Snowmass condominium associations formally request town abandon nearby housing plans

Several condominium associations in Snowmass Village that asked the town to abandon plans for proposed workforce housing developments near its condos formally requested the town amend its housing master plan to abandon the developments.

In January, attorneys representing the Laurelwood Condominium Association sent a letter to town staff and Snowmass Town Council members requesting the town abandon the upper parking lots, which currently serve as skier parking spaces near the Snowmass Mall as potential housing development sites. The development of 78 housing units in three of the five upper lots were proposed as potential housing development sites in the Snowmass housing master plan, which the Town Council approved in 2021. The housing master plan was recognized as an important undertaking for the town in the 2018 comprehensive plan.

Formally abandoning the numbered lots as housing development sites would require an official amendment to the housing master plan, which would undergo review from the planning commission and Town Council. 

After several meetings between town staff and representatives of the owners’ associations of the Timberline, Sonnenblick, Interlude, Aspenwood, and Laurelwood condos, the associations formally submitted a request for amendment of the housing master plan to the town on March 12, with a petition signed by 221 condo owners opposing the development.

“Due to negative impacts on the community and the town’s prior commitments regarding the upper numbered lots, the associations believe the town should not pursue this site,” the request to the town states.

The request will now go to the planning commission, where it will need to determine if it agrees with the recommendation to amend the housing master plan. The planning commission will submit its recommendation to the Town Council, which will have to vote on whether to amend the housing master plan if commissioners recommend the change.

The master plan identified several sites as viable opportunities to expand the housing stock, including a plot next to the public works facilities on Owl Creek road, along Daly Lane, and the contested site at the upper numbered parking lots, specifically lots 10-12. Approval of the housing master plan did not inherently approve the projects themselves, but it serves as a road map to meeting the town’s housing goals. 

The proposed development of the parking lots in the housing master plan aims to maintain the existing 320 parking spaces in lots 10-12, while building 78 one- and two-bedroom apartment units and additional resident parking.

The Snowmass Village housing master plan identified three parking lots in the upper village to potentially develop 78 units of workforce housing.
Courtesy Image/Town of Snowmass Village

The condo associations argued that developing the upper numbered lots would have significant adverse effects on the community and that it is inconsistent with the town’s obligations to the surrounding properties, according to the formal request submitted to the town by attorneys with Garfield & Hecht. The Aspen Times obtained the letter through the Colorado Open Records Act.

“The proposal provides inadequate parking to accommodate the additional beds. The upper numbered lots provide much-needed parking to guests in several hundred condominium units and hotel rooms and to the employees providing services to those properties,” according to the request. “As the housing master plan identifies, any proposed development must maintain the existing 320 parking spaces. However, the housing master plan suggests adding only 69 spaces for 130 bedrooms, less than what is required under the well-established and enforced municipal code development requirements.”

The upper numbered lots development proposal includes 26 one-bedroom units and 52 two-bedroom units, 130 bedrooms total. The proposal includes 89 additional parking spaces; the parking ratio does not meet current zoning requirements (It is approximately half the code minimum), but the site is suited for a lower parking ratio due to its proximity to transit at the Snowmass Mall, according to the housing master plan. The site would require a parking alternative plan that allows less than one parking space per bedroom, but the 320 existing spaces would remain, Town Manager Clint Kinney said.

The plan proposes keeping public parking below the residential building, which would be altered in favor of angled parking to maximize spots.

Dave Jacobsen, president of the Laurelwood board of directors, said residents would park in one of the 320 public spaces if there wasn’t enough room in the residential parking for the units.

“Those employees living there would take those parking spots, and then we’d be out of parking,” he said.

The condo associations also argued that the cost of upper numbered lot developments – which is the most expensive of the five proposed developments in the plan and would cost an estimated $73.5 million to develop – would likely exceed $100 million. They pointed to the Draw Site project in Snowmass, which the master plan estimated would cost $62 million — the development is currently undergoing an extensive planned unit development process and is expected to cost $80 million.

“Given the rapidly escalating cost of the ongoing Draw Site project, which appears to now exceed $80 million, or some 20% higher than stated in the housing master plan, the associations question whether the town could develop this location at a reasonable cost,” according to the request.

