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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-03-05 Town Council MinutesTOWN COUNCIL EVENING MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2002 7:00 P.M. TOV COUNCIL CHAMBERS The regularly scheduled Vail Town Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Ludwig Kurz at approximately 7:00 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Ludwig Kurz, Mayor Rod Slifer, Mayor Pro Tern Dick Cleveland Diana Donovan Bill Jewitt Greg Moffet Chuck Ogilby STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob McLaurin, Town Manager Pam Brandmeyer, Asst. Town Manager Matt Mire, Town Attorney IThe first item on the agenda was Citizen Participation. Mery Lapin, long time local and former Vail councilmember, addressed the Council, requesting the Council consider a cemetery or cemetery type feature in Vail to create a remembrance park or memorial in Vail. Lapin stated a decision should be made on the site and who would be honored there. Lapin stated he would be willing to help gather the formation. Kaye Ferry, Vail Chamber and Business Association, addressed the Council, expressing her displeasure regarding the article in the Vail Daily on February 23, regarding prices in Vail being 2 to 3 times higher in Vail than down valley. Frank D'Alessio, a volunteer for the Vail Police Department, appeared before the Council, informing them of the Citizens Police Academy, sponsored by the Vail Police Department. D'Alessio stated they had 10 applicants at the present time. The focus of the academy was to produce ambassadors for the public and police force. The date of the event is March 14, 2002. The second item on the agenda was the Consent Agenda. Greg Moffet made a motion to approve the February 5 and 19, 2002, meeting minutes. Rod Slifer seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously, 7-0. . The third item on the agenda was Vail Resorts presentation of their Lionshead redevelopment proposal. Mayor Kurz stated the town had not received an official 1 application at this time and this was the first time the town had been shown the redevelopment plan being proposed by Vail Resorts, Inc. Russ Forrest, Director of Community Development, gave a background on the Lionshead Master Plan, stating meetings would be scheduled as soon as the applications were received from Vail Resorts. Forrest introduced Porter Wharton, III, Vail Resorts Senior Vice President. Wharton addressed the Council, stating Vail Resorts was committed to reinvesting in the community, and the company had started working on this project last summer. Wharton stated Vail Resorts had invested $126 million on improvements to the mountain and was committed to revitalizing their properties in Lionshead. John Burkholder with Ethan Moore, Design Workshop, gave an overview of the five properties owned by Vail Resorts and the main redevelopment plan for each of them, which included: - Maintenance/Holy Cross site — 5 acres; - West Day Lot/Marriott Property - 4.8 acres; - North Day Lot 1.3 acres (potential public -financed, town -owned Conference Center; - Core area 2.3 acres (former gondola building, Sunbird Lodge); - Tennis court site - 2.5 acres. According to Wharton, a 30-month, phased construction process is envisioned with construction beginning in the spring of 2003 for the West Day Lot and the Holy Cross/Maintenance Lot phases. In addition to the project's construction schedule, members of the audience inquired about view corridors; the Vail Town Council's position on use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund public improvements; parking; pedestrian access and circulation; transit staging; snowmelt areas; calculations that will be used to create employee housing units associated with the project; inclusion of a swimming pool; and consideration of an outdoor ice rink. Next steps include a discussion by the Town Council to review and prioritize a list of public improvements recommended in the 1998 Lionshead Master Plan, as well as a discussion on how to pay for them. Should the town pursue development of a Conference facility on the North Day Lot? - What public improvements should be further designed and built? - How should the town finance public improvements? Should the town sell or lease public lands needed by private developers to construct to the "build to" line? It was recommended that the Town Council immediately direct staff to reconvene the parking task force to develop a long-term solution for parking. After the Town Council has had an opportunity to discuss the above -mentioned questions, then a development improvement agreement should be developed that would state what public improvements the town would pay for and what improvements Vail Resorts and other private developers would pay for. z The fourth item on the agenda was a presentation and discussion of Playground Safety and Improvement Plan, including: Playground Safety and Improvement Plan. Discussion of Custom vs. Catalog equipment. Possible expansion of Donovan Park playground area. Todd Oppenheimer, landscape architect and parks superintendent for the town, presented the plan to the Council. Discussion was held regarding hazards, custom vs. catalog playground equipment, and ADA requirements. A proactive playground