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Home My WebLink About1998-08-11 Town Council Minutes1� TOWN OF VAIL 75 South Frontage Road Vail, Colorado 81657 970-479-2100 FAX 970-479-2157 � so MEDIA ADVISORY August 12, 1998 Contact: Suzanne Silverthorn, 479-2115 Community Information Office VAIL TOWN COUNCIL, HIGHLIGHTS FOR AUGUST 11 Work Session Briefs Council members present: Foley, Ford, Jewett, Kurz, Navas --Proposed Refinancing of the TOV Debt The Council voted 3-2 (Jewett, Foley against) to authorize Bigelow and Company to proceed in restructuring a portion of the town's debt. As proposed, the refinancing would level off payments to about $2.3 million per year from 1999 to 2012. That compares to the existing debt service which calls for payments as high as $3.4 million between now and 2005. During discussion, Councilman Michael Jewett expressed concerns that although the pre -payment penalty of $35,000 on the Series 1992B bond issue was included within the totai transactional costs, it was not identified as a specific line item expense. Jewett also inquired about the need to use an emergency ordinance process to approve the package, as well as impacts to the Tabor Amendment. Peter Zent, Financial Consultant, indicated that the emergency ordinance would potentially allow for a more favorable interest rate based upon the shorter period of time for final approvai. The Town of Vail Charter allows for an emergency ordinance to preserve public property. The Tabor Amendment does'not apply to a refinancing of debt at a lower interest rate which is being accomplished by this refinancing. Jewett also expressed interest in reviewing an amortization schedule and expressed frustration that the town did not use a competitive bid process to hire an'underwriter. Also yesterday, Councilman Kevin Foley continued to raise concerns about the possibility of burdening future councils with what amounts to $3 million in additional debt. Foley recounted how the current council had been surprised to learn that the existing debt had been "front loaded" by the previous council. Mayor Rob Ford said the restructuring would help address the problems inherited by the current council by dropping payments in the initial years by as much as $6 million and creating a realistic payment plan with level payments from year to year. As a result of yesterday's Council action, the bonds will be taken to market on Aug. 18 and will be issued in September. Council will be asked to pass an emergency ordinance on Sept. 1 which will authorize the transaction. For more information, contact Town Manager Bob McLaurin at 479-2105. --PEC/DRB Review During a review of Monday's meeting of the Planning and Environmental Commission, Councilmembers asked for clarification on a "250 request" that involved a setback variance in the Glen Lyon subdivision. The request was approved by the PEC. Councilmember Sybill Navas had wondered if a variance should be granted for additional GRFA requests. Staff indicated that in the case of this particular request, the PEC found grounds for granting an approval. Also, Councilmembers received an update on a PEC work session to review a request to add 8,000 sq. ft. of office space to the Glen Lyon Office Building, as well as an additional 6,000 sq. ft. of residential space. The PEC had asked the applicant to rework the configuration to show a TM �� RECYCLEAPAPER TOV Council Highlights/August 11, 19981Add1 mix of new office space and residential space within the same structure. in addition, upon 40 review of a request for a conditional use permit allowing a type 11 employee housing unit for a residence on Beaver Dam Rd, Councilman Kevin Foley clarified the town's current enforcement .policies. (Employee housing units approved by the town after 1994 require the units to be occupied by' qualified employees; units approved prior to 1994 are not required to be occupied.) --Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan/Height After reviewing four alternative concepts and after nearly 10 months of discussion, the Council voted 5-0 to establish a maximum building height of 82.5 ft. and an average height of 71 ft. within the Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan. Current permitted heights are 45 ft. for a building with a flat roof and 48 ft. for a building with a pitched roof. Sixteen out of 25 buildings in Lionshead exceed the height limitation. This discrepancy exists because many of the buildings were built prior to the adoption of height regulations for the area. In voting to incorporate average and maximum building heights into the draft plan, Councilmembers said they did so with the understanding that: • buildings would be no higher than 5 stories throughout the study area, with the allowance of floor area in the roof. • that the 5 public view corridors established earlier in the process would be retained • that step backs would occur at 16 ft, and 36 ft. eave heights, at which point the building face wouid step back a minimum of 12 ft. • that council would review its decision on height during consideration of the final master plan document Yesterday's decision was a compromise among Councilmembers. Kevin Foley and Michael Jewett said they supported a 71 ft. maximum height, while Ford, Kurz and Navas supported a maximum height of 82.5 ft. The decision followed public comment by seven citizens who've been following the discussions, Jim Lamont of the East Village Homeowners Association suggested exempting certain areas from the height requirements; longtime businessman Joe Staufer