Letter: City shirks its duty

I am surprised and very disappointed that Aspen’s Planning and Zoning Commission would even consider changing the zoning of an area presently zoned for conservation to allow additional development by private developers, in this case the Gorsuch group. Shouldn’t the city of Aspen be fighting to enforce zoning rules instead of bending them? And shouldn’t the city of Aspen be the primary guardian of land designated for conservation?

Members of my family have enjoyed skiing in Aspen for decades. One daughter fell madly in love with the place and moved from Chicago to become a ski instructor for a couple of years. She still skis with that same passion.

Because the base of Aspen Mountain is zoned for conservation, we all can enjoy the view from downtown. In every season, we see the beautiful rise to that glorious mountain. Why would anyone want to replace that view with a colossal development? A bunch of buildings occupying land that used to be a pristine, natural ski slope? Not only will it wreck the view, but if Gorsuch is allowed to build a massive hotel smack in the middle of our ski slope, it will spoil the skiing! And that’s what Aspen is all about to us: an active, on-the-slope ski experience, not an overdeveloped concrete jungle and a place to watch races. Please don’t let the ski company, Gorsuch or anyone else mess with our mountain!

Julie Shelton

Chicago