safety plan was introduced. Rod Slifer made a motion to approve the playground safety and improvement plan developed by certified playground inspectors from the Public Works Department. Greg Moffet seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 5-2, Kurz and Donovan opposing. The document, which was created following a town -wide audit, outlines a recommended schedule of actions to be implemented over the next five years to improve safety and maintain equipment at each of Vail's eight neighborhood parks as well as the construction of two new play areas (Donovan Park and Lionshead). In 2002, the plan calls for construction of the playground at Donovan Park as well as a recommendation to reconstruct Pirateship Park, which has experienced structural deficiencies. During the discussion, the Council reaffirmed its desire to incorporate an appropriate mix of custom- built playground equipment to promote Vail's uniqueness, saying the benefits are worth the extra expense and potential for additional liability. A motion was made by Greg Moffet and seconded by Rod Slifer to support a staff recommendation to earmark $150,000 from the Real Estate Transfer Tax to expand the Donovan Park playground design to accommodate • 60 to 80 children at a time, or 9,000 sq. ft., up from the current design which accommodates 20 children with 6,000 sq. ft. A vote was taken on the motion and the motion passed 6-1, Jewitt opposing. The fifth item on the agenda was a Special Events Discussion. Continuing an earlier discussion about the appropriate structure for a special events board the Council heard from Stephen Connelly of the Vail Chamber and Business Association, who offered use of an existing 501 c-3 structure, Turn It Up, as a way to facilitate creation of a de -politicized board that would be used to review and recommend funding allocations from the town. Rod Slifer made a motion to draft an ordinance to form a special events committee, consisting of two members selected at -large from the community, one restaurant representative, one lodging representative and one retail representative. Councilman Greg Moffet seconded the motion, suggesting exploration of a Business Improvement District as an alternative structure to be considered in future years. Staff was given direction to research the concept more thoroughly. Kaye Ferry of the Vail Chamber and Business Association criticized the board representation structure. Ferry, along with business owner Steven Rosenthal, suggested replacing one of the at -large seats with a business representative. In addition, Ferry urged the Council to re -structure the budget used for administration of the Vail Local Marketing Board to create a paid position that could manage multiple economic development programs. Although Councilmember Diana Donovan acknowledged that additional work remained, she expressed satisfaction in the new structure, noting that it removes the voting privileges of those who once had been 3 recipients of the seed money. A vote was taken on the motion and the motion passer! unanimously, 7-0, directing staff to prepare an ordinance. The group also agreed that the nonvoting Council representative would chair the board until a director is hired. The sixth item on the agenda was the Town Manager's Report. Town Manager McLaurin stated he had nothing to add to the report as submitted. Bill Jewitt seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously, 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 P.M. Respectfully submitted, OF Ludwig Kurz or 5SIEPJI Mayor ATTEST: Uorel i Donalds n, )Town Jerk Minutes taken by Mary A. Caster • 4 MEDIA ADVISORY March 7, 2002 Contact: Suzanne Silverthorn, 479-2115 Community information Office VAIL TOWN COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH 5 Work Session Briefs Council members present: Cleveland, Donovan, Jewitt, Kurz, Moffet, Ogilby, Slifer --Mountain Haus Site Visit In preparation for an applicant appeal, which was heard later in the meeting, the Council visited the Mountain Haus site on East Meadow Drive to familiarize itself with an application to construct a new front entry feature. --Employee Recognition Next, the Council recognized Kevin Whalen and Mike Vaughan of the Vail Fire Department for their 20 years of service each to the town. In accepting congratulations from the Town Council and staff, Whalen urged the Council to move forward with the proposed West Vail fire station, noting the issue has been under review since 1981 and was impacting his decision to take a new job with another department. --Strategic Planning: re: Town's Role in Recreation Following a philosophical discussion to define the town's role in recreation, the Council concluded the following: 1) the Town of Vail will continue to be the owner of recreation infrastructure to provide amenities for guests and residents, while the VRD will continue to manage the facilities (the current management contract expires in 2015); 2) because the VRD has no bonding capacity for capital construction (since it owns no assets), the Town of Vail will facilitate new capital construction for recreation if the need for additional facilities is justified; 3) to improve coordination between the Town of Vail and the Vail Recreation District, additional communications