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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019.06.25 OSTB BOCC Joint Regular Meeting Minutes_S MINUTES OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS BOARD BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS JOINT REGULAR SESSION June 25, 2019 BOCC Meeting Room, 530 E Main St. Aspen CO, 81611 OSTB Present: Graeme Means Howie Mallory Amy Barrow Michael Kinsley Wayne Ives Dist. 1 Dist. 2 Dist. 3, Vice Dist. 4 Dist. 5 Absent Chair Absent BOCC Present: George Poschman, George Newman, Steven Child, Patti Clapper Staff Present: Gary Tennenbaum, Dale Will, Janet Urquhart, Richard Neiley, Cindy Houben, Suzanne Wolfe Others Present: Jason Sewell, Connor Coleman, Casey Piscura, Tom Todd, Doug Pratt Media Present: Jason Auslander, The Aspen Times; GrassRoots TV personnel Greg Poschman called the BOCC work session to order at 11:07 a.m. Sunfire Ranch Dale Will outlined the location of the property in relation to other conserved ranches and noted the Sunfire Ranch's existing ability to develop twenty-nine 35-acre lots. The proposed Sunfire Ranch OpenSpace Preservation Master Plan would protect the property's uplands from development by eliminating lots on the hillsides and clustering it on the Thompson Creek Valley floor. This would conserve wildlife habitat on the property, as well as scenic viewplanes, he said. The envisioned range of uses in the proposed activity envelopes is unlike open space master plans that the county has done before, Will said. Suzanne Wolff outlined the approval process for an open space master plan as well as what could be developed on the 29 existing lots versus what is proposed by the applicant. The application proposes developments not currently allowed by the county code, she noted, including dorm- style housing, a school/university, lodge accommodations, a restaurant/bar and retail sales. An open space master plan allows extended vested rights, she added, and the application seeks permanent vesting for approved uses. Development approved through the master plan would be exempt from the county's Growth Management Quota System so it's important that all of the uses and potential development are well defined before the plan is approved, she said. Sunfire Ranch owner Jason Sewell said there are some new concepts in the master plan application. He said he wants to make the ranch agriculturally productive and also economically sustainable in the long term. Connor Coleman, a consultant working with Sewell, outlined elements of the master plan. He said the total building envelop for the proposed development would occupy 3.5 percent of the total ranch acreage. Sewell clarified that there are six, not seven, free-market lots proposed on a bench of land; an area labeled Lot 2 is not a residential lot,but an activity area for gravel extraction, Sewell said. Coleman said the application looks creatively at supplying housing accommodations to support agriculture on the ranch, potentially including 06/25//2019 OSTB and BOCC Joint Work Session Minutes Page 1 of 3 mixed-use structures such as a barn that also contains residential units. The plan also envisions guest housing, he said. A farm stand is envisioned near the property's entrance to Hwy. 133, but the proposed access would be moved north from the current driveway to make it safer, Coleman said. George Newman asked how the master plan application fits with the county's contract to purchase a conservation easement on the ranch. The contract is an agreement on a conceptual level; the master plan will provide the specific details, Dale Will said. Newman said it is difficult to visualize the impacts from the development that is proposed. Commissioners and the Open Space and Trails Board need to be comfortable with all of the proposals taken as a whole before approving the master plan, Will said. Patti Clapper expressed concern about tourism at the ranch, but said conserving the property is a priority. She asked for more information about the needs for staffing for the agricultural component. The conservation easement contract makes agriculture a mandatory component at the ranch, Coleman noted. Casey Piscura, co-owner of Wild Mountain Seeds which operates at the ranch, said having the ability to pursue agriculture as a full-time occupation is a huge challenge and that land and housing make it possible. Jason Sewell said he'd like to see guests come experience farm work and make better choices as consumers after experiencing agricultural production firsthand. Michael Kinsley praised the vision and said he believes agricultural tourism can be valuable, but said the boards need to clearly understand what the impacts of the plan will be. Graeme Means agreed the boards need to better understand how all of the proposals would fit together. He asked for a list of potential uses, how much development could result from each use and how much space the overall development would occupy. He also said any uses in the remote areas of the ranch should not jeopardize wildlife values. Means also asked about an option to eliminate the free-market lots in the plan, which he said seemed at odds with the rest of the vision. It is still possible to discuss a deal that eliminates those lots, Dale Will said. Steve Child said he would like the employee housing/tourist accommodations better defined. Amy Barrow praised the innovativeness of the plan,but said she wants to see how the total square footage of what is proposed compares to what could be developed with the 29 existing lots at the ranch. She also asked for details regarding potential mineral extraction at the ranch. Greg Poschman asked if housing development at the ranch could be net-zero in energy use and asked for information on vehicle trips that would be generated by the proposed uses of the ranch. Jason Sewell noted the impacts of the master plan proposal include the stewardship that comes with on-site labor for the agricultural operations. Having people living at the ranch and working the land improves the ecology, while typical development has a negative impact on the landscape, he said. Sewell's consulting team, including Doug Pratt and Tom Todd, said they will"fine tune"the master plan application and provide additional details about the proposed uses and development. 06/25//2019 OSTB and BOCC Joint Work Session Minutes Page 2 of 3 Video of the meeting is available at: https://pitkincounty.ompnetwork.org/embed/sessions/109557/bocc-work-session-06-25-2019 ADJOURN The OSTB adjourned its joint meeting with the BOCC at 12:54 p.m. Approved: Attest: a: i Amy Barr w, Vice Chair Janet Urquhart Pitkin Cou y Open Space &Trails Board Pitkin County Open Space &Trails Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator 06/25//2019 OSTB and BOCC Joint Work Session Minutes Page 3 of 3