Taylor: County can’t build its way out of problems
As I write this, it occurs to me that this should concern everyone in the Roaring Fork Valley … and anyone who commutes daily or weekly or lives anywhere nearby. Whatever spills out of Aspen and Pitkin County coats everything.
I have attended many meetings of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and have listened to their concerns and thoughts about solutions.
I waited for any explanation of the “big picture” or any long-range plan. I know this was a part of the past planning because we can all see the remnants of it.
The county came to the communities decades ago and instructed them to form caucuses. The caucuses were then instructed to develop “master plans” and update them every 10 years. These master plans were approved by planning and zoning and then approved by BOCC. Any problems were addressed at that time, a plan for communities approved by local government.
This was brilliant — who else would be more familiar with the direction and priorities of each community?
With this information, the county had all they needed to make cohesive plans for the overall outcome. This was obvious when we moved here and Pitkin County had building restrictions, zoning, and codes in place that assured us — as residents and land owners — we would not find ourselves in another “Vail.”
What we are witnessing now is a weakening of this protective structure in an attempt to “be everything to everyone.” Failure for all is the likely outcome. The county cannot build its way out of the problems they are facing as a result of unfettered growth and lack of enforcement.
There will never be enough subsidized housing, the roads will never be straight enough, there will never be enough lanes, we can’t continue to pay lip service to climate change by covering open space with solar panels and ignore the lack of infrastructure and social services for residents and employees, and the airport will never be big enough to accommodate the path we are on.
The only way out of the issues we face is to start regulating growth, managing how we grow, and enforcing the rules we already have in place.
The BOCC needs to start supporting the caucuses and trusting that the residents actually do know what is best for their community. It is not necessary for every new commission to rewrite the rules for each community when these rules already exist. We need enforcement.
Yes, some will fight this and be disappointed, but mainly, it will be the people who are making obscene money from this lack of management. The people who built this community and continue to support the community — yet can’t afford to live in it any longer — will be the unfortunate beneficiaries. Long-term.
Susan Taylor
Woody Creek
