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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-03-24 Town Council MinutesWORK SESSION MINUTES Tuesday, March 24, 1998 2:00 P.M. Town of Vail Council Chambers What follows will reflect motions and actions taken by the Vail Town. Council at their regular work session on March 24, 1998. All members were present with the exception of Michael Arnett and Kevin Foley. 1. Item No. 7, Other. Larry Grafel approached the Council about a 1995 agreement with a neighborhood in Vail to underground power lines from Buffher Creek to Red Sandstone. He explained at the time the project was approved, Council had approved a contribution of up to $25,000 for undergrounding the power lines. Further contributions are being made as follows: $22,500 from Holy Cross $25,000 from Briarpatch $18,500 raised from adjacent property owners $25,000 from the Town of Vail. Mike Jewett moved to approve, taking the $25,000 for the Town's share from fund balance of the capital projects fund, with a second coming from Sybili Navas. A vote was taken and the motion passed 5-0. MEDIA ADVISORY March 25, 1998 Contact: Suzanne Silverthorn, 479-2115 Community Information Office VAIL TOWN COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH 24 Please note: The start time of the evening meeting has been changed to 7 p.m. (30 minutes earlier than the previous start time). Work Session Briefs Council members present: Armour, Ford, Jewett, Kurz, Navas *Arrived late --PEC/DRB Report During a review of Monday's meeting of the Planning and Environmental Commission, Councilman Michael Jewett inquired about the status of a request by City Market to increase the size of their sign. Jewett was assured by Mike Mollica of the Community Development Department that City Market's request was in no way a special consideration, but rather anyone could have made the same request application. Staff also indicated that the proposed sign change would conform to the Town code. --Summer Marketing Presentation Ross Boyle, chairman of the Vail Valley Marketing Board, along with other VVMB representatives, presented an overview of the summer marketing effort. The group said the $925,000 annual budget, although small, is producing a strong message in key domestic markets. Although summer tourism has been disappointing in many parts of the state since the Colorado Tourism marketing program was terminated in the early 1990s, sales tax revenues in the Vail Valley have continued to grow at an average annual rate of more than six percent since 1991, according to Boyle. Spending by summer visitors has been especially important to merchants and restaurants in the Town of Vail where the number of permanent residents has grown by only 200 persons in the 1990s, he said. Since local resident spending in the town is flat, almost all of the six percent annual increase in sales and sales tax revenues is attributable to increased visitor spending, he said. Market research finds that the Town of Vail captured 57 percent of 1997 overnight stays by visitors drawn to the valley by VVMB marketing efforts. This is about the share of the total VVMB budget provided by the Town of Vail through business license fees and general fund investments, he said. This investment has paid strong dividends, according to Boyle. Since 1993, visitors who come to the valley in direct response to VVMB marketing initiatives spend about $25 here for every marketing dollar spent. When asked whether Vail should spend its marketing dollars to promote the town alone, Boyle said that fragmenting the regional marketing program would have the same negative impact as the elimination of the Colorado marketing program several years ago. At best, he said the town would capture a larger share of a smaller pie and smaller overall sales revenues. Vail and other communities in the valley compete with cruise ships, theme parks, and other destination resorts (more) TOV Council Highlightsl3-24-98IAdd1 throughout the world for tourist dollars. The combined resources of all investors in the VVMB program are barely enough to get our message out, he said. Several smaller programs would not only have less impact; they would also confuse the customer who views the valley as a single destination. Boyle said that if enabling legislation that has recently been approved by the Colorado House and Senate becomes law, voters will be asked to approve the creation of a new marketing district, similar to the transportation district, and fund it with a lodging tax. This, he said, would create a permanent and equitable funding source for summer marketing. He added that if this new district cannot be put in place before the end of the year, it will still be in the best interests of the town and of its merchants to continue supporting the VVMB through business license fees and general fund investments. For more information, contact Boyle at 479-9164. --Vail Valley Centre Presentation Councilmembers heard an overview of the Vail Valley Centre development proposed for the Stolport property between Avon and Eagle -Vail. The proposal includes 2,400 housing units and close to 1 million square feet of retail space during a 15 to 20 year build -out period. The development's presentation team said the Eagle County master plan and the Town of Avon's master plan were used as a roadmap in determining development