It is unclear what the development would ultimately cost. Development has not started on the proposed 78 housing unit on lots 10-12, but the site was identified as one of the highest suitable sites in town to use for workforce housing because of its proximity to the mall and the grading infrastructure already in place. Kinney said there was no timeline for development on the upper numbered lots because the town is focusing on the Draw Site PUD. 

The condo associations also argued that construction in that location would create “several years of environmental and community disturbance while construction progresses,” would increase traffic on Carriage Way, impact the quality of life of visitors and residents, and would reduce property values in the Upper Village. 

The lots are owned by the town and not the condo associations, which all sit adjacent to the parking lots. 

In the original letter to the town in January, and echoed in the formal request, the condo associations said the town cannot change the use, number, access, or proximity of the upper parking lots without their consent. They cited a 1967 town declaration, a 1978 agreement between the town and what was at the time the Snowmass Resort Association, and a 2006 group sales agreement between the town and the Snowmass Village Resort Association (the successor to the Snowmass Resort Association).  

The 1967 West Village general declaration obligated the SRA to maintain parking areas and provided property owners and their guests a right of access to and use of the parking areas. The 1978 agreement transferred lots 1-13 to the town and required that “the land (the town) received from SRA would continue to be used as it had been in the past, including for parking lots, and that parking lots would not be closed or changed in character ‘unless mutually agreed upon,'” according to the associations’ request.

The 2006 group sales agreement obligated the town to provide “permanent access” to parking to properties adjacent to the parking lots. Under the agreement, the town also said it would notify all adjacent property owners of any proposed development that would change the current use of the lots, the associations said. 

According to the 2006 group sales agreement, the condo associations argue, if a majority of adjacent owners opposed a proposed development of the lots, it would require three-fourths of the Town Council to approve moving forward with the development.

The town frequently told representatives of the condo association that employee housing was a priority for the town, Jacobsen said. During presentations for the Draw Site project, Snowmass Housing Director Betsy Crum frequently told council members that the affordable housing situation in Snowmass is dire. 

The associations’ request urged the town to explore other sites instead of the upper numbered lots.

Doing so, though, is “not in the best interest of the community,” Kinney said.

In the petition signed by over 200 condo owners, which The Aspen Times also obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act request, several owners echoed concerns about parking, road congestion, and property values.

The development “would destroy the value of my property,” one owner wrote. 

“Why does employee housing need to be this close to the mountain?” another said. 

“Make use of the options in the surrounding area for employee housing,” another owner wrote. “It is not suitable for placement too close to the STR’s (short-term rentals) that (contribute) so much in taxes to the costs of the town. Too much traffic congestion on Carriage Way.”

It is unclear when the request will go before the planning commission. The commission can either recommend that the Town Council amend the housing master plan to remove the sites or recommend to keep the plan as it is. The former would require a more formal vote.

“I think the housing master plan was a well thought-out plan with a tremendous level of public input,” Kinney said. “Reducing any level of workforce housing is just not a good idea.”

‘One step at a time’: Snowmass resident surpasses goal of 85 uphills for his 85th birthday

At the start of the 2023-2024 ski season, Mone Anathan set an ambitious goal for himself: uphill 85 times for his 85th birthday. By the time his birthday came on March 15, he had surpassed 85 uphills and was shooting for 100.

On March 26, he had uphilled in Snowmass 99 times and is planning to reach 100 on March 27.

“Last year, I made the mistake of saying, ‘You know, I’m going to do 85 days for my 85th birthday,’ and at that time, it seemed like a pretty good challenge,” he said. “And when I hit 85, I just couldn’t stop.

“It’s such a thrill to be able to be out there and do what I do,” he added.

Anathan, a longtime Snowmass Village resident, took up uphilling when the COVID-19 pandemic started. It was a way to keep himself active and outside, he said.

Since he started uphilling, he hasn’t been able to stop. 

“I just wanted to stay away from the lines,” he said. “And it’s addictive. It’s meditative.”

