunodate these rooms. Wells felt there was alot of conunon space that may be more luxurious than necessary. Council also asked for a phasing schedule. Wells said the only phasing proposed in the submission was in the transportation section. He said the apendix states that a construction schedule is forthcoming. Wells said that trails are not shown on the SPA plan. The Institute said they will respond to this issue. Council stated that their approval would be conditioned upon a deed restriction on the balance of the land. This is not stated in the application. The applicant feels the SPA Master Plan sufficiently deals with the open space lands but the Planning Office notes that the SPA plan can be amended at any time. The Planning Office does not feel the applicant has adequately addressed the assurances that Council felt needed to be made prior to the resubmission of the application for Council review. The areas in need of discussion are restriction of the three types of units to the uses proposed, assurance of continued use as a conference facility in winter as opposed to tourist use, assurances that the Institute will retain control of the ... -2- Regular Meeting Aspen Planning and Zoning Conunission March 20, 1979 marketing and management of the conference facility and assurance that a certain number of rooms be made available in winter for conununity service purposes and winter cultural programs. Curt Stewart, Transportation Planner, stated that the appli- cation was reviewed in terms of the type of impacts genera- ted by the facility and the attendees. The Institute said that in 1977, the Institute facilities were used by local residents for a total of 180 days. They also state, without data, that a significant portion of the traffic that is generated is caused by this use. Stewart assumed that as the facility increases in size and scope that the conununity demand would also increase. The conununity must be willing to accept this impact. Stewart noted his concern with air travel access and noted that the applicant proposes to encourage mid-week arrivals and departures. Stewart, in working with the applicant'sctransportation consultant, felt they should advise the applicant to avoid turnover on the airport's two high turnover days, which they estimate may be Friday and Saturday. Stewart noted that the applicants submit that their new facility will provide all necessary services on site and the conferees will not need to venture into Aspen. Stewart felt that the attendees will come into town no matter how busy their schedule. He felt, for an accurate evaluation, they need to know if the Institute will be successful in penetrating the small market and if__ their programs will be structured in such a way to keep the attendee on site. He listed his suggestions for conditions of approval: 1) the Institute should adopt measures to reduce arrival to Aspen and the facility by automobile, 2) anyone arriving by car should be separated from the car as soon as possible, 3) some type of valet parking should be provided to remove the car from the arriver, 4) the Institute's program should have an aggressive recreational program that encourages grouping, 5) the Institute could contract for bus service similar to the service to the Aspen Club and Aspen High- lands. The applicant is proposing a van service to Aspen and the airport. Ensign felt Wells' and Stewart's presentation suggest that the Institute is trying to "get away" with something in their application. Ensign said they have spent alot of time and money with consultants to work out a program that satisfies the needs and requirements of the City and the Institute. He said the projected numbers of employees are based on the present situation at the Institute and actual experience of operating conference centers. Keluche said they estimate one maid per twelve to fourteen rooms, which translates to 18-20 maids at 100% capacity, which is rare. With their food service setup, they anti- cipate one waiter per eight to ten tables, or approximately 10 waiters. Keluche said they hope to operate at a 70% occupancy for best results. Ensign said they envision their employee housing as transitional housing for employees that are new to the conununity. It will be free for the employees. He also stressed the need for informal meeting areas. Keluche stated that they overbuilt the lobby and lounge areas because of the surge of conferees between meetings. He noted that they can turn half the house in one day. Ensign said he felt they needed an alternative system to get the conferees into Aspen. He suggested flying the attendees to Grand Junction and bussing them into Aspen. ~ ..) -3- BRADFORD PUBLISHING CO., DENVER RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Regular Meeting Aspen Planning and Zoning Conunission March 20, 1979 Ensign said that the phasing was specifically addressed in the SPA plan. He displayed maps that showed the phasing schedule by color. He said the first phase includes 86 new guest units, 13 new faculty units and 34 employee units. The second phase includes 79 guest units. The third phase is 12 guest units, 24 faculty units and 16 employee units. They are hoping to achieve the first phase in one year, two years for the second phase and one year for the third phase for a total of four years of construction. He said they discussed the trails with the County and decided not to show them on the plan because of problems with easements. They understand the need for access to the Rio Grande trail. He noted that Andy Hecht is working with City Attorney Ron Stock on the dedication of open space. Harvey noted a concern that the faculty housing not be used for short term, skier housing in the winter. Keluche said they could tie this housing to the conference in session and only rent it out as a package with the conference. Schuhmacher asked if they would rent this housing out to skiers if, in a few years, corporations were not interested in this type of facility. Keluche said he felt the market trend was toward more conferences but said that it was possible if there was a major change in the economy. Ensign said he did not know what type of legal documents were necessary to guarantee what the City is aSking but they were willing to negotiate. Michael Behrendt Michael Behrendt asked, if the Institute ;chooses to sell "the conference-facility, what have we given away fOJ:__the com- munity. He asked how they can assure them that they intend to proceed what they propose. He did not feel good faith was adequate considering