{"id":2458999,"date":"2020-05-29T16:40:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T22:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-electeds-to-consider-outdoor-commerce-in-parking-spaces\/"},"modified":"2020-05-30T07:28:18","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T13:28:18","slug":"aspen-electeds-to-consider-outdoor-commerce-in-parking-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-electeds-to-consider-outdoor-commerce-in-parking-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen electeds to consider outdoor commerce in parking spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If Aspen\u2019s elected officials agree, downtown streets will be modified next week so parking spaces are used for restaurant seating and retail spaces to accommodate businesses that are forced to operate under social distancing <a id=\"N0x16abaf0N0x1621510:N0x16abaf0N0x1865b30\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-pitkin-county-business-will-open-on-rolling-basis\/\">public health orders<\/a> due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A team of city staff is recommending to City Council that it agree to modifying several streets in the downtown core so that between three and five tables take up a parking space, which would be protected by jersey barriers and other delineating features to prevent vehicle interaction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think we can do something big without doing too much,\u201d said Pete Rice, manager of the city\u2019s engineering division who is leading the plan and will present to council on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The streets that would be modified would be changed to one-way traffic. The program, which could be for the summer and early fall, is designed around increasing economic activity for local businesses that have taken a severe hit due to COVID-19 restrictions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rice and his team relied heavily on the overwhelming public feedback they received on the city\u2019s <a id=\"N0x16abaf0N0x1621570:N0x16abaf0N0x1865e00\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspencommunityvoice.com\/outdoor-dining-and-retail-streetscape\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">aspencommunityvoice.com platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Almost 750 people filled out <a id=\"N0x16abaf0N0x16215d0:N0x16abaf0N0x1865f20\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/road-closed-ahead-downtown-aspen-streets-to-become-shopping-dining-areas\/\">the survey<\/a>, and more than 93% support outdoor commerce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rice said it\u2019s not known yet how many of the downtown core\u2019s 682 spaces would be needed. That will be determined based on how many businesses fill out an application for a special right of way permit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Full street closures are another option but Rice said he does not recommend that for a number of reasons, including that business groups and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association do not support it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Also, because the requests so far from businesses to take to the streets are so spread out throughout town, street closures create inequity between groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Closing the streets also does not give balance to parking, and restaurants would like areas to continue with take-out orders, which they had been relying on since March when public health orders halted indoor dining.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Restaurants opened this week but are limited to tables 8 feet apart and 50 percent capacity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rice said if council wants to close the streets, his team is prepared to do that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI am trying to balance the needs a bit between the public and the business groups,\u201d he said, adding that 15 restaurateurs have indicated they want outdoor space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Whatever council decides, Rice and his team are ready to execute the first phase of outdoor commerce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe can create space for restaurants and businesses starting on Tuesday,\u201d Rice said. \u201cMy thoughts are let\u2019s just give them space and then do a more thoughtful approach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Immediate street modification for one block is estimated to be $24,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If council supports a more formal and perhaps long-term outdoor seating plan that includes decks with railings, or what are known as <a id=\"N0x16abaf0N0x1621630:N0x16abaf0N0x18665e0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS779US780&amp;source=univ&amp;tbm=isch&amp;q=parklettes&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiurMmGhNrpAhXIv54KHfdWAiEQsAR6BAgKEAE&amp;biw=1224&amp;bih=794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cparklettes\u201d<\/a> that are placed in the right of way, the team will begin ordering the necessary materials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rice estimates that each deck costs around $15,000. Estimating that four would be purchased, along with planters, striping and other roadway improvements, the total cost would be $125,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It would take about a month to get them ordered and assembled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cStaff will remain flexible and adaptable for the first few weeks as adjustments may be needed to suit the needs of the individual business,\u201d Rice wrote in a memo to council. \u201cSafety will be a top priority as staff will continue to work with the businesses on measures that can be implemented within the activation areas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rice said he plans on working on a case-by-case basis with local businesses that apply for a permit, which will be done by them turning in a form to the City Clerk\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think this is a great opportunity to see what works,\u201d Rice said. \u201cMy gut feeling is it will help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"><em><a href=\"mailto:csackariason@aspentimes.com\">csackariason@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-electeds-to-consider-outdoor-commerce-in-parking-spaces\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If Aspen\u2019s elected officials agree, downtown streets will be modified next week so parking spaces are used for restaurant seating and retail spaces to accommodate businesses that are forced to operate under social distancing public health orders due to COVID-19. A team of city staff is recommending to City Council that it agree to modifying [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 05:25:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458999"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2459019,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458999\/revisions\/2459019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}