But he has been skiing since he was in his late 30s, and he moved to Snowmass to have better access to the mountain. 

“For me, it’s just like dancing down the mountain,” he said. “Putting miles and miles under those boards until you get a sense of comfort – there’s nothing like it.”

For eight years, he was an on-mountain ambassador, leading tours for guests. Meeting people from all over the world and showing them the mountain on skis was one of his favorite parts of living in Snowmass.

Last season, he uphilled between 40 and 50 days while still serving as an ambassador. But once he set the goal of 85 uphills in one season, he decided to give up the ambassador position.

To reach his goal, Anathan has uphilled about six times a week, and he always sticks to Snowmass. His favorite routes are up Sam’s Knob and Alpine Springs. 

And while he’s making his way up the mountain, he’s always listening to opera. Some of his favorites are “The Magic Flute” and “La Traviata,” he said.

Though he loves the exercise, one of his favorite parts of uphilling is the people he meets on the mountain.

“Whether it’s in the locker room or people passing me — because I’m very slow — or people coming down the hill who stop and want to chat,” he said. “And just the sense of accomplishment when you get to the top, it’s kind of special.”

It typically takes him an hour and 45 minutes to make it up the mountain. But he always makes it to the top, “one step at a time,” he said.

Snowmass Ski Area will close on Sunday, April 14, for the season, and uphill passes are required through April 30.

When asked if he would keep going after reaching 100 days of uphilling on March 27, he said: “Of course – I can’t stop!”

PHOTOS: Spring break in Snowmass

Visitors in Snowmass were greeted by fresh snow as Snowmass Village welcomed people from across the country taking spring break vacations.

Three skiers ride the Village Shuttle lift in Snowmass Village.
Lucy Peterson/The Aspen Times
Children enjoy free ice skating at the Snowmass Base Village ice rink at The Collective.
Lucy Peterson/The Aspen Times
Parents watch as their children ice skate at the ice rink at The Collective in Base Village.
Lucy Peterson/The Aspen Times

Snowmass In Brief: Tax revenues up, fire officials continue investigating condominium fire

Tax revenues up from 2023

Snowmass Village sales tax revenue in January was up about 3% from January 2023, which Snowmass officials said was a record-breaking month for the village. The ski season so far is up about 3.5% over the previous season in total sales tax revenue.

Lodging tax revenue, the single largest tax revenue source for the village, is up about 10%, but restaurants and lodging are down. In past months, tourism officials have cited an increase in lodging stock that is causing occupancy rates to appear lower and an increase in travel prices for countries like Australia who typically come to the valley in January.

Marijuana and tobacco taxes were up by 13% from 2023.

Roaring Fork Fire continuing investigation into Willows Condominiums fire

The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue is continuing its investigation into a fire that broke out at the Willows Condominiums, though it has no suspicion of foul play.

In order to put the fire out, firefighters used an estimated 700,000 gallons of water in total, flowing about 3,750 gallons per minute. 

The fire caused heavy damage to Building D of the condominiums and left several units uninhabitable. There were no injuries during the fire.

Snowmass Public Works Department preparing for spring, summer capital improvement projects

In a Snowmass Village Town Council meeting on Monday, Public Works Director Anne Martens updated council members on ongoing and upcoming capital improvements projects, including a proposed roundabout project at the Brush Creek and Owl Creek roads intersection.

The town and other utility providers will perform a construction project along Highline Road and Owl Creek Road starting April 1, which will overlay the pavement and replace a gas line in conjunction with Black Hill Energy. 

There will be periodic road closures and single-lane closures for the duration of the project that will impact traffic. The construction will be split into three phases to minimize the total impact of the project.

Road closure timeline for the Highline Road Gas line project:

  • April 1-22: Road closed from roundabout to Snowmass Club Circle. A detour route will be in place.
  • April 23-May 10: Road closed from Snowmass Club Circle to the intersection of Highline and Owl Creek roads. A detour will be in place.
  • Mid May-late June: Single-lane closures from the intersection of Highline and Owl Creek roads to Tom Blake Trailhead.
  • Paving on Highline Road will occur in mid May.
  • Paving on Owl Creek Road will occur in late June.