are needed to improve upon the owner - manager relationship. Also during the discussion, the Council directed Town Manager Bob McLaurin to work with his VRD counterpart to develop a plan for more direct, structured and timely meetings between representatives from the Council and the Board of the VRD. McLaurin also was directed to examine the administrative functions of both entities to explore the potential for cost -savings and additional synergy. With the town's recreation role more clearly defined, Councilmembers then began a conversation about how it would resolve the potential displacement of the Vail gymnastics facility, which is housed in the Old Town Shops building on South Frontage Road. The Eagle River Water and Sanitation District is negotiating with the town to acquire the site for a plant expansion. Councilmembers have previously discussed the possibility of building a gymnastics/multi-purpose facility above the gymnasium at Red Sandstone School, currently estimated at $3.5 million. Rick Sackbauer of the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District board urged the Council to render a decision on the district's $675,000 offer to purchase the Old Town Shops property, noting the discussions have been underway for six years. Councilmembers acknowledged the sense of urgency and agreed that a decision on the sale of the property should be made a priority. For is additional details, contact Bob McLaurin at 479-2105. . --Appeal of PEC's Denial of Exterior Alteration/Modification of Mountain Haus Entry In two separate votes, the Council approved, with two conditions, an application for a new front entry feature at the Mountain Haus on East Meadow Drive in Vail Village. The votes were 6-1 (Cleveland against) and 5-2 (Cleveland and Ogilby against). The matter had been appealed to the Town Council following denial by the Planning and Environmental Commission on Feb. 11. The project will replace an existing canvas awning located on the north side of the building with a new timber canopy with gables and pitched roofs. Because a significant portion of the entry feature will be located on public right-of-way, the applicant has agreed to construct a new heated sidewalk along the roadway's north side as a public benefit. In voting against the matter, Councilman Chuck Ogilby expressed concern about traffic circulation and offered support for an alternative design. For more information, contact Bill Gibson in the Community Development Department at 479-2173. --Eagle River Water & Sanitation District Replacement of Water Lines Public Works Director Greg Hall provided an update on the Vail Village water line replacement project to be coordinated by the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. Bids were opened earlier this week and are higher than the engineer's estimate, according to Hall, and could impact the project's phasing schedule. The first phase is scheduled for April 15 to May 24 with installations on Hanson Ranch Road. Hall noted the town's ability to authorize round-the-clock construction so long as the impacted parties agree in advance. Councilmembers stressed the importance of timely communications with affected property owners. Discussions will continue at the Town Council's March 19 meeting to review the town's interest in coordinating streetscape improvements and snowmelt installations in various sections of the Village to minimize future infrastructure disturbances. --Special Events Discussion In preparation for the evening meeting, the Council reviewed several approaches that could be used to create a special events board that would be used to review and recommend funding allocations from the town. Town Attorney Matt Mire cautioned against use of a town -sponsored 501-c3, noting it could be an inappropriate delegation of authority. However, a 501-c3 could be established appropriately by another sponsoring entity, according to Mire. A third alternative would be to establish a town commission, similar to the Art In Public Places Board. The Town Charter prohibits a Council member from sitting as a voting member of a commission or board it has established. Therefore, Mire suggested appointment of a non -voting Council member. Councilman Bill Jewitt advocated pursuit of 'a 501-c3 structure, noting the potential for town contributions to decrease over time. In addition, Jewitt said the town commission structure could allow the temptation to micromanage, which would be contrary to Council's intent. The Council eventually voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance to establish a town commission. See evening meeting briefs for details. --DRB Report Due to the 10-day call-up requirement, Council reviewed actions of the Feb. 20 Design Review Board meeting through an e-mail notification process. No call-ups were requested. --Information Update Council members received a schedule of events for the upcoming American Ski Classic and information on a series of seminars sponsored by the Colorado Municipal League. --Matters from Mayor and Council Noting a letter from Gov. Bill Owens in which 2002 has been declared "Colorado's Year of Trails," Council member Diana Donovan suggested the town explore possible tie-ins to promote local trails. Dick Cleveland suggested a partnership with the