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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.20090811Continued Meeting Aspen City Council August 11, 2009 Mayor Ireland called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. with Councilmembers Torre and Romero present. RESOLUTION #52. SERIES OF 2009 -Lift One Lodge Conceptual PUD Chris Bendon, community development department, reminded Council the 2006 application for Lift One Lodge was put on hold while the Lift One Neighborhood Master Plan COWOP was developed. Bendon said an issue before Council is whether they want to review the 2006 application or to see the conceptual application move closer to what came out of the COWOP. Council indicated they were more interested in the COWOP plan and the applicant would like to know how close and what trade offs the Council is interested in. Bendon reminded Council a lift corridor through the site was important to the COWOP task force, mostly for lift access up the hill. The task force spent a lot of time reviewing the lifts and what would work in this location. Bendon said the task force decided on a poma lift. The result was to push development massing away from that corridor. The task force and other reviewing agencies thought that was a worthwhile tradeoff. This pushed the buildings into the street right-of--way, moved historic buildings around on the site, accommodated additional mass and scale and included some free market units to offset some impacts of the lift corridor. The applicants would like to know if any issue is not negotiable and which items are more sensitive than others. Bendon said at conceptual PUD discussions, Council is asked how to make a project meet their expectations before final review. Bendon told Council a corridor through the project for the lift is a fundamental design decision for the applicant. It is critical from a physical layout. It is also critical for the design team to represent whether their proj ect is completely compliant with the zoning code. Bendon said the importance of skiing and ski lifts in this community is what propelled this into a COWOP for a neighborhood plan. Bob Daniel, applicant, reiterated they would like Council to understand the decisions made by COWOP, how they impact the east side of South Aspen street and establish the land plan for the Lift One Lodge. Daniel told Council the COWOP was allowed to look at solutions "outside the box" and some of that thinking made a better site plan for Lift One Lodge. Daniel reminded Council their original master plan goals were history, accessibility and vitality, to create "skiing and being" a place that residents and guests feel comfortable in, a place that is inclusive and that has access. The initial focus was about skiing; how does one ski through the property; how do adjacent property owners get to skiing, how do skiers exit the mountain. Daniel showed the site plan of existing conditions and the buildings on site, the adjacent properties, and South Aspen street. Daniel told Council the COWOP spent time talking to the Ski Company and SE Group about ski area planning and how a lift might work on this site. Daniel noted that regulations regarding lifts have changed in the past 60 years. Daniel showed a slide superimposed with the required footprint for a lift going through this site. Daniel said this lift comdor blocks off access to upper South Aspen street, including Continued MeetinH Aspen City Council August 11, 2009 Shadow Mountain condominiums. Daniel noted the tramway safety board has a requirement for an 85' corridor, 35' each side of the lift cable has to be unobstructed. Daniel said this footprint required for a lift leaves virtually nothing as developable property. The COWOP task force looked at different lift technologies that would operate in a smaller corridor that would provide both uphill and downhill access. The technology decided upon by the COWOP was a poma lift, which still requires an 85' corridor. Daniel told Council the applicants went to the tramway board for a variance and were granted a variance based on the plan as presented and that on a surface lift, one is already on the ground and in case of an emergency can ski away. Daniel said the applicants feel this plan maintains a historic visual corridor up lift one and also provides access up through the property in the summer as well as creates more activity in Willoughby park. The plan with a lift corridor also breaks up the mass and scale of the original plan. Daniel pointed out typically one develops a master plan around a fixed object, like a street. This master plan allows the lift corridor to become the fixed object. Councilman Torre asked how the COWOP received the poma lift. Bendon told Council it was a good reception but only because the COWOP went through all alternatives and the negatives and positives of each alternative. One reason the COWOP liked the poma proposal is that it