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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMicrosoft Word - VVMPTextAm11-11-08.docAPPLICATION FOR TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE VAIL VILLAGE MASTER PLAN TRIUMPH DEVELOPMENT November 2008 Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 1 INTRODUCTION The Vail Village Master Plan (the “VVMP”) is intended to provide guidance to Town of Vail decision makers and citizens in developing land use laws and policies for development by both the private and public sectors and in implementing community goals for public improvements. The plan serves as a guide to the Town staff, review boards, and Town Council in analyzing proposals for development in Vail Village . The Vail Village Master Plan was originally adopted in January of 1990, was revised in 1993, updated in 2005 and was again recently updated. This most recent update of the VVMP was initiated by the Town of Vail Community Development Department as an exercise to address the continuing validity of the six major goals outlined in the plan, to acknowledge the action steps that have been completed in keeping with the plan and to identify any next steps needed to further implement the goals of the plan. The VVMP was reviewed by the Vail Planning and Environmental Commission, the Vail Town Council and by several citizen based groups, such as the Vail Chamber & Business Association Board, the Vail Economic Council and the Meadow Drive Business Association membership. A group of Vail Village property owners also reviewed the plan. This review resulted in a re-affirmation of the overall validity of the VVMP and the six major goals articulated within the plan. Completed action steps were noted as complete and several new action steps were added. On September 16th the Vail Town Council formally updated and re-affirmed the Vail Village Master Plan by the approval of Resolution No. 23, Series of 2008. The purpose of this report is for a private sector entity, Triumph Development, to introduce a proposed amendment to the recently re-affirmed Vail Village Master Plan. The Town of Vail faces several significant challenges over the next few years; keeping full time working residents living within the community, battling the loss of professional businesses to down-valley locations, and with maintaining dynamic and vibrant community activity in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. The Vail Town Council has identified these, and several other issues, as high priority items to address during this current council term. It may be appropriate, perhaps even imperative, to use town owned land to help address some of these issues. Triumph Development has envisioned a project that would bring full time housing and professional office space to a vital area of Vail Village. The idea is to create a dynamic and beautiful infill development site along East Meadow Drive on the south side of the Vail Village Parking Structure. A building consisting of retail, office and local ownership residential uses in this location would address several of these very important goals of the Town of Vail Council, staff and citizens of the community while providing design improvements that would strengthen the fabric and character of Vail Village. Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 2 Infill development along this southern façade of the parking structure would provide a more distinct edge to Vail Village and strengthen the streetscape presence along the west portion of East Meadow Drive that links the Covered Bridge Plaza to the new Solaris development. The land along both sides of the main Village Parking Structure access portal extending west to the west end of the Village Parking Structure would include retail and office uses. These uses would provide a strong pedestrian draw to support the existing retail uses along the Austria Haus and create a much stronger connection from the village to the Solaris site. This strengthened retail streetscape would complete a shopping/pedestrian loop around central Vail Village. The land east of the main access portal would be developed as a brownstone style residential building for use as local ownership housing. It is possible that up to 40-45 units of varying size and bedroom configuration could fit in a three to four story building along this east end of the parking structure. These residential uses provide a compatible land use to the residential/lodge properties across the street. The south side of the Vail Village Parking Structure is a great location to add these much needed and desired uses into Vail Village and the use of Town owned land to provide mixed use and affordable housing opportunities is consistent with projects currently under way in other parts of the community. The first step in analyzing this opportunity is to amend portions of the Vail Village Master Plan to address the vision articulated by this concept. This amendment process will allow for a full community discussion of the idea at a conceptual level and, if found desirable, provide a framework for moving forward with detailed design for the project. PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO VVMP The Vail Village Master Plan is shaped around six major Goals, each with clearly articulated Objectives and Policies, and includes both text and graphics that detail specific development, re-development and public improvements for certain sub areas of Vail Village. The overall Goals, Objectives and Policies provide general support for the proposed concept and no change to the goals, objectives and policies is contemplated by this application for amendment. This application proposes to add a paragraph titled #4-2 East Meadow Drive Infill, to the Transportation Center Sub Area, Sub Area #4, and to revise the graphics that support the sub area concepts. The specific amendments proposed by this application, as they would appear in a revised and re-printed Vail Village Master Plan document are included as Appendix A of this narrative. VAIL VILLAGE MASTER PLAN GOALS This section of this application narrative addresses each of the six major VVMP Goals in context with the proposed amendment to the Vail Village Master Plan. Goal #1: To encourage high quality development while preserving unique architectural scale of the village in order to sustain its sense of community and identity. Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 3 An infill development in this location will re-invigorate a tired parking structure and potentially provide a vibrant new landmark portal to Vail Village. The specific project architecture could and should celebrate and enhance the established character that is embodied by Vail Village and solidify the architectural and pedestrian connection between the Village Parking Structure and Bridge Street. Creating an active edge on East Meadow Drive will provide much needed and requested vibrancy and act as a link from Village Center Drive to Bridge Street and the core, reinforcing and extending the Village. It will upgrade the appearance of an existing facility and provide much needed additional housing, office and retail uses. This will be a public improvement with the participation of a private sector catalyst. Goal #2: To foster a strong tourist industry and promote year-around economic health and viability for the Village and for the community as a whole. A design with a mix-use philosophy that will infuse vital employee housing, residential, retail and office space into the heart of Vail certainly meets the spirit and intent of this goal. A well designed and executed building here will enhance a visitor’s experience of the overall Vail Village area. This infill site will re-invent the arrival and departure experience at Bridge Street, one of the most important and memorable experiences in Vail. This plan will also establish an everyday population with its attainable residential and office components that will provide an economic boost to the existing and future businesses. Goal #3: To recognize as a top priority the enhancement of the walking experience throughout the Village. By encouraging a variety of retail and office activities, new street life along East Meadow Drive will be generated. A worn down berm and exposed concrete structure would be transformed with a family of streetscape elements, including storefronts, signage, lighting, stoops, sidewalks, landscaping, furniture, urban gardens and intimate plazas. In scale, massing, form, height and architectural design, the new commercial construction would take major design cues from traditional architecture: long, continuous streetscapes of side-by-side glass storefronts placed in a common setback; a lively variety of facade design with a wide range of architectural elements; separation of facades into discrete "storefront" units that read as pedestrian-scale multiple facades; and building heights that support the perception of the district as an intimate pedestrian environment which is friendly and inviting. A primary goal of the building design would be to avoid the "blank walls" make a streetscape considerably less attractive as a pedestrian environment. In addition, the design responds directly to the multi-level nature of the structure by providing retail and office on multiple levels with simple and easy connections throughout. The conceptual design proposal envisioned for the site employs a traditional approach to design in its residential components. The placement of residential units on upper floors Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 4 or in ‘brownstone’ scaled buildings is a standard tradition in urban areas large and small to create rows of modestly scaled attached residential units. Goal #4: To preserve existing open space areas and expand green space opportunities. The Southeast, West and North sides of the parking structure would be maintained and enhanced with organic landscaping elements to transition smoothly into the Vail Village core area. Open plazas should be maintained as urban gardens, entertainment squares, and outdoor dining patios. This area is currently designated as a “planted buffer area” in the current version of the Vail Village Master Plan and is not recognized by the document as an important open space. Goal #5: Increase and improve the capacity, efficiency, and aesthetics of the transportation and circulation system throughout the village. An infill development in this area should be accomplished without major closures of the parking structure and may in actuality fix many of the existing structural problems currently existing. Any infill building here should remain independent of the parking structure, which would allow for future expansion of the parking structure. Locating mixed use program elements in the core of town and adjacent to public transportation encourages maximum pedestrian circulation and minimal vehicular traffic. The expansion of private parking for the project can potentially occur via access through the existing parking structure and underground of the new buildings. Goal #6: To ensure the continued improvement of the vital operational elements of the Village. This amendment would allow for a project that will address important community needs and Master Plan considerations without precluding future options for the Village Parking Structure. It will allow for the continued operation of the existing facility and allow for future development with the potential of additional service and delivery facilities. In addition, the gateway created will enhance and improve the guest experience and circulation. REVIEW CRITERIA The following paragraph details the criteria that must be met in order to approve an amendment to a master plan document. “To change the Master Plans it will be the responsibility of the applicant to clearly demonstrate 1) how conditions have changed since the Plans were adopted; 2) how the Plans are in error OR 3) how the addition, deletion, or change to the Plans are in concert with the Plans in general.” Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 5 Response to the Review Criteria: 1) How conditions have changed since the Plans were adopted; The Vail Village Master Plan (VVMP) demonstrates a very strong vision for Vail Village and has been an extremely useful document in guiding the growth and development of Vail Village. The VVMP was originally adopted in 1990 and was revised in 2003 and 2005 and very recently re-affirmed as an important and valid guide to the future of Vail Village. Since the VVMP was originally written conditions in the community in general and in Vail Village have changed tremendously. Through these changes the VVMP has remained a valid guiding document and has been invaluable in maintaining the character of Vail Village while allowing and encouraging development to keep the Village fresh and vibrant . There has been a tremendous investment into both private and public spaces in Vail Village and many goals of the original version of the VVMP have been addressed. However, the improvements that have been made to the Austria Haus and its streetscape, the current construction of Solaris, and the Village wide upgrades to the streetscape and public plazas now highlight the deterioration and age of the berm and streetscape along the south side of the Village Parking Structure. East Meadow Drive, from Vail Valley Drive all the way west to Solaris is a weak link in the streetscape of Vail Village. This corridor serves as a poor edge to Vail Village and creates a deterrent to the pedestrian shopping and walking experience. As one exits the Vail Village Parking Structure it does not feel like you have entered Vail Village until one crosses the covered bridge on Bridge Street. This area between the parking structure and the covered bridge would benefit greatly from an enhanced streetscape/plaza design. The retail/residential/office façade along the street would provide pedestrian connectivity to the east and west of the plaza and create a strong border to the village. There has also been a significant change in the residential and office space needs of the community and of Vail Village. Local ownership housing has become a much larger, more focused and critical issue than it was when the VVMP was originally envisioned in 1990. There is a strong commitment on the part of the Town Council to create opportunities for local working families, couples and singles to live within town, and if possible within Vail Village. Creating additional opportunities for locals to live in the village brings tremendous benefit to the community. The in-town location of housing brings local working citizens back into Vail Village and, in conjunction with the office space, will bring much desired vitality into the village in shoulder seasons. The need for local housing runs across a wide price range and covers all types of employment. This location provides a great opportunity to provide a higher end ownership product to mid and upper management level employees, small business owners and professionals. The site is large enough to accommodate a significant amount of housing and a well thought out design could include a variety of home sizes and price points. Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 6 2) How the Plans are in error OR We do not believe the Vail Village Master Plan is in error, we believe that since the adoption of the plan 18 years ago that conditions have changed and that the proposed amendment is in complete concert with the goals and original intent of the VVMP. 3) How the addition, deletion, or change to the Plans are in concert with the Plans in general. The specific written comparison of how this proposed amendment relates to the six primary goals of the VVMP indicates that the proposed amendment is definitely in concert with the general intent and character of the existing Vail Village Master Plan. In addition to being in concert with the very specific goals, objectives and policies of the VVMP the proposed amendment are also meet the intent and spirit of the Vail Village Master Plan identified in the “Executive Summary” of the plan. The following excerpts from the Executive Summary found on Page One of the VVMP support the general concepts of this proposed amendment. “At the same time, Vail is maturing. There is a need to continually maintain and upgrade the quality of existing buildings, as well as streets, walks and utility services. Vail’s economy relies to a large degree on maintaining its overall status and attractiveness as a world-class resort.” “The Master Plan recognizes the need for growth and redevelopment, but at the same time encourages the preservation of the “historic” aspects of Vail Village. In response to the continued growth pressures in Vail, a number of sites in the Village that can accommodate increased levels of development are identified. In addition, many improvements to public spaces are proposed. It is, however, the Master Plan’s underlying goal to strike a balance between controlled growth while maintaining the character and ambiance of the Village.” While these are only selected excerpts, a full read of the plan indicates that the proposed amendments are in concert with the intent and purpose of the Vail Village Master Plan. Summary This proposed amendment to the VVMP provides an opportunity to create direction and policy that could result in much needed attainable housing and office uses in a location that will enhance the overall character of Vail Village. The placement of a vibrant mix of housing, office and retail uses along the south side of the Village Parking Structure would create a significant improvement over the existing poorly defined streetscape of this area and will reinforce, connect and complete this unfinished edge of Vail Village. Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 7 Vail Village Master Plan Text Amendment Triumph Development 8 APPENDIX A VVMP PAGE REVISIONS