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PZC Minutes 012098Record of Proceedings Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 20, 1998 Regular Meeting The Regular Meeting of the Town of Avon Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order by Chairman Andrew Karow at 6:00 p.m., January 20, 1998, in the Council Chambers, Avon Municipal Building, 400 Benchmark Road, Avon, CO 81620. Members Present Staff Present Mike Dantas Jacquie Halbumt, Recording Secretary Chris Evans George Harrison, Planner Anne Fehlner Mike Matzko, Community Development Director Andrew Karow Steve Hodges, Community Service Officer Michael Schneider Beth Stanley Agenda Roll Call All Commission members were present except Commissioner Sue Railton. Additions and Amendments to the Agenda George Harrison suggested that the Commission review the final design of Lot 2, Block 2, Wildridge subdivision before reviewing the concept design of Lot C because Lot C would take a longer period of time. Conflicts of Interest Commissioner Fehlner declared a Conflict of Interest for Lot 2, Block 2, Wildridge Subdivision. Consent Agenda A. Approval of the December 16, 1997, Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Motion Commissioner Stanley moved to approve the consent agenda as presented. Commissioner Evans seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. a:\052097.doc Final Design Review A. Lot 2, Block 2, Wildridge Subdivision - RAS Fourplex Project Type: Residential Fourplex Property Owner: Tom Friesen & Rich Couples Applicant: Tab Bonidy Address: 2555 Old Trail Road George Harrison reviewed project as outlined in the staff report. Commissioner Stanley asked if Avon still required gravel at the end of driveways for new construction. Mr. Harrison said it was an experiment from last season and the results were mixed. He said it was still a standard note to be included on the plans, but it would be reevaluated next building season. Commissioner Dantas commented that the ILC seemed late. Mr. Harrison said it would be an additional ILC to the ILC showing proper vertical and horizontal foundation location. He said a ridge height ILC would not be required because the project was not within 3 feet of its limitation. Commissioner Dantas questioned if it wouldn't be better to do it toward the end of the project, but not once the asphalt was down. Mr. Harrison said yes and Staff would work with the applicant to have it submitted when the walls were done, which depended on the phasing of the construction. Commissioner Dantas said he would hate to have them submit the ILC at the end of the project and then have to tear it all down. Tab Bonidy, with Tab Associates, Inc. discussed the project with the Commission. He said he had originally met with town staff, including the town engineer, on the retaining wall that ran along the slope maintenance, drainage and snow storage easement. He said he had it graded at 2:1 per the town's standards; however, the town said it didn't want any cuts within that area. He said he understood it was the town's policy and not a planning regulation. He said his intention was to grade the easement to 2:1 and make it a continuous look all the way to the driveway. He said they could accomplish that by eliminating the boulder wall that they considered an eye sore and unnecessary. He continued that a soils engineer verified, and offered to write a letter to the town, that the cuts would not undermine the road because of the soils. Mr. Bonidy commented that the town engineer admitted that once they were on site and started the grading that it might make more sense to do as originally designed. He said the wall was 4'x 260' and wouldn't look as attractive as the continuous slope. He asked the Commission to allow the 2:1 slope if approved by town staff and the town engineer. 2 Commissioner Evans asked about the proposed 12 required/12 available parking spaces. Mr. Harrison said there was a typo and should read 10 required/12 available because 2 spaces were required per unit plus 2 guest spaces. Commissioner Evans said the grading plan made a lot of sense to him, but of course, needed the town engineer's approval. He said if the wall had to stay, he would like to see Mr. Bonidy break up the linearity of the wall by introducing some element of curvature to it. Commissioner Evans said it appeared they were going to the western corner side of site for sewer hookup, but the limits of construction didn't reflect it. Mr. Bonidy said they would revegetate the trench. Commissioner Stanley said she agreed with Commissioner Evans about the wall. She inquired where the trash dumpster was located. Mr. Bonidy said individual trashcans would be used. Commissioner Schneider said he agreed with the grading as long as Mr. Bonidy got permission from the Town Engineer. He said the rest of the project looked good. Commissioner Dantas said he thought