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HomeMy WebLinkAboutagenda.council.worksession.20230522AGENDA CITY COUNCIL RETREAT May 22, 2023 9:00 AM, Aspen Fire House Conference Room 420 East Hopkins Ave. Aspen, CO 81611 I.Retreat Information I.A 2023 Council Goal Setting Retreat Council Retreat Agenda Final.docx AACP_Policies_Summary_2023_Council_Retreat.docx 1 1 CITY COUNCIL RETREAT MAY 22, 2023 1 Aspen City Council Retreat Aspen Fire District HQ - Station 61 420 East Hopkins Avenue Board Room May 22, 2023 9:00 Informal networking (coffee, juice, muffins) 9:15 Welcome Mayor Torre Sara Ott, City Manager 9:20 Facilitation Process (Ron LeBlanc, facilitator) w Role clarification: facilitator, staff, Mayor and City Council w Ground rules w How will we define success at the end of the day? w How will we make decisions? w Working agreements 9:30 Looking back and looking ahead w What have we done right in the past? w What could we do better in the future? w Leading, listening, and living with working agreements 10:15 BREAK 10:30 Homework discussion 12:00 LUNCH Department Directors are invited to join the City Council for informal discussions over lunch. City Council should proceed through the food buffet first. This will allow us to re- start the program while the Directors continue eating. 2 CITY COUNCIL RETREAT MAY 22, 2023 2 1:15 CHECK-IN w Are we on the right path? w Goal setting process review 1:30 REVIEW OF CURRENT GOALS 1:45 GOAL GENERATION 2:30 BREAK 2:40 DETERMINE PRIORITIES 3:45 SUMMARY Next steps Concluding remarks; Mayor, Council members, City Manager 4:00(ish)ADJOURNMENT 3 1 AACP Statements by Topic Council Goal Setting Retreat May 22nd, 2023 Introduction The Aspen Area Community Plan is the Master Plan for the city, as required by state statute for all local governments to maintain. “The purpose of the Aspen Area Community Plan is to serve as a guide for the future. It is a vision, a map, and a plan of action for achieving community goals.” (AACP p. 7) The following policy statements have been selected from the 103-page plan to support Council goal setting discussion on selected topics. Selected narrative from the plan precedes the policy statements to provide context. The full AACP is available for review on the ComDev website and in the ComDev offices. Affordable Housing We are committed to providing affordable housing because it supports: A stable community that is invested in the present and future of the Aspen Area. A reliable workforce, also resulting in greater economic sustainability. Opportunities for people to live in close proximity to where they work. A reduction in adverse transportation impacts. Improved environmental sustainability. A reduction in downvalley growth pressures. Increased citizen participation in civic affairs, non-profit activities and recreation programs. A better visitor experience, including an appreciation of our genuine, lights-on community. A healthy mix of people, including singles, families and seniors. (AACP p. 38) The creation of affordable housing is the responsibility of our entire community, not just government. We should continue to explore methods that spread accountability and responsibility to the private sector, local taxing districts and others.(AACP p. 38) We should demonstrate our commitment to future generations by providing educational outreach regarding long-term maintenance and regulatory compliance by adopting a strategic plan for long-term maintenance of publicly-owned rental properties, and for handling “unique” properties, such as those with a sunset on deed restrictions.(AACP p. 38) Instead, this plan emphasizes the need to spread accountability and responsibility for providing affordable housing units beyond the City and County governmental structures, and continuing to pursue affordable housing projects on available public land through a transparent and accountable public process.(AACP p. 40) 4 2 I.1. Affordable housing should have adequate capital reserves for major repairs and significant capital projects. I.2. Deed-restricted housing units should be utilized to the maximum degree possible. I.3. Deed-restricted housing units should be used and maintained for as long as possible, while considering functionality and obsolescence. II.1. The housing inventory should bolster our socioeconomic diversity. II.2. Affordable housing should be prepared for the growing number of retiring Aspenites. II.5. Redefine and improve our buy-down policy of re-using existing housing inventory. IV.2. All affordable housing must be located within the Urban Growth Boundary. IV.3. On-site housing mitigation is preferred. IV.4. Track trends in housing inventory and job generation to better inform public policy discussions. IV.5. The design of new affordable housing should optimize density while demonstrating compatibility with the massing, scale and character of the neighborhood. IV.6. The residents of affordable housing and free-market housing in the same neighborhood should be treated fairly, equally and consistently with regard to any restrictions or conditions on development such as parking, pet ownership, etc. Climate Action & The Environment As stewards of our environment and resources, it is our responsibility to balance human activity and the health of our natural environment. This ethic is our defining characteristic.(AACP p. 48) We recognize the decisions we make today regarding our air, water and land will have a significant impact on our future. As such, we are committed to making choices and implementing programs that ensure our environmental sustainability. We recognize that this ethos will influence decision-making as we consider basic municipal services such as snow removal, maintaining public parks and fields, and street-sweeping and cleaning. We can also play a role in changing people’s individual habits, from re-useable grocery bags to higher recycling rates and limiting the wasteful consumption of plastic bottles. We continue to endorse the Ecological Bill of Rights, adopted by the City Council and Board of County Commissioners. (AACP p. 48) I.2. All existing development and uses should minimize their greenhouse gas emissions. 