All dates are subject to change, weather pending. A traffic control plan is not yet finalized.

The Public Works Department is also working through the design process of a potential roundabout at the intersection of Brush Creek and Owl Creek roads. In a December work session, the Town Council debated the roundabout project that has been in the works for years. 

The Town of Snowmass Village will start the Highline Road gas line project on April 1.
Town of Snowmass Village/Courtesy Image

Martens said her team is looking at connections going from the bus stop down to the Mayfly Trail below the area of the proposed roundabout on the east side and a staircase from up from the tunnel on the west side. 

“We’re really into those weeds of, ‘What does this look like?'” she said.

No big decisions have been made on the project, but she said her team would come to the Town Council with more detailed designs on the proposed project in the coming months. 

Construction at Town Park is still underway. The construction team aims to be done with improvements by June ahead of the rodeo season. In order to meet that goal, the team began construction on the arena and pushed the fence around the site back into the day-skier parking adjacent to the paved parking lot.

By doing so, the town lost about 80 parking spaces, Town Manager Clint Kinney said, but it was necessary to keep the construction project on time and to keep cars from getting stuck in what the warmer weather has turned into a “mud pit.” 

The intersection of Owl Creek Road and Brush Creek Road as seen on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Snowmass Village.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Here is a list of the other public works project updates:

  • The town is advertising for bids for an eight-foot walkway from Mountain View to Snowmass Mall along Brush Creek Road.
  • A design team was chosen to work on a connection from the Snowmass Center to Base Village. Phase one of feasibility elements is expected to be completed by July.
  • Construction on the Brush Creek and Kearns roads culvert project is expected to be completed in July. The construction team just re-aligned the road to begin work on the south end of the culvert.
  • The town will begin looking into improvements on roadside bus stops, including potentially adding more light fixtures to a RFTA bus stop at the intersection of Brush Creek and Owl Creek roads.

Snowmass history: Snowmass embraces snowboarders

“Economics Lead Ski Areas to Embrace Snowboarders” headlined the Aspen Daily News on March 19, 1988.

“When Snowboards and monoskis first turned up at American ski resorts back in the 1970s ski resorts fell all over themselves trying to ban them from the slopes. Traditional skiers didn’t like sharing the mountains with the new toys, no one liked the way they cut up powder, people were worried about liability and besides, it was just something new that seemed to buck the usual way of doing things. Over the years attitudes have changed to the point where two of the last holdouts against snowboards — Snowmass and Vail/Beaver Creek — have given in and are allowing the single-skis on the slopes. The reason? Fact is, more and more people are trying and enjoying monoskis – one big ski with two parallel ski bindings – and snowboards, which are like big skateboards with strap bindings.”

Jon Reveal was quoted as saying, “‘Skiing is making half circles on frozen tilted water with a smile on your face. It has nothing to do with what’s on your feet.'”

Snowmass Tourism gets new director

Snowmass Village Town Manager Clint Kinney appointed Julia Theisen to serve as the director of Snowmass Tourism. The appointment took effect on Feb. 29.

“I’m thrilled to return home to the Roaring Fork Valley and to work with the talented team at the Town of Snowmass Village and be part of the dynamic community,” she said in a prepared statement. “Snowmass is a premier destination, and I look forward to continuing to drive positive impact through innovative initiatives.”

She was one of many individuals who applied for the position and took part in a multipanel assessment process.

Previously, she served as CEO for Visit Central Oregon. Prior to that, she worked as vice president, sales and marketing for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association and has served in leadership positions with the PGA Tour, Worldsport, Harrods Entertainment in London, and more.

The Tourism Department works hard to promote Snowmass Village as the world-class resort destination it is, a recent news release states. The department is comprised of the marketing department, events department, and the group sales team, whose goal is to bring visitors to Snowmass and to keep the village busy for our many local retail, dining, and lodging stakeholders. The department manages all marketing, special events, group sales, public relations, and guest services efforts town-wide. The groups sales team works with meeting or event planners to coordinate a variety of programs.