the Town should be consistent with grading. Mr. Bonidy reiterated that it was a town policy and not a planning regulation and it was determined on a case-by-case basis by what was best for the Town. Chairperson Karow said the town engineer had made a policy statement. Mr. Bonidy again reviewed why he believed he should be able to make the cuts. Chairperson Karow said he had to support staff and stick with what the town engineer had said because if it was cut and then fell down, he did not want to be responsible. He said the visual impact of the wall would be enormous and thought Commission Evans had some great ideas on breaking up its linearity. He also suggested adding some vegetation, but otherwise, thought it was in conformance with the guidelines. Mr. Harrison said the town staffs position was once they were on site to investigate the soils, and if the soils were conducive to eliminating the retaining wall, the retaining wall could be eliminated. He continued that if the soils were not conducive, the retaining wall would be required as presented in the plans. Commissioner Stanley asked Mr. Bonidy what he thought about breaking up the linearity of the wall if it remained. 3 Mr. Bonidy said it was a steep lot and to get from the easement to the driveway would result in either two 2' walls, one 4' wall or a wall that bulged out with some landscaping. He said they were trying to achieve the least amount of impact to the landscaping area. He repeated that he hoped the soils tests were indicative of eliminating the wall. Mr. Harrison said he anticipated that Staff would be working with the applicant on the retaining wall and would try to resolve it at the staff level. However, he continued, if necessary it would come back before the Commission. Motion Commissioner Evans moved to approved Final Design for a fourplex on Lot 2, Block 2, Wildridge Subdivision, as depicted on the application and plan set dated received January 13, 1998, subject to the following conditions: 1. The driveway's northern retaining wall will not exceed 4 ft. in height 2. Proof of ownership of the property be provided 3. An ILC showing both the vertical and horizontal location of all retaining walls be required prior to TCO/CO 4. Northern most retaining wall may be removed with permission of Town staff and Town Engineer and graded to a 2:1 slope Commissioner Schneider seconded the motion and it passed with Commissioner Fehlner abstaining. Public Hearing None scheduled Concept Design Review A. Lot C, Avon Center at Beaver Creek Subdivision Project Type: Mixed Use Development Property Owner: Vail Associates Investment, Inc. Applicant: Mark Donaldson Architects Address: 0160 W. Beaver Creek Blvd. Mike Matzko reviewed the project as outlined in the staff report. 0 Mark Donaldson was present to discuss the concept design review of Lot C. He said the same team of Tom Gart, Ed O'Brien, and Steve Elkin that had developed the Seasons were back together to purchase and develop Lot C. He said they had brought Tim Levine, Vice President of Signature Resorts, Inc. to the table as well. Mr. Donaldson said he recognized that this was an informal meeting for a concept review subject to adjustments and appreciated that the commission members would provide their feedback and comments. Mr. Donaldson said Mr. Levine planned the time-share to be a total of 90 units in two equal phases. He said they were proposing 2 five -story towers. Mr. Donaldson said they were aware of the traffic impacts. Mr. Donaldson said there would be access to the lot from east if it was okay with the owner of Lot B. He said it would probably be access to underground parking for the resort. Mr. Donaldson said they might want to discuss a single road cut on the west side of the lot from Benchmark Road. Mr. Donaldson said the underlying theme that he had discussed over the years with staff was to maximize density and create more of a pedestrianized society. He said these items were consistent with Town Center zone district per the Avon comprehensive plan. Mr. Donaldson said the lodging building was not truly a residential property, but more of vacation -ownership or hotel. Mr. Donaldson said they were proposing about 1500 s.f. of retail activities under the operation of signature resorts. They suggested a deli, small grocery store, etc ... and office/administration. Also proposed were a hotel, maybe some other housing, a 5,000 s.f. restaurant (Bennigans, Fridays, etc...) with 60% seating area. Commissioner Stanley said the plans didn't call for retail space, but Mr. Donaldson had mentioned some. Mr. Donaldson said they had 11000 s.f. for retail or office, but through discussions and analyzing Avon's market, thought that retail would not be a hot commodity in the Town Center zone district. Commissioner Stanley pointed out that unless you're a guest at the hotel, there would be no reason to be a pedestrian on the