Eagle County Regional Trails Committee. In other matters, Donovan suggested the need for code enforcement coverage during the weekends to handle complaints about illegal signs, banners and displays. Such complaints are currently handled by the town on weekdays. Russell Forrest of the Community Development Department agreed to explore several staffing options. Chuck Ogilby inquired about a potential meeting date for Council members who have volunteered to serve on the Donovan Park Pavilion design committee. Greg Moffet reported on his attendance at a Vail Child Care board meeting as well as a meeting of the Local Marketing District Advisory Committee. At that meeting, the committee instructed the Vail Valley Chamber and Tourism Bureau, which provides contractual administrative services, to provide additional recommendations on strategic direction. Moffet invited fellow Council members to join him in attending an upcoming meeting. Bill Jewitt reported on his attendance at a Vail Valley Chamber and Tourism Bureau meeting in which the organization outlined its interest in operating visitor information centers from Vail to the Eagle County Airport. Jewitt also said the organization was contemplating a change in its special events role to reflect a valleywide, strategic focus. --Executive Session . The Council met in executive session to discuss land acquisition and legal matters. There were no announcements following the session. Evening Session Briefs Council members present: Cleveland, Donovan, Jewitt, Kurz, Moffet, Ogilby, Slifer --Citizen Participation Noting a desire to address Vail's cemetery dilemma, Mery Lapin, a former Council member, encouraged the Council to create a task force to explore the concept of a memorial park that would commemorate deceased members of the community. Lapin described Vail's lack of a cemetery as one of the unsolved problems facing the community. Kaye Ferry, president of the Vail Chamber and Business Association, shared her frustration with a Feb. 23 editorial comment in the Vail Daily which portrayed the cost of food and merchandise in Vail as being two to three times higher than what downvalley businesses charge, due to higher rents. Ferry said the Vail business community was offended by the comments, noting that prices for food and merchandise in Vail are equivalent to prices charged downvalley. Next, Frank D'Alessio, a volunteer for the Vail Police Department and director of the new Citizens Police Academy, provided an update on a recruitment drive for the program's first series of classes, which begins March 14. He invited members of the Council and the community to contact him to find out more about the program. D'Alessio can be reached at 476-9463. --Consent Agenda The Council voted 7-0 to approve minutes of the Feb. 5 and 19 evening meetings. --Vail Resorts Presentation of Lionshead Redevelopment Proposal At the invitation of the Town Council and with the room packed with interested observers, an overview of the Vail Resorts redevelopment proposal for Lionshead was presented. The hour-long session represented the first full public presentation of the plan, which has been in various conceptual planning stages since the town's passage of the Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan in 1998. In introducing the presentation, Vail Resorts Senior Vice President Porter Wharton, III, characterized the proposal as a "work in progress" with development review applications yet to be submitted to the Town of Vail. The overview included various maps and renderings showing redevelopment proposals for five parcels owned by Vail Resorts. They are as follows: • Core Area- 2.3 acres (former gondola building, Sunbird Lodge) -Hotel: 105 rooms -Condos: 45-50 units (142,00 +I- so -Conference: 6,500 sf -Retail 55,000 sf (including restaurants) -Skier Service: 24,500 sf -Spa: 6,500 sf -Mountain Services (food and beverage distribution facility for Vail Mountain) -Parking: 210 spaces • Tennis Courts Site - 2.5 acres -5 Single Family Lots: 15,000 sf each • Maintenance/ Holy Cross Site (5 acres) • -Relocated Parking From North and West Day Lots: 265 spaces -Core Area Employee Housing Replacement: (100 beds) -Employee Housing Generated by New Project: 100 -200 beds -Maintenance Center - Possible VR Offices • West Day Lot/ Marriott Property - 4.8 acres -a mix of 165 Condos, Fractional Ownership Units and Hotel Rooms -18 Townhomes -Parking: 256 Incremental Spaces and replace existing Marriott parking • North Day Lot - 1.3 acres -Reserved site for a public -financed, town -owned Conference Center According to Wharton, a 30-month, phased construction process is envisioned with construction beginning in the spring of 2003 for the West Day Lot and the Holy Cross/Maintenance Lot phases. In addition to the project's construction schedule, members of the audience inquired about view corridors; the Vail Town Council's position on use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund public improvements; parking; pedestrian access and circulation; transit staging; snowmelt areas; calculations that will be used to create employee housing units associated with the project; inclusion of a swimming pool; and consideration of an outdoor ice rink. Next steps include a discussion by the Town Council to review and prioritize a list of public improvements recommended in the 1998 Lionshead Master Plan, as well as a discussion on how to pay for them. For more information, contact Russell Forrest in the Community Development Department at 479-2146. To view Vail Resorts' presentation, visit their website at www.vailresorts.com under "Development and Real Estate." 