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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.apz.19740627 RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves FOR'" ,a C.F.HOECKELB.B.& L. CO. Special Meeting A$pen ~lannin9 and Zonin9 June 27, 1974 Meeting was called to order at 5;12 ~,M, by Chairman Spence Schiffer with Commission members Jack Jenkins, Bryan JOhnson, Janet Landry, and Charles Collins, and Assistant ~lanners John Stanford and Yank Mojo. ~ublic Hearing; ~arking Schiffer stated that he assumed that everyone had read the published notice, which had evolved from previous public hearings that had been held and previous published notices which, it had been dis- covered, were not in line with what the public was thinking in terms of parking and parking requirements. Schiffer further noted that a study session had been held with City Council, and a consensus of the Council members present was that the policy position of the City was to accommodate the car, as opposed to doing away with it. At the same time, however, efforts should be made to diminish its importance by emphasiz- ing the new transportation system. Since the last notice had been published, Jack Walls had come up with a proposal for underground parking under the city streets; this was one proposal which was being con- sidered by the City Council. Schiffer further noted that this was strictly an in- put session, and that no decisions would be made at that session. Schiffer opened the public hearing. Ted Mularz Mularz submitted a letter to the Commission, which he felt offered some positive suggestions. Mularz stated that, as a property owner in the downtown core area, he must object to the proposed amendments. He ques- tioned the legality of not being able to place his own automobile on his own property, and if leasing from the City is required, a cost formula should be established based on the current costs to build such off street parking and should be included as a part of the amendment. Off street parking should be permitted if the circumstances warrant, which implies more review procedures. Mr. Mularz further stated that it is next to impossible to provide underground parking on a 30' or 60' wide lot for commercial busi- ness's employees. Mr. Mularz stated that it seemed more sensible that off street parking be allowed on the basis of one car for every ten feet of alley frontage for under cover or surface garage parking, which would accommodate smaller parcels of land where underground parking is not feasible. When parcels are large enough to allow underground parking, two cars per ten feet of alley frontage could be allowed if parking is actually placed underground. This off street parking could be at the option of the owner and would count toward required off street parking, but be used only by employees or those working in the building. Any additional off street parking spaces required would be purchased from the City on the basis of a cost formula to protect the builder and the City. The above would also establish adequate criteria, so that off street parking requirements could be further analyzed by the Building Department. Vagneur arrived. -1- '.."'-' , ' RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves FORM ~I C. F. HOECK EL B. B. II L. CO. Special Meetin9 . A$pen j> lannin9 and Zonin~ Ju?e 27, 1974 Ted Mularz, continued Mularz continued that he felt one of the goals should be to keep the car out of a given area in town; the proposal would serve as an interim solution which does provide criteria. Mularz .noted that if a pack- age program had been presented, he would be willing to accept some of the restrictions implied by this. But he felt generally that the parking spaces should be undercover or underground with the idea that later it could be converted to another use by the building owner. City/County ~lanner Herb Bartel arrived. Bob George Mr. George, representing the Chamber of Commerce, stated that the Chamber had formed a committee to discuss this particular problem. He stated that due to the nature of the business community in this town, the Chamber could take no position. George stated he would like to make some personal comments. The piecemeal approach was hard to accept, and he stated that an overall plan was needed. George further noted that different types of busi- nesses have different types of parking needs. Mr. George stated that if the car was banned from the downtown area, or businesses were not accessible by the car, it was not necessarily healthy for the downtown area. The auto-oriented business would move out of town to the outside areas of town. Pete Stone Stone, the proprietor of the ~rospector Lodge, stated that he was making a personal comment about the parking proposal, specifically addressing the two hour parking limitation throughout the downtown area and the overnight parking restrictions throughout the area. He also wanted to suggest the possibility of leasing the on street parking from the City. Mr. Stone stated that he felt everyone was in favor of discouraging the car. By limiting the car to a two hour parking situation in the downtown area, how- ever, this was actual encouragement to cars being driven and cruising. He felt that the two hour limit was good for the tourist patronizing the retail es- tablishments in the downtown area, but discouraging to the lodge businesses in the downtown core area. Michael McGoldrick McGoldrick wanted to comment on the impact of this ordinance on the fringe of the proposed area. The impact is basically on a residential part of Aspen. McGoldrick stated that in the three years he had lived in this area there had never been a parking problem, but felt that establishing the area would create one. There was inadequate off street parking in the area, but the combination of off street and on street is adequate. The new ordinance requires stickers for residents, yet the inconvenience in going to another area of the city where a different color sticker was required must be considered. The basis for extending the two hour time limit into a residential area would be inadequacy of existing parking. This was not the case in this area. -2- -----~_._..,- 1"'"' RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves FORM 5~ C. F. HOECK EL D. B. a. L. CO. Special Meetin9.,. Eloise lIgen Aspen ~lanning and Zoning' June 27, 1974 lIgen sta,ted that she ha,d a new slogan,. "~13.rk C13.rs and Not Pollute", The diea was for the Mayor to declare July a. "Ride the Bus and W13.lk" Month. She stated that it would be easier to judge how many parking spaces were needed if c13.rs were required to p13.rk all day in the spaces th13.t were found and were not moving. She also suggested that