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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.hpc.20180228 1 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 28TH, 2018 Chairperson Greenwood called the meeting to order at 4:36 p.m. Commissioners in attendance: Gretchen Greenwood, Jeffrey Halferty, Nora Berko, Roger Moyer, Bob Blaich, Willis Pember. Absent were Scott Kendrick and Richard Lai. Staff present: James R. True, City Attorney Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk Amy Simon, Historic Preservation Planner Sara Yoon, Historic Preservation Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. COMMISSIONER COMMENT: Mr. Pember said he was invited by the Aspen Art Museum to introduce the last architecture series lecture with Todd Williams who is currently working on the Obama Presidential Center among other projects. He and his partner, Billy Chen, are longtime heroes of Mr. Pember. This will be shown on Grass Roots TV and suggested that everyone look it up, but please don’t watch his introduction as the noise levels were off. He said that Mr. Williams did a great job and it was really fascinating stuff. He said it was fun interacting with his hero and that Mr. Williams had asked to see his resume and some of his projects so it was wonderful for him. He mentioned that his partner, Billy, wasn’t there and that they usually do the presentations together. He said they live above Carnegie Hall and are adorable and unlike any other professionals they are likely to meet. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT: Mr. Pember noted that he does not have a conflict of interest, but has worked on the elements in the presentation tonight. In the core, he was the lead designer for the Wagner Park pavilion in 2001 and also the information pavilion in 2005 as well as the kiosk at the Wheeler and the clock tower and worked closely with Parks and the landscape people on the plaza and parts of the playground, but can remain objective. He has no horse in the race or bone to pick with anyone. Mr. True mentioned that he had a discussion with Mr. Pember about this and there is no technical conflict but he can be objective by stating his history. Mr. Pember said he is also not currently working with the city. PROJECT MONITORING: Ms. Simon said she has the restudy of the front porch of St. Mary’s for Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Halferty to look at, but since Mr. Kendrick is absent tonight, she asked Mr. Halferty if he will be available within the next couple of days for a meeting. He said he will be available. CERTIFICATES OF NO NEGATIVE EFFECT: None. CALL UPS: None. PUBLIC NOTICE: None. PRESENTATION: Aspen Pedestrian Mall Mike Albert of Design Workshop, Darla Callaway of Design Workshop and Tina Bishop of Mundus Mr. Albert said that he appreciates all the feedback and they are hoping to move the conversation forward and continue the dialogue. He mentioned that they feel like there was some catching up to do since the 2 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 28TH, 2018 first time they presented to HPC. They are here because in 2006, this was a top ten goal by City Council to focus on the improvement of the mall and the infrastructure. This provided a moment in time and a platform to elevate Aspen’s most notable public space for the next 50 years. Their project boundary includes areas of Mill & Galena as well as Cooper & Hyman. The key issues are: to maintain the historical integrity and character of the malls while upgrading the infrastructure and access, explore innovative ways to improve the storm water infrastructure, replace utilities, retain the malls as an urban park, increase the mall’s accessibility and engage the public and business owners. We wanted to balance a strong local presence and also bring in a higher level of expertise lacemaking, sustainable infrastructure and historic preservation. The project has five phases and they are currently in phase 2, which is the conceptual planning and design. Mr. Albert recapped the previous HPC meetings that were held on the mall presentation. He said this time, they are presenting a refined conceptual plan. They are requesting HPC’s recommendation to move the project forward to the next phase of design. The feedback from the first HPC meeting was that the Independence node by Ralph Lauren is one of the weaker areas and there was a comment about a water feature being integrated, there was a question about replicating the bricks and the rollout of the project. In the second meeting, there were points of agreement regarding: 1. Intersection treatments 2. the Durant connection 3. Fire features. Additional study was requested on bricks, lighting, outdoor dining, sister cities plaza and programming. Ms. Bishop took over to give some historical context. We’ve looked at the chronology of the mall and how it evolved over time, we did an analysis of the fabric that has remained and spatial relationships and they pulled together some principles and guidance on where to go in the future. This project was very research based with a solid foundation. They have documented the extent of the historic fabric that remained. Ms. Bishop continued to show some slides of the original mall before there was any construction. The mall was completed between 1976-1980. The