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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.20070710 ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES JULY 10, 2007 John Rowland opened the special meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission in the Rio Grande meeting room at 4:40pm. Commissioners LJ Erspamer, David Guthrie, Brian Speck and John Rowland were present. Staff in attendance were Jim True, Special Counsel; Sara Adams, Joyce Allgaier, Community Development; Jackie Lothian, Deputy City Clerk. DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST Dylan Johns had a conflict of interest on the Lift One. COMMENTS LJ Erspamer asked about doing something for Ruth. Erspamer asked if the minutes could be approved by a commissioner who was not in attendance at a meeting. Jim True said that a commissioner could approve minutes even if they were not at the meeting. CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING (06/19107): LIFT ONE CONCEPTUAL PUD/TIMESHARE John Rowland opened the continued public hearing for Lift One Conceptual PUD/Timeshare. Joyce Allgaier said the topics for tonight's hearing were the review ofHPC Conceptual Review for Willoughby Park; Site and Infrastructure; Public Experience throughout the site; Site Plan, Uses, Massing and Zone Changes. Joyce introduced Sara Adams who will talk about the historic preservation of this site and the Historic Preservation's decision on the conceptual approval. Bob Daniel reiterated the master plan goals of history, accessibility and vitality. Daniel said that in 1947 this was where skiing began and currently was underutilized. Daniel said the non-historic Holland House and addition to the Skier Chalet restaurant would not remain. Steven Holly noted that there were also the historic outhouses and the Deep Powder Cabins that would be restored. Holly noted there were 5 meetings with the Historic Preservation on the conceptual was a comprehensive plan to revitalize and safeguard the historic assets on this site. Holly said they approached the master plan as a revitalization that assured the preservation of the historic asset; the museum location would be in the best possible spot. Holly spoke of the parking area and the physical access with lining up parking bays for museum parking, day skier parking, which require greater depth for the bays, isles, circulation and ramps. There were 2Y2levels of parking to I ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES JULY 10, 2007 accommodate the surface parking from the park and the streets. Holly said the access point would be on the low side, which could accommodate the ramping down and meets city code; there was a transformer that would block the car lights at night from reaching South Point. Holly said the Skier Chalet Lodge would be brought down as the museum to the street, which gives the museum a presence; the Deep Powder Cabins would be moved to the back of the site. Bob Daniel said that HPC wanted to keep the same special relationship between the street and the building (the Skiers Chalet Lodge) the gable was parallel to Dean Street as it currently was to Gilbert. Sara Adams stated there was not that much space on the site. LJ Erspamer asked the setback from the street. Holly replied that they were maintaining the 5 foot setback. Erspamer asked if this site was in the commercial core where HPC wanted all the buildings up front to the property line. Adams replied this site was outside of the commercial core. Joyce Allgaier stated that it was so that the building could be prominent for its new use and to anchor that end of Dean Street. Erspamer asked how that big building up front relates to the little Deep Powder Cabins in back. Adams responded that people were encouraged to walk around buildings to experience the buildings in three dimensions and the location of proposed museum was on the street so that people would recognize that this was an important place to find out about Aspen Ski History. Erspamer asked about moving the base area. Adams replied that they wanted to respect the run because the focal point was the lift in the park like setting. David Guthrie asked if the pitched surface was the same of the street and asked about the uninviting park like setting. Adams replied the pitch was the same and you have to understand that you are on Aspen Mountain going up toward skiing history. Bob Daniel said this proposal for the museum was the same as the current relationship as the Skiers Chalet Lodge is to Gilbert Street and the slope exists. John Rowland asked if the Deep Powder Cabins had room for interpretation. Holly replied that there was room for interpretation and there was a green area behind it. Rowland asked what was in store for those cabins. Daniel replied the Historical Society will possibly utilize them for housing of interns. Public Comments: 1. Carol Farino stated that she was president of the Aspen Historical Society in the 1980s; the lift is important but the run was most important. Farino said that there would not be droves of people going to the museum. 2. Galen Bright stated that he lived at South Point and agreed with Carol on the size and mass of the Deep Powder Cabins compared to the size of the Skiers 2 ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES JULY 10,2007 Chalet; the cabins will be lost in the back. Bright said moving the Skiers Chalet affects the views of 15 South Point owners and cuts up the park. 3. Leon Fell said that he was curious about the tentative approval from HPC. 4. Robert Scherer would like to see the Skiers Chalet kept where it currently sits. Bob Daniel stated the existing conditions drove the plan; the proposed site for Lift One Lodge, Lift One Park, the Skiers Chalet Steakhouse, and Willoughby Park, the volleyball courts, the parking lot and the bottom terminal was indicated in the drawing on the power point presentation in the existing conditions. Daniel stated that the Tramway Standards were very specific design criteria standards; most cables on a high speed quad are stepped 15 feet apart with 35 feet twice precludes having a high speed quad in Willoughby Park with no building for 85 feet. Allgaier asked if the specifications apply to a lift that was not in working order. Daniel replied that the high speed quad was discussed in the 1980s but was dismissed by the Aspen Ski Company. Daniel and Holly utilized the power point to walk though the pedestrian experience of the site with the building and foliage. Holly said the park opens up and the building was mostly at 42 