“Julia is highly-qualified and an expert within the travel and tourism industry,” Kinney said in a prepared statement. “I am pleased to welcome her to the Town and our tourism marketing department.”

Theisen holds a BA in English/Communications from Fairfield University and is a certified destination management executive with Destinations International and a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management.

Cost of not building affordable housing at Draw Site ‘enormous,’ Snowmass housing director says

For months, the Town of Snowmass Village has undergone a lengthy planned unit development process for its first workforce rental housing development in 25 years. 

The development, called the Draw Site, is still far from final approval, but it would be one of the largest workforce rental housing projects in Snowmass. The current proposal is two 40-unit apartment complexes that would be built on a parcel of land on the Faraway Ranch North subdivision, directly northwest of Snowmass Town Hall. It would cost the town about $80 million.

Snowmass Town Council approved the sketch plan for the Draw Site — the first of three steps in the PUD process — in its Feb. 20 council meeting. But it was approved with 14 conditions made by the Planning Commission, which voted 6-1 to recommend approval of the Draw Site sketch plan, and with a stipulation that the town could explore different (and smaller) design options for the development during the preliminary plan stage of the PUD process.

Snowmass Housing Director Betsy Crum has repeatedly emphasized the town’s housing crisis. And while the Town Council agrees it needs to address the crisis, some council members are torn on how to address it, and if the Draw Site is the right project to do so.

The Draw Site is still in its early stages of development, but since the Town Council approved the sketch plan and passed the project through its first hurdle, it now must decide how large of a project it wants to take on.

History of the Draw Site

The Draw Site parcel has long been identified by the town as having the potential for workforce housing developments. In 1988, the owners of the land at the time gave the town the parcel in exchange for not having to develop its own housing for employees.

In the 2021 housing master plan, which set a goal of adding 185 more workforce housing units to the town’s affordable housing stock, it was one of five sites identified as having the biggest potential for chipping away at the town’s goal of reaching those units.

“It had a number of things going for it,” Crum said. “One is that it had been talked about for housing for many many years, and so from a community standpoint it was already seen and accepted at some level and advocated for as an affordable housing site.”

The Draw Site housing development would be situated directly northwest of the Snowmass Village Town Hall.
Lucy Peterson/The Aspen Times

“But the other thing that appealed to me is that it had the greatest potential to add to our (housing) portfolio. Some of the other sites like the Snowmass Inn… you’d have to tear down existing affordable housing to build new ones, so this had the greatest development potential,” she added.

Other sites identified as potential sites in the housing master plan included the Snowmass Inn, the upper parking lots on Carriage Way, and a parcel of land near the Public Works facilities along Owl Creek Road.

Because of its proximity to the Snowmass Center, the Draw Site ranked highest of all the potential sites in terms of community impact during the housing master plan study. But the site ranked lowest in physiology and ecological constraints, with 67% of the site having slopes greater than 30%. The steepness of the site is one of reasons some council members oppose the development in its current iteration, and led to several concerns brought up by the Planning Commission.

Draw Site drawbacks

The sketch plan proposed two, 78-foot tall apartment buildings with a parking garage in between and a winding road coming up from Kearns Road past Town Hall. In the conditions made by the Planning Commission and approved by the Town Council, commissioners said the access road should not exceed a 10% grade.

A road exceeding a 10% grade would require a snow melt system for the road, which is costly and not energy-efficient. But a road with a 10% grade is still steep, Councilmember Tom Fridstein said, and it could pose challenges for public transportation or emergency vehicles trying to access the units.

There is some concern about the grade of the road that would lead to an 80-unit housing development directly northwest of the Snowmass Village Town Hall.
Site Architects/Courtesy Image

“I don’t think it’s anywhere close to ideal,” Fridstein said. “That’s going to be the whole artery of this development. This road is the center of everything, and I’m worried with all those turns in the winter, that’s a very dangerous situation.”

Snowmass Transportation Director Sam Guarino said the Snowmass Village Shuttle will service the site, but it is too early in the process to know exactly how. It may pick people up at a stop by the units, or it may pick people up at Kearns Road, he said.

