Way back when, the city of Aspen and Pitkin County used to have a joint planning department and decisions were made collectively by Aspen City Council and the Board of County Commissioners, considering the impact on both Aspen and also Pitkin County.
Enter the new era of fragmented and disjointed decision-making, which has Aspen and Pitkin County considering two separate development proposals by Aspen Skiing Co. or its proxies, on Aspen Mountain — without discussing the collective impact of those applications.
In Aspen, voters are being asked to upzone Skico land from “conservation” to “lodge.” Meanwhile, in Pitkin County, Skico is asking to upzone some 130 acres of rural- and remote-zoned land along Richmond Ridge to SKI-REC, which would potentially allow an unlimited number of “resort cabins,” among other uses, in the backcountry Pitkin County claims to protect.
Pay attention, Aspen and Pitkin County.
Marcella Larsen
Aspen