characteristics of the property. They said the project would have the following positive impacts on the Town of Vail: 1) provides for multiple levels of housing for those who work in the Town of Vail; 2) creates housing as close to the Town of Vail as possible, thus cutting down on transportation demands; 3) absorbs the demand for additional commercial space close to the valley's urban center, also cutting down on transportation demands; and 4) provides amenities (ice skate rink, cultural center, parks, etc.) . that contribute to Vail's goal of a world class resort. The Vail Town Council has previously sent a letter to the Eagle County outlining its concerns about the proposal. Yesterday, Councilmembers reiterated those concerns which included traffic impacts, the volume of commercial space, quality of life impacts and the potential to negatively impact Vail's sense of community. Also, the development team was encouraged yesterday to put its inventory of affordable housing units (about 700 units) into a deed -restriction classification to ensure long-term affordability. The proposal will be heard by the Eagle County Planning Commission on April 1. In the meantime, the Vail Town Council will prepare another letter to the county outlining its concerns. That letter will be read into the public record at the April 7 evening Town Council meeting. --Discussion of Eagle County Recreation Authority/School District Intergovernmental Agreement for Berry Creek Fifth A decision on the Berry Creek Fifth property was postponed yesterday so that all seven Councilmembers can be present to discuss the matter (Arnett and Foley were absent Tuesday). At issue is whether to approve a conceptual plan for the property that would including pooling the 105-acre Berry Creek Fifth property with the adjacent 108-acre Miller Ranch property (owned by the school district), to be followed by an intergovernmental agreement that would allow for the redistribution of the parcels' ownership for development. The conceptual plan currently calls for an equestrian center a 25-acre high school; a 40-acre recreation parcel; 28 acres of housing; an elementary school; the current middle school; 40 acres of open space on the easternmost edge of the Miller Ranch property; plus two alternative use sites as determined by the school district for such uses as a charter school, administration building, bus barn, or other educational uses. Although the other funding partners have approved the concept, Vail has veto power over the plan because of its 60 percent ownership status. Councilmembers yesterday said they were struggling with the options since several Councilmembers have advocated selling the property to another party. The question is whether approval of the conceptual plan would make it easier or (more) TOV Council High lightsl3-24-981Add2 • more difficult to sell the town's asset. The Council will revisit the topic prior to an April 10 meeting of the Eagle County Recreation Authority. Other partners formed by the authority in 1989 include the Town of Avon, Eagle County and four metropolitan districts (Arrowhead, Beaver Creek, Eagle -Vail and Singletree). For more information, contact Tom Moorhead, Vail town attorney (who also serves as the recreation authority attorney), at 479-2107. n LJ --Information Update Councilmembers were briefed on the next community mixer which will be held from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. April 14 at the Kaltenberg Castle Brewery in Lionshead. Councilmembers also received a reminder about the Common Ground public involvement process which will include public workshops on April 14 and 16, as well as June 3 and 4. After hearing a presentation from Larry Grafei, public works/transportation director, the Council voted 5-0 to allocate $25,000 from 1997 capital project savings to help fund the undergrounding of overhead power lines from Buffehr Creek to Red Sandstone. Other funding partners include Holy Cross Electric, Briar Patch development and adjacent property owners. The town's share had been funded in the 1995 capital projects budget but was removed pending build -out of the development. Councilmembers were encouraged to attend a contractors meeting for those who'll be doing construction work in the Vail Village core this season. The meeting, at 2 p.m. March 31, will be used to coordinate staging plans, communications and other requirements. There also was an announcement that a five -member delegation from the Sister Cities Delatite Shire region (Mt. Buller, Australia) will be arriving March 27. The group will be touring Eagle County over the next week. A reception is scheduled for Sunday evening at the Colorado Ski Museum, to be followed by a dinner hosted by the Vail Town Council. Also included that day will be a tour of Vail and its public facilities. --Council Reports Bob Armour reported on the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) meeting with the state legislators last week. Both Armour and Couricilmember Sybil! Navas were recognized for their outstanding efforts in helping to win legislative approval of the regional marketing district legislation (HB 1200). Town Manager Bob McLaurin was asked to write a letter regarding the reauthorization of ISTEA (federal transportation) funding for the mayor's signature. Mayor Rob Ford announced that a leadership breakfast that would focus on the Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan has been organized for March 31 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Marriott. Representatives from the Vail Valley Tourism and Convention Bureau, Lodging Advisory Committee, Vail Valley Marketing Board, Chamber of Commerce, Vail Board of Realtors, Community Task Force, Rotary Club and other organizations have been encouraged to attend. Ford also inquired about the status of the U.S. Forest Service proposed Booth Creek burn. Staff will follow-up. In addition, Ford reported on a joint session with the Eagle County Commissioners, mayors and managers that occurred March 23 regarding a discussion of a construction moratorium. He noted there are currently over 1,400 MLS listings countywide (the local realtor's guide to available for -sale properties), as well as numerous approved but unbuilt units on the county's drawing board. This precludes current projects still moving through the process. TOV Council Highlights/3-24-98/Add3 (more) --Other Sybill Navas indicated the Vail Valley Exchange (our local Sister Cities International group) is looking for office space. She said the need creates an opportunity to increase the community's awareness of the exchange program. Navas also inquired about the possibility of finding space for Councilmembers' office needs. Additionally, Navas asked whether yesterday's work session agenda items should have been reserved for presentation at an evening meeting. She said Berry Creek Fifth and the Vail Valley Centre are two projects that impact residents not only in Vail, but valleywide. In the case of the Vail Valley Centre, because the project does not require approval from the Vail Town Council, it was agreed by Council to schedule five minutes at its next evening meeting to provide an overview of the Council's position on the proposed development. Additionally, the Council rescheduled its discussion of the Berry Creek Fifth conceptual plan to the April 7 work session. Councilmembers also issued a reminder to the community about the change in the start-up time for the evening meeting (7 p.m. rather than 7:30 p.m.). Also yesterday, Councilmembers asked that developers be reminded that future development or redevelopment in Vail must carry its own weight. The reference was made in response to a presentation last week by the Vail Plaza Hotel in which representatives asked the town for help in acquiring land for employee housing. Councilmembers said there should be no general assumption that the town's open space will automatically be turned over for employee housing needs. Also, staff was asked to clarify as quickly as possible the number of employee housing units required by the Vail Plaza Hotel concept, as well as redevelopment in Lionshead. • A "thank you" was issued to the Public Works Department for installation of painted crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signs leading from the Municipal Building across South Frontage Road. Although it may not protect pedestrians from speeding cars, Councilman Michael Jewett noted that it should help with increased visibility. • Ludwig Kurz asked if Vail's mayor and town manager would be on hand to visit with the mayor of an Austrian community who will be visiting Vail on Friday. Michael Jewett inquired when the "open house/garage sale" signs ordinance would have its first reading. Town Attorney Tom Moorhead said it had been set for first reading April 21. Jewett also inquired about guard rails being installed on the South Frontage Road adjacent to the "ruins." He was informed by Town Manager Bob McLaurin that the retiring CDOT district engineer, Bob Mosten, had turned this project over to his replacement. McLaurin will follow up. Also, Jewett asked if other Councilmembers had viewed the signs and lights at the Austria Haus construction site. He was told by other Councilmembers that the site is acceptable. (This is in response to a local retailer who has been dissatisfied with signs and lighting on that site). The final item mentioned by Jewett was his interest in attending a seminar sponsored by the Secretary of State's Office on the Campaign Reform Act. Jewett's colleagues encouraged him to attend. It was also noted by Councilmembers Navas and Ford that in light of this week's passage of HB- 1200, it would be appropriate to ask the Vail Valley Marketing Board to make a presentation at an upcoming evening meeting similar to what was presented yesterday afternoon. TOV Council Highlightsl3-24-98/Add4 (more) ! UPCOMING DISCUSSION TOPICS March 31 (Fifth Tuesday) No Work Session April 7 Work Session Mike Warren 10 Year Anniversary Brad Baldwin 10 Year Anniversary DRB Review Discussion of Inclusionary Zoning by Chuck Ogilby Discussion of Eagle County Recreation Authority/School District IGA for Berry Creek Fifth April 7 Evening Meeting First Reading, Ordinance on Model Traffic Code Second Reading, Ordinance No. 3 Proclamation No. 2, Teacher Appreciation Week Proclamation No. 3, Honoring American Athletes from Olympic Competition Vail Valley Centre Presentation April 14 Work Session PEC Review Reallocation of Business License Fee Based on Legislative Passage of HB98-1200 (Marketing District) Additional Tax, re: Infrastructure Added to Proposed Lodging Tax Lionshead Master Plan, Stage 3 (Height and Mass) Selection and Distribution of Red Sandstone Units/Lottery 0