the size of the request. He suggested that if the Institute sells, that they restrict the funds arising from the sale to a support program for the Institute program in Aspen. Stock said, as an alternative to deed restriction, that in the process of the SPA approval, P&Z and City Council establish the permitted and conditional uses. They could restrict this use to only institutional, educational _and conununity service uses. Behrendt asked if this would affect their chances for finances. Stock said he could not say but this zoning restriction gives the opportunity for application of modification at a later date. Anderson noted that there are many people in the conununity that are afraid of this application and its possibilities. He asked if the Institute is prepared to accept a land use definition as a condition of the approval. Hecht said he could not speculate on what affect that would have on the financing. Wells said he felt the problem is that these issues should have been addressed prior to this SPA hearing. Collins asked that they address the question of retaining control and having rooms available for conununity purposes. Ensign said he anticipates they will have to write a very specific subdivision agreement with the City that specifies what the tenets of this agreement are. He said they cannot agree to things that will restrict the feasibility of the financing of the project. He felt the major problems were with the internal management of the conference center. Harvey asked if they were saying that this facility and this use mandates that it be used as a conference center and it won't work as a resort hotel. Ensign said that was correct. Keluche said they were overbuilding about . ~4- Regular Meeting Aspen Planning and zoning conunission March 20, 1979 John Doremus Ramona Markalunas 20% in the conunon space and it would be an uneconomic resort facility. Bil Dunaway of the Aspen Times said he felt that the key point in the application has been a guarantee that if a sale occurs, it will continue to be a conference center. Hecht said he felt Stock had a solution. Ensign said they have presented their solutions and they are not acceptable. Collins was disappointed that the application was back for review without addressing these key issues. Ensign felt they were not conununicating. He felt they need to sit down with Council and detail the problems and the acceptable solutions. Wells agreed that they should schedule a work session. Collins asked for conunents from the audience. John Doremus submitted that the conunent that limiting the use of the premises to a conference center would make it difficult to finance is "hogwash". He felt they should find out if that is true or false. He felt this submission should call for a fair definition of open space use, what is dedicated to the public, what lands are part of the project and what are not, what ingress and egress is reasonable from their standpoint. He did not feel this submission should be passed on without that consideration. He did not hear a response from the planners on the serious question of ingress and egress to the project which concerns this neighborhood. He did not feel that this should be decided in a work session that is closed to the public. He felt they needed data on the number of cars, trucks and buses per day. He felt the main impact is traffic. Ramona asked Ensign to clarify his statement that the employee housing would be temporary type employee housing. Ensign said that housing is intended for the employee that has just come into town and needs housing to work for the Institute. It is not luxury housing and most employees will be looking for a better situation. Markalunas noted that they have not anticipated family employee housing. She felt there would be a pressure for a turnover of this housing for new employees. She also noted that she has not found any property owners that were noticed of this public hearing. smi th received ~a list of the appropriate recipients'" for this notice which is anyone within 300 feet of the property and anyone adjacent. They sent this notice to the names on the list and received a few back where the addresses were out of date but the legal requirement was met. This notice was sent out for the February 20 public hearing. Markalunas asked the Planning Office to check into this. She noted that the West End residents support the Institute proposals. She felt that Walter Paepcke's original concept of the Institute has been stretched from humanistic studies to economic hardship. She felt they are changing the Institute to a commercial, economically viable endowment generating conference center for 450 conferees. She asked for data on the 1978 conferences. She stated that they propose 55 programs from June to September and asked what they propose for the remaining months. She said this is called ,the Aspen .Institute's application for SPA but it appears only a minor portion of the development will be for the Institute; the major use will be for commercial conferees and it mayor may not continue to be owned and operated by the Institute. Zoning has placed the tourist uses close to the ski mountain so the access to town is not through a residential area. - - -5- BRADFORD PUBLISHING CO., DENVER RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Regular Meeting Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission March 20, 1979 Mary Martin Martin said Mr. Paepcke placed the Institute in a neighbor- hood surrounded with houses. She critized P&Z for not helping the Institute with their application. She said she felt the Institute is Aspen. She submitted a petition supporting the application. She saw no reason why they cannot have facilities to house their own conferees. She felt they need to negotiate with the applicants. She said Paepcke planned it so the city and government would get along. She felt Ensign should get a letter from RO Anderson stating what would happen if the Institute left Aspen. She noted that she read a letter from the City Manager that stated "when we take over the Institute". Andy Hecht said he felt Stock's solution is acceptable. They need to work out the language with him. He felt the City must define the zoning. Collins noted a petition supporting the preliminary approval of the Institute signed by approximately 200 people and a letter from Bill Martin. Collins closed the public hearing. John Schuhmacher left the meeting at this point. Collins continued this issue and adjourned the meeting at 7:15 PM. ~/~~#~ Shery inunen, Deputy City Clerk