One of the Planning Commission’s conditions was to make sure the town continues working closely with the transportation department and the fire district to ensure the road allows for ample access for shuttle and emergency services.

The steepness of the site has also caused multiple constraints in the design process. The initial proposal was three buildings to house the 80 units, but it would require even further site disturbance and could be more costly. But the Planning Commission and some council members argued the mass and scale of the two buildings were still too much for the site. When the town approved the sketch plan, it approved it with the flexibility to explore one-, two-, or three-building options in an attempt to reduce the mass and scale of the project.

In a Feb. 5 Town Council meeting, Fridstein said the town was “trying to get too much out of this site.”

But downsizing the development would still be expensive, and the cost-per-unit to make up for construction would exceed affordable housing rents, Crum said.

Council member Britta Gustafson has also frequently expressed concerns for the scale of the Draw Site.

“I ran on a platform that underscores the belief that I’m not against development, but I am against development that doesn’t solve the problem it’s built to address,” she said. “I am in favor of workforce housing and I understand the imperative need, it’s just crucial to prioritize developments that align with our community’s vision, values, and character.”

Gustafson said she has heard from community members who are worried the Draw Site will “mirror Base Village.”

“We’re going to now be standing in Base Village, looking across the valley at another super tall building, or a couple tall buildings. Base Village has been such a hard pill to swallow for our community, and we’re trying our best to embrace it,” she said. “I have a strong concern, from what I’ve heard, that if we carry it across the valley… it’s going to reinvigorate that feeling that we’re just damaging this precious landscape incrementally.”

She pointed to housing developments like Mountain View in Snowmass, which she said mirror the character of Snowmass better and blend more seamlessly into the landscape.

The two proposed buildings would be between 74 and 78 feet, according to the sketch plan application. It would require a variance in the town code, which allows a 38-foot maximum height in multifamily zone districts, Community Development Director Dave Shinneman said. Four out of the five council members would need to approve the variance in the code.

Gustafson suggested exploring other parcels in Snowmass for potential developments or changing requirements for accessory employee units to allow for more housing outside of the Draw Site.

“I’m not against developing the Draw Site into workforce housing, I’m just not comfortable with the project as it’s been presented,” she said.

A housing crisis

About 260 people are currently on the waiting list for one of Snowmass’ 300 affordable housing rentals, Crum said. People wait an average of six years on the rental waiting list.

And since 2020, the number of people on the list has more than doubled, she said. By developing the Draw Site, it could make a significant dent in the waiting list. The current proposal includes 48 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units, and eight three-bedroom units.

“This site has the greatest potential, and if we don’t build to its potential, we’re not going to make it up at a different site,” Crum said. “I think if we take our foot off the accelerator around housing, we’re always going to be playing catch up…Our list has more than doubled (since COVID), but we haven’t added any stock to speak of, so doing something smaller, I understand why the council would want that, but it would slow down the reach to our goal because I’m not sure we could make it up in another location on a site we have control over.”

Mayor Bill Madsen has consistently expressed support for the Draw Site, and reiterated the convenience of the parcel in tackling a large amount of the town’s goal of adding 185 workforce housing units to its housing stock.

“We’re in a housing crisis, which is something I continuously say, and we’re reminded of by our housing director, so I think it’s really important that we address that,” he said. “I think the greatest investment that we can make in Snowmass Village is in the people that live and work here, and I want to provide that opportunity for more of our employees.”

Cost and next steps

Crum estimated the development would cost $80 million, including construction, engineering, and further design costs. The town plans to maximize on state and federal grants to help cover some of the costs. It pursued a Strong Communities Infrastructure Grant from the State Department of Local Affairs in December, but was denied the grant because the project was still in too early a stage for the grant.

The town is planning to pledge $2 million-3 million from its lodging and sales tax revenue annually toward loan services, she said. 

A proposed affordable housing development in Snowmass Village would add 80 units to its affordable housing stock.
Site Architects/Courtesy Image

Since the start of the development process, the town has heard from several local entities who expressed interest in helping fund the project in exchange for a portion of the units to be reserved for their employees. The Aspen School District, Colorado Mountain College, Aspen Valley Hospital, and Roaring Fork Transit Authority have expressed interest, Crum said.