was scaled to the actual use. Councilman Torre asked if this is a usable poma. Daniel said the distance of the poma is abou1700 linear feet. Dave Corbin, Aspen Skiing Company, told Council this would be about a minute ride. Daniel said this Lift One Lodge plan with a lift corridor also created activities and a sense ofplace in Willoughby Park. The Skier's Chalet/Steakhouse would be moved down closer to the original Lift One, and it will be affordable housing, a local restaurant and ski lockers. Daniel said the applicants would like to create a better connection between town and the mountain; this area is less than 2 minutes to Rubey Park. Daniel said another positive of this design is breaking up the buildings by creating the lift corridor. Daniel showed the existing conditions base map, the footprints of the proposed buildings. Daniel noted this proposal had HPC review who felt strongly enough about the ski corridor and about opening up the views that they supported moving the historic Skier's Chalet and Steakhouse down the site as a net benefit to the area. Daniel pointed out no other structures than those currently approved will be located in Willoughby park; no structures are going into the Lift One park. Daniel noted a trade off of this plan is putting part of the lodge building into the South Aspen street right-of--way. The proposed plan with the lift corridor results in increased square footage, increased heights in some locations and the addition of a free market element. Daniel said one of the benefits is the view corridor and open space up through the parcel which includes connectivity to town. Other benefits, which have been discussed before, are restaurants, street improvements, hot beds, on-site affordable housing. Daniel said the issue is whether the trade offs are acceptable to Council. Continued MeetinH Aspen Citv Council Au¢ust 11, 2009 Councilman Torre said he does not favor changing the configuration of South Aspen street because of the view plane. The city's street grade offers natural views north, south, east and west. Daniel pointed out that buildings more than streets frame the view corridors. Daniel said they have not worked out the details of the Centurion property not being part of this application. Daniel said if the buildings were to be put back onto their property, the issues would be height, mass and program and how to have a separate sense of identify for the Skier's Chalet and Steakhouse. Councilman Tone asked if the original Lift One tower will stay in the same location. Daniel said the tower will stay. The applicants will have to work on the pazking, access and circulation. Councilman Romero stated, in general, he supports the proposed trade offs. Councilman Romero said hot beds are one of the purposes of considering redevelopment in this area. Councilman Romero said "affordable" lodging was discussed during Council review and he would like to have a conversation to see how that might work, looking at the physical and fiscal constraints, community's comfort level. Councilman Romero said honor and respecting skiing and the historic elements on the property and the development becomes secondary, behind the skiing and history. Councilman Romero asked how the return ski/apres area at the top of the site will work with public access. Daniel said this is fully accessible and public restaurant. The applicants want this space on the front of the development, not buried in the middle of the hotel. Daniel pointed out a lazge deck with views up the ski race course. Daniel said because of Shadow Mountain, they will have to create reasons for people to be on this part of the development. Daniel said places in Aspen that are most successful have a mix of local and tourist business. Daniel said a 97 key facility will not support the restaurant planned for the hotel. Councilman Romero asked about proposed financial contributions on the public improvements, the lift, streets, and surface lift. Daniel noted their commitment was for the upper lift and the poma lift irrespective of what happens on any other pazcels of land in the general facility. Councilman Romero asked about the logistics of the service plan. Daniel said they need to do a circulation analysis. In the COWOP plan, they had a tunnel to serve both developments. Daniel said there is a challenge with the Gilbert and Monarch intersection as a surface point. Daniel said he does not see a viable egress on to Gilbert. Mayor Ireland noted the COWOP task force agreed to a goal of preserving view corridors up the mountain. The COWOP did not want a wall of buildings created between the town and the mountain. Mayor Ireland said a lot of this will depend on how the community perceives the height and mass of this project. Mayor Ireland said view corridors do help the height and mass issue. Mayor Ireland said a larger community issue is the destiny of Aspen and whether Aspen can continue to ride on a small