said he feared the increased height allowances would create more condominiums, which he said would create a "bigger ghost town"; David Corbin of Vail Associates who shared his reaction to the four alternative height proposals; Geoff Wright of Destination Resorts who expressed support for a maximum building height of 82.5 ft. to enable construction of a new hotel on the core site; Ross Davis, part owner of Bart & Yetis, who said that unless Council held the line on its height regulations, the flood gates would be opened for Special Development District requests to go even higher; property owner Bob Lazier, who said the higher heights would enable more flexibility and creativity for high quality architectural design; Rob Levine of the Antlers who asked Council to be mindful of the economic incentives that will be needed for properties to redevelopment; and Eustacio Cortina of the Lionshead Inn who said his property was interested in an expansion and was eager for Council to make a decision. Now that Council has given direction on building height for Lionshead, the consultant team will begin drafting the master plan document. The document will then be reviewed by the Planning and Environmental Commission and the Council. For additional details, contact Dominic Mauriello, Community Development, at 479-2148. --Discussion of Employee Generation Ordinance Councilmembers received an overview of the concept of "employee generation," which would require developers to provide housing based on a percentage of the number of employees generated by the new development. While Town Attorney Tom Moorhead said it would be essential for the town to accurately substantiate employee impacts associated with each new ft (more) TOV Council Highlights/August 11, 1998/Add2 development, he said employee generation could not be used as a tool to remedy previous housing shortfalls. Councilmembers were presented with six policy decisions it must wrestle with in order to move forward with such a plan. They are. 1) determining which business categories the requirement will include; 2) determining the method used to locate the units; 3) . determining appropriate percentages of employees to be housed; 4) determining a square footage requirement for the housing units; 5) determining pay -in -lieu fees; and 6) determining the types of units to be constructed. During discussion, Town Manager Bob McLaurin and Town Attorney Tom Moorhead suggested consideration of an employee generation ordinance that would be timed simultaneously with consideration by Eagle County and other municipalities, so as not to put Vail at a competitive disadvantage. Councilman Ludwig Kurz expressed the need to share the responsibility for housing to other groups beyond the development community. Kurz said merchants and second homeowners also should provide direct assistance. Councilmember Sybill Navas expressed caution in moving forward with the concept, noting the additional impacts would be particularly burdensome for small businesses. Councilman Kevin Foley agreed with Navas and suggested that second homeowners participate in a way similar to Aspen's housing program. Navas then suggested that caretaker units be required in houses that exceed a certain square footage. Kurz said he'd be interested in finding out more about the successes and failures of employee generation in other communities, such as Aspen and Telluride. Councilman Michael Jewett, meanwhile, convinced a Council majority to allow public input on the topic from members of the audience during the work session. That prompted comments from 3 citizens: Kaye Ferry of the Vail Village Merchant Association who asked Council to find a way to factor in activities on Vail Mountain by Vail Associates (such as Adventure Ridge) into the plan; Jerry Sibley of the Donovan Park Neighborhood Association, who asked the Council to allow citizens to comment briefly at the work sessions so as not to stifle citizen participation; and Suszanne Mueller, who asked that landlords such as herself be given additional incentives to assist on the housing front. At the conclusion of the discussion, Councilmembers said they wanted to continue to pursue the topic. Town Manager Bob McLaurin said he'd return with a proposed discussion calendar within the next two weeks. For more information, contact Andy Knudtsen in the Community Development Department at 479- 2440. --Distribution of Red Sandstone Units and A -Frame Developments The Council confirmed an allocation plan for the new affordable housing units that will come on line at Red Sandstone next spring. Of the 6 units immediately available to the town, 2 units will be sold to TOV "critical" employees, while the other 4 units will be made available to members of the public during a lottery in November. The balance of the 18-units (12 units) will be allocated by the town's development partner, the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District. Andy Knudtsen, project manager, said the district would likely use all but 2 of its allocated units, leaving a total of 6 for the public lottery in November. Interest in the public lottery is high, he said, with 5 (non- critical) TOV employees expressing interest, as well as about 20 others who've requested information. The Council will begin discussing criteria for the upcoming public lottery at next week's work session. Also yesterday, Councilmembers agreed to set aside two other units for TOV critical employees during the eventual development of the town -owned "A -Frame" property on Arosa Dr. in West