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2026.01.08 CASE Committee Meeting MinutesCASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 IN-PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 08 JANUARY 2026 PAGE 1 | 5 1. ROLL CALL CASE Committee: Committee Vice Chair Pedro Campos, Committee Members Chuq Yang, Kristen Dudding, Ian Grask, Amy Lewis, Thomas Walsh, and Town Councilor Ruth Stanley Virtual: Committee Chair Justin Chesney, Committee Member Kerri Thelen Absent: Town Councilor Lindsay Hardy, Committee Member Alejandro Cerda Staff: Town Manager Eric Heil, Chief Cultural Officer Danita Dempsey, Senior Special Events Coordinator Chelsea Van Winkle, Special Events Coordinator Emily Dennis, Planning Manager Jena Skinner, Recreation Director Michael Labagh Public: Russell Frederickson, Patti Dixon, Chris Sena Thomas Walsh joined at 12:31 p.m. Chris Sena joined at 1:17 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m. Chief Cultural Officer (“CCO”) Dempsey reminded the group about the upcoming Fireworks in Avon event on Saturday, January 17 and invited committee members to join us at Harry A. Nottingham Park for the festivities. 2. MINUTES Committee Member Thomas Walsh motioned to approve the meeting minutes from November 20, 2025. It was seconded by Committee Member Ian Grask, and it passed unanimously. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. 2. LOT B: THE SUMMIT PUBLIC AMENITIES Town Councilor Stanley recused herself from the Lot B conversation. Town Manager Heil provided an overview of the Lot B planning process, noting that it must proceed through a public planning process and is subject to a quasi-judicial review. Avon has been working with a developer on potential ground-floor commercial space that could serve as a multi-use community and commercial area, supporting increased activations along the pedestrian mall. Council has requested recommendations and a shared vision for the space from the Cultural, Arts, and Special Events (“CASE”) Committee and the Downtown Development Authority (“DDA”). He also explained the purpose of the Confluence Metro District and its role in the development of Lot B. CCO Dempsey reviewed the Art Guild at Avon information, noting that the organization has grown exponentially since they moved to Avon. The Town has continued to help build capacity with the Art Guild. The Committee commented / inquired: A. For this development, what type of property will it be? Where will the parking be? Do we have enough restaurants? That’s a lot of units and more people. I think it’s a great idea. I love the coffee shop and flexibility of the space. It’s smart to put the windows along the walkway. B. Kudos to the developer. It’s hard to find someone who is open to engaging in a public-private partnership. The Town has been trying to activate this mall for a long time. This is a great opportunity, it’s south facing. The number CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 IN-PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 08 JANUARY 2026 PAGE 2 | 5 one thing for public spaces in climates like ours is to be south facing and sunny. You can see this if you walk around resort communities. It’s a great opportunity to have outdoor space that relates to indoor space that activates the mall. In the context of the town, it’s at our north/south, east/west crossroads and connects to other amenities throughout town. It seems it’s in the right place where all this other activity is already happening. It won’t stretch out town staff and consolidates uses. I’ve dreamt about this mall for a long time but there’s not a lot of dwell space so hopefully this creates that. Hopefully it also spins off Bob’s Place. We’ve reserved space for the patio that’s there. I’m very excited and we’ve worked hard on this and I’m glad CASE has a voice in it. C. I think it’s a great idea, we need something here to activate this space. I would like to note that it says in our packet that the “community workshop and patio would be owned by the Town and maintained by the Town.” So, I support this idea I just will give my support in the understanding that those areas will be open to other organizations and not monopolized by a single organization as well as what those terms will be because maybe there are future organizations will want to use it. Will that place be able to be hired privately? Those things would gain more of my enthusiasm. D. Do we have an idea of what the highest possible ceiling could be in that space? There’s a restaurant in Vail called Barrio Social that has an open space, and they put sound dampeners on the ceiling, so the space doesn’t get overwhelming if there’s a lot of conversation. I really like the community space. I think the glass sides and the aesthetic of it are very appealing. It encourages local performing organizations to utilize it. It’s challenging to have a music performance in a basement so having a lot of light in there is great. The ceiling height is also important to create the open aesthetics and accommodate the acoustics. E. What is the possibility of having it be more of a three-season building and opening into the patio during the summer? F. I was also curious about the coffee shop. Is there going to be any sort of deed restriction for the commercial space? Are we going to reserve it for local Eagle County ownership? If the town is not going to go that route, I would like to see it owned and operated by local people. That can be accomplished in partnerships with the Northwest Council of Governments and the West Loan Fund to put money in the hands of local people who are interested in the