Friday, June 29, 2007

Music is in the air?almost

Sun Valley Co. readies to break ground on symphony pavilion


By TREVOR SCHUBERT
Express Staff Writer

Sun Valley P&Z Commissioner Jake Provonsha points to an area of interest, while, from left to right, Commissioner Dave Brown, Community Development Director Mark Hofman, landscape architect Kurt Eggers, and Sun Valley Co. General Manager Wally Huffman study the plans. Photo by David N. Seelig

Sun Valley Co. has the green light to break ground on the landscaping for the proposed "Music Pavilion" to be located near Sun Valley Lodge.

The Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission gave its permission Thursday. Should the City Council approve an associated rezone and master plan amendment on July 19, Sun Valley Co. will then bring its final design of the Music Pavilion structure in front of the P&Z, most likely in August.

Should all those pieces fall into place, the project is slated for completion by Aug. 1, 2008.

"Thank you for seeing this as a regional cultural asset," Sun Valley resident Marylyn Pauly said. "This will be a pavilion to match our mountains ... (and) to match the heart and spirit of the people."

P&Z commissioners echoed Pauly's sentiment, pushing Sun Valley Co. and its design team over three key hurdles in Thursday's meeting.

First, the commission recommended approval of a "master plan development" application for the site as required under the city's master planning regulations.

Second, it recommended the City Council approve a zoning amendment application that would transition the property from single-family zoning to Community Core zoning.

Finally, the commission approved a design review application for grading and site preparation.

"I am on board with everything they've (Sun Valley Co.) done," Commissioner Dave Brown said. "Let's get this thing rocking and rolling."

On Thursday, July 5, at 9 a.m. the City Council will take action on the commission's recommendations to allow the Music Pavilion to build to height allowances created for new hotels.

As it stands, 64 feet is the maximum height allowed by the city's Commercial Core zoning district standards. This height is significant because it is the high point of the Sun Valley Lodge—the traditional centerpiece of the area. New hotels are allowed to exceed the 64-foot limit through alternative compliance measures.

Those measures allow for flexibility in height if the city determines the structure is compatible with the natural terrain and with land use on nearby properties. The P&Z has asked the council to officially add the symphony center to this alternative compliance clause.

"Less than 1 percent of the total area of the roof area exceeds 64 feet," said representative Nicholas Latham, of Ruscitto/Latham/Blanton Architecture.

The pavilion is designed to nestle into the natural slope of the hill, meaning "the ridge of the lodge is approximately seven feet higher than the high point of the (pavilion's) arch."

"Architecturally, this is going to be a statement in mountain towns," said Sun Valley Co. General Manager Wally Huffman in April, when the project was first unveiled. "This is going to be state-of-the-art."

The 45,000-square-foot structure would feature 1,500 seats as well as a surrounding elevated park for an additional 3,000 spectators. The 14 planned summer symphony events would be open to the general public and free of change.

Huffman did not have an exact cost for the project. However, it is expected to come in at around $10 million. Of that, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony would pay $3 million and "we'll pay for whatever is left," Huffman said.

While Sun Valley Co. would own the facility, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony would have exclusive, uninterrupted use of the pavilion for its summer season.

At its lowest point, the Music Pavilion would be 15 feet below grade. The excavation will remain neutral as removed earth would be used to increase a natural berm and provide enhanced viewing from the grass.

"The Holding family (owner of Sun Valley Co.) has continually stressed the importance of enhancing the experience for those preferring to watch and listen from the surrounding lawns," Huffman said in a written statement.

Sinking the structure into the ground would provide better viewing from the grass and also reduce noise pollution from traffic on Dollar Road during rehearsals.

The Music Pavilion would house a 6,000-square-foot stage under a proscenium arch that would support the permanent horn-like acoustical shell. The shell would, be constructed of a tensile-steel web with a copper roof attached atop. The structure is designed so that no pillars or additional support structures are necessary meaning none of the 1,500 seats would have an obstructed view of the stage.

"I absolutely just love everything about the proposal," Commissioner Jake Provonsha said. "My only concern is the reflectivity of the copper roof in the first year."

After a year of weathering, the copper would rust to a dark brown, almost black color, Latham said. He also said the copper would lose its reflective luster quickly. However, if it is deemed a significant problem, Latham said a patina could be applied to dull the copper during the construction phase of the project.




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