McPhee: Rein in the Construction Juggernaut

So it wasn’t my imagination.

I thought construction activity around town this summer seemed especially brisk, and then last week, the papers showed that Aspen revenue from construction was up 109% — more than double.

I don’t expect anything from Bill Guth or Sam Rose, but the other three council members have been around long enough to know what the people who live in town are thinking. One of the things we think about is not wanting to live in a constant construction zone.

Why do you allow the building department to churn out so many permits, a lot of them in pretty close proximity to each other? 

In my neighborhood, right now, there are three, huge houses (That’s redundant — they are all huge now) being built within a couple of blocks of each other. Plus, the over-the-top rehabilitation of Park Avenue. I have been walking up and down that road for 47 years, and I have never seen conditions so adverse that would require a response like this. Is it because the houses on the west side of the street might have dug their basements a little too deep? 

This city council has plans to alleviate traffic congestion, but they are years away from happening, and when implemented, it is doubtful they will achieve any thing. Today about 40% of the traffic coming into and leaving town is construction-related.

Please, council — do something to protect our quality of life. Rein in the Construction Juggernaut.

Jim McPhee

Aspen