incorporated pedestrian path. Mr. Donaldson said they wanted the frontage area to have retail. Mr. Steve Elkin said they were trying to develop for the existing need. Mr. Donaldson said they were trying to change the west part of the lot from Town Center to PUD. Mr. Donaldson said they would dedicate 9 -10 units to employee deed -restricted housing. He said they might also offer some employee housing elsewhere in Avon. Mr. Donaldson referenced a memo on parking and reviewed it. He said they needed to spend some time on the vacation -ownership spaces. He continued that there were 90 units multiplied by 1.4 = 125 spaces. He reiterated that a vacation ownership was just like a hotel and wanted to find a middle ground on Avon's proposed parking regulations. Mr. Tim Levine, VP Architecture with Signature Resorts, said his company had 69 resort properties in Hawaii, across the U.S., the Caribbean, the UK, Spain and Austria. He said they had a lot of experience with how resort properties operate. Mr. Levine said there would be 4500 owners to utilize the rooms, without being faced with a bill at the end of the week. That way, they would spend more money in Avon. Mr. Levine said the majority of the units would only have one car because people are travelling from other areas to be here. Mr. Levine's study showed that time-share units with a lockoff only needed 1.2 spaces per unit and 1.4 in peak conditions. He pointed out that these units did not have lockoffs, so the demand should be less. He said he thought their proposed 1.4 spaces should be more than enough. Commissioner Dantas asked for a figure without a lockoff, but Mr. Levine said they had not done that research. Also, Mr. Levine said that it was very unlikely that the building could be converted to anything else. He said there was less than a 3% default rate for people who decide they don't like timeshare. He continued that 90% of the 3% have had a major change in lifestyle. He concluded that once people buy a timeshare, there was a 97% chance they wouldn't change their minds. After much discussion on parking, Commissioner Fehlner suggested that they do some parking research on what works at their properties and get back to the Commission. Commissioner Fehlner addressed how and where the buildings were located. Commissioner Fehlner addressed the buildings on the east, southeast, and southwest sides that were 3-5 stories tall. Commissioner Fehlner said she thought they were creating the least amount of frontage because the buildings were pushed back to the most southern point of the site. She said it also created a narrrow valley. Commissioner Fehlner said people wouldn't stop between 5 story buildings on a pedestrian path. She said she viewed it as a wall and there was no visual means of circulation or natural light. Commissioner Fehlner also suggested that they do a sun study because she thought with the 5 story buildings that the sun would not hit any part of the plaza based on what was happening with the Seasons. Commissioner Fehlner said she didn't think anyone would sit outside with no sun even in the summer. Commissioner Fehlner said all the open spaces, neat features, and views were facing north and looking over parking. She said she didn't quite understand that concept. Commissioner Fehlner also suggested opening up the corner to create a knuckle in the pedestrian path. Mr. Donaldson said his design came from ideas in the comprehensive plan and that he had tried many different designs and this one seemed to work the best. Mr. Donaldson said signage was of great importance and people would be able to see it from the highway. Mr. Donaldson said it was their intention to draw pedestrians off of the mall and walk through the property, but it wasn't conveyed well with the drawings. Commissioner Fehlner said her concerns were not the building size or height, but the arrangement of the buildings with no penetration through the site. Commissioner Fehlner said she thought they needed a node to say "Hey here's the entry to the Seasons" and "Here's the entry to the new building". Commissioner Evans said he agreed with a lot of Anne's points, but especially the sun study. He said he didn't think the issue was the mass of the building, but the placement. He said he wouldn't be opposed to adding stories on the building. His problem was that the buildings were oriented toward the post office. Mr. Donaldson said a sixth floor over underground parking didn't work economically. Commissioner Evans discussed the pedestrian mall issue (re: town comprehensive plan goal 2B) with a mix of commercial and retail. He said when he thought of a successful pedestrian mall, he thought of Pearl Street Mall in Boulder and Nathaniel Hall in Boston. He said these malls were not easy to get to, but they created synergy by bringing in different activities. Commissioner Evans said he thought they should look at "how can they bring retail into the development" rather than "it doesn't work right now, maybe we'll bring it in later". Commissioner Evans acknowledged that retail didn't work right now in that area, but if they brought in a good restaurant, bar, deli, etc.. , they could make it happen. 