greater extent of change came during the 2000’s. The modifications over time include things such as, sister cities, pavilion, the circular bench, clock tower, kiosk, info panel, playground, fire hearth and tree replacements. She then showed a diagram of how the mall is broken up into different sections. The nodes are meant to be connectors of each section of the mall and the brick is an important contributing factor. Ms. Callaway laid out the basic needs of the mall project regarding infrastructure and electrical. The items that need attention are: pipes, electrical lines, conceptual utility layouts, water, storm drains, fiber and electrical. What is currently under review by owners are: sewer, gas, cable, primary electrical. The mall today doesn’t meet current storm water standards of today. They are looking at permeable brick paving and high rate tree soils, but these options are not character defining. Where needed, they will look at an underground storage or structured conditions. As far as the bricks go, they had originally purchased 500,000 and used about 320,000 to construct the mall. They are down to about 30,000 now that is kept in storage for repairs. They do not have enough existing supply for the repairs or replacement and they are not ADA compliant. For a new brick strategy, they will: 1. Look at the original fabric and see what can remain in place. 2. Look at brick to be salvaged or reused during construction. 3. Look at custom bricks to be developed using Poston block, culver block, Athens block, Indy block, and Egyptian. The chosen brick would have to match in texture, size and pattern. There has to be documentation of pattern, inventory, design of the brick on the mall. Emergency access is another issue, especially pertaining to outdoor dining. 3 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 28TH, 2018 Mr. Albert said that over the last month, they have digested the feedback and come to you now with a refined plan of which the key takeaways are: similar opinations: maintain character, realign Wagner Park, create an open view to Wagner, relocate bathroom, integrate fountain at Sister Cities, build in flexibility for outdoor dining, connect to Durant, narrow intersection crossing distances and remove excessive planters. There are differing opinions on the following: outdoor dining locales, replacement of the crab apples with non-fruit bearing trees, a community table/water feature at the Independence node and public art management. Ms. Callaway mentioned the trees and said there are 57 new trees proposed whether new or being replaced. They will not increase the lighting, but maintain the same amount of light as well as seasonal lighting. There will be street signage added onto the lighting. We used to have it and will bring this back. For the future, the following are the areas of focus: contributing feature design, architectural RFP, physical mock ups, construction phasing and cost budgeting. Mr. Moyer said there should be no tables against the buildings and that he would rather see it in the middle. This to him, is too structured and it’s not the “messy vitality” that aspen has always been known for. Ms. Greenwood said she agrees with Mr. Moyer. His feeling about the center is that people want to be able to walk that as well and said the mall commission needs to have better regulations. Mr. Halferty also agrees with the other two. He said there are a lot of moving parts, but he is with the others on the messy vitality and things not being so orchestrated. Mr. Pember said there is a complex relationship between CCLC and the mall leases and said he’s not comfortable weighing in on this. Ms. Berko said there are places she avoids like the dancing fountain and she said it seems complicated and needs some variety. Mr. Blaich said he is hearing two sides; being messy and structured. He said he lived in Europe for a long time and what he loves most is the messy vitality and he likes the idea of the eating and drinking zone away from the buildings. Mr. Woods said that you’re getting both sides of the issue here and this design allows for both of these ideas and said they are laying this out to be flexible. Mr. Blaich addressed the Wagner Park and Mill Street node and said he missed the last meeting, but was at the walk through and he likes this direction very much and the functional aspects. He likes opening up the vista to the park and says it is a major step forward. He asked what happened to the utility building that HPC approved for the city and Mr. Woods said it will be incorporated into the restrooms or such. Ms. Callaway said they will integrate it all together. Ms. Berko asked about the water features turning off at night and Mr. Albert said yes, that is plan and the water will be recycled or recirculated. Ms. Greenwood said it’s a nice gathering place for the community and feels a space like that is needed and she feels they solved that. Mr. Moyer likes all of the nodes and he likes the LED lighting and said it’s mellow. Mr. Pember asked if they will they still call this the Sister Cities plaza and Mr. Albert said yes. Mr. Woods said that space has been dedicated and it is important to not lose this designation. Ms. Greenwood thinks opening up the view to Wagner Park should be done as much as possible and that maybe putting the restroom below grade is a good idea. It’s just a functional building and says she feels the opposite of Mr. Pember. She loves the building that Mr. Pember has done, but this space needs to be opened up. Ms. Bishop said for the most part, all areas of the mall have integrity. Mill has a little more diminished integrity because of the changes. Telling the story of that building and how it changed over time, is important to telling the story. 