The $80 million price tag will require voter approval. According to a Snowmass ordinance that was approved by voters in 2000, any single project that costs more than 40% of the town’s most recent general fund revenue must go to the voters for approval. The 2024 general fund revenue was $28.8 million, according to the town’s approved budget; any project that costs more than $11 million will require voter approval.

The timeline for a Draw Site question making the ballot is unclear. The town is now in the preliminary plan phase of the PUD process, where the Town Council, as owners of the parcel, must make its determination on the size of the project. 

Once the Town Council decides how large it wants the project to be, the town will move forward with the site engineering, which could take months. 

“The housing need has always been here in our community. We haven’t built new rental housing in 25 years and the need has only gotten more acute since the pandemic,” Crum said. “The cost of not doing this is enormous.”

Snowmass Villlage is looking to add 80 new affordable housing units to its stock with a proposed housing development above Town Hall.
Site Architects/Courtesy image

Snowmass to host Women’s History Month panel on Thursday

Local women leaders will speak at The Collective in Snowmass Base Village on Thursday, March 14, to celebrate Women’s History Month.

The Women Who Lead networking event will be from 6-8 p.m. at The Collective and is meant for women in the valley who are interested in meeting other business-focused women. Gena Buhler, head of projects strategy and operations at Theatre Projects; Sarah Carlson, founder of Fulcrum Financial Group; Mawa McQueen, chef and founder of McQueen Hospitality; and Alya Howe, founder of Writ Large, will be on the panel.

The women will talk about leadership tips, best practices, and anecdotes of how they started their professional careers.

The event is free, but reservations are encouraged. Complimentary wine and snacks will be included, plus a small gift while supplies last. 

Those who wish to attend can make a reservation online. Seating will be on a first-come first-served basis.

Snowmass Village Town Council mulls over transit center proposals

The Snowmass Village Town Council is torn on how to proceed with improvements to transit depots at the Snowmass Mall.

After seeing competing proposals to update the current mall bus depots, the Town Council agreed it was time to explore the proposals – nearly a year after a proposed transit center at the mall was shot down by the Planning Commission. 

Dwayne Romero, CEO of the Romero Group, which owns the Snowmass Mall, asked the council to consider redeveloping the transit center to allow for expansion and new housing developments on the mall. Snowmass Transportation Director Sam Guarino proposed incremental improvements to the existing transit centers for the Snowmass Village Shuttle and the Roaring Fork Transit Authority (RFTA) stop.

The incremental improvements were presented after the Town Council directed town staff to develop a simpler, cost-effective solution for the transit depots in June 2023, after the Planning Commission and members of the public said a 40-month construction for a transit center was not right for Snowmass at the time. In its March 4 meeting, the Town Council discussed new development opportunities for the mall transit center instead of the incremental improvements.

In Monday’s Town Council work session, Guarino presented a list of design criteria for a potential new transit center to act as a framework for future designs. The criteria was based on Planning Commission concerns from the 2023 project, past public feedback, and past design criteria.

Some of the criteria included providing public facilities like restrooms and providing an open, welcoming, and visually-appealing experience for bus riders. One of the main concerns that jumpstarted a new transit center discussion was that the separation of the current bus depots causes confusion and an unpleasant arrival experience for visitors.

Other criteria included keeping construction duration and impact as minimal as possible. 

But council members were torn on which proposal to pursue and whether they should seek community input on a new transit center before moving forward with designs.

“What we’re really looking for … is direction,” Guarino said. “If we’re going to enter into trying to design something new, that’s a road we can go down, but it will be expensive. Or if we want to go down the incremental improvements path, we can get something done more quickly – we’ll take that direction, as well – or if we want to do both. It’s really up to you all, of course.”

Some council members wanted to bring designs to the public, including businesses on the mall that said the construction would impact them, to determine if there is community support on the project. But some said there may never be community support on a transit center because it’s not as appealing as other projects, even though it would address improvements that need to be made.

