Second round of public engagement on Aspen’s moratorium begins this week
Legislation on Aspen’s built environment, short-term rentals expected later this month
The city of Aspen is embarking this week on its second round of formal public engagement efforts related to its six- and nine-month moratoriums on new residential development and short-term rental permits, respectively.
While last month’s public engagement endeavors focused mostly on residential development impacts and potential mitigation measures, this week zeros in on short-term rentals.
From 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, the city will host an open house titled “How do short-term rentals affect Aspen’s character and economy?” in the Pearl Pass room on the upper level of City Hall on Rio Grande Place.
City staff will be available with information about potential land use code and policy changes, as well as what the issues are surrounding the industry and its local impacts.
A survey on the same topic on the city’s online platform, http://www.aspencommunityvoice.com, is available to fill out through Thursday.
City officials have said they are drafting policy based on the public’s feedback and will be bringing proposed legislation to Aspen City Council later this month and the beginning of May.
The residential development moratorium is scheduled to run through June 8, while the issuance of short-term rental permits is supposed to begin again in September.
Since Feb. 8, city staff has been working alongside community experts and the public to collect and share information about the current state of Aspen’s built environment as it pertains to residential building and short-term rentals.
Ben Anderson, the city’s principal long-range planner, told council during its March 28 work session that he and his colleagues have held 30 formal, deliberate engagement efforts, some of which were one-on-one interviews.
“Between Feb. 8 and March 24, we’ve talked to more than 280 people, active participants across aspencommunityvoice.com, stakeholder interviews and then the pop-up events we held,” he said.
Engagement efforts have been advertised through newspapers, social media accounts, newsletters, community development newsletters, hundreds of direct mailers and other methods.
“If you haven’t somehow been contacted by advertising for these events or for public outreach efforts you haven’t been looking, because we’ve been pretty thorough in our coverage across different platforms,” Anderson told council.
City staff will be hosting deep-dive discussions with technical community stakeholders to outline code amendments and policy changes from April 13-15. Those interested in that process can reach out to AspenEngage@aspen.gov for more information.
From 4-6 p.m. on April 27, the city will host an open house on residential building in the Pearl Pass room on the upper level of City Hall. A pop-up event on the same topic is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 30 on the pedestrian mall in downtown Aspen.
Staff will present findings and recommendations to date at council’s April 11 work session.
Watch Week Aspen returns this summer
An emblem of collaborative spirit among watch enthusiasts, the four-day celebration promises an immersive experience that bridges high‑end craftsmanship with the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
