Don’t be hoodwinked by developer’s proposal
I would like to compliment Marilyn Foss for her letter to the editor in Monday’s edition of The Aspen Times. We share your heartfelt comments about the need for affordable housing and the importance of preserving our beloved town’s unique character. And I would have the same reaction if my only source of information had been Mick Ireland’s commentary as well as a number of other articles in this paper.
But the facts cited in this paper as well as the Aspen Daily News echo comments made by the developer which are, stating it kindly, misleading, inaccurate and woefully incomplete.
The fact of the matter is every person who understands what is being proposed opposes the project. But not because we do not support affordable housing. In fact, one reason why my husband and I value this vibrant, eclectic neighborhood is that it is enriched by diverse income folks, many who live in affordable housing.
What the developer failed to share is: 1. The proposed structure would overwhelm the historic structure as twice affirmed by HPC, 2. would house upwards of 20 people on a small non-conforming lot, 3. would be lot-line to lot-line with no usable yard and 4. would be disruptive to an already mixed neighborhood.
And, are you ready for this? The developer is a 1A partner, has designed the project for sale not to residents but large employers to house their subsidized employees in what amounts to dormitory density housing, and has stated that anything more compatible with its Aspen neighborhood would be uneconomic. And, to add insult to injury, the project will receive a grant of $3 million from city assets which effectively removes any development risk as well as produces a very healthy profit for the developer. All to the detriment of this magic town we all call home.
Marilyn, I agree with your comments given the information you had available. Unfortunately, you have had the opportunity to see one-sided, self-serving developer statements that were not researched nor accurately reported by our newspapers. For more information please see http://www.Saveaspen.org.
Lou Stover
Aspen