5 3 I.3. Incentivize alternative forms of transportation to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. I.4. All new development and uses should minimize their greenhouse gas emissions. III.1. Maintain minimum instream flows for the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries. III.3. Maintain and preserve existing riparian habitat and wetlands. III.4. Reduce the quantity of urban pollutants in stormwater runoff that discharge into the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries. IV.1. Maximize recycling, implement waste reduction and environmentally responsible purchasing programs, and encourage behavior that moves the Aspen Area toward being a zero- waste community and extends the life of the landfill. IV.4. Increase the practice of deconstruction and increase the amount of materials that are diverted from the landfill, reused or recycled. V.4. Require new development and redevelopment to minimize their energy usage and use on- site renewable energies as the site allows. V.5. Existing development should minimize energy usage and use on-site renewable energies as the site allows. VII.1. Sustain, protect, and restore biodiversity and native ecosystems through land use planning, resource acquisition and best land management practices on public and private lands. Commercial Vitality This plan calls for more aggressive measures to ensure that the commercial sector provides essential products and services, and to ensure balance between a local-serving and visitor- oriented commercial sector. (AACP p. 23) This plan also calls for a comprehensive re-evaluation of the impacts development has on community infrastructure. Private sector development should not place a financial burden on the tax-paying public, but we also recognize that certain types of land uses are beneficial to the community as a whole and require fewer mitigation costs for such uses in the public interest. (AACP p. 23) I.1. Achieve sustainable growth practices to ensure the long-term viability and stability of our community and diverse visitor-based economy. I.2. Ensure there is an ongoing economic analysis of the Aspen Area economy that uses a consistent metric and provides broad community understanding of the state of the economy. 6 4 V.1. Encourage a commercial mix that is balanced, diverse and vital and meets the needs of year-round residents and visitors. V.2. Facilitate the sustainability of essential businesses that provide basic community needs. Growth, Development & Economic Sustainability “Intense periods of construction activity compromise our community character and the long- term sustainability of the visitor-based economy. Therefore, we must coordinate amendments to the City and County codes to manage the impacts of construction. The purpose of managing construction impacts is to maintain our high quality of life by limiting traffic congestion, noise, dust, disturbances, air pollution and the disruption of the visual and aesthetic character of our neighborhoods and the downtown area. This plan calls for a renewed focus on managing the impacts of intense construction activity.” (AACP p. 19) By continuing to limit mass and scale, we will: Preserve scenic mountain views. Protect the natural environment. Limit the public financial burden of additional infrastructure and annual local government operations. Manage construction impacts. Maintain the safety and enjoyment of our outdoor lifestyle. Limit the unnecessary use of resources and energy. Reduce short- and long-term job generation impacts, such as traffic congestion and demand for affordable housing. Encourage a return to our visitor-based economy.(AACP p. 19) There is a concern that businesses providing basic necessities will be replaced with businesses providing non-essential goods and services. High-profile locations in the downtown have steadily converted from restaurants to retail spaces, some retail spaces have transformed to offices, and high rents have resulted in a continuing shift towards exclusivity. The character of our community is bolstered by a diverse commercial mix. While we have taken some steps to increase retail diversity, we must pursue more aggressive measures to ensure the needs of the community are met, and to preserve our unique community character.(AACP p. 20) I.1. Achieve sustainable growth practices to ensure the long-term viability and stability of our community and diverse visitor-based economy. I.4. Identify opportunities to reduce the “boom-bust” nature of the economy. V.3. Ensure that the City Land Use Code results in development that reflects our architectural heritage in terms of site coverage, mass, scale, density and a diversity of heights, in order to: Create certainty in land development. 7 5 Prioritize maintaining our mountain views. Protect our small town community character and historical heritage. Limit consumption of energy and building materials. Limit the burden on public infrastructure and ongoing public operating costs. Reduce short- and long-term job generation impacts, such as traffic congestion and demand for affordable housing. VIII.1. Restore public confidence in the development process. VIII.2. Create certainty in zoning and the land use process. Childcare We will strengthen the quality of life and well-being for all people in our community by providing or promoting opportunities in housing, jobs and access to services, such as education, public safety and health through all phases of life.(AACP p. 58) I.1. Ensure that affordable, accessible high-quality childcare is available for all families who need it. I.2. Encourage businesses to adopt family-friendly employment policies. I.5. Ensure that all community members have access to all public assistance programs for which they qualify. IV.1. Ensure all residents have access to local educational opportunities. Transportation We are committed to providing an efficient, multi-modal and integrated transportation system that reduces congestion and air pollution. Primary Transportation Policies: 1. Use Transportation Demand Management (TDM) tools to accommodate additional person trips in the Aspen Area. 2. Continue to limit Average Annual Daily Trips (AADT) to 1993 levels at the Castle Creek Bridge, and strive to reduce peak-hour vehicle trips to below 1993 levels. (AACP p.35) 8