“I have been a strong proponent of combining (the transit depots), but I just really feel like it’s not going to happen, if I’m being honest. I don’t think it’s ever going to be appealing to people; no one’s ever going to think it’s important enough to do it,” Council member Alyssa Shenk said. “It’s kind of like putting a new roof on your house: Nobody wants to do it, you don’t want to replace your roof, but sometimes, you have to do these things, and it’s hard for people to really understand that.

“I feel like with the incremental (improvements), even though I wasn’t a huge fan the last time we talked about it, I really spent some time thinking about the things you could do at RFTA, at Village Shuttle, and the mall to make it a more pleasant experience, and to me, I think it would be helpful to spend some time really thinking about that as a group,” she added.

She suggested exploring how many items of the transit center criteria the town could accomplish by doing just the incremental improvements that Guarino proposed.

A transit center is not a new concept for Snowmass — in the agenda packet for the Monday work session, Guarino included several iterations of mall transit center designs going back to 1984.

“I think it’s a great idea to see how many of these boxes we can check off with incremental improvements,” Council member Britta Gustafson said. “I also think it was fascinating to see that we’ve had designs coming to us since 1984 – and previously, as well – to see that this kind of rears its head every so many years, and then something keeps it from happening.”

She was still in support of presenting a design to the public to gauge support.

“I want to believe that it’s a genuine lack of appetite to do it at all and not just the presentation of the way it’s suggested to be done that is turning people away,” she added.

Mayor Bill Madsen said the feedback he received last year during the transit center process was largely negative, and to spend money on initial designs to present to the public may not be worth the cost.

But Council member Tom Fridstein said it would be worth it to invest in a design to show the public and see if people are in favor.

“To just say don’t do it because we’re not sure it’s going to work or we know what people will say, I just think it’s too important,” he said. “I just think it’s worth spending $100,000 and see if we can come up with a solution that works.”

Town Manager Clint Kinney told The Aspen Times on Tuesday that  the town could spend $100,000 to develop a couple of schemes for a transit center that can be evaluated, but there needs to be support from the majority of council that they want to push the project forward for further evaluation before that happens.

Council member Susan Marolt suggested doing a feasibility study and potentially surveying mall owners and members of the public about the potential for a new transit center. One of the criteria Guarino presented was to avoid shutdowns on Carriage Way. During 2023 discussions of the transit center, several members of the business community at the mall said they wouldn’t be able to survive a shutdown on Carriage Way.

“I want to be able to have something that we can gauge community support and actually build community support for a new transit center,” Marolt said. “I think without the community buy-in, we’re just headed down the same road.”

Developing affordable housing on the mall 

When Romero asked the Town Council on Feb. 5 to redevelop the mall’s transit center, he said doing so would allow the Romero Group to redevelop the mall above the current Village Shuttle Depot, if the town sold him the parcel.

The development would add 22 affordable housing units and 22 free-market housing units to the 20,400-square foot parcel – a big selling point for council members who were in favor of a new transit center.

His proposed transit center, which the town would develop, would reconfigure parking lots five and six next to the upper mall, reroute Carriage Way slightly, and build a two-level bus station. The top level would accommodate RFTA buses and the bottom would accommodate the Village Shuttles. 

During public comment at the work session, he urged council members to go against a “tidal wave of resistance” from the town about a new transit center. Town staff have frequently told the Town Council they recommend against a new transit center, but Kinney and Guarino told council members the town would move forward with any recommendation they have, even if it means moving forward with a new transit center.

In Romero’s mall-redevelopment proposal, the space that is currently the Village Shuttle depot would accommodate about 60 parking spaces for the proposed housing units. Kinney asked him if it would be helpful for the town to remove the parking requirements from the development to allow for the housing project to move forward while still keeping the Village Shuttle depot in its place.

Romero said it was an “appeasement … not a solution,” and the parking would be important for the housing development.

It is unclear when the discussion will be brought back to the Town Council. 

“We’re going to continue to evaluate how best to get this input and whether it’s a community-wide survey or a specific sort of roundtable discussion we don’t know,” Kinney said on Tuesday. “But the fundamental question is: ‘Is there support for a large-scale project?’ And that’s what we’re trying to determine.”