number of wealthy persons. Mayor Ireland said he feels resorts that will survive will be more resilient and have a more mixed guest base. Coutiuued Meetiu¢ Aspeu City Couucil August 11, 2009 Mayor Ireland asked how one pays for all these improvements and amenities. Mayor Ireland suggested the city and the applicant look at TIF or other ways to financing. Mayor Ireland said he is leery of approving projects with amenities that during the project it is determined they cannot be paid for. Mayor Ireland suggested a way to pay for capital is to finance them over a life of the improvements. Mayor Ireland said he favors generations that benefit are the generations that pay; this is amulti-generation project. Councilman Romero agreed with some public financing and cautioned there are some costs of ownership limits and adding the financing burden may eliminate people from purchasing. Councilman Romero said he thinks the community would recognize the trade offs if public financing could take some burden off the project. Councilman Romero noted the COWOP was a consistent way for public outreach and he would like to know that level of outreach will continue. Councilman Romero asked about transit and pedestrian improvements that will service the neighborhood. Daniel said there was a Dean street improvement plan undertaken by the city involving all the property owners along the corridor. Daniel said pedestrian improvements refer to participating in the Dean street plan by finishing out the west segment, enhancements along South Aspen street, like a sidewalk. Daniel told Council they are looking into integrating this into the existing transit, like the Galena street or cross town shuttle. Councilman Torre asked if the applicants have looked at moving the ski corridor to the west or east. Daniel said if it is moved to the west, there are problems interfacing with the lift further up the mountain. Daniel told Council the existing lift will be moved up the mountain 200'. Councilman Torre said he agrees about the funding mechanisms. Councilman Torre said there are a lot of challenges in this application as well as a great opportunity. Daniel said the applicants would like to know if the Council is comfortable with these type of trade offs for them to go back and address the concerns. Mayor Ireland said he has a level of comfort in looking at these trades offs but would like to know the square feet proposed as well as the height. Daniel showed a schematic of a code compliant project submitted earlier as well as a schematic of the more out of the box project. Daniel told Council the applicants felt like ideas from the COWOP were worth pursuing. Council agreed they like the form that resulted from the COWOP. Mayor Ireland opened the public hearing. Toni Kronberg said a solution to this project would require a public vote. Ms. Kronberg said the community was not looking for a poma but a way to get up the mountain to the next lift. Ms. Kronberg suggested tramway engineers come in and tell what can actually be built. Ms. Kronberg said the lift access should be over South Aspen street and the developer could use the property where the lift was; the scale and mass can be reduced. This would be a foot passenger corridor. Continued Meeting Aspen City Council August 11, 2009 Junee Kirk said it would be nice to have the lift coming down as least as for as it currently does. Ms. Kirk said the scale and mass has to be cut back. David Corbin, Aspen Skiing company, told Council for the COWOP work SE Group was engaged to study many different lift alternatives. SE Group is the foremost ski area planning group and their work is grounded in lift science. Corbin told Council the COWOP did look at a lift alignment up South Aspen street and these were not feasible for reasons like the location of lower terminal height lift terminal, and the size or length of amid-mountain terminal. Councilman Romero asked about variances from the Tramway board. Corbin said this board sets the 35' dimension off the lift cable and it is applied to both aerial and cable lifts. The proximity of the lift to actual buildings is a key in variances including the length of time a ride is exposed to that proximity, the distance to and from a fire station, the ability for a lift operator to see up the line are all factored in. Corbin said one can get a variance for short rides past a structure. Corbin told Council the applicants went to the tramway board and did get a variance for the poma lift and there was some concern about this being a surface lift, not an aerial lift, and they may not have granted a variance for an aerial lift. Mayor Ireland closed the public hearing. Councilman Romero moved to continue Resolution #52, Series of 2009, to September 14`h; seconded by Councilman Torre. All in favor, motion carried. Mayor Ireland moved to adjourn at 6:45 p.m.; seconded by Councilman Romero. All in favor, motion carried. Kat S. Koch, City Clerk