Letter: Don’t privatize base of mountain

I read with fascination Roger Marolt’s recent column confessing — but not clearly explaining — his change of mind (and heart) regarding the proposed Gorsuch Haus (“On moving Lift 1A and changing my mind,” Commentary, The Aspen Times, June 24). It’s good to know that he will be OK “walking up the hill like always” on Saturday mornings, but it doesn’t change the fact that, in its current form, the proposed Gorsuch Haus would cut off access to the base of ski lift 1A, essentially turning its back on the Aspen community and privatizing the base of the mountain.

By moving Lift 1A farther away from us and constructing a massive wing that blocks the ski corridor, the proposed Gorsuch Haus would essentially restrict usage for the exclusivity of its private guests. The plans also include seizing a hefty portion of the Norway ski run. As if that weren’t enough, there also would be a large retaining wall erected adjacent to the property to further close off access, which also would require whacking several neighbors’ trees.

The developers of the proposed Gorsuch Haus need to go back to the drawing board. The plans must be scaled back to accommodate everyone who lives in Aspen or scrapped altogether.

If you want to see a significantly scaled-down version of the Gorsuch Haus, please join me and other Aspen residents in a new coalition: Lift 1A for All Aspen. You can learn more about our effort at http://www.lift1aforall.wordpress.com. We hope to see a huge community turnout at the Planning and Zoning public hearing Tuesday.

The right type of development in this area would be welcomed for the vibrancy it could create, but our community will not support an attempt to privatize the base of Lift 1A. We will do everything in our power to fight it.

Andrew Gerber

Aspen