HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.19741217Mall Commission members Kiefer Mendenhall, Werner Kuster, Bert Bidwell Don Fleisher,
Andre Ulrich, Grant Fiedler, Curt Bear, Nancy Snell, Lary Groen, Mary Helen Cattell,
Councilmembers Breasted, Markalunas, Behrendt, Mayor Standley, Planner John Stanford,
Greg Cole, City Manager Mahoney, City Attorney Stuller and Rich Wilde were present.
Assistant Planner Greg Cole gave a slide presentation outlining the factors important
to a mall. These are (1) Orientation - what landmakrs are largest in the mall such
as Aspen Mountain and the Wheeler Opera House (2) Vertical Emphasis (3) Horizontal
Emphasis (4) Solids and Voids (5) Sculpture (6) Graphics (7) Compatible Materials
(8) Open Space - the most important of this category is landscaping. These factors
determine whether a mall will be comfortable and successful. The materials which
make up a mall should not be haphazardly thrown together.
The Mall Commission and Greg Cole are now studying the design of the mall. Questions
they have raised are; why the Hyman Street mall is more sucCessful (vertical emphasis,
landscaping), is there too much activity on the Hyman Street Mall, are the streets
that are presently mailed necessarily the ones that should be malled, what we want
to accomplish with the Aspen mall. They are also studying the more general problems
such as parking, transit, restaurant policy.
Greg Cole presented the Mall Design Schedule with objectives to fit into a time table.
He emphasized the need to include the public and the Council at each of the decision
making stages within the process of design.
The first phase is Problem Definition; what we want to do within the Mall, what is
wrong with it. There will be input from the public, Mall Cor~mission, and public
agencies. From this the Mall Commission will arrive at a finalized goals statement.
In the phase Inventory-Effect ON the Mall, the Commission will be looking at the urban
design solution including (1) existing land use (2) parking problems (3) Historic
district (4) circulation problems (5) transit (6) view corridors (7) economic factors.
They will examine how these external effects tie into the mall, are there any alterna-
tives to the parking, how to get in, out and around the mall. At this point the
Commission will come up with a Schematic Urban Design statement.
The next step is to look at Inventory-Effect IN the mall, what effects to consider in
the design program. (1) parking - short or long term (2) activity zones (3) service
and emergency vehicle access (4) transportation, modes and links (5) environmental
factors - such as shading on one side of the street; people tend to walk with the sun
(6) design character and image - what image is Aspen (7) demands and constraints of
commercial uses - which uses are appropriate for which part of the mall (8) physical
constraints - how far should the mall spread, consideration of sewer pipes, storm
sewers (9) policy guidelines for future development within the mall. The Commission
will use these inventory effects to come up with a mall design criteria and program,
to ~pull all these things together to get a comprehensive view.
Also COnsidered in this category are the financial options to be explored (1) public
bonding (2) Federal grants (3) private capital (4) private and public assessment.
Everything up to this point on the schedule is expected to take approximately 2½
months.
The next pahse is Schematic Design in which the Commission will consider all the previo~
criteria, the scale of the mall generally and specifically, the orientation, land-
scaping, and social activities.
In the preliminary design phase the Com~aission will be looking at different types of
soluctions for specific problems using all the previous criteria plus lighting, materia~
graphics, street furniture and fixtures, landscaping. The preliminary design phase
should give all the alternatives and out of these alternatives the Commission should
synthesize the direction .the mall would want to go. The Commission will then start
a presentation of that direction and out of the direction would come the final design.
In the presentation of the Preliminary Design phase, the Commission will use mass
media and publicity to get public and private support. This will include the use
of sketches, plans models, slide shows, and brochures to promote the necessary
financial measures.
Bert Bidwell asked how many b~ocks the Commission was talking about. Greg Cole said
that would not be determined Until the first three phases had been studied.
Kiefer Mendenhall said the Commission has established a list of goals and objections
and cited the problems they wiShed to deal with and solve by planning and working
with the planning department.
Don Fleisher had drawn up a program for planning, its purpose to make a vital downtown
area. He said the mall was only part of total planning, that the public was not
concerned with just landscaping certain streets but with the consequences of closing
certain streets. The Commission must address themselves to the total problems that
will arise. If the c0mmi~sion doesn't have solutions for all these problems, it may
jeopardize the final S~lU~ion or mall. Fleisher's general program is (1) design
study (2) fiscal studY (3~ time schedule. Within the time schedule it seems apparent
that all the design study and fiscal planning can be done in 1975, that construction
not be planned until ~6. The Commission feels that interim improvements and piece-
meal development will~{ allow them to come up with the best mall.
Fleisher's main points in the study of a permanent pedestrian mall are to (1) enhance
shopping experience by easy access, identification of various aspects, the design
character and image, the aesthestics of noise and visual, pedestrian traffic flow,
food and beverage service, sanitary facilities, children play areas, maintenance and
management considerations, vehicular traffic and (2) to provide public activity areas
with entertainment, special events in retail, passive congregation. Both public and
private transportation systems must be studied.
Mayor Standley pointed out to the Commission they were dealing with the capital costs
rather than where the money was coming from. The system must be designed with
flexibility to fit the funds available. Councilman Breasted said he preferred the
comprehensive planning approach. Fleisher said the Commission is taking a look at the
money and the constraints but they prefer construction to take place all at once rather
than over a ten year program which they feel would cost more money.
Councilman Breasted said he was in favor of the little portion of Galena Street being
malled. He also would be interested in having the Commission come up with an interim
policy on the extension of restaurants.
Councilwoman Markalunas said she felt it was a mistake to mall into Galena street, that
it would create more problems than it would solve. Transferring a half of block of
Galena south of Cooper street for a half of block north of Cooper street would make
traffic hazards. Councilwoman Markalunas favored taking time, planning the mall,
resolving the problems such as what to do with the gas station and added that if
interaction between the Mall Commission and Council is to be effective, we should
probably begin meeting once a month as the various phases of the schedule are achieved.
~. Hauter, City Clerk