Travis Elliot/Special to the Snowmass Sun
With a number of goals aimed at improving Snowmass’ public transportation, pedestrian access and aesthetics, the town is exploring a remodel of the transit station at the mall.
Snowmass transportation director David Peckler and architects from two firms the town is working with presented three conceptual designs before Town Council at a meeting April 1.
The town invites the public to review and weigh in on the renderings at an open house at Snowmass Town Hall from 4 to 6 p.m. today.
“We don’t expect anyone to dispute the need for improvements or a facelift (at the transit station),” town spokesman Travis Elliot said April 9, “but what we’re really interested in is what the community thinks about the structure at the end of the mall.”
Elliot said that plans for the project, which “is not definite,” are within the hands of the community.
Members of the project team, including the architects and engineers who developed the designs, will be at the open house to listen, Elliot said.
Jason Jaynes, a project manager with the Carbondale-based landscape architect DHM Design Corporation, touted the benefits of combining the stops for the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus and the Snowmass Village shuttle.
“There’s an opportunity (here) to make a statement about the town of Snowmass Village, as well, and that can be done in a variety of different ways,” Jaynes said at the meeting April 1. “We’ve talked about public art, we’ve talked about iconic buildings, we’ve talked about creating something that when you step off the bus and are making your way towards the mall, you’re given a sense that you’ve arrived some place special, which is a whole lot different than arriving at the shuttle now and going up the metal stairs the back way that everybody does today.”
There are a number of moving parts, advantages and even drawbacks to each of the conceptual designs as proposed, Peckler said.
“Like many things in life, there are tradeoffs in all three designs,” his memo states. “We are looking for the best design that serves the needs of the community year-round and improves the convenience of using transit while bolstering its efficiency.”
The memo also notes the project’s major priorities are to position transit passengers on the same grade as the Snowmass Mall, maintain the town’s current parking inventory, improve pedestrian access to the mall and accommodate the “basic needs” of RFTA and the village shuttle.
The Elected Officials Transportation Committee, which consists of members of Snowmass Town Council, Aspen City Council and Pitkin County, allocated $50,000 for the initial study of a transit station redesign.
Should the town move forward with the project, an additional $6 million is available through the EOTC, Elliot said.
While the memo states, “The goal is to develop a project concept that can be funded predominately by the funds available to the town” from EOTC and RFTA, Snowmass Mayor Markey Butler at the meeting indicated a desire to not feel constrained by budgetary concerns.
“I just want us to be in a space and a place where the budget doesn’t drive the decision and the design all the way,” Butler said. “So I want to do it right, do the best and do it right, and then, if we have to go after additional funding, I’m sure our local community would be pleased and proud to help make that happen. I think we’re doing fine financially right now.”
Conceptual renderings can be viewed in full at http://www.tosv.com or at the open house this evening.