0 --Playground Safety and Improvement Plan/Donovan Park Playground Expansion The Council voted 5-2 (Kurz and Donovan against) to approve a playground safety and improvement plan developed by certified playground inspectors from the Public Works Department. The document, which was created following a townwide audit, outlines a recommended schedule of actions to be implemented over the next five years to improve safety and maintain equipment at each of Vail's eight neighborhood parks as well as the construction of two new play areas (Donovan Park and Lionshead). In 2002, the plan calls for construction of the playground at Donovan Park as well as a recommendation to reconstruct Pirateship Park, which has experienced structural deficiencies. During the discussion, the Council reaffirmed its desire to incorporate an appropriate mix of custom-built playground equipment to promote Vail's uniqueness, saying the benefits are worth the extra expense and potential for additional liability. Also during the meeting, the Council voted 6-1 (Jewitt against) in support of a staff recommendation to earmark $150,000 from project contingency funds from the Real Estate Transfer Tax to expand the Donovan Park playground design to accommodate 60 to 80 children at a time, or 9,000 sq, ft., up from the current design which accommodates 20 children with 6,000 sq. ft. For more information, contact Todd Oppenheimer in the Public Works Department at 479-2161. --Special Events Discussion Continuing an earlier discussion about the appropriate structure for a special events board (see afternoon briefs), the Council heard from Stephen Connolly of the Vail Chamber and Business Association, who offered use of an existing 501 c-3 structure, Turn It Up, as a way to facilitate creation of a de -politicized board that would be used to review and recommend funding allocations from the town. Councilman Greg Moffet suggested exploration of a Business Improvement District as an alternative structure to be considered in future years. Staff was given direction to research the concept more thoroughly. With a motion on the floor to direct staff to prepare an ordinance to create a five -member town board to manage special events, Kaye Ferry of the Vail Chamber and Business Association criticized the board representation structure. As proposed, the board would consist of two members selected at -large from the community, one restaurant representative, one lodging representative and one retail representative. Ferry, along with business owner Steven Rosenthal, suggested replacing one of the at - large seats with a business representative. In addition, Ferry urged the Council to re- structure the budget used for administration of the Vail Local Marketing Board to create a paid position that could manage multiple economic development programs. Although Councilmember Diana Donovan acknowledged that additional work remained, she expressed satisfaction in the new structure, noting that it removes the voting privileges of those who once had been recipients of the seed money. To conclude the discussion, the Council voted 7-0 on the motion directing staff to prepare an ordinance. The group also agreed that the non -voting Council representative will chair the board until a director is hired. UPCOMING DISCUSSION TOPICS March 19 Work Session, 2 pm DRBIPEC/AIPP Interviews Strategic Planning, re: Revenue Issues Black Gore Creek Sediment Update Lionshead Public Improvements Discussion • March 19 Evening Meeting, 7 pm DRBIPECIAIPP Appointments Vail Resorts Front Door Presentation we Vail Village Streetscape Discussion Discussion of Intergovernmental Agreement, re: Los Amigos Deck Expansion C: • VAIL TOWN COUNCIL MARCH 5, 2002 WORK SESSION 2:00 P.M. MINUTES Councilmembers present: Ludwig Kurz, Mayor Rod Slifer, Mayor Pro-Tem Dick Cleveland Diana Donovan Bill Jewitt Greg Moffet Chuck Ogilby Appeal of PEC'S Denial of Exterior Alteration/Modification of Mountain Haus Entry. In two separate votes, the Council approved, with two conditions, an application for a new front entry feature at the Mountain Haus on East Meadow Drive in Vail Village. A motion by Greg Moffet and seconded by Bill Jewitt passed 6-1, (Dick Cleveland against) and a motion by Greg Moffet and seconded . by Bill Jewitt passed 5-2 (Dick Cleveland and Chuck Ogilby against). The matter had been appealed to the Town Council following denial by the Planning and Environmental Commission on Feb. 11. The project will replace an existing canvas awning located on the north side of the building with a new timber canopy with gables and pitched roofs. Because a significant portion of the entry feature will be located on public right-of-way, the applicant has agreed to construct a new heated sidewalk along the roadway'snorth side as a public benefit. In voting against the matter, Councilman Chuck Ogilby expressed concern about traffic circulation and offered support for an alternative design. 0