mail delivery be encour13.ged. When the town h13.d reached c13.pacity as far 13.s p13.rking was concerned in the core area, signs could be posted outside of town, directing incoming tr13.ffic to p13.rking lots in other are13.s of town. Ted Mularz Mularz stated th13.t, b13.sed on what other people have s13.id, the progr13.m is premature. First, the City h13.d to provide a. place for the people to put their cars off the street in public owned off street facilities before they tell people they can't park on their own property. Bill Dun13.w13.Y Dunaway noted th13.t the 13.mendment does not prohibit p13.rking on your own property if you have the space now. It only states that if you are building a new building, you 13.re prohibited from providing parking as part of that building. YOu c13.n p13.rk on your own property. Robert Barnard arrived. Schiffer asked if there were any comments from the Commission rel13.tive to the publication. Schiffer again stated that this was a public hearing on the public13.tion, "An amendment to Section 24-9(f) Off Street Parking Regulations, ..... prohibit- ing the construction of private off street p13.rking in the area bounded by the North side of Durant Street, tne North side of Bleeker Street, the East side of Monarch Street, and the West side of Spring Street with an additional amendment th13.t all required off street p13.rking spaces for 13.11 development within this 13.re13. must be le13.sed from the City of Aspen". They were not going to further consider eliminating off street parking requirements. Curt B13.13.r Mr. B13.13.r st13.ted th13.t, while the M13.ll is exp13.nding, more 13.nd more parking sp13.ces are taken. Baar felt this was a negative attitude to take. The Galena Street underground parking idea was one that should be pursued. Schiffer stated that all comments relating to the published notice should be considered now, and then adjourn into a study session to consider other ways to approach the problem. Schiffer asked if there were any public comments on the administrative 13.ctions recommended, (a) that the City attempt to redesign the Cooper-Original intersection, (bl that the City institute the Galena Street pedestrian design plan north of Main Street, (c) that the City consider the creation of a parking district, to construct off street parking facilities or consider alternate methods of financing same, (d) e'ither the City purchase or aid a tow truck -3- ,-. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves fORMSG C.F.HOECKELB.B.ItL.CO. S'peci~l Meeti?~ A$pen Pl13.nning and zonin'il June 27, 1974 and provide a deputized driver to 13.id the enforce- ment of the parking ordinances, ee) that the City immediately institute a regular shuttle system from the Rio Grande property to and through the central core, Cf) the City erect directional sians indicating the way to the Rio Grande property used for long term p13.rking, eg) that the City encourage the Chamber of Commerce and the Lodge Association to promote the concept of alternative ways of travel to and from Aspen, eh) that the underground parking concepts for Wagner and Rubey Parks be further investigated, (i) that the City encourage the formation of an intercept parking lot, parking at the airport, (j) that the City study the possibility of using parking meters in the downtown area. City/County Planner Herb Bartel stated that since 1970 the Planning Office has spent approximately $120,000 plus for transportation planning, based on a permanent population of 12,000 for the Aspen area - more than $10 per capita, Bartel stated that this was more than most cities spend on implementa- tion, so that the statement that there was not a plan was false, For long term implementation, the City purchased Rubey Park for a transit center for the bus system. The Rio Grande was also purchased, and was in the plan as the long term parking area. Buses have also been purchased, and the bus system was operating, to form the in town link of the tran- sit system, Bartel stated that this summer, hopefully, there would be taken the first steps at implementing the pedestrian links which connect the residential areas to downtown. A public off street parking element was a part of the plan, with the full Mall, this projects some 800 spaces in addition to those that exist at the present time. Another long term element was to up date the transit link to provide better service to the ski areas and the airport. The long term elements can not be implemented on an immediate basis. However, short term implementation can be undertaken, which includes amendment to regulations. Bartel further stated that if the Commission wanted to go in the direction of increasing the parking requirements, the Planning Office recommendation is that they maintain the status quo, rather than increase the requirements. This clearly set the P & Z in a new course of action, one which is against the policies which have been indicated for the past several years. Schiffer stated that if there were no further comments the meeting should be opened up to general discus- sion, Schiffer then closed the public hearing. A member of the public asked what the overall ob- jective of this was. Schiffer replied that he felt that it was of a general consensus that the members would like to see the automobile deemphasized, and -4- ------.-.....~~...-----~_.,.....""'^<,\"""',""~--,~,~"'_.".,..> /'" RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 100 Leaves FORM \~ C. F. HOECKEL B. a. l\; l. CO. Special Meetin~ , , Aspen Plannin~ 13.nd Zonin9. . , June 27, 1974 .. " a well rounded transportation system established, so thattherp was a vi13.ble altern13.tive, Collins st13.ted that Q:tiginally, the objective was to pro- tect the economic viability of the downtown area. To achieve this, they developed the Voorhees Plan. The parking was only one element of this plan, and Collins wanted to note that unless all elements of this plan worked together, none would work~ Bartel stated that in the plan, the mall areas were being expanded before the public off street parking was being established. He suggested that the P & Z take a more action role in determining mall expan- sions, and take more interest in the Mall Commission and their decisions. A general discussion of the parking problem ensued. Vagneur made a motion to table all further parking considerations until such time as the Commission gets more definitive input from City Council on the Walls-Sterling plan and the direction the City is going to be taking. Jenkins seconded the motion, All in favor, motion carried. Barnard made a motion to adjourn, Vagneur seconded the motion, Meeting adjourned at 7:00 P.M. ',~) /l,. /-- '-Ii: (yC.>e--'v(.d- C"?--z Secretary