4 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 28TH, 2018 Mr. Moyer asked if they decide to bring down the current restroom building, if there has been discussion about keeping a clock tower there. Mr. Albert said they would like feedback on the clock tower and its presence. From the comments collected, there has not been a clear for or against the clock tower so it hasn’t been settled yet. Mr. Pember said it is a nice vertical accent in a horizontal space and doesn’t think it would be unfriendly to keep there and said that maybe it should be taller. Ms. Greenwood said in general, the board is in favor of the direction for this node. Mr. Halferty asked how they determine how many restrooms are needed for the area. He also asked if they are considering moving the restrooms to the south, he thinks they should still be functional for people at the Wheeler and not have to walk so far to use a restroom. He is with everyone on the clock tower and thinks it’s an excellent vertical element. Mr. Moyer said he likes the Independence/Paradise node and there just needs to be room for one car to park and one to pass. Mr. Blaich said he likes it as well. Darla said they are looking to keep it the same size. Mr. Wheeler said the steel and basic structure are in good shape on this node. The internal workings need to be reworked and Mr. Woods said it’s the perfect location. Ms. Greenwood said a nicer looking building would be great and Mr. Wheeler said it was built as a moveable structure and this will be part of the architectural RFP. Ms. Callaway said they will keep the fire pit as a special occasion item for Winterskol and such. Mr. Wheeler said that Council felt it was important to not burn all the time due to fossil fuels and Ms. Callaway said the police department asked that it not burn all the time due to the late nights calls. Ms. Berko said the more we can go in the direction of environmental consciousness is better so reusing and repurposing instead of scrape and replace. That should be a guiding factor. Mr. Pember said there are a lot of design aspects that will change and it needs to be for the better. Regarding the Ki Davis, Ms. Greenwood said that it’s a nice extension to the mall. She asked if it will be a colored concrete and Mr. Albert said It will match the language of the gondola plaza, which is a warm tone. The fountain is at street level today and will be going to be further off of the street so people can gather around it. Mr. Wheeler said the street is one-way and has been a long-term commitment and it has only been that way for the past ten years roughly and it has worked well and makes it easier for pedestrians. They have got nothing but good feedback on Galena being one-way. There are very strong businesses along that street and it’s a very active street. Mr. Albert said he would like brick and lighting feedback. Ms. Greenwood said they have done a good job and they are on the right track. Ms. Berko said she feels they have a good handle on it all and said the more they can keep, the better. Mr. Blaich asked what 30,000 bricks would cover and Mr. Albert answered 10 percent of the mall. Mr. Woods said they are going to keep working on understanding the pattern of the bricks on the mall because it is almost like an abstract painting. He said you have to do flyovers to get a feel for the character and there is still a lot of work to do on this. Mr. Pember said an abstract mix is key to keep that intent and repurpose. He likes the lighting plan and he likes the bollards. 5 REGULAR MEETING HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 28TH, 2018 Mr. Halferty said he has the same philosophy and doesn’t mind the bollards. He says they should keep the bricks the same and keep the matrix the same and Mr. Blaich seconded. Ms. Greenwood thanked them for taking in their comments and she feels it’s great developed plan from when they last met. Mr. Halferty asked about removing the fruit bearing trees and asked them to talk more about the cottonwoods or spruce trees because some people are talking about the urban forest being too much and a haven for bears. He asked if they have a proximation of trees to be removed, etc. Mr. Albert threw back up a slide on the screen with a graph of trees to be removed and said this is the best that they know will be impacted at this point. He said they heard back that people like how it is. Mr. Woods said it will be mixed age forest, but some cottonwoods have to come down. Mr. Woods said this was a really helpful meeting and that they felt they did a poor job last time presenting. He thanked the board for the input received and mentioned that they felt a bit beat up last time and they learned a lot from that experience. Mr. Moyer motioned to adjourn, Mr. Blaich seconded at 6:52 p.m. ___________________________________ Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk