Lifelong Aspenite

State of the
Aspen Area

Speaker
Series

Aspen Economy
White Paper

Random
Survey

Small Group
Meetings

Survey
Results

Large Group
Meetings

Planning &
Zoning Review

City Council &
BOCC Review

State of the Aspen Area: 2000-2008
September 17

This report contains up to date information on a range of issues that have traditionally been important to the Aspen community, ranging from transportation to housing and growth. Did you know that the City has issued 9,886 building permits with a value of $2.4 billion since 2000? This is just one piece of information contained in this comprehensive report. Included are reader-friendly summaries
of each topic.

Speaker Series
September 17 - October

Staff visited various groups and organizations in the Aspen area to offer a PowerPoint presentation on the highlights of the State of the Aspen Area report, and the public process for generating a Community Vision for the Aspen Area.

'White Paper' on the
Aspen Economy
October 20

This is a rare opportunity to gain a new understanding of the unique and powerful resort economy that drives many important issues in the Aspen area. The City of Aspen hired an international resort consulting firm (Economics Research Associates) to draft this 'White Paper.' The report is reader-friendly and accessible to the general public.

Random Survey
November

A survey has been mailed to random households in the Aspen area, asking a wide range of questions about your vision for the future. This approach has been tested in mountain communities before, and will be a statistically accurate reflection of community values, likes and dislikes. Results will be available in January 2009.

Small Group Meetings
Oct 27 - Nov 14

More than 150 people recently participated in 11 small group meetings in October and November, offering their visions and goals for the future. These meetings were not intended to produce a consensus of any kind, but to express a range of goals and visions. A summary of notes from these meetings are available on the "Small Group Meetings" page.

Survey Results
2nd week January

The results of the random survey that was mailed to Aspen area residents in November will be available on the website. This is a values-based survey that can help form the Community Vision for the Aspen area.

Large Community Vision Meetings
January 27, January 31

Our goal is to have at least 350 people attend each of three public meetings, so more than 1,000 people can take part in drafting a Community Vision for the Aspen Area. We'll use a number of methods, including wireless voting keypads to explore the community's values. For more information and to RSVP and reserve your clicker, please see the homepage.

Planning and Zoning
Commission Review
March

This will be a more traditional and formalized process where the Planning and Zoning Commissions of both the City and the County will review a draft of the Community Vision for the Aspen Area. This will include legally noticed public hearings that anyone can attend to offer their comments.

City Council and Board of County Commissioners Review
April

This will be a more traditional and formalized process where the Aspen City Council and the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners will review a draft of the Community Vision for the Aspen Area, while also considering the input of both planning and zoning commissions. This will include legally noticed public hearings that anyone can attend to offer their comments.

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Lifelong Aspenite

This section focuses on a range of services that are targeted mainly for year-round residents, from child care to education, health services and senior services. Part of the purpose of this section is to examine whether these services are at or near capacity. Here a few facts from this section:

38% of children in child care facilities within Pitkin County actually live outside the County, meaning they commute with a parent(s) to receive care near their parent's workplace. A recent study predicted demand for child care services will exceed current capacity by 2012.
While enrollment in the RE1 School District is up 30 percent since 2000 (+376), almost half of that increase came from out-of-district students (+156). A new high school was built in 1993, a new middle school was recently completed and the elementary school is at 90 percent capacity.
Heritage education received a boost from local voters in 2006, who formed a new district to establish a dedicated stream of property tax revenue to support the Aspen Historical Society and its many activities.
The Aspen Fire Protection District recently built a new substation at the AABC, and is renovating its downtown Headquarters Station on Hopkins Street.
Both the Aspen Police Department and the Sheriff's Offi ce are planning signifi cant expansions as part of the ZG Master Plan. Located in the basement of the County Courthouse, both agencies are short of space for basic functions such as private interview rooms, forensic processing, evidence storage, lockers and records storage.
Aspen Valley Hospital is in the process of gaining approval for a major new expansion, bringing its facilities up to modern standards. A comparison of services from 1977 to the present showed a four-fold increase in outpatient surgery, more than three times as many physical therapy patients, almost twice as many emergency room visits and 9,222 CT scans compared to zero in 1977.

About 15% of the county population is 60 or over. A recent survey found that:

29% of 2nd homeowners intend to retire in Pitkin County;
46% of locals 45 or over intend to retire here;
26% of locals 45 or over are seeking local "retirement alternatives."

Linkage to other issues

There are precious few issues in the Aspen area that exist in a vacuum. Here are a few topics that are directly related to Aspenites of all ages.

Housing. A recent survey by Pitkin County showed that the wave of retirements coming from the Baby Boom generation is not limited to locals. While a 2004 survey showed about 14% of second homeowners want to retire here, a new survey pegged that number at 29%.

Economics. If the number of jobs continues to increase in the Aspen area, supporting an active tourist population, a wide range of infrastructure is needed - not just adequate roads, transit, sewer and water. Medical and emergency services need to be adequate, and they need to be able to handle major events that spike the population to almost unmanageable levels at times.