Snowmass cuts transit center from 2026 proposed budget

Snowmass Town Council decided on Monday not to plan for preliminary construction of a new Snowmass Mall Transit Center in the proposed 2026 budget.

The project would have seen $9.33 million in funding had it not been removed from next year’s budget, a fraction of the $126.4 million proposed for capital improvement projects in 2026. The entire proposed budget allotted $173.5 million in total expenditures, up from a proposed $166.2 million of expenditures in 2025 and a projected $69 million of expenditures in 2024, although the budget is generally not finalized until immediately before the November election.

Council members on Monday, however, decided to remove the funding for preliminary construction on the Snowmass transit center, citing a lack of interest from the community and construction fatigue, among other reasons.

“I don’t feel like there are right now many members of our community who are just clamoring to have a mall transit center,” Council Member Susan Marolt said in the Snowmass Town Council meeting. 

After looking at ways to improve the transit center over the past 40 years, town council made headway earlier this year on a two-story, $44 million design, to be built over a 40-month period. The design would serve both Roaring Fork Transportation Authority and Snowmass Village Shuttle vehicles. 

Rather than move forward with the larger project, council directed staff this spring to design more immediate improvements to the existing RFTA transit center, which included a new bathroom, stairs, another bus loading zone, and more — improvements, labeled “Phase 1,” that the town would not have to remove if they continued to build the larger, $44 million design. 

Construction for the preliminary improvements would have begun in the spring of 2026 and ended in late 2026 or early 2027, according to a tentative construction timeline provided by town staff.

Council Member Tom Fridstein agreed that, of the multiple capital improvement projects council is thinking of starting next year, Phase 1 of the transit center might not be the most urgent. 

“I’m concerned about the inconvenience for our community,” he said, worrying about the extended closure required for construction on Carriage Way, the road leading up to the Snowmass Mall.

Four other capital projects constituting the bulk of the $126.3 million allotted in the proposed budget — the Little Red School House renovation, the Villas North renovation, the Draw Site Workforce Housing project, and construction of a roundabout at the intersection of the Brush Creek/Owl Creek roads.

On Monday, council approved the proposed $8.5 million to renovate the Little Red School House, a childcare facility in Snowmass. The renovations would double the childcare capacity of the school house from 30 to 60 through the construction of a new building behind the existing school house. The new building would have a footprint seven times the size of the original school house. 

The 14-month construction period is expected to begin in May or June of 2026, according to town staff.

Council also approved the $6 million funding requested to renovate the Villas North in 2026. The town seeks to replace the original wood siding of the villas, located on Snowmass Club Road, with fire resistant compost and metal stucco and install more efficient windows and doors. It also plans to replace the stairs and deck of the villas. 

Snowmass Housing Director Besty Crum expects the project to begin in the spring of 2026 and construction to be completed over a year, or two construction seasons.

Council decided to continue discussing this coming Monday whether or not to allot $8.5 million in the 2026 budget for the Brush Creek/Owl Creek roundabout and $82.5 million for the 66-unit Draw Site workforce housing project.

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