7 Commissioner Evans suggested making the pedestrian pathway part of the mall. Commissioner Fehlner referenced a picture in the Avon comprehensive plan that exemplified the concept. Commissioner Evans said there really wasn't anything to do in Avon at night and this would be an opportunity to do something. Mr. Donaldson asked if a reconfigured pedestrian path was the direction Commissioner Fehlner was looking toward. She said off the top of her head, yes. Commissioner Stanley said she thought people who wanted to use the bus system would not walk to the front of the Avon Center, but rather to the Recreation Center. Mr. Ed O'Brien said he thought those wanting to go to Vail would want to take the extra walk instead of change buses. Commissioner Stanley asked where the snow storage was located and Mr. Donaldson said it was around the landscape perimeters. He said like all other businesses in town, they would also export some of it. Commissioner Stanley also said she felt strongly about the sun corridors. Commissioner Stanley said her biggest concern was the parking reduction and how people would approach the area and walk through it. Commissioner Schneider said most of his concerns had been addressed. He said he was concerned with the setbacks and the parking. Mike Matzko said they had not talked about the set backs at any length, but he thought the items brought up about sun and corridors would be taken into consideration. Commissioner Dantas said he used to live on West Beaver Creek Blvd. and would walk to the Seasons building at nighttime. He said he wanted to convey that the alleyway in front (north) of the Seasons is like a wind tunnel. He said if they connected the buildings with the walkway it might help. Commissioner Dantas also said it would be ideal to have a place that people could go to at night in Avon. Commissioner Dantas said parking was an issue that always bothered him. He ran some numbers and gave the hotel 152 spaces, time share 90 spaces, office space 51, restaurant 50 for a total of 343 from 378 left 35 spaces for employees to park. He said his gut instinct told him that was not enough. Chairperson Karow said he saw no problems with the density, massing, or access. Chairperson Karrow said he was comfortable with on or off-site employee housing. Chairperson Karow continued that the comprehensive plan mentioned a hub with a range of uses, but thought they had a narrow range of use. Chairperson Karow said he thought they could use greater pedestrian connections and distinct architecture. Chairperson Karow said the comprehensive plan also called for an overall pedestrian connection between the Seasons, Rec. Center, Avon Center, etc... Chairperson Karow continued that another major concerns were that the retail space was small in comparison to the other uses. He said they needed to create a characteristic of the project that would create a demand for retail space. He used Beaver Creek as an example of limited parking that used public transportation and did well. He suggested they looked into the future and create a demand. Chairperson Karow said that stronger pedestrian connection were needed. He expressed concern that the frontage on West Beaver Creek Blvd. was all for parking because it wasn't very inviting. Chairperson Karow suggested putting phase I of the time-share where the hotel was and put the hotel parallel with W.B.C. Blvd. Mr. Donaldson said he thought Avon was divided in half and the west half did not support retail. He said he thought it was just as important to reestablish a bed base as it was to bring in retail and hoped the Commission would acknowledge that. No formal action is taken for a concept design review. Other Business Mike Matzko said the Town Council had reviewed the proposed changes to the P&Z Rules, Regulations and Procedures as well as the Zoning Code He said they were satisfied and would adopt the changes at the next regular Council meeting. He outlined two minor changes as: the role of the Commission on town project will be advisory only. The Council does want and appreciate the Commission's input, but the final decisions will be made by the Council. Secondly, minor utilitarian projects in the town are exempt from Commission review. Of course, he continued, that major projects would still come before the Commission for review. 0 Adjourn Commissioner Fehlner made a motion to adjourn the meeting. It was seconded by Commissioner Stanley and the meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, qquelHalburnt Recording Secretary M. Danta C. Evans A. F M S. Railton C � M Schneider'- B. chneider'B. Stanley v —AIZ2� 10