Vail. Critical TOV employees include firefighters, police officers, dispatchers, code enforcement officers and information systems employees. For more information, contact Knudtsen at 479-2440. (more) TOV Council Highlights/August 11, 1998/Add3 --Village Construction Update Larry Grafei, public works/transportation director, provided the following update: • the TRC snowmelt project is running about 2 days behind schedule, due to the weather; the west and north sides of the bus terminal will be open this week. • the Slifer Plaza project will include installation of a snowmelt system under the Covered Bridge next week (the bridge will remain open); the entire project is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 30. • installation of granite slabs continues at Seibert Circle; snowmelt work and replacement of a fire hydrant will take place next week; a large concrete pour will be scheduled for Aug. 25. Grafel's update prompted a comment from Kaye Ferry of the Vail Village Merchant Association. . Ferry expressed concerns about 2 other construction projects that have been approved to take place yet this season (Gorsuch exterior renovation and Checkpoint Charlie improvements). She suggested the town create a master plan for construction in Vail Village that would improve coordination of construction projects and restrict the projects to specified times of the year. --Information Update Town Manager Bob McLaurin distributed a memo to the Council which was written at the request of Mayor Rob Ford. The memo provides an update on the activities of the Vail Community Task Force. The group, chaired by Mayor Ford, is currently working on a project that would establish criteria to be used to brainstorm ideas that would bolster Vail's status as a world class resort community. Councilmember Sybill Navas expressed interest in also involving a sub- group of the Vail Tomorrow Building Community Team in pursuing the community facilities component of the Common Ground process. While Navas said she appreciated the efforts of the Community Task Force, she said discussions on cultural amenities and/or community 0 facilities should be done as part of an overall discussion and not driven solely by the Task Force. Navas suggested a process separate from Common Ground be established to pursue community facilities on the two sites identified by Common Ground. Also yesterday, Jerry Sibley, of the newly -formed Donovan Park Neighborhood Association, suggested including representatives from each of the neighborhoods at the outset of the discussions to ensure community buy -in. Jim Lamont of the East Village Homeowners Association repeated a request regarding the organization's interest in having representation on the Community Task Force. Lamont questioned whether the role of the Task Force should include a discussion on how to best to utilize the RV charter lot next to the Lionshead parking structure. Next, Michael Jewett updated Rob Ford and Kevin Foley (who were absent from last week's meeting) on his suggestion to consider a formal registry of neighborhood groups to improve communications townwide. Jewett asked fellow Councilmembers to consider a discussion to pursue the idea. --Council Reports Kevin Foley reported on a board meeting of the Vail Recreation District. Foley said the VRD has experienced some problems with the managed parking program at Ford Park and suggested resurrecting the Friday user group meetings to resolve current conflicts. Foley also inquired about a decision to implement paid parking during a rugby match last week at a time he considered to be a non -peak period. Foley also said the VRD has been made aware of the town's concern about lax use of helmets at the skate park in Lionshead. The helmet requirement was a conditional of approval by the Town Council. (more) TOV Council Highlights/August 11, 1998/Add4 --Other Kevin Foley acknowledged receipt of a letter regarding bus service glitches during a recent event at Ford Amphitheater. In addition, Foley said the in -town bus service has been lacking this summer. And, after expressing disappointment in late night bus service, Foley suggested spending time to review future alternatives. Also yesterday, Foley asked about the status of a recent petition asking to discontinue the Chaminox Lane bus stop in West Vail (this followed presentation of a petition in favor of the bus stop several months ago). Councilmembers asked to take a look at ridership numbers to evaluate the bus stop's future. Foley also.noted that businesses should be doing well. The dance performances have been well -attended and the Camp Jeep event has been drawing numerous people to Vail, he said. At the close of the meeting, Jerry Sibley of the Donovan Park Neighborhood Association suggested the Town Council set a housing goal for TOV employees to be used as a model in asking members of the business community to adopt similar goals. Currently, about 20% of the town's employees live within Vail's boundaries. UPCOMING DISCUSSION TOPICS August 18 Work Session Rico Maligiaretta, St. Moritz exchange student presentation Red Sandstone Lottery VRD Request to Proceed through the Process Turn it Up! Funding Request August 18 Everting Meeting First Reading, Ordinance #12; RE: Bond Refinancing Tree Ordinance Review Common Ground Process for Next Steps Discussion of Business License Fee by "Vail 1st" August 25 Work Session Cooter Overcash--20 Year Anniversary Brian Canepa--15 Year Anniversary PEC/DRB Review Red Sandstone Lottery Channel 5 Vail Valley Community Television Update � *0