What has been approved as a hotel on the outskirts of downtown Aspen is now being considered for an affordable-housing complex.<\/p>\n
Developer Mark Hunt<\/a>, who is behind the ownership of several downtown buildings, is considering workforce housing at the corner of Original Street and Cooper Avenue.<\/p>\n That would replace his current plans to build Base 1, a 42-room hotel, approved by Aspen City Council in 2015.<\/p>\n Hunt’s vested rights on the land-use approval are set to expire in July, so he is asking council for an 18-month extension.<\/p>\n The matter was supposed to be discussed at Aspen City Council’s meeting Jan. 28, but a problem with public noticing forced the cancellation of the hearing.<\/p>\n But Councilman Bert Myrin did force some conversation when he asked Chris Bendon, Hunt’s land-use planner, if there was any truth to the rumors of workforce housing instead of a hotel.<\/p>\n Bendon confirmed it as a possibility that they’d like to pursue if given more time.<\/p>\n On Friday, Bendon said Hunt is looking at several properties downtown that he is considering for housing, including the Buckhorn Lodge property where the 17,260-square-foot hotel is planned.<\/p>\n The 1960s-building currently houses Bamboo Bear restaurant and Domino’s Pizza on the street level and apartments on the second floor.<\/p>\n “The plan is Base Lodge but there are other alternatives worth pursuing,” he said. “Affordable housing is a big need in this community and worth looking into.”<\/p>\n Hunt told the Aspen-Pitkin Housing Authority Board in December<\/a> that he’d be coming forward with a proposal for 22 units in the downtown core, housing roughly 67 people in one- and three-bedroom apartments. He did not specify<\/a> where those would be located.<\/p>\n Base 1 Hotel was approved with the understanding that the lodge units would be about 200 square feet, and the building would have a rooftop deck and 23 on-site subgrade parking spaces.<\/p>\n Approved interior programming for the building includes 4,592 square feet of commercial net leasable space for retail and restaurant uses.<\/p>\n The city’s Community Development planners have recommended giving Hunt a 12-month extension of vested rights because they are concerned that the hotel might not get built.<\/p>\n “If the applicant does not intend to build the approved Base 1 Lodge, then council should consider not approving the extension request or severely limiting the timeframe of a potential extension,” reads a memo from Community Development Director Jessica Garrow to council.<\/p>\n The public hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 25.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories For You<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n