entrepreneurial pursuit. Town of Vail just had that little area in the Vail Transit Center where they put the coffee shop, and it had over 25 applicants. The desire for people to start and own a business locally is there. I think that would be the second alternative. I would hate it to turn into a large conglomerate. I’m very excited about the space and the possibilities. G. The space looks good; it’ll be a great addition to the pedestrian mall. If the Art Guild moves over there, are we looking at a long-term lease? H. Do we have any benchmarks or measures of success for the space? If it sits empty for 8 months of the year, do we revisit everything? I. Is the plan to have the coffee shop always be a coffee shop or turn it into something else? What about traffic and parking? If we are putting in a parking garage for 164 units, there is going to be a detrimental impact to traffic on West Beaver Creek Boulevard. J. At a high level, it’s a great idea and a fantastic location. There is a huge need in Avon for a great patio. It’ll be helpful to have when I’m working across the street and wanting to get a coffee at midday. It’ll bring more people and tax dollars into town. Housing is a huge need as well, so at this level it’s an awesome idea. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 IN-PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 08 JANUARY 2026 PAGE 3 | 5 K. I like Jena’s comment about parking. Avon is workable and walkable. I think underground parking is nicer for the tenants. It’s a great layout. The only piece it’s missing is a slop sink. If it’s going to be a makerspace, there needs to be a run for sinks or a kitchen run for events and parties. Do the bathrooms have to take up so much space? L. I love that we’re looking to include a community art space for the town as we are no longer able to move forward with the previous discussion on the firehouse. I think it’s great to have the building oriented towards the walking path as my concern with the revitalization is how little retail, shops, and restaurants have entrances down the mall. M. I love the idea of a garage door or a sliding door to extend the space outwards. We could look at renting the space for weddings and things of that nature. It would easily transition and that is a big market we could capitalize on. N. Are there any residential units on top of the space? O. In the broader scope of the building, are there places for murals? Does anyone know how many chairs you could fit in the 1,400 square foot space? Is there a consideration of the greenhouse effect, would it get hot? Town Manager Heil explained that the developer is proposing 164 apartment units with underground parking and approximately 12-foot ceilings. Features like sliding glass walls are possible but design details are still preliminary. Avon would pay for the space and may sublease all or portions of it, which is considered a non-traditional approach, but Avon does it well. A coffee shop concept is being considered to avoid competing with existing restaurants, though no specific discussions have occurred with the Art Guild. He noted that programming could occur at least twice per week among interested groups, and that Council will be mindful of avoiding competition with nearby businesses. He also emphasized that traffic impacts are a required consideration for the project and discussed strategies to mitigate increased traffic, including balancing parking needs with the Town’s free transit options. Planning Manager Skinner mentioned that Council Chambers is a space available to non-profits and the public, noting that the parking lot is available for those using the space in the evenings. We have a shared daytime and nighttime use. Avon is a walkable place and so the demand for parking may not be as heavy as it may be if the space was a destination. CCO Dempsey mentioned that there is a trend right now among coffee shops and bakeries that are transforming into DJ spaces at nighttime and could be an interesting model to research. The Committee commented / inquired: A. Avon is workable and walkable. I think underground parking is nicer for the tenants. It’s a great layout. The only piece it’s missing is a slop sink. If it’s going to be a makerspace, there needs to be a run for sinks or a kitchen run for events and parties. Do the bathrooms have to take up so much space? B. I love that we’re looking to include a community art space for the town as we are no longer able to move forward with the previous discussion on the firehouse. I think it’s great to have the building oriented towards the walking path as my concern with the revitalization is how little retail, shops, and restaurants have entrances down the mall. C. I love the idea of a garage door or a sliding door to extend the space outwards. We could look at renting the space for weddings and things of that nature. It would easily transition and that is a big market we could capitalize on. D. Are there any residential units on top of the space? Especially considering if we are doing a coffee shop or a DJ space, it could get loud. E. My team has designed a lot of spaces like this, including the Rooftop Bar at One Riverfront. You have to take special sound attenuation measures at this level and we’re looking at those. There are places around town that do not have that, and it causes a lot of problems. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 IN-PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 08 JANUARY 2026 PAGE 4 | 5 F. I don’t see these spaces empty at all. There could be activities and activations happening almost five nights a week. HighFive could just relocate their podcasting studio here and there could be daily productions happening. I’m confident that the Art Guild or the Town could program it weekly. G. In the broader scope of the building, have we identified places for murals? Does anyone know how many chairs you could fit in the 1,400 square foot space? Is there a consideration of the greenhouse effect, would it get hot? H. I love the underground parking. Avon could really use it. Will it be used for public or just the hotel parking? This building could be a jewel with all the architecture in Avon. Could we do something more special with the exterior than a mural? I. What is Council hearing next week? Town Manager Heil noted that the number of bathrooms will be determined by building code requirements and the intended use of the space, emphasizing that the current plan remains flexible. He shared that the Town is considering a moose mural facing the Avon Center, with the developer interested in contributing to public art throughout town, as well as landscaping to provide shade. Underground parking would primarily serve the apartment units, with 80 spaces allocated for the Avon Center. He encouraged public comments on the design during the public hearing period and thanked the committee for its unanimous enthusiasm and input regarding the Lot B space. He added that council is looking at the development plan and explained that there are a lot of other development agreements and contracts both internally and with the developer. The CASE and DDA are the appropriate committees to look at programming and smaller aesthetic details. Committee Vice Chair Campos mentioned that the reason this lot hasn’t been developed is from an obligation established in the 80s to give the Avon Center 80 parking spaces. It’s been difficult for other developers. Avon Center finally said that this deal works for them, it’s a big lift. Town Manager Hiel stated that the DDA meets on the first Monday of the month. They will review the information at a joint meeting on February 2. There are a couple months to review the guidance from the design team and developer. CCO Dempsey noted that she would like the CASE Committee to focus on the kinds of activations and infrastructure needed for the joint meeting. Town Manager Heil mentioned that we want to hear from any community group that is interested and be as accommodating as we can, but we will not be able to accommodate everyone. We are inviting groups to give us an idea of what they need. CCO Dempsey noted that this all ties back to the peer community tours and the Colorado Creative Industries (“CCI”) Summit that CASE members have attended. 4. DRAFT HARRY A. NOTTINGHAM PARK PLAN UPDATE Planning Manager Skinner presented the Harry A. Nottingham Park 2026 update, explaining that the original plan is from 2012. We do not anticipate any major changes to the park rather we are looking at where we can improve and make subtle changes, mentioning that the plan should meet Avon where it is in 2026 by being relevant, more ADA accessible and as a communication tool. Next steps include working with staff from a Capitol Improvement Project (“CIP”) standpoint and get back with citizens committees. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 IN-PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 08 JANUARY 2026 PAGE 5 | 5 The Committee commented / inquired: A. I was recently visiting a friend in Minneapolis, and they bring in saunas to their lakes in the winter. That could be an interesting winter activation. I’m not sure about the stability of the ice in the winter, but we could also look at cold plungers. A skatepark or a snack shack would be great. Or a landmark piece of public art, like the Nashville mural wings. Maybe an overlay of the mountain landscape to insert yourself in a postcard type of thing. It could say “Greetings from Avon” and you can stand under it with friends and family. I also think having a standing globe that has markers so people could mark where they’re from would be cool. I’d like to reevaluate what’s going on with Nottingham Cabin and the green room space. We could make it larger and like a larger Town-owned venue for larger events. B. It’s a big bill to relocate the Metcalf cabin, do we have plans for it? C. I’m curious about what the relationship is with Eagle County schools. Could we partner with them for storage space? Town Manager Heil mentioned that we are looking for places to relocate the Metcalf Cabin, it’s not eligible to be a historic building. He listed proposed locations in Nottingham Park to move the cabin, and we are envisioning it as an “Avon Museum”. We are considering another green room in the current cabin location with various amenities. He explained that we do not want to move the parks garage. Town Manager Heil overviewed some of the design ideas including adding a new shelter house at the current fitness court location and considering other improvements to support our future vision of events, including art and photo opportunities. He explained that there is not adequate space down near the school building to move the parks garage or add storage space. CCO Dempsey mentioned that CASE Committee applications are due soon and look to be in front of Town Council at the second meeting in February. She asked the committee to consider if we need an additional meeting in February after the joint meeting with DDA. ADJOURNMENT Committee Member Grask made a motion to adjourn the meeting. It was seconded by Chuq Yang. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 1:43 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Emily Dennis Special Events Coordinator