Aspen upholds Wild Fig renovations

Aspen’s The Wild Fig is attempting to expand its restaurant space, but the city says it must account for the impact of an expansion on the local housing demand.

Aspen City Council upheld Tuesday staff’s preliminary approval to allow The Wild Fig to enclose its outdoor seating and make various alterations to its windows, doors, and materials. With the renovations, The Wild Fig, located at 305 S. Mill St., would increase its “net leasable space” by 1,363 square feet — which, in turn, would require more employees, increasing the demand for housing, according to city staff.

“I will say the big deal about this is affordable housing mitigation related to an increase of net leasable (space),” Community Development Director Ben Anderson said in the council meeting.

Council member John Doyle echoed the concern that increased leasable space would increase the need for employees and, consequently, the need for more local housing.

“Especially since Covid, there were a lot of temporary structures allowed,” Doyle told The Aspen Times on Wednesday. “That was great for business, but it definitely increased the size of the space and created a need for employees — and everything is tied to housing.”

If the expansion goes through for The Wild Fig — which would be permanent, not temporary — the city is requiring the restaurant to provide affordable housing for 4.14 full-time-employee equivalents for the increased strain on the employee housing market. The renovation must still go through a Final Major Development Review before it will be completely approved by the city.

Along with affordable housing, the city is requiring the restaurant to make a $33,600 contribution to WE-cycle to offset the transportation impacts of the space increase, should it be approved. The city is also requiring the restaurant provide 413 square feet of on-site, pedestrian amenity space, as well as $109,462.65 cash-in-lieu of 1,095 square feet of pedestrian amenity, given the developments, according to a city document.

With the renovations, the restaurant must increase its solid waste capacity by 3.5 cubic yards, including a 1.5-cubic-yard dumpster and cardboard recycling shelves. 

The city is restricting the roof height of the restaurant’s proposed space to 11 feet, 2 inches. 

Doyle said on Wednesday it was an easy decision for council to initially approve The Wild Fig’s proposed renovations Tuesday.

“It was really easy to pass this because, since I’ve been on council, we have to approve a temporary structure there almost every year,” he said. 

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission will next consider the project’s final approval.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.