feet except for the overrun of the elevator with the view to the mountain. There were two anchors one at the bottom of the site, the Ski Museum, and on at the top near the skiing, the restaurant; there was flow though the site with interaction throughout the site. Holly said the street profile contained a series of buildings, open spaces and plantings with a rhythm. There was a lot of room between the structures; the street profile was narrower and provides more plantings on the sides. Holly compared other street fronts between buildings and illustrated how the most comparable street was Main Street to their presence with the exception of heights, their heights were lower. Holly said the Holland House would be identical in height and mass to the new structure. Holly stated that public amenities were a concern for staff so the Lift One Lodge had one level below grade that was semi public with SkiCo lockers and offices; the primary entry off of the cul-de-sac with the SkiCo ticketing and public lockers, the public restaurant and lodge lobby; one level up was the second story for the restaurant with apres ski and apres bar with direct access from the mountain and the deck above the restaurant was also public with views of Aspen Mountain. 3 ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES JULY 10, 2007 Sunny Vann stated the 2 parks were zoned Park with a historic overlay, the upper most portion of the site by the ski tower was C Conservation and everything else was zoned L Lodge. The Parks had to be rezoned to P Public because of the museum and the types of facilities were not permitted in the Park Zone District. Vann said they were also proposing to rezone the C Conservation to Lodge to accommodate this location. A PUD was required to establish the dimensional requirements; 2 parcels with the project belong to the city and will be incorporated into the overall PUD. Vann said because the Lodge is a fractional ownership lodge the code dictates that review process. Vann provided the history of the 8040 Greenline and Conservation Zone District began in the 1970s with the purpose of preserving the views to the upper portion of the mountain; there were 2 areas where the Conservation Zone dips below the 8040 Greenline was the base of Little Nell to pick up the lift and the base of IA to pick up the existing lift. Erspamer asked if Dean Street will be a pedestrian experience in the future. Allgaier responded that portions will be pedestrian but portions will be used for vehicles as well. Erspamer asked how the pedestrian experience was enhanced since the lift was being moved up 120 feet. Daniel replied they were proposing that South Aspen Street currently was not safe for pedestrians but that would be enhanced in the future and the cross town shuttle was proposed to tie Lift lA, Ruby Park and Gondola Plaza. Erspamer requested a series of pictures from the winter. Holly replied that he would provide a series of pictures from World Cup. Erspamer asked if the elevator was hydraulic then all of the mechanical would be at the bottom. Holly answered that this elevator was hydraulic and there was no mechanical on the top but specifically for the overrun at a specific number of feet required. Rowland asked where on the roof was the elevator overrun. Holly replied that it was on page 23 of the application. Guthrie said that too many trees in the open area would cut into the skiing to the bottom at that point. Guthrie asked the distance from the base of the elevator to the new lift. Daniel replied that there was a 15 to 20 foot between the existing trees and through the building. Brian Speck asked if the shuttle was gas or electric. 4 ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES JULY 10, 2007 Rowland asked for a walk though for vehicular circulation with regard to parking. Holly replied that the cul-de-sac was where he began and then at Gilbert was the ramp down to the parking and service areas. Daniel said with the use plan there will be more public access. Erspamer said that the applicant stated that they did not want to entrance to the parking garage on Dean and Aspen. Holly responded that a corner entrance would obliterate that entire area, it would become a tunnel. Daniel said there had to be 100 foot separation between the corner and the garage entrance. Erspamer asked the size of the public deck and the private members deck. Daniel stated that he would get those numbers. Guthrie noted the garage entrances at the Highlands and Obermeyer had lights that shown way too bright out from the garage opening; he urged that this garage not have these lights. Daniel answered that the entrance was setback and was not out on the street and the service corridor was in the back of the garage. Holly said that there was a portal that was driven through and the entrance was setback. Public Comments: I. Leon Fell said that they have talked about replacing these volleyball courts. Fell said the MotherLode Volleyball brings 2,000 to 3,000 people into the town; there were 5 full sized Pro Am tournament sand courts. Fell said that from a community business standpoint it would be good to rebuild those courts; the courts were used. Fell has been doing the MotherLode for 35 years; he said that Koch Lumber Park could be added onto. 2. Steve Knor said that he was a Caribou Condo owner and spoke about the kids using the park in the winter and this was probably the only winter park in the community. 3. Carol Farino said that it was important to have a ski run that starts at the top and goes all the way to the bottom. Farino voiced concern for the tunnel being shoveled or the snow quality not being good in it. Farino said that there was real legitimate space for people to ski down. 4. Christie MacNamera said that she lived in Shadow Mountain and wanted to know the relationship to the round about and the parking. 5. Robert Sherer reiterated that it was important to preserve the skiers experience in Aspen, Colorado and getting people up the mountain was important. 5 ASPEN PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES JULY 10, 2007 6. David Corbin, Vice President, Planning and Development Aspen Skiing Company, said that they studied lift placement and he wrote a letter in support of the Lift One plan and the placement of the lower lift. Guthrie asked the number of skiers on Aspen Mountain. Corbin replied about 2,000 a day. MOTION: Brian Speck moved to continue the public hearing on the Lift One PUD to July 17, 2007; LJ Erspamer seconded. All in favor, APPROVED. IUv ie Lothian, Deputy City Clerk 6