Game Show, Focus Groups on Tap

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.

Printable Version

Register for Updates

Game Show, Focus Groups on Tap

Game Show and Focus Groups
On Tap for AACP Update

October 14, 2008

ASPEN- A home-cooked version of "Jeopardy" is making its debut on CGTV-11,using civic trivia to help spread the word about the update of the Aspen Area Community Plan. The light-hearted local game show was produced by the City Community Development Department, and includes contestants ranging from Bill Lipsey to Toni Kronberg. The shows included questions such as, "How many retirees are now living in affordable housing?" The answer was 207.

"The idea was to get information on the State of the Aspen Area report out to the public in a way that's a little more fun," said City Planner Ben Gagnon. The report - including an abbreviated version - can be found at www.aspencommunityvision.com. The game shows get the prime time treatment on CGTV-11 this Friday,Oct. 17, at 6 pm, 8 pm and 9 pm. For a full schedule, please go to www.grassrootstv.org.

At the same time, anyone who would like to participate in focus groups can sign up at the same website for sessions. These small group meetings will begin in late October and last through mid-November. The 20-person meetings are focused on a 10-year vision for the Aspen area and will explore the values of the community regarding issues such as housing, growth, transportation and many others. "We'll be starting with the statements the community made in the 2000 Aspen Area Community Plan and asking people if they still believe in those values or if things have changed," said City Long Range Planner Jessica Garrow, adding that the update of the Aspen Area Community Plan is a joint City-County effort.

"The theme is 'Direct Democracy,' and the goal is to understand the values of the people who live and work in the Aspen area, - and to generate a 10-year community vision for the future," according to the website. "The finished product will be a foundational document for the Aspen City Council and Pitkin County Board of Commissioners -- providing guidance for future decisions on issues ranging from Housing to Managing Growth to Transportation."